War Horse

The two horses are led away and “tied up beside a hospital tent some miles from where [they] had been captured. The German soldiers are at a loss for what to do with them until Herr Hauptmann, a tall “officer in a long gray coat with a bandage around his head emerge[s] from the tent” (63). The soldiers around him immediately straighten up and stand at attention as the man approaches the horses. The man examines Joey and Topthorn, then turns to his men, saying, “These two horses came through hellfire to get here—they were the only two to make it. […] [T]hey are heroes—do you understand, heroes—and should be treated as such” (64). He orders them to stop standing around looking at the horses and instead start pampering them—getting them food, water, a blanket, and a place to sleep.

Hauptmann stays with the horses, admiring them and their bravery. He is with them still when a doctor in a blood-stained white coat joins them. He tells Hauptmann that he’s received word from Headquarters that Joey and Topthorn are to be used to pull stretchers and help transport the wounded. Hauptmann is indignant at this, believing the horses are too good for such a task.