The Captain, the Soldier, and the Horses

A party of soldiers, in the East, was in a wood one night, waiting for the enemy. The horses neighed. The captain said, "Kill them at once; else, the enemy is sure to know where we are, and run away."

An old soldier, to whom the order was given, took them behind the wood, and leaving them in charge of a comrade, returned saying, "Now we are safe."

Soon the enemy came near; but finding the party in the wood stronger, beat a hasty retreat. The captain, who was eager to pursue them, said, "What would I not give for the horses now!"

The soldier produced them at once. The enemy was pursued, and an important victory gained over them. The captain had the soldier raised from the ranks to a command in the army, observing, "Rashness is blindness. The future oft belies the present. The prudent man hath eyes more than two."