THE DOMESTIC HORSE. 475

sound of his own coach, the “ten o’clock” was heard in the
distance.” The intelligence of this horse was somewhat cir-
cumscribed but it was perfect within its limits. Colonel Smith,
as already quoted, says, “ Bipeds who exercise authority over
horses, often show little superiority of reason, and much less
of temper.” The way in which horses have preserved mas-
ters who have rendered themselves incapable of taking care
of themselves is proof of this. A horse has been known to
poke his nose in at a tavern door and shake his master by
the shoulder, when he has been lingering too long over his
potations. Another horse whose master from a similar cause
was unable to keep his seat watched by his side in the road
all night, and on being discovered by some labourers in the
early morning vigorously resented their attempts to awaken
‘him. Professor Kruger of Halle says, “A friend of mine 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 horse imme-
diately 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 the man, suspecting there was
something wrong, followed the animal, which led him directly
to the spot where his master lay on the ground in a faint.”
A pony has been known to leap into a canal and save
the life of a child in danger of drowning, and a cart horse
to lift a child out of the road and place it carefully on the
side walk before proceeding with his load. A remarkable
illustration of the intelligence of the horse under circumstances
in which most human beings would have lost all presence of
mind, is quoted by Captain Brown. “In the month of April,
1794, owing to a strong wind blowing contrary to the current
of the river, the island Kroutsand, surrounded by the two