GENERAL GILLESPIE'S ARAB HORSE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2077, 25 August 1885, Page 2

GENERAL GILLESPIE'S ARAB HORSE.

The confidence of a horse in a firm rider and his owji courage is meat, as was conspicuously evinced intfie case of an Arab possessed by- the lateGenefal Sir Robort R. Gillespie, who, being present on the racecourse of Calcutta during one of the great Hindoo festivals, when several hundred thousand people may be assembled to witness all kinds of shows, was suddenly alarmed by the shriehtof the crowd, and informed that a escaped from his keeper, Sir Robert immediately called for his horse, and, grasping a boar-spear which was in the hands of one of the crowd, rode to attack this formidable enemy, The tiger pro. bably was amazed at finding himself in tile middle of such a number of shrieking beings flying from him in all directions but the moment he perceived Sir Robert lie crouched with the attitude of preparing to spring at him,, and that instant the gallant soldier passed his horse in a leap over the tiger's back and stuck the spear through his spine. The horse was a small gray, afterwards sent home by him as a present to the Prince Regent. When iSir Robert.fell at tho storming of Kalunga his favorite black charger, bred at tho Cape of Good Hope, and carried by him l;o India, was at the sale of' jApSffccts competed for by several offlceJPof his division, and finally knocked down to the privates of the Eigth Dragoons, who contributed their prize-money to ■ the amount of £SOO sterling to retamlMs commemoration of their late commaMr, Thus the charger was always led arae head of a regiment on a march, and at the station of Oawnporo was.indulged with taking his ancient, station at tho color stand, where the salute of passing squadrons was given at drill and on reviews, When the regiment was ordered home, the funds of the.privates running low, he was bought for the same sum by a relative of ours, who provided funds aud a paddock for him, where he. might end bis days in comfort; but when the oorps had ra&rohed and the sound of the trumpet had departed' he refused to eat, and on the first opportunity, being led out to exercise, he broke from his groom, ind, galloping to Ms ancient station on the parade, after neighin? aloud, dropped down ;md died.—".Horses," by Lieutenant:co!onel Charles Hamilton Smith.