The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-05-31
LIFE OF THE WAR HORSE.
THEIR MORTALITY GREATER THAN
THAT AMONG SOLDIERS.


DoHars-In the Heat OF the Battle
steed Behaves About Like His Rider.
According to the estimate OF Joseph
Chamberlain, horsehesh in the war
with South Africa will cost the Brit
ish 7,00o, 000, which means IS, 900
horses will have been sent to the Trans
vaal before the war is over. As
rule, the mortality among war horses
is greater than the mortality among
soldiers. Some time ago members OF
humane society in England petl-
toned the Queen to have special
means taken to put quickly out Of
their misery all horses that were
morta " wounded on the field of bat
tie. Victoria promised to do all she
could in that direction, but the petit
TONERS were made to understand
that the allieviation OF animal suffer
ing was necessarily minor considera-
| ton in warfare. At Gravelotte the
German artillery lost 1900 horses to
$50 men, and the cavalry lost 200
horses to 100 men. At Yionville the
German guns lost 1000 horses to $50
men, and the cavalry 1900 horses to
400 men. The Austrian cavalry lost
1909 horses and the German cavalry
$40 horses at Koniggratz. In the
charge of the Six Hundred at Balaklaya
the Light Brigade lost360 horses and
800 men out OF 66C. In the old days,
wien cavalry fought at exceedingly
close quarters, the loss OF horses was
slightly less than that of men. Napo-
leon entered Russia with 60, 900
horses and left it with less than 1000.
A large percentage of this loss, of
course, was due to disease. In Egypt,
in 1882, half of the British horses had
to be treated by veterinary surgeons
and 500 horses had to be killed as in
durable.
Besides the ordinary diseases of
horses on land, the experiences of
long sea voyage, such as it is neces-
sary to make to place an army into
South Africa, are destructive of the
animals and, even with the best of
care, narrowing to a humane person.
Horses get seasick just as their mas
ters do, and even in the best con-
structed box stalls the rolling and
pitching of the ship causes them great
discomfort But the sufferings of
war horses in this manner are not
marker to the torture of animals that
are transported by water in the or
binary course of trade.
When the war horse gets on land
far away from home he is subject to
an ailment which most persons sup
pose troubles only mankind. He is
as much a prey of home sickness as
his rider-more so, in fact, for he
cannot bring philosophical turn of
mind to bear upon the situation. Nor
can he be shamed out of it, like
many a man. For many weeks horses
that are taken long way from
home fret and worry, refuse to
lie down and, if not watched, will
pound their feet to pieces. In our
civil war it is said more than third
of the horses we're affected in this
way
In most respects the horse in battle
behaves about the same as his rider.
Waiting makes him fearsome. He
trembles and sweats. When at length
the ong-expected command comes
and the line moves out the instructive
inclination OF man and beast is to bolt.
The man will not, aud the beast can
not, for the cruel curb is held in too
strong a hand In few minutes all
timidity is lost, the nostrils spread,
the eye flashes fire, and if the old
fellow could fight he probably would.
If he is a cavalry horse and his rider
falls he continues with his set of tours.
When thrown out of line he gallops
about, but, finding other riderless
horses, joins them, and the rally call
of the trumpet brings them into ranks
in a body, each to his troop. The
men know one another's mounts, and
it needs no roll-call of the first ser
geant to establish the fact that many
a comrade lies on the field.
In the artillery, if a horse is dis
abled, the traces are cut by one OF
the drivers and he is left out OF the
game.
The scenes of battlefield as re-
CARDS the soldiers are shocking
enough, but scarcely less pitiful is
the sight of wounded horses wander
ing about For it is a well-known
fact than unless the horse is abso-
lutely disabled so that he cannot
stand he will keep his feet He may
have a gaping hole in his side part
of his head shot away, leg taken of
by cannon ball, an still he will not
drop. The shrek of a dying man,
except as one knows that it is from a
human being, is as nothing as com,
pared with tho shrek of dying
horse. 1t was with the idea that
some of this suffering could be ale
waited that the humane English peo-
pie appealed to the Queen some time
ago.
1t time of peace the English army
has about Is, 00) horses, worth an
average $500, and requiring an an
nual expenditure of s. geo, 600 York
shire used to supply the English