Black Beauty Read Online Free PDF Page B

and Flora.
One of the girls was as old as Miss Jessie; two of the boys were
older, and there were several little ones. When they came there was
plenty of work for Merrylegs, for nothing pleased them so much as
getting on him by turns and riding him all about the orchard and
the home paddock, and this they would do by the hour together.
    One afternoon he had been out with them a long time, and when
James brought him in and put on his halter he said:
    "There, you rogue, mind how you behave yourself, or we shall get
into trouble."
    "What have you been doing, Merrylegs?" I asked.
    "Oh!" said he, tossing his little head, "I have only been giving
those young people a lesson; they did not know when they had had
enough, nor when I had had enough, so I just pitched them off
backward; that was the only thing they could understand."
    "What!" said I, "you threw the children off? I thought you did
know better than that! Did you throw Miss Jessie or Miss
Flora?"
    He looked very much offended, and said:
    "Of course not; I would not do such a thing for the best oats
that ever came into the stable; why, I am as careful of our young
ladies as the master could be, and as for the little ones it is I
who teach them to ride. When they seem frightened or a little
unsteady on my back I go as smooth and as quiet as old pussy when
she is after a bird; and when they are all right I go on again
faster, you see, just to use them to it; so don't you trouble
yourself preaching to me; I am the best friend and the best
riding-master those children have. It is not them, it is the boys;
boys," said he, shaking his mane, "are quite different; they must
be broken in as we were broken in when we were colts, and just be
taught what's what. The other children had ridden me about for
nearly two hours, and then the boys thought it was their turn, and
so it was, and I was quite agreeable. They rode me by turns, and I
galloped them about, up and down the fields and all about the
orchard, for a good hour. They had each cut a great hazel stick for
a riding-whip, and laid it on a little too hard; but I took it in
good part, till at last I thought we had had enough, so I stopped
two or three times by way of a hint. Boys, you see, think a horse
or pony is like a steam-engine or a thrashing-machine, and can go
on as long and as fast as they please; they never think that a pony
can get tired, or have any feelings; so as the one who was whipping
me could not understand I just rose up on my hind legs and let him
slip off behind—that was all. He mounted me again, and I did the
same. Then the other boy got up, and as soon as he began to use his
stick I laid him on the grass, and so on, till they were able to
understand—that was all. They are not bad boys; they don't wish to
be cruel. I like them very well; but you see I had to give them a
lesson. When they brought me to James and told him I think he was
very angry to see such big sticks. He said they were only fit for
drovers or gypsies, and not for young gentlemen."
    "If I had been you," said Ginger, "I would have given those boys
a good kick, and that would have given them a lesson."
    "No doubt you would," said Merrylegs; "but then I am not quite
such a fool (begging your pardon) as to anger our master or make
James ashamed of me. Besides, those children are under my charge
when they are riding; I tell you they are intrusted to me. Why,
only the other day I heard our master say to Mrs. Blomefield, 'My
dear madam, you need not be anxious about the children; my old
Merrylegs will take as much care of them as you or I could; I
assure you I would not sell that pony for any money, he is so
perfectly good-tempered and trustworthy;' and do you think I am
such an ungrateful brute as to forget all the kind treatment I have
had here for five years, and all the trust they place in me, and
turn vicious because a couple of ignorant boys used me badly? No,
no! you never had a good place where they were kind to you, and so
you don't know,