48 
THE HORSE. 
it not to be feared that men who thus abuse one of the 
greatest worldly blessings which God has given us, will 
have an awful account to render at the day of judgment? 
ANECDOTE I. 
When the Horse is sick, or in distress, he has often 
been known to seek relief from his master. A Horse 
that was choked by accident, followed his master from { 
one place to another, and by his actions called for help, s 
When any trial was made to give him relief, he would 
bear patiently to have his mouth opened, or submit to ■' 
any other treatment that was offered him, always seem- ; 
ing to be thankful for such kind attempts. 
The following story of a Horse that went to seek relief 
of his master, is very singular. It was told the writer by 
a gentleman who never speaks any thing but the truth, > 
and therefore is not to be doubted. 
Several years since, Doctor C., living in Kentucky, 
had a favorite Horse, which lie had rode for several 
years. One night the Doctor being away from home, 
and his wife sleeping on the lower floor of the house, < 
heard a noise in the hall, or space next to her bed-room. ■; 
Believing that thieves had broken into the house, and j 
being alone, and greatly frightened, she screamed vio- <j 
lently. This awoke a gentleman, who slept in the ) 
chamber above, and he also thinking by the noise, that 
thieves were in the house, hastened down to the relief 
of the Lady. But it so happened that to go to the Lady’s 
bed-room, he found that he should have to pass through 
the space where the thieves appeared to be. Having \ 
nothing to defend himself with, he stopped for a moment ! 
to think what it was best to do, but hearing the Lady ■ 
scream again, he did not wait to consider his own safety, ; 
but rushed through the passage into the bed-room, and 
shut the door. In going through the passage, the gen¬ 
tleman did not see, or feel any thing, but still the noise 
continued, and seemed to be a loud stamping on the ) 
floor. No voices, or whispering were however heard, 
nor any thing like persons walking about on the floor. [ 
The idea of robbers, therefore, began to grow doubtful, j! 
but still the noise did not cease, and that there was some 
living creature which occasioned it, there could be no \ 
doubt. Being exceedingly anxious to know from what ( 
cause their alarm proceeded, the door was finally opened, ( 
when to their great joy, instead of thieves, there stood ’ 
the Doctor’s favorite Horse. The fears of the lady and <j 
gentleman, were now turned into astonishment. In the ) 
first place, said they, in what manner is it possible that 
the animal should have come here, and in the second 
place, what has he come for? But for others to con- / 
ceive of this astonishment, they must be told where the > 
Horse came from, and how many difficulties there were \ 
in the way of his coming. Between the house and the [ 
barn where the Horse was kept, there was a garden, 
which was so much higher than the house, that steps or 
stairs were built to go up into it. The barn was still 
higher than the garden, so that other steps led from the 
garden to the barn. These steps, with the passage 
through the garden, were made for the use of the family 
in going from the house to the barn, there being another 
passage for the Horse in a different direction, so that he 
never had passed through the garden, except on the 
night when he created the alarm above spoken of. The 
Horse on that night, was put into the barn, and the door, 
it was believed, was shut and fastened as usual. He 
must therefore have unfastened and opened the barn, or 
stable door, then passed down two flight of stairs, and 
having come to the front door of the house, unfastened 
and opened it, and then having passed through the space, 
arrived at the bed-room door, where he was found. 
The intention of the Horse, in thus going to his mas¬ 
ter’s bed-room, there can be no doubt, was to seek relief 
from pain, for it was found on the next morning, that he 
was sick, and during the following night, the poor animal 
died of a most painful disease. It seems evident also, 
that his stamping on the floor was done with the design 
of awaking Dr. C., and that from him he expected relief. 
We must not, however, suppose that the animal called 
on the Doctor, because he knew that it was his business 
to heal the sick, but because he was his master, and had 
always treated him well. How the Horse opened the 
two doors, or in what manner they were fastened, we do 
not know; and how he knew where the Doctor slept, or 
whether it was by accident, he went to his bed-room 
door, is also unknown. 
ANECDOTE II. 
Almost every person knows that the Horse, by kind 
treatment, will become so much attached to his ’master, 
or mistress, as to let no other person ride him. Some 
Horses, which are very kind towards those who have the 
care of them, are quite ferocious to strangers. The 
same kind of attachment sometimes exists between the 
Horse and other dumb animals, as the following story 
will show. 
A lady in England had a beautiful white poney, and 
a little dog. When the lady rode her poney, the little 
dog would always go with them, and when he saw any 
geese, or pigs in the road, he would run forward and 
drive them away, and then wait for his mistress and 
poney to come up to him. The dog and poney, by 
being much together, grew very fond of each other, so 
that the dog lived in the stable with 'the Horse, night 
and day. One day, when the poney was led out of the 
stable for his mistress to ride, the little dog followed as 
usual, when there came along a large dog, and furiously 
