The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1869-04-03
VOLUME XIV.

what Lee laid on HlllS ana MaEfuuerB
divisions at Malvern. 1t was at the close
Of the second charge, when the yelling
mass reeled back from before the blaze of
these sixty guns and thirty thousand rifles,
even as they began to break and fly back
ward toward the woods, that saw from
the spot where l lay q riderless horse
break btftsof the confused and flying mass,
and, with name and tail erect and spread
ing nostri, come dashing obIquely down
the slope. Over fallen steeds and heaps
of the dead she leaped with a motion as
airv as that Of the flying fox when, fresh
and uniaded, he leads away from the
hounds, whose sudden cry has broken him
off from hunting mice amid the ,bogs of
the meadow. So this riderless horse came
vaulting along Now from my earliest
| boyhood I have had what horsemen call
q weakness for horses. Only give me q
colt of wild, irregular temper and fierce
| blood to tame and am perfectly happy.
cruel sound through the air, fall on such
colts soft hide. Never did yell or kick
send his hot blood from heart TO head
deluging his sensitive brain with fiery cur
rents, driving him to frenzy or binding
him with fear; but touches, soft and gen.
tie as a woman's, caressing words, and
oats given from the open palm, and un.
falling kindness, were the means used
to 'subiugate him. Sweet subiugation,
both to him who subdues and to him who
| yields! The wild, unmannerly, and un-
manageable colt the fear of horsemen
the country round, finding in you, not an
enemy but friend, receiving his daily
food from you, and all those little moth
ings which 90 as far with horse as a
woman, to win and retain affection, grows
to look upon you as protector and
friend, and testifies in countless ways his
| fondness for you. So when / saw this
horse. with action so free and motion 80
graceful amid that storm of bullets my
heart involuntarily went out to her, and
my feelings rose higher and higher at
every leap she took from amid the whirl-
wind Of fire and lead. As she plunged at
last over little hillock out Of range and
came careering toward me as only rider
less horse might come, her head flung
wildly from side to side, her nostrils wide
ly spread, her 1anksand shoulders fecked
with foam, her eye dilating, / forgot my
wound and all the wild roar Of battle, and,
lifting myself inVoluntarily to a sitting
posture as she swept grandly by, gave her
ringing cheer.
"Perhsps in the sound Of human
voice Of happy mood amid the awful din
she recognized a resemblance to the voice
of him whose blood moistened her shoul-
ders and was even yet dripping from sad
die and housings. Be thatas It may, no
sooner had my voice sounded than she
flung her head with proud upward move.
ment into the air, swerved sharply to the
left, neighed as she might to q master at
morning from her stall, and came trottipg
directly up TO where lay, and, pausing
looked dOwn upon me as it were in com.
passion. spoke sgain, and stretched out
my had caressingly. She pricked heI
ears, took a step forward and lowered her
nose until it came in contact with my
palm. Never did l fondle anything more
tenderly, never did see an animal which
seemed to 30 court and appreciate human
tenderness as that beautiful mare. / say
beautiful No other word might de
scribe her. Never will her image fade
from my memory while memory lasts.
"In weight she might have turned
when well conditioned, nine hundred ant
fifty pounds. In color she was a darl
chestnut, with velvety depth and sof
look about the hair indescribably rich ant
elegant. Many q time have I heard Ia
dies dispute the shade and hue of he
plush-like coat as they ran their white
iewelled fingers through her silkel
hair Her body was round in th
, barrel, and perfectly symmetrical Sh
was wide in the launches, without proieC
ton of the, hip bones, upon which tn
shorter ribs seemed to lap. High in tn
withers as she was, the line Of her bscl
l and neck perfectly curved, Will
her deep, obliqu6 shoulders an
long thick forearm, ridgy wit
!. swelling sinews, suggesting the pei
b fection Of stride and power. Her knee
9 across the pan were wide, the csnnon-bon
z below them short and thin: the pastern
/; long and sloping; her hoofs round, darh
J, shiny, and well set on. Her name was
+ shade darker than her coat, fine and thiI
:, as athoroughbred's always iswhose bloc
/ Is without taint or cross. Her ear wa
/ thin, sharply pointed, delicatelY curyeC
It nearly black around the borders, and q
/. tremulous as the leaves Of an aspen. He
neck rose from the withers to the head /
= perfect curvature, hard, devoid Of fat, an
Q well cut under the chops. Her nostri
y were full, verY full, and thin almost 9
e parchment The eyes from which teal
/ might fall or fire flash, were well brougl
b out, soft as gazelle's, almost human
s their intelligence, while over the smal
e bony head, over neck and shoulders, ye
o over the whole body and clean down
70 the hoofs, the veins stood out as If Il
r skin were but tissue.paper against whiC
a the warm blood pressed, and which
Df might at anymoment burst asunder.
d perfect animal said TO myselfas ID
re looking her over an animal whi(
In might have been born from the wind, al
IT the sunshine, so cheerful and so swift 81
L. seems an animal which a man wou
" present as his choicest gift to the wont
d he loved, and yet one which that woma
at wife or lady-love, would give him to ri,
es when honor and life depended on botto
ID and speed m
~ aAll that afternoon the beautiful ma
le stood over me, while away TO the right
10 us the hoarse tide of battle flowed al
er ebbed. What charm, what delusi0n
m memory, held her theref Was my fa
On to her as the faee Of her dead mast
le, sleeping sleep from which not even t
tn widest roar Of battle, no, nor heFeheerf
~ neigh at morning, would ever wake hin
nd Or Is there IN animals some instinct a
at sweTing 70 our intuition, only moro potel
ne which tells them whom TO trust 8
II whom to syoidi / know not, and J
OF some such sense they may have, tn
nd must have or else why should this ms
u, so fesrlessly attach herself to met
ht, what process of reason OF Instinct / knt
at- not, but there she chose me for her nj
IN. ter; for when some Of my men at du
pc came searching, and found me, and, Il
It ing me on stretcher, started toward Q
an lines, the mare uncompelled, Of her Og
or. free viii, followed st my side and
he through that stormy night Of wind a
es rain, as nav men struggled along throu
d. the mud and mire toward Harrison's Lai
er. inR, the mare followed, and ever after, /
", til she died, was with me, and was mi
lat and /, so far as man might be, was hers
,ve named her Gnlnare. <
iet wAs QUICKLY as my wound permitted
M was transported 10 Washington, whiths
IN. took the mare withnle, Her iondpess
zes ne grew daily, and soon became 50 mari
te- 81 ID cause uniyeraal comment. l had