272 A WILD HORSE.
so named after his former owner) was put up for ten days and well attended
to. The time of my departure having arrived, I mounted him ;
and set off at the rate of four miles an hour;—but here I must give you
the line of my journey, that you may, if you please, follow my course
on some such map as that of TANNER'S. From Henderson through
Russellville, Nashville, and Knoxville, Abington in Virginia, the Natural
Bridge, Harrisonburgh, Winchester and Harper's Ferry, Frederick and
Lancaster to Philadelphia. There I remained four days, after which I
returned by way of Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Zanesville, Chillicothe, Lexington,
and Louisville to Henderson. But the nature of my business
was such as to make me deviate considerably from the main roads, and I
computed the whole distance at nearly two thousand miles, the post roads
being rather more than sixteen hundred. I travelled not less than forty
miles a-day, and it was allowed by the Doctor that my horse was in as good
condition on my return as when I set out. Such a journey on a single
horse may seem somewhat marvellous in the eyes of a European ; but in
those days almost every merchant had to perform the like, some from all
parts of the western country, even from St Louis on the Missouri, although
the travellers not unfrequently, on their return, sold their horses
at Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Pittsburg, at which latter place they took
boat. My wife rode on a single horse from Henderson to Philadelphia,
travelling at the same rate. The country was then comparatively new;
few coaches travelled, and in fact the roads were scarcely fit for carriages.
About twenty days were considered necessary for performing a journey
on horseback from Louisville to Philadelphia, whereas now the same distance
may be travelled in six or seven days, or even sometimes less, this
depending on the height of the water in the Ohio.
It may be not uninteresting to you to know the treatment which the
horse received on those journeys. I rose every morning before day,
cleaned my horse, pressed his back with my hand, to see if it had been
galled, and placed on it a small blanket folded double, in such a manner
that when the latter was put on, half of the cloth was turned over it. The
surcingle, beneath which the saddle-bags were placed, confined the blanket
to the seat, and to the pad behind was fastened the great coat or
cloak, tightly rolled up. The bridle had a snaffle bit; a breastplate was
buckled in front to each skirt, to render the seat secure during an ascent;
but my horse required no crupper, his shoulders being high and wellformed.
On starting he trotted off at the rate of four miles an hour.
A WILD HORSE. 273
which he continued. I usually travelled from fifteen to twenty miles before
breakfast, and after the first hour allowed my horse to drink as much
as he would. When I halted for breakfast, I generally stopped two
hours, cleaned the horse, and gave him as much corn blades as he could
eat. I then rode on until within half an hour of sunset, when I watered
him well, poured a bucket of cold water over his back, had his skin well
rubbed, his feet examined and cleaned. The rack was filled with blades,
the trough with corn, a good-sized pumpkin or some hens' eggs, whenever
they could be procured, were thrown in, and if oats were to be had,
half a bushel of them was given in preference to corn, which is apt to
heat some horses. In the morning, the nearly empty trough and rack
afforded sufficient evidence of the state of his health.
I had not ridden him many days before he became so attached to me
that on coming to some limpid stream, in which I had a mind to bathe,
I could leave him at liberty to graze, and he would not drink if told not
to do so. He was ever sure-footed, and in such continual good spirits,
that now and then, when a turkey happened to rise from a dusting place
before me, the mere inclination of my body forward was enough to bring
him to a smart canter, which he would continue until the bird left the
road for the woods, when he never failed to resume his usual trot. On
my way homewards I met at the crossings of the Juniata River a gentleman
from New Orelans whose name is VINCENT NOLTE. He was mounted
on a superb horse, for which he had paid three hundred dollars, and
a servant on horseback led another as a change. I was then an utter
stranger to him, and as I approached and praised his horse, he not
very courteously observed that he wished I had as good a one. Finding
that he was going to Bedford to spend the night, I asked him at what
hour he would get there. " Just soon enough to have some trouts ready
for our supper, provided you will join when you get there." I almost
imagined that Barro understood our conversation ; he pricked up his ears,
and lengthened his pace, on which Mr NOLTE caracolled his horse, and
then put him to a quick trot, but all in vain, for I reached the hotel
nearly a quarter of an hour before him, ordered the trouts, saw to the
putting away of my good horse, and stood at the door ready to welcome
my companion. From that day VINCENT NOLTE has been a friend to
me. It was from him I received letters of introduction to the RATHBONES
of Liverpool, for which I shall ever be grateful to him. We rode together
as far as Shippingport, where my worthy friend NICHOLAS BEKVOL.
III. S