chapter2_page-15-25

2. Burtwick Park, my second home. One day, in early May, I was standing in my

stable again. Someone brushed my coat until it became very shiny. Then, a man came to

take me to Squire Gordon's home. My master said, Goodbye, Darkie, be a good horse, and

always do your best. I put my nose in his hand to say goodbye, and he patted me gently.

So I was leaving my first home and my first family.

The man brought me to Squire Gordon's land at Burtwick Park.

There was a big iron gate in front of his house. It was a very big house among old big trees.

Squire Gordon had many horses and stables. There were also many carriages.

A man took me to a large stable with four stalls. There was a stall for each horse.

The stable was very comfortable and airy. It had a window opening to the yard.

The man gave me some nice oats and patted me. He spoke some kind words to me and then went away.

In the stall next to mine there was a small white pony. He was quite fat and had a pretty face.

He looked very happy. Hello? What is your name? I asked. My name is Mary Legs. I am very

handsome. I carry the Squire's young daughters on my back. I take his wife out for short rides too.

They all love me. I hope you don't bite. If you bite me, I won't be your friend.

Just then a red brown horse in a stall at the other end of the stable angrily said,

So they took me out of my box for this young cult. I'm sorry, but I'm not a cult.

I'm a grown up horse now. I'm four, I said. A few minutes later the angry horse went to work

and Mary Legs told me all about her. Her name is Ginger. She sometimes bites people and hurts them.

Miss Flora and Miss Jessie, the Squire's little girls are afraid of her.

They stopped giving me little presents because they can't come here. I miss them very much.

I hope you are a good horse and they can come to see me again.

Don't worry. I never bite or kick. Is Ginger a bad horse? I asked him.

I don't think so, answered Mary Legs. I think she had a miserable life.

She had bad masters before she came here. Perhaps they were cruel to her.

But I am sure Ginger will change here. Our groom John is a very kind man and his

helper James is also a very good boy and a good stable boy.

This is the best place for a horse and Squire Gordon is the best and kindest master in the world.

The head groom John Manley and his wife lived in a cottage near the stables. They had one little

child. The morning after my arrival John groomed me in the yard. When he was taking me back to

my stall, Squire Gordon came to see me.

He looks very good. We should check his training, he said to John.

Would you like to ride him sir? asked John. I'd like to, but I am too busy.

So you ride him around and tell me how good he is. The Squire said and left.

After breakfast John put on my bridle and placed a saddle on my back.

It was too small for me, so he brought me a bigger one. And soon I was trotting in the yard

with John on my back. John was a very good rider. I tried to please him and followed his signals

carefully. Afterwards we crossed the road and went to an open field with a lot of grass.

John made me gallop there. Oh, it was so much fun. I loved it and John was happy with my gallop.

When we were returning we met the Squire and Mrs. Gordon on the way.

John stopped me and jumped off. The Squire asked him, how was the ride?

He is as fast as a deer and he behaves well. You can guide him easily, even if you touch the rain

very lightly. He did not look at any of the carts on the road. He just galloped. There were hunters

and dogs running after a rabbit, but he didn't look at them. He was not afraid when the hunters

were shooting either. He is a well -trained horse, sir.

That's good. Tomorrow I will ride him myself, said the Squire.

The next day the Squire was very pleased when he rode me. I was pleased too. He was a very good

rider and rode me very kindly. After the ride his wife greeted us in front of their house.

Did you have a good ride? She asked her husband. Oh, it was great. John is right.

This is a very good and well -trained horse. We should think of a nice name for him,

said my mistress cheerfully. Hmm, the Squire began to think. We can call him Blackbird,

like my uncle's old black horse. But, of course, he is more handsome than Blackbird.

Yes, he is really a beauty. Oh, how about Blackbeauty? Blackbeauty?

I think that's a very good name. So, we will call him Blackbeauty, said the Squire.

When John brought me back into the stable, he told James that the master and his wife named

me Blackbeauty. They both laughed and James said they could name him Rob Roy. They look so alike.

That's normal, said John. Farmer Grey's old horse Duchess was the mother of both horses.

I was shocked to hear this. So, poor Rob Roy was my brother. No one has ever told me this.

That is why my mother was so sad when the hunters killed Rob Roy, I said to myself.

John was very proud of me. He took great care of me. He always made my hair and tail very smooth.

He often talked to me and he was always very kind. I was able to understand his thoughts and his

orders. I liked him very much. He always understood my feelings too. James Howard, the stable boy,

was also very gentle. So, I was lucky. One day, I pulled the carriage with Ginger. I was surprised

that she was a good partner. She was not lazy at all. We both galloped very fast together.

Ginger was also very hard -working like me. She pulled the carriage up the hills with great strength.

We began to like each other and we became good friends after that day.

Ginger became friendly with Mary legs too. Our mistress and his girls liked all three of us.

We loved Mrs. Gordon too. We were a happy family all together. I was very happy in this place.

I stayed in a comfortable, airy stable. I had very good food. What else could I ask for?

Ah, freedom, of course. Now I am a grown up working horse. I am not free anymore.

I must stand in a stall day and night. And when they need me, I have to wear straps,

reins, blinkers, and a bit. No more freedom for me, I thought sadly.

Luckily, I was free on Sunday mornings when the Gordon's went to church. I galloped with ginger and

Mary legs in the fields. We played freely with no reins or harness.

John and the others were free on Sunday mornings too. They didn't drive the carriages.

The church was very close and the family walked there.

On a hot Sunday morning, Ginger, Mary legs and I, were standing in the shade of a huge tree and

talking. Ginger told me her sad life story. At the end, she added,

I never had any love or kindness before. They removed me from my mother as soon as I was born.

My masters and grooms were all cruel men, so I hated all men. I often kicked and bit bad people.

But here, I am very comfortable and everyone is so kind.

Then Mary legs joined in the conversation. The squire is so kind. For example, he never uses

the whip. If a man is whipping a horse, he gets very angry. One day, his friends little boys were

throwing stones at me. He shouted at them and punished them for it.

One day, the squire came to the stables and talked to John about something.

Then, when he saw James, he said to him, James, I have good news for you. My friend, Clifford Williams,

is looking for a young groom. He will pay a good salary and will give a room and clothes.

I think this is a good job for you. Soon, you can be the head groom.

That is really good for your future. Would you like to go and work for Clifford Williams?

Think about this and also talk to your mother. At that moment, John said,

I will be sad if James leaves. But this is a good chance for him.

I think he should accept this job. The next day, James told the squire that he decided to go

to Clifford Hall. Ginger, Mary legs, and I were sad to hear James's decision,

but we were happy for him. In the next six weeks, John taught James how to groom and

train a horse. He also taught him how to drive a carriage.

He sat next to James in the driver's seat. Ginger and I pulled the carriage. James became a good

driver. After that, he began to drive the carriage alone, without John. Then, one day,

the squire came to the stable again and said, John, Mrs. Gordon and I are going to visit our

friends in Hartford tomorrow. It is 75 kilometers away. We will travel in the big carriage. I want

black beauty and ginger, and James will drive the carriage. So, we set out the next morning.

James drove very well and very carefully. He was very kind to me and ginger, just like John.

He always stopped the carriage at the top of hills, and we took a rest. And he never drove us

fast down the hills. He said kind words to us when we were tired. We traveled about 50 kilometers,

and then we stopped at a town to spend the night.

We went to a hotel in the marketplace. It had many stables. Two grooms took us to a stable.

They cleaned and groomed us there. They gave us water and some corn. Then, we went to sleep,

like the other horses. An hour later, one of the grooms brought a traveler's horse to the stable.

I woke up with the noise. Then, a young man entered the stable. He was smoking a pipe.

He went up the ladder to the loft. He threw down some hay for the new horse.

Then, both men left the stable. They locked the door. I fell asleep again. Suddenly,

I woke up in the middle of the night. I felt very nervous, but I didn't know why.

Ginger was also awake. She was moving her feet nervously and smelling the air. I smelled something too.

The stable was filled with smoke. The other horses were also awake and nervous,

and I heard footsteps outside. A young groom rushed into the stable with a lantern in his hand.

He tried to take the horses out one by one, but the horses were scared. They did not even move.

He tried to drag me and ginger out too, but it was useless. I saw a red light coming from the loft.

The groom himself got very scared, and he ran out of the stable.

People outside were shouting, fire! The stable is on fire! Some men came running into the stable

with buckets of water in their hands. Then I heard James's voice.

Come with me, my beauties. We must leave quickly, he said. I was near the door, so James took me out first.

He tied his scarf over my eyes, and I didn't see anything.

So, I did not get scared. He was patting me while he was pulling me out.

When I got out, he took the scarf off and left me there with a man.

He ran back inside to get ginger. I nade very loudly. I wanted ginger to hear me and come out to me.

At that time, a thick smoke was coming out of the stable door.

And there were flames inside. Then the roof of the stable and the loft fell down.

People were screaming and running in the smoke. I was worried about ginger and James.

It was hard to see anything or anyone clearly. Finally, I saw James and ginger in the light of

the flames. They were coming out through the smoke. I nade again joyfully this time.

The squire ran towards James. Are you all right, my brave boy? He asked.

James could not talk. He just smiled and nodded. Luckily, he was not hurt.

When you feel better, we will leave this place quickly, the squire told James.

We were safe and unhurt, but we felt very bad. We heard the shrieks of the poor horses inside.

They were burning in the stable. It was terrible. No one must smoke pipes and stables.

We were lucky because James saved us, I said to ginger the next day, on the way to our master's friends.

I was too scared to go out. But when I heard your nae outside, I became courageous and went out with

James. Your nae saved my life. We stayed with the Gordon's friends for two days and then set out for

home. The return journey was quite easy. We didn't have any problems.

We were very happy to be back in our stable again. James told John all about the fire.

And John said, You were very brave, James. You saved the horses lives. Horses cannot move when

there is a fire. They get too frightened. Ginger and black beauty love you. No one else could take

them out of that stable. That's true. I love them too. I will miss them when I leave, said James.

I wanted to get the other horses out of the stable too, but I couldn't. There was no time,

he added sadly. There were tears in his eyes. John tried to change the subject. He said,

Our horses will also miss you very much. I hope you can come and visit them sometimes.

I would like to see you too. Of course I will come. I promise, said James. And then he asked,

Who is going to take my place when I go?

Little Joe, Our gardener Thomas' son, answered John. The squire has already talked to Thomas about it.

Thomas agreed. James was surprised, but Joe is too young for this job. He loves horses and enjoys

riding, but he cannot look after them. He is only 16, but he is a smart boy.

I will teach him everything. I will try him for six weeks. I'm sure he will learn fast and become a

good groom, said John. Joe Green came to the stables the next day. John and the other men

he learned everything very fast, but he was not tall enough to groom me or ginger.

So John made him groom only Mary legs. Mary legs was not pleased with his grooming at first,

but later he began to like Joe. Joe was a cheerful boy. He often sang and whistled while he was

working. We liked him very much, but we still missed John.