LESSON XXII.
1. In some places men keep horses to ride when they go out to hunt foxes, and these horses are called hunters.
2. Dogs are also used in the hunt, and the horses and dogs are so much together that they often become the best of friends.
3. Once old “Hector,” a dog, had such a liking for his friend “Ben,” the hunter, that he would leave his own bed and go and sleep with Ben in the stable.
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.