outcry of good as against evil -- the squawk of a
hen to her chicks, the bleat of a sheep to her lambs,
the grunt of a sow to her sucklings, the bellow of
a cow to her calf, the purr of a cat to her kittens,
the whine of a dog to her puppies, the drum of a
partridge to her young. A cry from the heart to
the heart, an appeal of flesh to its own flesh, it
is the world-old mother-call.

And the horse heard this call. He probably did
not recognize in it a call of the mother-heart, any
more than it was possible for the aged mare to
recognize in his outcry the voice of her own flesh.
What he did hear, no doubt, was the voice of a
friend, one who understood and pitied, and
would help if it couldy help. At any rate, he
stood very still, seemingly grateful for the evidence
of a champion, seemingly anxious that it sound
again. But it did not sound again. Yet he
made no further effort to give battle. He held
to his attitude of intent listening, ears cocked
forward and eyes straining and tail at rest, until
Felipe, stung into action by an idea wrought out
of all this, hastened out from behind the cart and
away in the direction of the corral. At sight of
him the horse became restless again, squaring himself
once more to the mare, stamping his feet and
champing his bit nervously. He seemed to lose
all recollection of the outcry, all the peace it had
engendered within him. Of such are the kingdom
of the dumb.

Possessed by his idea, an idea so brilliant that
he himself marveled, Felipe was not long in put-

[[107]]

p106 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p107w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p108

v?