Part 13

4. In the morning when Hector was let out, Ben would be very uneasy until he came back, and, when he came, the horse would give a joyful neigh.

5. Ben would stoop his head, and Hector would lick it all over, and then Ben would scratch Hector’s back with his teeth.

6. One day when they were out together a big dog set upon Hector and threw him down, and began to bite and tear him.

7. Ben saw the danger his friend was in, and rushed forward to help him. The strange dog felt a grip in the back, and then he was thrown so far that he was glad to be able to get up and limp away. He never tried to touch Hector again when Ben was about.

8. Here is another story of a horse and his friends: A poor stray kitten found its way into a stable and made its home there.

9. It soon made friends with a lame chicken and the pony, and the three were never quite happy except when together.

10. It was very funny to see the kitten and the chicken close together upon the pony’s broad back, while he would stand very still so as not to disturb them.

LESSON XXIII.

HOW THE HORSE EATS.

1. To-day we wish to find out something about a horse’s mouth, and how he eats. Can you tell us, Charlie?

2. Yes! I have looked at the horse’s mouth, and can tell about his teeth. In front, on each jaw, he has six teeth with sharp edges. These cut the grass when he feeds in the pasture.

3. Next back of these are four sharp teeth, one on each side of each jaw, and these are sometimes called tusks. They are in the same place in the jaw as the long teeth of the dog, and with them the horse can tear things.

4. Next back of the large teeth there is a place where there are no teeth, and this is the place where the bit of the bridle goes when we ride the horse or drive him in a carriage.

5. Next back are six broad, flat teeth, on each side of each jaw, and with these the horse grinds his food before he swallows it.

6. In summer, if our horses have not much to do, we turn them out to pasture, where they eat grass. In winter we give them plenty of hay and oats, and, when they work, we always feed them with grain.

7. Horses will eat grain of any kind, but they seem to like oats best. We sometimes feed them with corn-meal instead of oats.

8. The teeth of a horse change in looks every year until he is eight or nine years old, and men who are used to horses can tell how old they are by just looking at their teeth.

9. The horse does not lap his drink like a cat and dog, but he puts his mouth into the water and swallows whole mouthfuls. He will sometimes drink two or more large buckets of water at a time.

LESSON XXIV.

HOW THE PONY GOT SHOD.

1. “Billy” was a fine pony, brought from Shetland for a little boy to ride to and from school, as the distance was too great to walk. When Billy first came he was barefoot, and when he began his daily journeys he was shod for the first time.

2. The blacksmith who put on the shoes lived quite a long distance from Billy’s home, and the pony had never been over the road but on the day he went to be shod. A few weeks after, the blacksmith saw Billy, without halter or bridle, coming up the road toward the shop.

3. Thinking the pony had strayed away, the blacksmith turned him round, and threw stones at him to make him go back toward home.

4. The pony trotted off; but the blacksmith had only fairly got to work again, when he heard a noise, and, looking up, there stood Billy at the door.

5. This time, before driving him away, the blacksmith took a look at his feet, and found that Billy had lost a shoe. He at once made a new one, and put it on, and then waited to see what Billy would do.

6. The pony looked at the blacksmith for a moment, as if asking whether he was done; then he pawed, to see if the new shoe was all right, gave a neigh for a “thank you, sir,” and set off for home on a brisk trot. His master knew nothing about the matter until next day.

LESSON XXV.

WHAT THE HORSE DOES.