The Master, the Horse, and the Noblemen

By Joseph C. Collins

In a country far away, there lived a man with a horse, and a lovely horse it was. Its hair was a golden brown and its eyes were blue and it had a white stripe on its nose. It was a magnificent creature. Every day the man would brush its hair to make it shine and then he would give it sugar cubes to eat. When the days got cold he would put a blanket over his horse to keep it warm.


The man loved his horse and the horse loved its master. When the master was at work tending his farm, the horse would walk up behind him and rub its nose up against his back.
Then the man would tern around take his hand and rub the horse’s nose and say, “Good boy, good boy.”


But the best part of the day for the horse was when its master took a ride on its back out on their farm. It was a hundred acres of tall grass, the kind of grass that would flow when the wind passed over. All around the farm were tall trees and mountains, with a fresh river rushing under hills as for as one could see.


Except for this one hill witch was the tallest and at the some time the closest. So after every ride the man would take his horse up to the top of this hill, and on the top was their tree that they would sit under and look out-- and what a sight it was.

They could see the mountains in the distance; they saw the woods all around. They could hear the birds singing songs, and they loved the sound of the river streaming down. Even a horse, can appreciate God’s creation.


And so the horse lay under the tree with its master laying his head on its side, reading a book and watching the sun go down behind the mountains.
One day the man decided to go on a trip and take his horse with him. He packed his effects up; it was a trip that would take a week.


He saddled his horse and off they went. Passing woods and pastures, they then passed a field of windmills, and as they went on they came to a stone bridge stretching over a small stream. They had so much fun, often stopping to enjoy the view.
Then one day they came to dirt road. Looking at the road, the man decided to give his horse a break, so he got off his horse and started to walk, leading the way.


As they were walking, a man in a cloak jumped out and gripped the man; the thief stabbed the man with a knife, and the man fell to the ground. Suddenly, the horse got on his hind legs and trampled the cloaked man to death. The horse walked up to its master who was lying on the ground; the horse rubbed its nose up against its master. Still breathing, the man turned over, picked up his hand, and rubbed his horse on its nose.
“Good boy, good boy,” he said. Then the man’s hand slowly dropped to the ground, and he lived no more.


Now the horse, being an animal, at first did not understand death, so it kept rubbing its nose up against the man’s body. Of course, he did not move. Then the horse understood what had happened to his master. The horse was about to run off when it heard a sound of wheels along with the sound of hoofs. He looked in the direction that the sound was coming from and saw a carriage being pulled by two horses, but it was not an average carriage. It had the craftsmanship of a noble owner.


Suddenly, the driver of the carriage called out to the horses and pulled on the reins, drawing the carriage to a stop. The driver jumped down and quickly walked to the man to see if he was all right, but the driver knew after looking at him that the man had passed away.
A voice came from inside the carriage.


“What is the matter?”
“There is a dead man on the side of the road,” replied the driver
After hearing this, the door of the carriage opened and out came a man dressed in a royal suit. He was holding a cane, he had white gloves and clean boots. He was indeed a nobleman.


He walked up to the horse who just stood still not knowing what to do. Then the nobleman looked at the horse’s feet and saw the cloaked man that had been trampled. Then he looked to his right and saw the man lying on the grand who had been stabbed to death. At once he knew what had taken place.


“This poor man, he was just minding his own business when this other man who covered himself with a clock tried to rob him.”


The driver looked at the robber and asked, “How did he die?”
“Can’t you see this horse belongs to the poor man who was marauded? He was its master and the horse defended him.”
The nobleman slowly walked up to the horse. He grabbed its reins, leaned toward its ear and said, “You had a great bond with your master, didn’t you? Yours was such a bond that you would defend him. I am sorry that you couldn’t do it sooner.”


“What do we do now?” ask the driver
“We will take this man into town and give him a proper funeral. We will also take the horse and give it something to eat and a place to stay.”
So the Nobleman and the driver took the horse and the body of the man into town, with the Nobleman sitting up front with the driver.
When they got into town, they fetched the doctor and the police chief and told them what had happened. The following evening, they put the man to rest in the town’s cemetery that was on top of a hill outside of town.


As the Nobleman and the driver were walking back into town, the driver asked,
“What about the horse, sir? What will happen to it?”
“The police chief said that I could keep it if I wanted. I thought that it would be the right thing to do seeing how it was not the man’s fault nor was it his horse’s fault about what happened.”
“Right sir, it is not indeed,” replied the driver.


When they got back into town the Nobleman went up to the horse and said,
“I know that you miss your master. That is why I will now take care of you. I know that your master took great
care better then I but I well try my best.
So the Nobleman and the driver harnessed the carriage and the horse and they continued to their own home.


Passing woods and pastures, they finally got to the Nobleman’s home. The horse could not believe its eyes.
It was the biggest house that he had seen. There was a big front yard with rows of trees, a pathway up and down carved in stone, and bushes shaped all different.
When they got to the front of the house the Nobleman called a stable boy and told him, “This horse is my new friend and it’s been through a lot. Take good care of it.”


The stable boy did what he was told. Days went by and the stable boy went to feed the horse but it would not eat. The stable boy went to the Nobleman and told him. At once he knew why.
He went to the stable and to see the horse. When he found it, he walked up to it and saw the sadness in its face. He opened the door to the stall and let the horse outside.


He gently grabbed it by the head and leaned his head on its and said, “You are a magnificent creature, but I know you do not want to be here. I am sorry for what happened to your master.”
He took off the reins and said, “Now go, my friend and be free.”


The Nobleman slapped the rump of the horse and it started off running past the town and across the dirt road. What happened next no one knows, for as it was running tears began to fill its eyes. Some say it was just the wind, because he was running so fast. But others, like myself, say that it was the fact that it would no longer be with its master.


It ran, not once stopping for food or water, over the stone bridge. It ran past the windmills and the pastures and the woods, back to the place its heart ached most for: home.
When it got there, it ran up the hill that it and its master went up so many times before. When it got to the top, it walked to its beloved tree.

It laid on its side under the tree and looked out and what a sight it was. It could see the sun going down behind the mountains. It could see the woods all around and the birds were still singing their songs. It still heard the stream flowing, for even a horse can appreciate God’s creation.

But it no longer could it's feel its master’s head on it side as he read his book. With all of his strength leaving, it slowly closed its eyes and lived no more.