# ■ 4 Kindness and cruelty

Aneighbour of the Gordons'，Mr Blomefield，had a large family of boys and girls who often came to play with Miss Jessie and Miss Flora．One of the girls was the same age as Miss Jessie，two of the boys were older，and there were sev-eral little ones．Whenever they came， the children loved to ride Merrylegs．

One afternoon when they were visiting，James brought Merrylegs in and said，'Now，behave yourself．'

What did you do，Merrylegs？'I asked him．

Those young people didn't seem to know whell I was tired，'he said，'so I just threw them off backwards．It was the only thing they could understand．'

You threw the children off！'I sald．'Oh，no！Did you throw Miss Flora or Miss Jessie？'

No，of course not！ I'm quiet and careful with them， and with the little ones．I'm the best friend and riding teacher those children have．It's not them，it's the boys，'he said．'The other children rode me for nearly two hours， then the boys rode me，one after the other，for an hour，hitting me with a stick．I didn't get annoyed but I did get tired， so I stopped once or twice to let them know．But boys think a horse is like a machine and can go on as long and as fast as they want it to．They never think that we get tired．As one was whipping me，I stood up on my back legs and he fell off．He got on again and I did the same．Then the other boy tried and I put him down on the grass．They're not bad boys，and don't mean to be cruel， but they have to learn．

When they told James，he was angry to see those big sticks and told the boys not to use them again．'

I would give those boys a good kick，'said Ginger．

I know you would，'said Merrylegs．'But they expect me to look after those children， and they expect me to be good-tempered，and I will be．You never had a place where they were kind to you，Ginger，and I'm sorry for you． But good places make good horses，and I wouldn't make our people angry for anything！If I started kicking people，they would very quickly sell me，perhaps to someone cruel． I hope that never happens．'

* * *

I often wondered why Sir Oliver，the oldest horse in the stable，had so short a tall—only about twenty centimetres long—and one day I asked him，'Did you have an accident？'

It was no accident！'he said，angrily．'My long and beautiful tail was cut off when I was a young horse． At that time，some owners thought it was fashionable！'

How terrible！'I said．

Yes，terrible and cruel，'said Sir Oliver．'Now I can never brush the flies off my sides or back legs， and all because of fashion．Some owners cut off the tails of their dogs to make them look brave，or cut their pretty little ears to make them look fashionable．They don't cut off the ends of their children's ears， do they？Why do they think it's all right to do these things to their animals？'

Mr Gordon was never cruel， and he would not stand by and watch others be cruel to animals．We were riding home one morning when we saw a big man driving towards us in a small carriage，pulled by a beautiful little pony．As he got to the Park gates，the pony turned towards them．Without warning，the man pulled the pony's head round so roughly that the little animal almost fell over．Then he began to whip the pony，angrily．The animal tried to move forward，but the man held it back and continued to whip it．

Sawyer！'shouted my master．

The man looked up．He was a builder who often came to the Park to do work．'He's too fond of going his own way！' he told my master．'He's not supposed to turn in through your gates；the road is straight on．'

You often drive that pony to my house，'said my master．'It only shows that the horse is intelligent and remembers these things．How could he know you weren't going there to-day？ I've never seen a horse beaten so cruelly or with so much anger．What will people think of you，Sawyer？As well as hurting the horse，you hurt your own good name—do you want people to think of you as a cruel，bad-tempered man？'

We went home slowly，and I could tell by his voice that the master was unhappy at what we had seen．

■ 4 善意和冷酷

高頓夫婦的鄰居，布勞姆菲爾德先生，有一個大家庭。他有許多孩子，他們經常來和潔茜小姐、弗勞拉小姐玩兒。一個女孩和潔茜小姐同齡，兩個男孩大一點兒，另外還有幾個小小孩兒。每次他們一來，就喜歡騎樂腿兒。

一天下午他們來串門的時候，詹姆斯牽回樂腿兒並對他說；“來，給我放規矩點。”

“你幹什麼了，樂腿兒？”我問他。

“那些小孩似乎不知道我會累，”他說，“所以我就把他們向後面甩下去。他們只能明白這個。”

“你把孩子們甩下去了！”我說，“啊，不會吧！你也把潔茜小姐和弗勞拉小姐甩下去了？”

“當然不了！我在她們面前可是又安靜，又小心，對那些小小孩兒也是一樣。我是他們最好的朋友和騎馬教練。問題不是他們，是那些男孩子，”他說。“其他小孩已經騎了我快兩個小時，然後那些男孩來騎我，一個接一個，又騎了一個小時，還用棍子打我。我倒不煩，可實在是累了，所以我停下來了一兩回想讓他們知道。但是男孩子們覺得馬像機器一樣，能讓他們隨心所欲，要騎多久騎多久，要多快有多快。他們從不覺得我們會累。當一個孩子抽打我時，我直立起來，他掉下去了。可他又爬了上來，我就又直立了一回。後來另一個男孩也來試，我就也把他甩到了草地上。他們不是什麼壞孩子，也不是有意對我不好，只是我覺得他們得懂點事。

“當他們向詹姆斯告狀時，他發現了那些棍子，很生氣，警告那些孩子以後不許再這樣。”

“要是我，會狠狠踢他們的！”金兒說。

“我知道，”樂腿兒說。“可是他們希望我對那些孩子照應點兒，而且希望我脾氣好，我就脾氣好吧。你以前從沒在一個有人對你好的地方呆過，金兒，我真為你難過。但是好地方出好馬，我不會惹咱這兒的人生氣的！如果我開始踢人，他們很快就會賣掉我的，也許會賣給哪個狠心的人。我希望這種事永遠別發生。”

* * *

我經常奇怪為什麼奧立佛爵士，就是廄裡最老的那匹馬，有一條這麼短的尾巴——只有約二十釐米長——一天我問他：“你遇上什麼事故了嗎？”

“哪有什麼事故！”他氣憤地說。“我的又長又美的尾巴在我小時候就被剪掉了。當時的一些馬主人認為那樣時髦！”

“多可怕！”我說。

“可怕而殘忍，”奧立佛爵士說。“現在我再也不能把身體一側或是後腿上的蒼蠅掃下去了，這都是為了時髦。有些主人剪短狗的尾巴，讓狗看上去勇猛，或把他們美麗的小耳朵剪成他們認為時髦的樣子。他們倒並不剪他們自己孩子的耳垂，是不是？為什麼他們覺得對動物做這些事兒就沒關係呢？”

高頓先生從不冷酷，而且他也決不對其他人對動物的殘酷行為坐視不管。一天早上我們回家，看見一個大個兒男人駕著一輛小馬車向我們這邊駛來，車子被一匹美麗的小馬駒拉著。當他到莊園大門時，馬駒朝大門轉了過來。那人不容分說突然猛地一拉馬頭，用力很大，小馬差點摔倒。然後那人開始狠狠地抽打小馬。小馬試著向前挪動，但那傢伙又把馬拉回來繼續抽打。

“索亞！”我的主人喊道。

那人抬頭看了一眼。他是個建築工人，常來這兒幹活。“他太愛想怎麼幹就怎麼幹了！”他對我的主人說。“他不該朝你的門裡轉，應該一直照直走。”

“你常趕著他來我這兒，”我的主人說。“這隻能說明他很聰明，還記著這些事。他怎麼知道你今天不來這兒了？我從沒見過哪個人這麼凶狠這麼生氣地打過馬。索亞，別人會怎麼看你呢？你打傷這匹馬的同時，也損害了你自己的名聲——你想讓大家覺得你是個冷酷的、壞脾氣的人嗎？”

我們慢慢地往家走，我從主人的聲音裡判斷出來，他為剛才我們見到的事不高興。