Arthur Kavanagh was extremely fond of animals and especially of horses. He depended so much upon them for getting around that he talked to them as to friends. Once, while in the East, he had a fine Arab steed to which he became deeply attached. Often while travelling in the desert beneath the hot sun he would find shelter between his horse’s legs while he ate or rested, and the animal would never move for fear of injuring his crippled master. When the time came for him to say good-bye to this faithful horse at Cairo, Kavanagh shed many bitter tears. While in India in 1851 he had the experience of tiger hunting and astonished even old hunters by his cool nerve. One day, while separated from other members of the hunting party, he came face to face with a tiger which got within ten paces of him, but his years of practice stood him in good stead and, carefully placing the gun on the stump of his left arm, he brought the animal down. While he was in India his brother left for Australia and died while on the voyage. For a time Arthur Kavanagh found himself in financial difficulties and maintained himself by carrying despatches in the Aurangabad District of India. In 1853 his brother, Charles, died, and he succeeded to the family estates in Ireland, to which country he returned at once. Several years before this Arthur Kavanagh had made a vow that if ever he became a landlord he would conduct his affairs in such a way that his tenants would honour and love him. At that time it seemed most unlikely that he ever would succeed to the family estates, but the unexpected death of his brothers gave him the chance to fulfil his vow, and he did so nobly. He practically rebuilt the two villages of Borris and Ballygragget, which were on his estate. The plans--which won the Royal Dublin Society’s medal--were all drawn by himself. He arranged that even the poorest people should have comforts such as they had never dreamed of before. He gave instructions that there was to be no harshness or severity in cases where people were unable to pay rents. He loved the people and he wished them to love and trust him. Considering the terrible physical handicaps he had to face, his unfailing cheerfulness was one of the most amazing things about him. He might easily have become sour and disgruntled. But he was never heard to complain. Wherever he went he wrote letters of great interest describing the places he saw and the people he met. These letters always bubbled over with fun and good nature. When he had completed his thirtieth year he wrote a long letter in which he reviewed his life. The letter was remarkable for the constant references to the goodness of God and for the evidence of his great gratitude to God for all His blessings. This letter is considered by many to be one of the most remarkable letters in all literature.