THE SOLDIER AND HIS HORSE
War was raging, so the cavalryman was able to feed his horse with barley and
give him good hay to eat, treating the horse as his noble companion in battle.
Then the war came to an end and a time of peace ensued. The soldier was no longer
given wages by the state so his horse now had to work all the time carrying
heavy logs down out of the woods into the city. In addition, his owner hired
the horse out to other people to carry their loads as well. All the while, the
horse had as his food only the worst sort of chaff, and the harness he wore
on his back was no longer that of a warhorse. Some time later, the clash of
battle resounded once again around the city walls, and the trumpet summoned
every man to dust off his shield, sharpen his sword, and ready his horse. The
horse's owner put the bridle back on his steed, but when he led the horse out
to be mounted, the horse collapsed and fell to his knees, having lost all his
former strength. 'Go join the infantry!' the horse told his owner. 'You have
transferred me from the horse regiment to the donkeys; do you really think you
can just change me back again?' |