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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Minnie's Pet Horse, by Madeline Leslie
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Minnie's Pet Horse
+
+Author: Madeline Leslie
+
+Release Date: September 14, 2008 [EBook #26620]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MINNIE'S PET HORSE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Julia Miller and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. A list of corrections
+is found at the end of the text. Oe ligatures have been expanded.
+
+
+[Illustration: MINNIE AND HER PONY.]
+
+[Illustration: MINNIE and her PETS.
+  BY MRS MADELINE LESLIE.
+  MINNIE'S PET PONY.]
+
+
+
+
+                       MINNIE'S PET HORSE.
+
+
+                               BY
+
+                      MRS. MADELINE LESLIE,
+  AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER,"
+                              ETC.
+
+
+                          ILLUSTRATED.
+
+
+                             BOSTON:
+                        LEE AND SHEPARD,
+              SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.
+                             1864.
+
+
+
+
+Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, by
+
+A. R. BAKER,
+
+In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of
+Massachusetts.
+
+ELECTROTYPED AT THE BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY.
+
+
+
+
+                    TO MY YOUNG FRIEND,
+
+                  HENRY FOWLE DURANT, JR.
+
+                  =These Little Volumes=
+
+               ARE AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED
+
+                      BY THE AUTHOR,
+
+  IN THE EARNEST HOPE THAT THEY MAY INCREASE IN HIM THAT
+      LOVE OF NATURE AND OF RURAL LIFE WHICH HAS EVER
+          EXERTED SO SALUTARY AN INFLUENCE IN THE
+              FORMATION OF THE CHARACTERS OF
+                    THE WISE AND GOOD.
+
+
+
+
+MINNIE AND HER PETS.
+
+  Minnie's Pet Parrot.
+  Minnie's Pet Cat.
+  Minnie's Pet Dog.
+  Minnie's Pet Horse.
+  Minnie's Pet Lamb.
+  Minnie's Pet Monkey.
+
+
+
+
+MINNIE'S PET HORSE.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+THE HORSE AND THE DOG.
+
+
+In the other books of this little series, I have told you about Minnie's
+pet parrot, her pet cat, and her pet dog. In this one, I shall give you
+an account of her pet pony, and also tell you anecdotes of other
+horses.
+
+Star was the name she gave her Shetland pony, I suppose because he had a
+white star on his forehead, which showed very distinctly from the
+contrast with his dark bay hair.
+
+He was about three feet high, with a short neck and a long black tail.
+He was very affectionate and gentle, loving his little mistress, and
+neighing pleasantly whenever he heard her voice.
+
+The little girl seldom went out to the stable without asking the cook
+for a piece of bread for Star. Sometimes she did not give it to him at
+once, but hid it under her apron. The pony soon learned this trick, and,
+if the bread was not forthcoming, lifted the apron with his teeth,
+whining like a child, until she put it in his mouth.
+
+During the summer months, Star was kept in the pasture, where the grass
+was very green. When he was thirsty, there was a clear, running brook at
+the end of the pasture, where he could go and drink. If the weather was
+very hot, he liked to go and stand in the water and cool himself.
+
+Star had a companion to stay with him in the pasture, and help him eat
+the young, sweet clover. This was Nannie, the lamb, who never, if she
+could help it, was out of his sight for a moment. Wherever Star went,
+Nannie tried to go too; or, if she could not, she bleated continually,
+refusing to eat until his return.
+
+Mr. Lee's place contained near a hundred acres. There was a farm house
+about two hundred rods from the mansion, and a nicely gravelled road
+leading past the lawn through the garden, connecting them.
+
+Here, almost every pleasant morning, Minnie could be seen trotting her
+little pony back and forth, and Nannie running along by his side. After
+a few months, Star became so well accustomed to his young mistress, that
+he would walk by himself from the stable door, when the groom had
+buckled on the saddle, to the bottom of the stone steps where she used
+to mount. Her father soon taught her to put her foot in the stirrup, and
+mount by herself; and Star would stand quite still, turning his head to
+see when she was ready; then, when she tightened the reins, and said in
+her pleasant tones, "Come, pony!" away he would go down the avenue,
+trotting or cantering, just as suited her best.
+
+As Minnie grew older, her mother sometimes trusted her to go to the
+village store of an errand; or, if the servants were busy, and there was
+a letter to be posted, there was nothing easier than for Minnie to run
+to the gate leading into the pasture, and call out, "Star! Star!!" Then
+he would come up to the house, following her like a dog, and wait to be
+saddled.
+
+In the winter the pony occupied a stall in the neat, warm stable; and
+there, curled down by his side, Nannie lay too, doing her best to keep
+her favorite warm with her long fleece.
+
+Minnie thought Star a very knowing horse, and she loved to tell her
+father and mother all the cunning things he did, and how glad he always
+was to see her, when she went to visit him.
+
+Sometimes her father told her stories of other ponies. I suppose you
+would like to hear some, and I will tell them to you.
+
+"The first was an account of a horse owned by Dr. Smith, in Ireland. He
+was a beautiful hackney, and although extremely spirited, was at the
+same time wonderfully docile.
+
+"The doctor had also a fine Newfoundland dog, named Caesar. These animals
+were mutually attached, and seemed perfectly acquainted with each
+other's actions. The dog was always kept in the stable at night, and
+universally lay beside the horse.
+
+"When Dr. Smith practised in Dublin, he visited his patients on
+horseback, and had no other servant to take care of his horse while in
+their houses but Caesar, into whose mouth he put the reins. The hackney
+stood very quietly, even in that crowded city, beside his friend Caesar.
+When it happened that the doctor had a patient not far distant from the
+place where he paid his last visit, he did not think it worth while to
+remount, but called to his horse and Caesar to follow him. They both
+readily obeyed, and remained quietly opposite the door where he entered
+until he came out again.
+
+"While he remained in Queen's county, he had many opportunities of
+witnessing the friendship and sagacity of these intelligent animals. The
+horse seemed to be as implicitly obedient to his friend Caesar, as he
+could possibly be to his groom.
+
+"The doctor would go to the stable, accompanied by his dog, put the
+bridle on his horse, and giving the reins to Caesar, bid him take the
+horse to the water. They both understood what was to be done, when off
+trotted Caesar, followed by the hackney, which frisked, capered, and
+played with the dog all the way to the rivulet, about three hundred
+yards distant from the stable. He followed at a great distance, always
+keeping so far in the rear as to observe their manoeuvres. They
+invariably went to the stream, and after the horse had quenched his
+thirst, both returned in the same playful manner as they had gone out.
+
+"Sometimes the doctor desired Caesar to make the horse leap the stream,
+which was about six feet broad. The dog, by a kind of bark, and leaping
+up toward the horse's head, intimated to him what he wanted, which was
+quickly understood, when he cantered off, and took the leap in a neat
+and regular style. On one occasion, Caesar lost hold of the reins, and as
+soon as the horse cleared the leap, he immediately trotted up to his
+canine friend, who took hold of the bridle, and led him back through the
+water quietly."
+
+"They loved each other," cried Minnie, "just like Star and Nannie."
+
+"Such attachments are not uncommon," rejoined Mr. Lee.
+
+"Many horses will not stay a moment in the stable by themselves, without
+discovering a great deal of impatience.
+
+"Sometimes they try to break the manger with their fore feet. On one
+occasion a pony leaped out of a stable door through which manure was
+thrown, after company which was in the barn yard. A cow, a goat, or a
+pet lamb, will perfectly satisfy them."
+
+"A gentleman in Bristol had a greyhound which slept in the stable along
+with a fine hunter about five years of age. They soon became attached,
+and regarded each other with the most tender affection. Indeed, the
+horse was restless and unhappy when the dog was out of sight.
+
+"The gentleman used frequently to call at the stable for the greyhound
+to accompany him in his walks. On such occasions the horse would look
+over his shoulder at the dog with much anxiety, and neigh in a manner
+which plainly said, 'Let me also accompany you.'
+
+"When the dog returned to the stable, he was always welcomed with a loud
+neigh, and ran up to the horse, licking his nose. In return, the horse
+would scratch the dog's back with his teeth.
+
+"One day, when the groom was out with the horse and greyhound for
+exercise, a large dog attacked the latter, and quickly bore him to the
+ground. In spite of all the efforts of the groom, the horse threw back
+his ears, rushed at the strange dog, seized him by the back with his
+teeth, and shook him till a large piece of the skin gave way. The
+offender no sooner got on his feet than he ran off as fast as
+possible."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+HORSE GOING TO CHURCH.
+
+
+When Minnie was in her ninth year, her father's brother and wife made
+them a visit. This gentleman was exceedingly fond of horses, and a good
+judge of their excellences.
+
+Minnie was eager to exhibit her pony, and invited her uncle to the
+stable for that purpose.
+
+When they went to that part of the building where his stall was, the
+lamb was quietly feeding by the side of her friend; but as soon as she
+heard a strange voice, she ran under the pony for protection, and popped
+her head out between his hind feet.
+
+The gentleman laughed heartily at their strange appearance, but after a
+careful examination of her pet, told her she might well be proud of him,
+as he had very good points, and was in every way a capital little
+fellow.
+
+"You must make the most of your uncle Harry," exclaimed her father
+merrily. "He is an inveterate story-teller, and can give you any amount
+of information about horses, ponies, &c."
+
+"O, I'm so glad!" cried Minnie, laughing and clapping her hands. "I love
+to hear stories so dearly!"
+
+"I'm going to try the black mare," said the gentleman. "What do you say
+to riding with me on the pony?"
+
+"May I, mamma? Please let me," urged the child.
+
+"I have not the slightest objection; my dear."
+
+"Come, then, and I will tell you stories to your heart's content."
+
+They were soon on their way, when, after giving her a few hints about
+holding her reins, he began:--
+
+"There was once a pony mare which had a young colt. They were put to
+graze in a field adjoining the River Severn, where there was rich
+pasturage. One day the pony made its appearance before the gentleman's
+house to whom she belonged, and, by clattering with her feet and other
+gestures, drew his attention. A person being sent out, she immediately
+galloped off through various gates all broken down, occasionally
+glancing back to be sure she was followed.
+
+"They soon came to a field, through which she passed directly for a spot
+in the river, over which she hung with a mournful look, and there the
+colt was found drowned."
+
+"O, how sorry she must have been!" exclaimed Minnie. "I suppose she
+thought her master could bring the colt to life again."
+
+"I'll tell you another, and a more lively story," said uncle Harry,
+smiling.
+
+"A noble gentleman in France, called Monsieur de Boussanelle, captain of
+cavalry in the royal regiment, tells about a horse belonging to his
+company, which was disabled by age from eating his hay or oats. This
+horse was fed for two months by a couple of his companions on his right
+and left, who ate with him. Perceiving his infirmity, they drew the hay
+out of his rack, chewed it, and then put it before their aged comrade.
+They prepared his oats for him in the same way."
+
+"I like those horses, they were so kind," urged Minnie. "I hope, uncle,
+you have a great many stories as good as that."
+
+The gentleman smiled archly, and then proceeded.
+
+"The island of Krutsand, which is formed by two branches of the Elbe,
+is frequently laid under water, during the time of the spring tides. In
+the early part of the year 1794, the water one day rose so rapidly that
+the horses, which were grazing in the plain with their colts, suddenly
+found themselves standing in deep water; upon which they all set up a
+loud neighing, and collected themselves as closely together as
+possible.
+
+"They now seemed to consult together what measures to take to save the
+colts, that were standing up to the belly in the flood, and soon
+determined upon a singular course, when some old mares, which had no
+colts, assisted them in carrying it out.
+
+"The method they adopted was this: Every two horses took a colt between
+them, and pressing their sides together, kept it wedged in and lifted
+quite above the surface of the water.
+
+"All the horned cattle in the vicinity had already set themselves
+afloat, and were swimming in regular columns toward their homes. But
+these noble mares, with wonderful perseverance, remained immovable under
+their cherished burden for the space of six hours, till, the tide
+ebbing, the water subsided, and the colts were out of danger."
+
+"The inhabitants, who had rowed to the place in boats, viewed with
+delight this singular manoeuvre, whereby their valuable colts were saved
+from destruction."
+
+"How very curious!" exclaimed Minnie, gravely; "but I don't see how they
+could get the colts up in their places without some one to lift them."
+
+The gentleman laughed as he assured her that mares who were intelligent
+enough to make such a plan could easily manage that part. "Do you
+suppose," he asked, "that your pony understands any thing you say to him
+more than the tones of your voice?"
+
+"O, no, uncle!"
+
+"And yet," he said, "a true blood horse, when at liberty, when two or
+more persons are conversing, will approach and seem to listen to the
+conversation. Even the common farm horse is quite obedient to the call
+of his own name, and will not stir, when desired to stand, until his own
+name is pronounced.
+
+"They have a kind of reason, too. I have seen a horse who, in ploughing,
+would walk very steadily toward the directing pole, and halt when his
+head had reached it. I knew of another horse who seemed to have a just
+idea of time, and calculated it so correctly, that he always neighed
+about ten minutes before the time of ceasing work, whether in summer or
+winter."
+
+"I don't see how he could do that, uncle Harry."
+
+"Horses are very susceptible to music," he went on. "I owned a horse
+once who would stop eating, and listen attentively with pricked, moving
+ears, and steady eyes, the instant he heard the note low G; and I knew
+of another that was similarly affected by a high note."
+
+Minnie laughed, as she said, "I mean to try my pony just as soon as I
+get home."
+
+"I dare say, if you were to take your accordeon to the stable, he would
+be delighted. I have watched many of these noble animals on the military
+field, and there is no doubt they are pleased with martial music.
+
+"I remember hearing of an experiment made in the year 1829, on some of
+the Duke of Buckleuch's hunters. A gentleman went toward them in the
+field, but they were shy of his approach, as he was a stranger, and
+slowly retreated, till he sounded a small musical instrument, called a
+mouth AEolian harp. On hearing this, they immediately erected their heads
+and turned round. On his sounding it again, they approached nearer,
+when he began to retreat, and they to advance. Having gone over a
+paling, one of the horses came up to him, putting its mouth close to his
+breast, seeming delighted with the music which he continued to produce.
+As the other horses were coming up, apparently to follow the example of
+their more confident comrade, the gentleman retired.
+
+"As you like stories so well," he added, archly, "I must tell you about
+the first horse I ever owned. My brother Frank gave him to me before he
+went to sea; and a splendid fellow he was, too. He was a perfect mouse
+color, with an arching neck, and a handsome, black, flowing mane. I was
+living at home then, and we always used him to carry us to church.
+
+"I believe Duke knew as well as I did when Sunday came, for he
+regularly walked up from the pasture where he was grazing, in time to be
+harnessed, though he never did this any other day. Once it happened that
+father and mother were both ill, so that none of us went to church; but
+at the usual time Duke came trotting to the door, where he stood for a
+few minutes neighing frequently and looking anxiously toward the house,
+and then trotted off a mile and a half to church by himself. Several
+persons saw him going up into the yard, and walking demurely into the
+shed while the bell was ringing, and there he stood quietly until the
+service was through, when he came home again, just as I was going out to
+find him."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+STAR DANCING TO MUSIC.
+
+
+"O, mamma," cried Minnie, "I have had a beautiful time. Uncle Harry is
+such a good teacher! And then he tells me such nice stories!"
+
+Her cheeks rivalled the rose, and her eyes were sparkling with
+animation, as she said this, while her uncle, who, unobserved by her,
+had followed into the parlor, said, laughingly, "I have seldom found so
+good a listener. I have enjoyed the ride myself exceedingly. Come here,
+Minnie, and I will relate to you an amusing anecdote which I read a
+short time ago.
+
+"In Persia, where they have splendid horses, all persons of the least
+distinction ride on horseback, and scarcely any one will deign to go the
+shortest distance on foot. The anecdote is related by a celebrated
+pomologist, concerning a horse employed in his nurseries for over
+fifteen years. His name was Old Charley. I was so much interested in the
+account of his sagacity, that I went to see him. The good animal was
+used for ploughing between lines of trees from three feet and a half to
+four feet apart, and moved with such precision and care as to run the
+plough and cultivator as near as possible to the trees, without ever
+hitting or injuring one of them. His owner told me Old Charley would go
+straight between the lines, turning at the end without any motion or
+word from the driver, with as much accuracy and skill as any human being
+could display, and without stepping over, or entangling his feet in, the
+traces in any manner whatever."
+
+[Illustration: STAR DANCING TO MUSIC. Page 53.]
+
+After dinner, Minnie, in company with her mother and their visitors,
+went to the stable to try the effect of music on her favorite. She had
+scarcely struck a note, when he stopped eating, and began to move his
+feet rapidly, as if he were trying to dance.
+
+Even the gentleman was surprised at this display, and declared that the
+pony must have been trained to do this by his former owner, while Minnie
+became so much excited that she could scarcely control herself.
+
+Mr. Henry Lee took the instrument himself, and found that the horse
+really had an idea of time, as the faster he played, the quicker were
+the pony's movements. As soon as he stopped, the animal quietly went on
+munching his oats.
+
+When her father returned from the city, Minnie ran to meet him, and
+relate the wonderful feats of her pet. To gratify her, he walked to the
+stable to see the operation repeated.
+
+"Music has a wonderful influence on horses," he remarked, as they were
+returning to the house, "especially martial music."
+
+"Do you remember the case of the old war-horse, Solus?" inquired his
+brother.
+
+"Yes; and Minnie would like to hear it."
+
+The gentleman playfully patted her head, as he related the following
+anecdote:--
+
+"Many years ago, an assistant of the contractors on a new turnpike used
+to ride to the field of labor a horse which had long carried a field
+officer, and who, though aged, still possessed a good deal of spirit.
+One day he was passing a large town where volunteers were at drill, on
+the Common. The moment Solus heard the drum, he leaped the fence, and
+was speedily at his old post, heading the drill, occupied by the
+commanding officer on parade.
+
+"The young rider, dreadfully mortified, could not induce the horse to
+leave his honorable position till the volunteers left for the town; but,
+to the great amusement of the bystanders, headed all their manoeuvres,
+prancing in true military style, as well as his stiffened limbs would
+allow him, much to the annoyance of the assistant, who did not feel very
+highly honored by Solus making a colonel of him against his will."
+
+The company all laughed at this story, which Mrs. Lee said reminded her
+of the effects of a trumpet on some captured horses, of which she had
+read.
+
+"It seems," she went on, "that in the early part of this century, the
+Tyrolese captured fifteen horses belonging to the Bavarian troops sent
+against them, and mounted them with fifteen of their own men, in order
+to go out again against the same troops. But no sooner did these horses
+hear the sound of their own trumpet, and recognize the uniform of their
+old friends, than they dashed forward at full speed, and, in spite of
+all the efforts of their riders, bore them into the ranks, and
+delivered them up as prisoners to the Bavarians."
+
+"That was rather a mortifying defeat," suggested uncle Harry, "and only
+proves my theory correct, that horses are very susceptible to kind
+treatment, and have a wonderful memory, often recognizing their old
+masters after a separation of years."
+
+"Harry, do you remember father's old black horse?" asked his brother.
+
+"Of course I do; and the mile I ran for the doctor, when she snuffed
+that long brier up into her nose. I never saw father more alarmed. After
+he pulled the brier out, there was a whole pailful of blood, which
+frightened old Blackey so much that they were obliged to blindfold her.
+
+"Poor creature! her afflictions followed thick and fast, for she had
+scarcely recovered from this, when the plank floor gave way in the
+stable, and she broke her leg.
+
+"Father hated to part with her, but at last gave her to a man to use on
+his farm, who he knew would treat her kindly. He did not see her again
+for three years; but as soon as she heard his voice, when he was walking
+toward her in the pasture, she came quickly toward him, neighing with
+pleasure, and put her head lovingly on his shoulder. Then she turned
+round and looked at her colt, as if she wanted to introduce them."
+
+"She was a splendid animal in her prime," rejoined Mr. Lee. "I have
+heard father say that she would travel off hour after hour, ten miles to
+the hour, without the spur or the whip; indeed, I never knew him to use
+the whip but once. Somehow, she got a habit of not standing quietly
+while he was getting into the chaise and preparing to start. One day she
+was unusually restive, when he told the man to go to the barn and bring
+a whip.
+
+"Blackey knew what it meant, and, before a blow was struck, trembled
+from head to foot. Father cut across the back two smart blows, which
+proved so effectual a cure that she never troubled him afterward."
+
+"There is no animal more susceptible to kind treatment," remarked uncle
+Harry. "I imagine half the obstinacy and unruly conduct of some horses
+is the result of cruelty and mismanagement. I can recall to mind at this
+moment a sad illustration of the latter course.
+
+"A man near Boston used to catch his horse by taking to the field a
+quantity of corn in a measure. On calling to him, the horse would come
+up and eat the corn, while the bridle was put over his head. But the
+owner having deceived the animal several times by holding out the
+measure when it had no corn in it, the animal at length began to suspect
+the design. Coming up one day as usual, he looked into the measure, and
+finding it empty, turned round, reared on his hind legs, and, striking
+with his fore feet, killed his master."
+
+"That was indeed a fearful punishment for his deception," returned Mrs.
+Lee. "It reminds me of an anecdote I read lately, of a horse belonging
+to an Irish nobleman, who became restive and furious whenever a certain
+individual came into its presence.
+
+"One day, when this poor fellow happened to pass within its reach, the
+animal seized him with its teeth, and broke his arm. It then threw him
+down, and lay on him, when, every effort to get it off proving
+ineffectual, they were compelled to shoot it. Afterward the fact was
+discovered that the man had performed a cruel operation on the horse
+some time before, which it had never forgiven."
+
+"I know," responded her husband, "that such cases have occurred, showing
+a spirit of revenge on the part of the animal; but I believe them to be
+rare, compared to the instances of gratitude for kindness.
+
+"Professor Kruger, of Halle, relates a pleasing incident of this
+character. 'A friend of mine,' he says, 'was one dark night riding home
+through a wood, and had the misfortune to strike his head against the
+branch of a tree, and fell from his horse, stunned by the blow. The
+animal, who was greatly attached to his master, immediately returned to
+the house which they had left, about a mile distant. He found the door
+closed, and the family gone to bed. He pawed at the door, till one of
+them, hearing the noise, arose and opened it, and, to his surprise, saw
+the horse of his friend.
+
+"'No sooner was the door opened, than the horse turned round, and led
+the man directly to the spot where his master lay in a fainting fit.'"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+HORSE GOING TO A DOCTOR.
+
+
+"Another instance of the same kind is related of a horse belonging to a
+carter in Fifeshire. From the carter having a large family, this animal
+had become particularly intimate with children, and fond of them, so
+that he would not on any account, move when they were playing among his
+feet.
+
+"One day, when he was dragging a loaded cart through a narrow lane near
+the village, a young child happened to be playing in the road, and would
+inevitably have been crushed by the wheels, had it not been for the
+kindness of the animal. He carefully took it by the clothes with his
+teeth, carried it for a few yards, and then placed it on a bank by the
+wayside, moving slowly all the while, and looking back, as if to
+satisfy himself that the wheels of the cart had cleared it."
+
+"The effect of kind treatment," rejoined his brother, smiling at
+Minnie's delight, "was particularly manifest by a horse belonging to a
+gentleman in England, called Colonel Smith. The charger had belonged to
+him for two years, and became greatly attached to him; but he was at
+last obliged to leave it with the army, though it was subsequently sold
+and carried back to London. About three years after, Colonel Smith
+chanced to travel to London by the mail coach, and while they were
+changing horses, the off side one attracted his attention. Going near,
+the affectionate animal at once recognized him, testifying its
+satisfaction by rubbing its head against his clothes, and making every
+moment a little stamp with his fore feet, till the coachman asked, 'Are
+you not an old acquaintance, sir?'
+
+"The same gentleman says there was a most beautiful and powerful charger
+belonging to a friend of his, then a captain in the fourteenth dragoons,
+which was bought by him in Ireland, at a low price, on account of his
+viciousness, which had cost the life of one or two grooms. The captain
+was a celebrated rider, not to be thrown by the most violent efforts,
+and of a temper so gentle and patient that he could effect a cure if
+vice were curable.
+
+"After some very dangerous combats with his horse, the animal was
+subdued, and became so attached that his master could walk any where,
+with him following like a dog, and even ladies could mount him with
+perfect safety. He rode him during several campaigns in Spain, and on
+one occasion, when, in action, horse and rider came headlong to the
+ground, the animal, making an effort to spring up, placed his fore foot
+on the captain's breast, but, immediately withdrawing it, rose without
+hurting him, or moving till he was remounted."
+
+A few days later, and while his brother and wife were still visiting
+them, Mr. Lee invited some of his city friends to come out and make
+their acquaintance. They were all seated at dinner when they heard Leo
+barking in a manner to express great joy. As the noise continued, Mrs.
+Lee allowed Minnie to see what occasioned the rejoicing.
+
+When she reached the door, she saw a gentleman mounted on a handsome
+gray horse, near the stable door, talking to Leo. There was something
+about him which riveted her attention, and presently, with a joyful
+cry, she ran forward to welcome uncle Frank, who had just come into port
+after a long voyage.
+
+In answer to his inquiries for her father and mother, she led him in
+triumph to the dining hall, where a scene of excitement and pleasure
+ensued.
+
+Captain Frank Lee was a fine, noble-hearted son of Neptune. Having
+chosen the sea early in life, he had followed it for many years, rising
+step by step until he reached his present honorable position. He had
+become rich, too, as well as his brother, each being benefited by a kind
+of partnership existing between them; for, while the captain sailed to
+foreign ports, the merchant supplied the money to freight the vessel,
+which they owned in equal shares, and to buy goods at a foreign market.
+
+When he had answered some of the numerous questions which were crowded
+upon him, such as, "How did you come?" "When did you arrive in port?"
+"Is Louise well?" &c., &c., the captain begged them to reseat themselves
+at table, adding, "I am as hungry as a bear, and long for some of the
+home luxuries with which I see your table is spread."
+
+"Well, Minnie," he exclaimed, pinching her check, when he had thrice
+emptied his plate, "I'll not forget that you were the first one to
+welcome me; and, by the way, how is Jacko? and how are all the rest of
+your pets?"
+
+"You had better not name the subject of pets," cried uncle Harry,
+laughing, "unless you are willing to be pinned to a chair and tell
+stories--'yarns,' I think you call them--for the next five hours. Now,
+it's cats or dogs; then, it's monkeys or parrots; yesterday, it was
+horses; and you must rake up your memory for all the stories, true,
+veritable facts, that you ever heard in your life."
+
+"I know, I know," answered the captain, drawing the child toward him,
+and kissing her as well as his long, thick beard would allow. "Minnie
+and I are old cronies, and understand each other's crotchets pretty
+well. She's the little puss who threw down a beautiful bracelet I had
+purchased for her in Paris, and said, 'Uncle Frank, I don't care for
+presents unless they're alive.' So, the next voyage, I brought her a
+live present, in the shape of a grinning monkey, with which she was
+greatly delighted."
+
+A roar of laughter from the company followed; but while they were eating
+the fruit, Minnie found an opportunity to whisper,--
+
+"You can't think, uncle, what funny things my pony does. He knows how to
+dance beautifully."
+
+"I should admire to see him," returned the captain, glancing roguishly
+toward his sister-in-law; "and you can't guess what I've brought for you
+this time."
+
+"Alive, is it?"
+
+"Yes; alive and squealing when I left the vessel. You'll see it, or
+them, to-morrow, and I hope you'll be as pleased as you were with
+Jacko."
+
+After dinner, the party adjourned to the piazza, when the captain said,
+"Leo, good fellow, knew me at once, in spite of my heavy beard; but he
+looked rather shy at my new horse; and, by the way, Prince is well worth
+showing. I brought him in the ship with me from England, and I wouldn't
+take a thousand dollars for him, if that sum were offered me to-day."
+
+"Let's go and see him!" exclaimed Mr. Harry Lee. "You were always a good
+judge of horseflesh, Frank."
+
+After the animal had gone through a thorough examination of his
+qualities for the carriage, the saddle, &c., and the different gentlemen
+had given their opinion of his various excellences, the conversation
+turned, to Minnie's delight, on horses in general, and many anecdotes
+were related of their bravery, their fidelity to their masters'
+interests, their sagacity and memory, some of which I shall repeat in
+this and the next chapters.
+
+"An instance of the latter trait, combined with reason," said Mr. Harry
+Lee, "is well authenticated.
+
+"A cart horse, owned by Mr. Leggat, of Glasgow, had been several times
+afflicted with disease, and as often cured by Mr. Downie, farrier there.
+He had not, however, been troubled for a long time; but on a recurrence
+of the disorder, he happened one morning to be employed in College
+Street, a distance of nearly a mile from Mr. Downie's workshop. He was
+arranged in a row with other horses engaged in the same work; but when
+the carters were absent, he left the range, and, unattended by any
+driver, went down High Street, along the Gallowgate, and up a narrow
+lane, where he stopped at the farrier's door.
+
+"As neither Mr. Leggat nor any one appeared with the horse, it was
+surmised that he had been seized with his old complaint. Being unyoked
+from the cart, he lay down, and showed, by every means in his power,
+that he was in distress. He was again treated as usual, and sent home
+to his master, who by that time had persons in all directions in search
+for him."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE TRUMPETER'S HORSE.
+
+
+"For Minnie's sake, I must tell some anecdotes about Shetland ponies,"
+cried the captain, laughing, as he patted his niece under the chin. "The
+first one shows what a power of memory they have.
+
+"A pony reared upon Drumchany, belonging to General Stewart, was once
+travelling from Edinburgh to Perthshire, in company with several other
+gentlemen. They were advancing to the neighborhood of Drumchany when it
+suddenly grew dark, and they could not find the place to take the ford.
+
+"At last, they concluded to trust to the pony's memory, and, giving him
+the reins, he trotted on cheerily, till, suddenly pausing and turning to
+the right, he trotted down a furrow through a potato field, that led
+directly to the ford in question, which he crossed in the same decided
+manner, and piloted them safely all the rest of the way to their
+destination.
+
+"During their stay, he got out of the stable one night, and was found
+next day pasturing among the mosses where he had been bred."
+
+"I heard of a case very similar," rejoined Mr. Gordon, one of the
+gentlemen who composed the party.
+
+"A gentleman rode a young horse, which he had brought up, thirty miles
+from home, and to a part of the country where he had never been before.
+The road was a cross one, and extremely difficult to find; however, by
+dint of perseverance and inquiry, he at last reached his destination.
+
+"Two years afterward, he had occasion to go the same way, and was
+benighted four or five miles from the end of his journey. The night was
+so dark that he could scarcely see the horse's head. He had a dreary
+moor and common to pass, and had lost all traces of the proper direction
+he wished to take. The rain began to fall heavily. He now despaired of
+reaching the place.
+
+"'Here am I,' said he to himself, 'far from any house, and in the midst
+of a dreary waste, where I know not which way to direct the course of my
+steed. I have heard much of the memory of the horse, and that is now my
+only hope.'
+
+"He threw the reins on the horse's neck, and encouraging him to proceed,
+found himself safe at the gate of his friend in less than an hour. What
+made it more remarkable was the fact, that the animal could not
+possibly have been over the road, except on the occasion two years
+before, as no person but his master ever rode him."
+
+"You said you had another story of a Shetland pony, uncle Frank,"
+whispered Minnie.
+
+"So I have, dear. It was about a little girl, the daughter of a
+gentleman in Warwickshire. She was one day playing on the banks of a
+canal which runs through her father's grounds, when she had the
+misfortune to fall in, and would in all probability have been drowned,
+had not a small pony, which had long been kept in the family, plunged
+into the stream, and brought the child safely ashore without the
+slightest injury."
+
+"I think my pony would do that," exclaimed Minnie; "he loves me so
+well."
+
+"That is to me one of their most interesting traits," added the
+captain. "They are capable of becoming so strongly attached to man, that
+they give up their own wishes to those of their master. Indeed, their
+interests become so identified with his, that they come to have no will
+of their own. I have myself seen an old Shetland pony, which would place
+its fore foot in the hand of its young master like a dog, thrust its
+head under his arm to be caressed, and join with him and a little
+terrier in all their noisy rompings on the lawn. The same animal daily
+bore its young master to school; and, though its heels and teeth were
+ready for every other urchin, yet so attached was it to this boy, that
+it would wait hours for him in his sports by the way, and even walk
+alone from the stable in town to the school room, which was fully half
+a mile distant, and wait, saddled and bridled, for the afternoon's
+dismissal. Indeed, the young scapegrace did not deserve one tenth of
+this attention; for I have seen old 'Donald' toiling home with him at
+the gallop, to make up for time squandered at play."
+
+Minnie's father then repeated to the gentleman many instances of her
+pony's attachment to her, and of his playfulness.
+
+"I am of opinion," said Mr. Gordon, "that there are instances of
+attachment of a horse to his master equal to that shown by man to man.
+
+"During the Peninsular war; the trumpeter of a French cavalry corps had
+a fine charger assigned to him, of which he became passionately fond,
+and which, by gentleness of disposition and uniform docility, showed the
+affection to be mutual.
+
+"The sound of the trumpeter's voice, the sight of his uniform, or the
+clang of his trumpet, was sufficient to throw this animal into a state
+of excitement, and he appeared to be pleased and happy only when under
+the saddle of his rider. Indeed, he was unruly and useless to every body
+else; for once, on being removed to another part of the forces, and
+consigned to a young officer, he resolutely refused to obey the
+commands of his rider. The first chance he had, he bolted straight to
+the trumpeter's station, and there took his stand, jostling alongside
+his former master.
+
+"They were obliged to restore him to his old place, when he carried the
+trumpeter through many campaigns, and through many hair-breadth escapes.
+
+"At last, the corps to which he belonged was defeated, and in the
+confusion of retreat, the trumpeter was mortally wounded. Dropping from
+his horse, his body was found, many days after the engagement, stretched
+on the sward, with his faithful charger standing over it.
+
+"During the long interval, it seems he had never quitted the trumpeter's
+side, but had stood sentinel over his corpse, scaring away the birds of
+prey, heedless of his own privations.
+
+"When found, he was in a sadly reduced condition, partly from loss of
+blood through wounds, but chiefly from want of food, of which, in the
+excess of his grief, he could not be prevailed on to partake."
+
+"A similar case of strong attachment happened under my immediate
+notice," remarked Mr. Lee, after a moment's silence. "General L. had a
+horse with him in camp of which he was exceedingly fond, and to the
+training of which he had given particular attention. Every morning, at
+exactly eight o'clock, this horse came alone to the door of his tent,
+saddled for use, and stood there ready for his rider to mount. When the
+general appeared in his uniform, the affectionate animal welcomed him
+with a loud neigh of delight.
+
+"At last, the noble officer received his death wound, and lay for some
+days in his tent. It was affecting to see the horse walking up to the
+door as usual, and, when its master did not appear, to witness its look
+of anxious solicitude.
+
+"When General L. died, he left his noble charger to the particular care
+of his wife, who was with him in his last moments. His remains were
+removed to ----, the horse being conveyed by the same train of cars,
+and manifesting intense grief. On the day of the funeral, the body was
+carried to the church in which his family worshipped, the most touching
+tribute to his memory being this faithful animal, caparisoned in
+mourning, taking his station directly behind the corpse.
+
+"It was not necessary for any one to lead him, for he somehow seemed to
+understand that his deceased master was in the coffin; and nothing
+would induce him to leave it. For more than an hour, while the religious
+services lasted, he stood in front of the church, watching the door
+through which he had seen the corpse carried, waiting for it to come
+out, and then, without any command, wheeled into line, and followed
+directly behind it to the grave. What was very remarkable, as soon as
+the body was buried, he left the cemetery, following the coach
+containing the wife of his master."
+
+"Your story," said the captain, "reminds me of a singular one I heard at
+sea.
+
+"A farmer who lived in the neighborhood of Bedford, England, and
+regularly attended the markets there, was returning home one evening,
+and being somewhat tipsy, rolled off his saddle into the middle of the
+road. His horse stood still; but after remaining patiently for some
+time, and not observing any disposition in the rider to get up and
+proceed further, he took him by the collar and shook him. This had
+little or no effect, for the farmer only gave a grumble of
+dissatisfaction at having his repose disturbed. The animal was not to be
+put off with any such evasion, and so applied his mouth to one of his
+master's coat laps, and after several attempts, by dragging at it, to
+raise him upon his feet, the coat lap gave way.
+
+"Three persons, who witnessed this extraordinary proceeding, then went
+up and assisted him in mounting his horse, putting the one coat lap into
+the pocket of the other, when he trotted off, and safely reached home.
+This horse is deservedly a favorite with his master, and engages in
+gambols with him like a dog."
+
+"How old is your new horse, Frank?" inquired his brother George.
+
+"Nine years. Just in his prime; and, with good care, will last for
+twenty years to come."
+
+Mr. Gordon laughed. "Twenty years!" he repeated, incredulously.
+
+"I think," answered the captain, "it a mistake to suppose a horse is not
+fit for service much after he is twelve or fourteen years old. If he is
+used as he ought to be, and has good care, he will last well twenty, or
+even thirty years. The charger of Sir Ralph Abercrombie, which was
+wounded in the battle of Alexandria, afterwards died at Malta. On the
+stone erected there in commemoration of its services, the age of
+thirty-six is inscribed.
+
+"And in 1790, there was alive near Haddington, in England, a Shetland
+pony which had been in battle in 1745, whose age was forty-seven years."
+
+"No doubt there are such cases," answered the gentleman, "but they are
+rare in this country. I suppose we give our horses too much to do."
+
+"Yes, that is it; and too little care. No animal so richly repays the
+attention bestowed upon him as the horse."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE BLIND HORSE.
+
+
+The next day, Minnie was walking through the grounds with her uncle,
+while Tiney and Fidelle were following at her heels, when the
+express-man drove into the yard. He had a cage, as Minnie called it, in
+his wagon, and she ran eagerly to see what it contained. How great was
+her delight to see a goat, and two cunning little kids, cuddling down
+on the hay at the bottom of the wagon!
+
+When they were put into the stable, Minnie laughed and clapped her
+hands, and ran to summon all the family to come and see them.
+
+Captain Lee's wife had accompanied him on this voyage, and had now gone
+to see her mother. Her husband had promised to meet her the next day,
+and afterwards was coming with her to make them a longer visit.
+
+Minnie obtained directions from him before he left, as to the diet and
+care of her new pets, and then, after making him promise to come back as
+quickly as possible, consented that he should go.
+
+Her mother found her sitting quiet and sad, looking from the bay window
+in the parlor; for the captain was her favorite uncle, and she was
+greatly disappointed at his going so soon.
+
+To comfort her, the lady took one of the books on natural history, and
+read some anecdotes to her, with a few of which I will close my book of
+Minnie's pet horse.
+
+Here is an illustration of the force of habit in a blind horse. He ran
+on one of the stages of the great north road for many years, and so
+perfectly was he acquainted with all the stables, halting places, and
+other matters, that he was never known to commit a blunder. He could
+never be driven past his own stable; and at the sound of the coming
+coach, he would turn out, of his own accord, into the stable yard. What
+was very remarkable, so accurate was his knowledge of time, that, though
+half a dozen coaches halted at the same inn, yet he was never known to
+stir till the sound of the ten o'clock coach was heard in the distance.
+
+"I think, after all," said Mrs. Lee, "that the docility of the horse is
+one of the most remarkable of its natural gifts. Here are some anecdotes
+that are very entertaining, in regard to their docility, or readiness to
+learn.
+
+"Mr. Astley, of the Royal Amphitheatre, at Westminster Bridge, once had
+in his possession a remarkably fine Barbary horse, forty-three years of
+age, which was presented him by the Duke of Leeds. This celebrated
+animal officiated in the character of a waiter in the course of the
+performances at the amphitheatre, and at various other theatres in the
+United Kingdom.
+
+"At the request of his master, he would ungirth his own saddle, wash his
+feet in a pail of water, and would bring into the riding school a tea
+table and the dishes, which feat was usually followed up by fetching a
+chair, or stool, or whatever might be wanted. Last of all, he took a
+kettle of boiling water from a blazing fire, to the wonder and
+admiration of the spectators.
+
+"Another gentleman had a horse which he taught to dance to music."
+
+"Just like Star," shouted Minnie.
+
+"Yes, dear; and at the command of his master he pretended to be lame,
+feigned death, lying motionless, with his limbs extended, and allowing
+himself to be dragged about till some words were pronounced, when he
+instantly sprang to his feet.
+
+"In 1838, there was a wonderful horse presented to the public, who
+performed many curious tricks, which seemed to exhibit something far
+beyond instinct. Among other things, it cleared six poles, one after
+the other, at a distance of not more than four feet between.
+
+"After it had done this, it went limping up to its master, as if to say,
+'See; I can do no more to-night.'
+
+"The master lifted the lame foot, searching for the cause of the halt,
+but in vain. Still, however, the horse goes on limping. The man then
+looked it in the face, and shook his head, as if he would say, 'Ah, you
+are shamming, you rogue; aren't you?'
+
+"And a sham it proved to be; for, with a touch of the whip, the creature
+bounded away like a fawn, sound both in wind and limb."
+
+"I wish I could see that horse," cried Minnie, laughing.
+
+"The most remarkable instance of docility," added the lady, "was Bank's
+famous horse, Morocco.
+
+"This animal would restore a glove to its owner, after his master had
+whispered the man's name in his ear; and he could also tell the number
+of pence in any silver coin. Morocco danced to the sound of a pipe, and
+counted money with his feet."
+
+"O, mamma, wasn't that strange? I wonder whether I could teach Star to
+do any funny things!"
+
+"Kindness and perseverance will effect a great deal, my dear," answered
+the lady, enjoying her little daughter's delight. "I have heard of a
+little farm boy, who was too small to mount the plough horses, he was
+required to ride, who taught one of them to put down its head to the
+ground, while he jumped astride on its neck, and then, by gently
+elevating the head, let him slip backward into his seat on its back.
+
+"The intelligent creature appeared perfectly to understand the wishes of
+the boy, and the use of lowering its head for the purpose of his
+mounting.
+
+"Perhaps you can teach Star to pump his own water, as a gentleman in
+Leeds found his horse doing. The animal had been kept in a stable for a
+long time, but was at last turned into a field, where there was a pump,
+well supplied with water.
+
+"One day, being thirsty, I suppose, a man saw him go to the pump, and,
+taking the handle in his mouth, work it with his head, in a way exactly
+similar to that done by the hand of a man, until he had secured a
+supply."
+
+"It does seem as if they were guided by reason," remarked Mrs. Harry
+Lee, who had entered the room in time to hear the last anecdote.
+
+"Certainly," returned her sister; "their intelligence and sagacity
+place them in the highest rank among the brute creation. I have been
+myself surprised in reading these accounts of their attachment to man,
+and to each other; their courage, faithfulness, and devotion to the
+interests of their owner; and I wish every man, woman, and child, who
+has any thing to do with these noble creatures, would study their
+history, so as to treat them with the kindness and care they deserve. I
+have heard my husband say, that even in a wild state, all their
+movements are so intelligent, that it seems as if it must be the result
+of reason. When the herds wish to change from one vast plain to another,
+they choose leaders, and place sentinels along the line of march, thus
+recognizing the necessity of obedience and order.
+
+"Then, the readiness with which they communicate to each other when
+they have discovered water or fresh pasturage, the adroitness with
+which, by their responsive neighings, they express alarm, terror, or
+pleasure, are equally wonderful.
+
+"When they pass through a swamp, they test it with the fore foot before
+they trust the weight of their whole bodies upon it; and they often
+scoop out a hollow place in the sand, expecting it will fill with
+water. Even the little Shetland pony, in going through the bogs, puts
+its nose to the ground, then pats it with the fore foot, judging from
+the feeling of the ground whether it will bear him."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+THE ARABIAN HORSE.
+
+
+"Now, father, I'm ready to hear about the Arab and his horse," cried
+Minnie, one day, when, after following the gentleman about the grounds
+for nearly an hour, they at length returned to the library.
+
+Mr. Lee, with an arch glance at his wife, arose at once, and, taking a
+large book from the shelves, opened to a chapter on Arabian horses.
+
+"I will first read you a description, my dear, of the animal, before I
+repeat to you the anecdote to which you refer.
+
+"The celebrated horse of Arabia is of the smaller class of these
+animals, very little exceeding fifty-six inches in height. As compared
+with the horses of countries abounding in the grasses, their aspect is
+lean, their form slender, and their chest narrow. But this slimness of
+figure is not inconsistent with muscular force. Their movements are
+agile, their natural paces swift, and their spirit is unmatched.
+
+"Bishop Heber, while travelling through the upper part of India, gives a
+more correct notion of the Arab than the more labored descriptions of
+others.
+
+"My morning rides are very pleasant. My horse is a nice, quiet,
+good-tempered little Arab, who is so fearless that he goes, without
+starting, close to an elephant, and is so gentle and docile, that he
+eats bread out of my hand, and has almost as much attachment and coaxing
+ways as a dog.
+
+"The temper of these beautiful horses is no less happily moulded than
+their bodily powers to their condition. They are gentle, patient, and
+attached to their rude and simple protectors. This, indeed, is greatly
+the effect of training; for the same animals, under the charge of
+Europeans, frequently manifest a vicious and indomitable temper. But the
+Arab treats his horse as a companion, never beats him, but cheers him
+with his voice, and only uses him with seeming cruelty in necessary
+demands on his physical powers.
+
+"In the desert, the mare of the Bedouin, and her foal, inhabit the same
+tent as himself and his children. She is the friend and playmate of the
+little household. The neck of the mare is often the pillow of the rider,
+and more frequently of the children, who are rolling about upon her and
+the foal; yet no accident occurs, and she acquires a friendship and love
+for man which occasional ill-treatment will not cause her for a moment
+to forget.
+
+"She is obedient to her master's voice, and will neigh when she hears
+his footsteps. Without a bit, she will obey the slightest motion of the
+rider, stand at a word, or put herself to speed in an instant.
+
+"These horses subsist on the scantiest fare, on which the English horses
+would perish, and are patient of hunger and thirst in a degree unknown
+in any other races except the African. They feed on the scanty plants
+which the borders of the desert supply, and when these are wanting, they
+are fed on a little barley, with chopped straw, withered herbs, roots
+dragged from the sand, dates, when they can be obtained, and, in cases
+of need, the milk of the camel. They drink at long intervals, and in
+moderate quantities. They bear continued exposure to the fiercest heat,
+and, day after day, pursue marches of incredible toil through the
+burning sands of the wilderness.
+
+"The mare usually has but one or two meals in twenty-four hours. During
+the day, she is tied to the door of the tent, ready for the Bedouin to
+spring, at a moment's warning, into the saddle; or she is turned out
+before the tent ready saddled, the bridle merely taken off, and so
+trained that she gallops up immediately upon hearing the call of her
+master.
+
+"At night, she receives a little water, and with her scanty provender of
+five or six pounds of barley or beans, and sometimes a little straw, she
+lies down content in the midst of her master's family. She can, however,
+endure great fatigue. She will travel fifty miles without stopping, and
+on an emergency, one hundred and twenty; and occasionally neither she
+nor her rider has tasted food for three whole days."
+
+"O, father, how dreadful! I should think she would sink down and die."
+
+"No doubt, my dear, both she and her master endured much suffering. But
+notwithstanding the Arab lives with, and loves his horse beyond any
+other treasure, the young filly, when about to be trained, is treated
+with a cruelty scarcely to be believed. Take one who has never before
+been mounted. She is led out, her owner springs on her back, and goads
+her over the sand and rocks of the desert at full speed for sixty miles,
+without one moment's respite. She is then forced, steaming and panting,
+into water deep enough for her to swim. If, immediately after this, she
+will eat as if nothing had occurred, her character is well established
+forever afterwards.
+
+"The master does not seem to be conscious of the cruelty which he thus
+inflicts. It is the custom of the country, and custom will induce us to
+inflict many a pang on those whom, after all, we love."
+
+Minnie sighed.
+
+"I remember," added her father, affectionately patting her head, "an
+anecdote which proves the strong affection of the Arabian horse for home
+and friends.
+
+"One of these animals was taken by the Persians in an attack made by an
+Arab tribe on a party of the royal family of Persia. The chief heading
+the party was killed, and his horse, running into the Persian lines, was
+taken. A ransom--enormous for so poor a tribe--was offered by the Arabs
+for their noble charger, but refused; and he was taken to England by Sir
+John McNeil, who was at that time the British resident at the court of
+Persia.
+
+"When his portrait was being painted, he was languid, from the cold of
+the weather. It was desired to arouse him a little, and the idea
+occurred of trying the effect of some tones of simple music.
+
+"The sounds no sooner struck his ear, than his whole frame was agitated;
+his heart throbbed so violently that its beating could be seen; and so
+great was his excitement, that it was necessary instantly to stop the
+music. Some chord of feeling had been struck; perchance he was reminded,
+for a moment, of his desert home, and of the friends from whom he had
+been so rudely severed."
+
+"O, father," said Minnie, with glistening eyes, "I wish I could see that
+horse. I would be ever so kind to him. Please tell another story as good
+as that; can't you?"
+
+"When the Arab falls from his mare, and is unable to rise," the
+gentleman went on, "she will stand by his side and neigh till assistance
+arrives. If he lies down to sleep in the midst of the desert, she stands
+watchful over him,--her body being the only shield between him and the
+fierce rays of the sun,--and neighs to rouse him, if man or beast
+approaches during his slumbers.
+
+"There was once an old Arab who had a valuable mare, that had carried
+him for fifteen years in many a hard-fought battle, and many a rapid,
+weary march. At last, when eighty years old, and unable longer to ride
+her, he gave her, and a cimeter that had been his father's, to his
+eldest son, and told him to appreciate their value, and never lie down
+to rest until he had rubbed them both as bright as a looking-glass.
+
+"In the first skirmish in which the young man was engaged he was killed,
+and the mare fell into the hands of the enemy. When the news reached the
+old man, he exclaimed, 'Life is no longer worth preserving. I have lost
+my son and my mare. I grieve as much for the one as the other.' After
+this, he sickened and died."
+
+"How much the old man did love him!" said Minnie, thoughtfully. "Is that
+the story you promised me?"
+
+"No, dear," said Mr. Lee, looking at his watch; "but I must tell you at
+once, for I have an engagement soon."
+
+"There was a poor Arab in the desert--so poor that he had nothing but
+his mare. The French consul saw her, and offered to purchase her, in
+order to send her to his sovereign, Louis XIV. The Arab would have
+rejected the proposal at once with indignation and scorn, but for his
+poverty. He had no means of supplying his most urgent wants, or
+procuring the barest necessaries of life. Still he hesitated. He had
+scarcely a rag to cover him; his wife and children were starving. The
+sum offered was great--it would be sufficient for his whole life.
+
+"At length, and reluctantly, he consented to the sacrifice. He brought
+the mare to the dwelling of the consul; he dismounted; he stood leaning
+upon her; he looked now at the gold, and then at his favorite, while
+large tears rolled down his swarthy cheek. He sighed repeatedly, and at
+length exclaimed, 'To whom is it I am going to yield thee up? To
+Europeans, who will tie thee close, who will beat thee, who will render
+thee miserable? Return with me, my beauty, my jewel, and rejoice the
+hearts of my children.'
+
+"As he pronounced the last words, he sprang upon her back, and was out
+of sight in a moment."
+
+Minnie laughed and clapped her hands, though tears of sympathy with the
+poor Arab were running down her cheeks.
+
+"O, father!" she cried, "how glad, how very glad I am! I think, too,
+that the French consul, when he saw how the man loved his mare, should
+have given him money to buy his children food and clothes. I'm sure you
+would have done so."
+
+Mr. Lee smiled, and thanked God for the child's loving heart.
+
+
+
+
+MRS. LESLIE'S JUVENILE SERIES.
+
+16mo.
+
+FOR BOYS.
+
+  Vol.   I. THE MOTHERLESS CHILDREN.
+   "    II. PLAY AND STUDY.
+   "   III. HOWARD AND HIS TEACHER.
+   "    IV. JACK, THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER.
+
+FOR GIRLS.
+
+  Vol.   I. TRYING TO BE USEFUL.
+   "    II. LITTLE AGNES.
+   "   III. I'LL TRY.
+   "    IV. ART AND ARTLESSNESS.
+
+
+
+
+                      MINNIE'S PET MONKEY.
+
+
+                               BY
+
+                      MRS. MADELINE LESLIE,
+  AUTHOR OF "THE LESLIE STORIES," "TIM, THE SCISSORS-GRINDER,"
+                              ETC.
+
+
+                          ILLUSTRATED.
+
+
+                             BOSTON:
+                        LEE AND SHEPARD,
+              SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON & CO.
+                             1864.
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+The following typographical errors were corrected:
+
+  52   whatever. changed to whatever."
+  82   willing te be changed to willing to be
+  83   'I know, changed to "I know,
+  88   next chapters." changed to next chapters.
+  130  plough horses, changed to plough horses
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Minnie's Pet Horse, by Madeline Leslie
+
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