ing forward at full speed at the sound of the trumpet
or signal of the officer. He was, when young, a dark, dappled iron-gray,
and considered very handsome. His master, a young, high-spirited
gentleman, was very fond of him, and treated him from the first with the
greatest care and kindness. He told me he thought the life of an army
horse was very pleasant; but when it came to being sent abroad over the
sea in a great ship, he almost changed his mind.

"That part of it," said he, "was dreadful! Of course we could not walk
off the land into the ship; so they were obliged to put strong straps
under our bodies, and then we were lifted off our legs in spite of our
struggles, and were swung through the air over the water, to the deck of
the great vessel. There we were placed in small close stalls, and never
for a long time saw the sky, or were able to stretch our legs. The ship
sometimes rolled about in high winds, and we were knocked about, and
felt bad enough.

"However, at last it came to an end, and we were hauled up, and swung
over again to the land; we were very glad, and snorted and neighed for
joy, when we once more felt firm ground under our feet.

"We soon found that the country we had come to was very different from
our own and that we had many hardships to endure besides the fighting;
but many of the men were so fond of their horses that they did
everything they could to make them comfortable in spite of snow, wet,
and all things out of order."

"But what about the fighting?" said I, "was not that worse than anything
else?"

"Well," said he, "I hardly know; we always liked to hear the trumpet
sound, and to be called out, and were impatient to start off, though
sometimes we had to stand for hours, waiting for the word of command;
and when the word was given we used to spring forward as gayly and
eagerly as if there were no cannon balls, bayonets, or bullets. I
believe so long as we felt our rider firm in the saddle, and his hand
steady on the bridle, not one of us gave way to fear, not even when the
terrible bomb-shells whirled through the air and burst into a thousand
pieces.

"I, with my noble master, went into many actions together without a
wound; and though I saw horses shot down with bullets, pierced through
with lances, and gashed with fearful saber-cuts; though we left them
dead on the field, or dying in the agony of their wounds, I don't think
I feared for myself. My master's cheery voice, as he en