Songs for April

How Doth the Little Crocodile

Black Beauty

The first place that I can remember was a pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. At the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook was overhung by a steep bank.

There were six young colts in the meadow beside me. I used to run with them, and had great fun. We used to gallop round and round the field as hard as we could go. Sometimes we had rough play, for we would bite and kick as well as gallop.

One day, when there was a great deal of kicking, my mother whinnied to me to come to her, and then she said:

"I wish you to pay attention to what I am going to say to you. You have been well-bred and well-born; your father has a great name in these parts; your grandmother had the sweetest temper of any horse I ever knew, and I think you have never seen me kick or bite. I hope you will grow up gentle and good, and never learn bad ways. Do your work with a good will, lift your feet up well when you trot, and never bite or kick even in play."

I have never forgotten my mother's advice.

Our master was a good, kind man. He gave us good food, good lodging, and kind words; he spoke as kindly to us as he did to his little children. We were all fond of him, and my mother loved him very much. When she saw him at the gate she would neigh with joy and trot up to him. He would pat and stroke her and say, "Well, old Pet, and how is your little Darkie?" I was a dull black, so he called me Darkie. Then he would give me a piece of bread which was very good, and sometimes he brought a carrot for my mother.

There was a plowboy, Dick, who sometimes came into our field to pluck blackberries from the hedge. When he had eaten all he wanted he would have what he called fun with the colts, throwing stones and sticks at them to make them gallop. We did not mind him much, for we could gallop off; but sometimes a stone would hit and hurt us.

One day he was at this game and did not know that the master was in the next field watching what was going on. As soon as we saw the master we trotted up nearer to the side of the field to see what happened.

"Bad boy!" he said, "bad boy! to chase the colts. This is not the first time, nor the second, but it shall be the last. Take your money and go home; I shall not want you on my farm again." So we never saw Dick any more.

My master would not sell me till I was four years old. He said lads ought not to work like men, and colts ought not to work like horses till they were quite grown up.

When I was four years old Squire Gordon came to look at me. I was now growing handsome; my coat was fine and soft, and was bright black. I had one white foot and a pretty white star on my forehead. He examined my eyes, my mouth, and my legs. Then I had to walk and trot and gallop before him. He seemed to like me and said, "When he has been well broken in he will do very well." My master said he would break me in himself, as he did not wish me to be frightened or hurt. He lost no time about it, for the next day he began.

"Breaking in" means to teach a horse to wear a saddle and bridle, and to carry on his back a man, woman, or child; to go just the way desired, and to go quietly. Besides this he has to learn to wear harness, and to stand still while it is put on. Then he has a cart or a carriage fixed behind, so that he cannot walk or trot without dragging it after him; and he must go fast or slow, just as his driver wishes. He must never start at what he sees, nor speak to other horses, nor bite, nor kick; nor have any will of his own; but he must always do his master's will, even though he may be very tired or hungry. But the worst of all is, when his harness is once on, he may neither jump for joy nor lie down for weariness. So you see this "breaking in" is a great thing.

I had, of course, long been used to a halter and a headstall, and to being led about in the fields and lanes quietly; but now I was to have a bit and bridle. My master gave me some oats, and after much coaxing he got the bit into my mouth, and the bridle fixed, but it was a nasty thing!

One who has never had a bit in his mouth cannot think how it feels. A great piece of cold, hard steel as thick as a man's finger is pushed into the mouth, between the teeth, and over the tongue, with the ends coming out at the corner of the mouth. It is held fast there by straps over the head, under the throat, round the nose and under the chin.

It is bad! yes, very bad! but I knew my mother always wore a bit when she went out, and all horses did when they were grown up; and so, with the nice oats, and my master's pats, kind words and gentle ways, I got to wear my bit and bridle.

Next came the saddle, but that was not half so bad. My master put it on my back very gently; he then made the girths fast under my body, patting and talking to me all the time. Then I had a few oats, then a little leading about. This he did every day till I began to look for the oats and the saddle. One morning my master got on my back and rode me round the meadow on the soft grass. It certainly did feel queer; but I must say I felt proud to carry my master. He rode me a little every day and I soon became used to it.

The next thing was putting on the iron shoes; that, too, was very hard at first. My master went with me to the smith's forge, to see that I was not hurt or frightened. The blacksmith took my feet in his hand, one after the other, and cut away some of the hoof. It did not pain me, so I stood still on three legs till he had done them all. Then he took a piece of iron the shape of my foot, and clapped it on, and drove some nails through the shoe into my hoof, so that the shoe was firmly on. My feet felt very stiff and heavy, but in time I got used to it.

And now my master went on to break me to harness. First a stiff, heavy collar was put on my neck, and a bridle with great side-pieces against my eyes called blinkers. And blinkers indeed they were, for I could not see on either side, but only straight in front of me. Next there was a small saddle with a stiff strap that went around my tail; that was the crupper. I hated the crupper; to have my long tail doubled up and poked through that strap was almost as bad as the bit. I never felt more like kicking, but I could not kick such a good master. In time I got used to everything, and could do my work as well as my mother.

Then my master sent me for a fortnight to a meadow which was near a railway. Here were some sheep and cows, and I was turned in among them.

I shall never forget the first train that ran by. I was feeding quietly near the pales which separated the meadow from the railway, when I heard a strange sound. Before I knew whence it came—with a rush and a clatter, and a puffing out of smoke—a long black train flew by, and was gone almost before I could draw my breath. I turned and galloped to the other side of the meadow as fast as I could go, and there I stood snorting with fear.

During the day many other trains went by, some more slowly; these drew up at the station close by, and sometimes made an awful shriek and groan before they stopped. I thought it dreadful, but the cows went on eating, and hardly raised their heads as the black thing came puffing and grinding past.

For the first few days I could not feed in peace; but as I found that this creature never came into the field, nor did me any harm, very soon I cared as little about the passing of a train as did the cows and sheep. Thanks to my good master's care, I am as fearless at railway stations as in my own stable.

My master often drove me in double harness with my mother, because she was steady and could teach me how to go better than a strange horse. She told me the better I behaved the better I should be treated, and that it was always best to please my master. "But," said she, "there are many kinds of men; there are good, thoughtful men like our master, that any horse may be proud to serve; and there are bad men, who never ought to have a horse or a dog to call their own. I hope you will fall into good hands; but a horse never knows who may buy him, or who may drive him. Still I say, do your best wherever it is, and keep up your good name."

It was early in May, when there came a man from Squire Gordon's, who took me away. My master said, "Good-by, Darkie; be a good horse, and always do your best." I could not say "good-by," so I put my nose into his hand. He patted me kindly, and I left my first home.