Not to be Doubted.

Manawatu Herald, 16 August 1892, Page 3

Not to be Doubted.

Bather a good' story;- touching the sagacity of 4he horsoi was overheard * at an auction mart the other day. Two old'faririers were discussing the ' merits of their respective steeds, and after' 'the " blood pedigree and paces " of the animals had been extolled, and their tractability and docility, &uly lied about, the argument turned on to which was the more sagacious equine of the two. Farmer, No. 1 swore that his horse was the most knowing animal outside of a circus, and that it could do anything but talk. He made a strong £piiit;of the alleged fact that it was a common feat for his horse to untie its halter with its teeth, 'and to open the gates, take down slip-rails, etc, " That's nothing," retorted farmer No. 2, " this horse of mine-' 'thinks no more of gates than I- would. •' Tell you what I saw him do the other morning. You see; I've got, a nice patch of lucerne near the house, and do what I can I can't keep that brute out of 'Chat l paddock. He drew the staples out of the posts, lifted the barbed wire gently off with his toeth, .an^.yaulted over tae fence like a grasshopper over a cabbage. Then whe& v '£ rafted the fence 'so'

high that he couldn't possibly climb over and securely locked the 1 gate and to6k away the key, I made sure I had him safe. But lor' ; bless you, it wasn't any use. I get I Up at daylight next morning, and \ there was that horse in the lucerne | again. Bless me if he hadn't \ picked the lock of the gate with a I bit of fencing wire I"