prancing in a carriage, or being cut up into butcher's meat for
cats and dogs. Nevertheless, a horse is a wonderful creature; and man's
associations in connection with him are, not infrequently, of the most
wonderful and romantic kind. Talk to the warrior of his steed, and he
will speak of him as of his dearest friend. Talk to the Arab of his
horse, and he will talk of his pet, his spoiled child! As it is with
these, so is it with the trapper of the western prairies.

After a few weeks' acquaintance, the trapper and his horse become one--
part and parcel of each other, at least as far as it is possible for man
and horse to amalgamate. On the one hand, the horse is tended, hobbled,
patted, saddled, spoken to, watched over, and tenderly cared for by the
man; on the other hand, the man is carried, respected, sometimes bitten
(playfully), depended on, and loved by the horse. Day after day, and
week after week, the limbs of the one and the ribs of the other are
pressed against each other, until they become all but united, and the
various play of muscles on the part of both becomes so delicately
significant that the bridle, to a great extent, becomes unnecessary, and
the rider feels when the horse is about to shy, just as quickly as the
horse feels, by a gentle pressure on either side, how much the rider
wishes him to diverge to the right or left.

Sometimes the horse breaks his hobbles and runs away, thus aggravating
the spirits of, and causing infinite annoyance to, the man. Frequently
the man, out of revenge for such or similar freaks, larrups and pains
and worries the horse. But these little asperities are the occasional
landmarks that give point and piquancy to the even tenor of their loving
career. Neither would, for a moment, think of allowing such incidents
to rankle in his bosom. Both would repudiate with scorn the idea that
they were a whit less useful, or in any degree less attached, to each
other on account of such trifling tiffs!

Day after day our trappers mounted their steeds and traversed the great
prairie--now at a rattling trot, now at a tearing gallop; frequently at
a quiet foot-pace, when the nature of the ground rendered a more rapid
progress dangerous, or when the exhaustion of horses and men rendered
rest necessary, or when the beautiful nature of the scenery and the warm
sunny condition of the atmosphere induced a contemplative frame of mind
and a placid state of body.

Night after night t