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1In a short time I and my master understood each other as well as horse and man can do. In the stable, too, he did all
2that he could for our comfort. The stalls were the old-fashioned style, too much on the slope; but he had two movable
3bars fixed across the back of our stalls, so that at night, and when we were resting, he just took off our halters and
4put up the bars, and thus we could turn about and stand whichever way we pleased, which is a great comfort. Jerry kept
5us very clean, and gave us as much change of food as he could, and always plenty of it; and not only that, but he always
6gave us plenty of clean fresh water, which he allowed to stand by us both night and day, except of course when we came
7in warm. Some people say that a horse ought not to drink all he likes; but I know if we are allowed to drink when we
8want it we drink only a little at a time, and it does us a great deal more good than swallowing down half a bucketful at
9a time, because we have been left without till we are thirsty and miserable. Some grooms will go home to their beer and
10leave us for hours with our dry hay and oats and nothing to moisten them; then of course we gulp down too much at once,
11which helps to spoil our breathing and sometimes chills our stomachs. But the best thing we had here was our Sundays for
12rest; we worked so hard in the week that I do not think we could have kept up to it but for that day; besides, we had
13then time to enjoy each other's company. It was on these days that I learned my companion's history. 34 An Old War Horse
14Captain had been broken in and trained for an army horse; his first owner was an officer of cavalry going out to the
15Crimean war. He said he quite enjoyed the training with all the other horses, trotting together, turning together, to
16the right hand or the left, halting at the word of command, or dashing forward at full speed at the sound of the trumpet
17or signal of the officer. He was, when young, a dark, dappled iron-gray, and considered very handsome. His master, a
18young, high-spirited gentleman, was very fond of him, and treated him from the first with the greatest care and
19kindness. He told me he thought the life of an army horse was very pleasant; but when it came to being sent abroad over
20the sea in a great ship, he almost changed his mind. "That part of it," said he, "was dreadful! Of course we could not
21walk off the land into the ship; so they were obliged to put strong straps under our bodies, and then we were lifted off
22our legs in spite of our struggles, and were swung through the air over the water, to the deck of the great vessel.
23There we were placed in small close stalls, and never for a long time saw the sky, or were able to stretch our legs. The
24ship sometimes rolled about in high winds, and we were knocked about, and felt bad enough. "However, at last it came to
25an end, and we were hauled up, and swung over again to the land; we were very glad, and snorted and neighed for joy,
26when we once more felt firm ground under our feet. "We soon found that the country we had come to was very different
27from our own and that we had many hardships to endure besides the fighting; but many of the men were so fond of their
28horses that they did everything they could to make them comfortable in spite of snow, wet, and all things out of order."
29"But what about the fighting?" said I, "was not that worse than anything else?" "Well," said he, "I hardly know; we
30always liked to hear the trumpet sound, and to be called out, and were impatient to start off, though sometimes we had
31to stand for hours, waiting for the word of command; and when the word was given we used to spring forward as gayly and
32eagerly as if there were no cannon balls, bayonets, or bullets. I believe so long as we felt our rider firm in the
33saddle, and his hand steady on the bridle, not one of us gave way to fear, not even when the terrible bomb-shells
34whirled through the air and burst into a thousand pieces. "I, with my noble master, went into many actions together
35without a wound; and though I saw horses shot down with bullets, pierced through with lances, and gashed with fearful
36saber-cuts; though we left them dead on the field, or dying in the agony of their wounds, I don't think I feared for
37myself. My master's cheery voice, as he encouraged his men, made me feel as if he and I could not be killed. I had such
38perfect trust in him that while he was guiding me I was ready to charge up to the very cannon's mouth. I saw many brave
39men cut down, many fall mortally wounded from their saddles. I had heard the cries and groans of the dying, I had
40cantered over ground slippery with blood, and frequently had to turn aside to avoid trampling on wounded man or horse,
41but, until one dreadful day, I had never felt terror; that day I shall never forget." Here old Captain paused for awhile
42and drew a long breath; I waited, and he went on. "It was one autumn morning, and as usual, an hour before daybreak our
43cavalry had turned out, ready caparisoned for the day's work, whether it might be fighting or waiting. The men stood by
44their horses waiting, ready for orders. As the light increased there seemed to be some excitement among the officers;
45and before the day was well begun we heard the firing of the enemy's guns. "Then one of the officers rode up and gave
46the word for the men to mount, and in a second every man was in his saddle, and every horse stood expecting the touch of
47the rein, or the pressure of his rider's heels, all animated, all eager; but still we had been trained so well that,
48except by the champing of our bits, and the restive tossing of our heads from time to time, it could not be said that we
49stirred. "My dear master and I were at the head of the line, and as all sat motionless and watchful, he took a little
50stray lock of my mane which had turned over on the wrong side, laid it over on the right, and smoothed it down with his
51hand; then patting my neck, he said, 'We shall have a day of it to-day, Bayard, my beauty; but we'll do our duty as we
52have done.' He stroked my neck that morning more, I think, than he had ever done before; quietly on and on, as if he
53were thinking of something else. I loved to feel his hand on my neck, and arched my crest proudly and happily; but I
54stood very still, for I knew all his moods, and when he liked me to be quiet, and when gay. "I cannot tell all that
55happened on that day, but I will tell of the last charge that we made together; it was across a valley right in front of
56the enemy's cannon. By this time we were well used to the roar of heavy guns, the rattle of musket fire, and the flying
57of shot near us; but never had I been under such a fire as we rode through on that day. From the right, from the left,
58and from the front, shot and shell poured in upon us. Many a brave man went down, many a horse fell, flinging his rider
59to the earth; many a horse without a rider ran wildly out of the ranks; then terrified at being alone, with no hand to
60guide him, came pressing in among his old companions, to gallop with them to the charge. "Fearful as it was, no one
61stopped, no one turned back. Every moment the ranks were thinned, but as our comrades fell, we closed in to keep them
62together; and instead of being shaken or staggered in our pace our gallop became faster and faster as we neared the
63cannon.
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