Dick Varley on the night after his taming of the wild horse, we would have strongly urged that advice upon him. Whether he would have listened to it or not is quite another question; we rather think not. Can a man feel as if his joints were wrenched out of their sockets, and listen to advice, be that advice good or bad? Can he—but no! why pursue the subject? Poor Dick spent that night in misery, and the greater part of the following day in sleep, to make up for it. When he got up to breakfast in the afternoon he felt much better, but shaky.
“Now, pup,” he said, stretching himself, “we'll go and see our horse. Ours, pup; yours and mine: didn’t you help to catch him, eh, pup?”
Crusoe acknowledged the fact with a wag and a playful “bow-wow!” and followed his master to the place where the horse had been picketed. It was quiet.
Dick went boldly up to it, and patted its head and stroked its nose, for nothing is so likely to alarm a horse as timidity on the part of those who approach them.
After treating it thus for a short time, he stroked down its neck, and then its shoulders—the horse eyeing him all the time nervously. Gradually he stroked its back and limbs gently, and walked quietly round and round it once or twice, sometimes approaching and sometimes going away, but never either hesitating or doing anything abruptly. This done, he went down to the stream and filled his cap with water and carried it to the horse, which snuffed suspiciously and backed a little; so he laid the cap down, and went up and patted him. Presently he took up the cap and carried it to his nose. The moment he understood what was in the cap, he sucked it up.
This was a great point gained: he had accepted a benefit at the hands of his new master; he had become a debtor to man, and no doubt he felt the obligation. Dick filled the cap and the horse emptied it again, and again, and again, until its burning thirst was slaked. Then Dick went up to his shoulder, patted him, undid the line that fastened him, and vaulted lightly on his back.
At this unexpected act the horse plunged and reared a good deal, and seemed inclined to go through the performance of the day before over again; but Dick patted and stroked him into quiescence, and having done so, urged him into a gallop over the plains, causing the dog to gambol round, in order that he might get accustomed to him. This
