Chapter-8
Next day, we restarted our journey which ended just after sunset. The journey went quite smoothly. Soon, we started our way back home.
James was anxious to meet John, for he had much in store to tell him. As soon as both met in the stable, James narrated the whole incident.
Remembering his transfer, James asked John, “Who is going to substitute me? My day of departure is coming closer.”
John replied, “The master says that little Joe Green is going to be the next stable boy.”
“But he is too young, just fourteen and a half,” James told in a surprising tone.
John cleared the confusion, “I know. But I have heard that he isn’t so bad. He has a good heart and gentle hands. He will soon learn to manage things. I myself am going to train him for the first six weeks. If he is well at work, he will stay here. Or someone else will substitute him.”
Next day, I saw a stranger looking at each stall. He looked quite young. When John Manly saw him, he shouted, “Hey Joe! You are already here. Have a good look. You have to do much for this stable.”
Then, Joe started practising his work while we saw him, judging within ourselves, if he was right for us.
For the first few weeks, Merrylegs used to stay quite disappointed, because Joe used him for practice. But he was sincere and never expressed his disrespect towards Joe.
Soon, he told us that Joe could prove to be a good stable boy.
Finally, the day of James’ adieu came. His face seemed so dull and joyless when he came to see us. Merrylegs and James were quite fond of each other. Even after James had left, Merrylegs mourned for many days.
One day while I was fast asleep, I was disturbed by the tolling of the stable bell. John Manly rushed up to my stall and said, “Come on Beauty! It’s time you should be as quick as flash. Your loyalty can save the life of your mistress.”
As I stood up, he put the bearing rein on me. In the next moment, we were galloping out towards the town. Before we left, my master had given John a letter addressed to the doctor and had instructed us to get the doctor to the Park as soon as possible.
The road, the weather and the rider all favoured me to cross the fields, paths, wavy lanes and rough tracks as swift as wind; all were covered up without difficulty and without any extra commands.
The doctor lived eight miles away from Birtwick Park. By 3 o’ clock, we reached our destination.
John was anxious to meet the doctor, for he said there was not a moment to waste. I stood there still, wondering what had happened to my mistress.
John started ringing the bell. He didn’t stop. The noise troubled me much; still, I tolerated it for my duty’s sake.
The apartment was so big. Nobody answered till John found that it was of no use tugging at the bell-rope. He began thumping at the door. His anxiety was so high that he would have broken the door, if the window on the first floor hadn’t flung open.
Doctor White peeped down at us with wide open eyes. In the light of the candle, I saw that he was quite old but active.
With the gestures of his hand he questioned, “Who is there down? What is it for which you are waking me at dawn?”
“Sir, my name is John Manly. I am a groom at the Squire Gordon’s place. There’s an emergency regarding the mistress. You have been called as fast as possible,” replied John.
In no moment, the doctor was at door, all ready. But he looked worried. He said, “My horse can’t go so far; he is already exhausted.”
John was concerned about me but the mistress was to be concerned first. I was so weary, but I stood up myself to set out for the return journey.
I galloped, this time with Doctor White on my back. I didn’t know from where I collected all my strength and what made me go on for so long without any pause.
Whatever might be the condition but we were soon in Birtwick Park where Doctor White was taken inside the door. I started trotting towards the stable with little Joe besides me.
I was very hot and found very hard to get my breath back.
As I stepped inside my stall, I just let myself down on the hay-bed which had been prepared for me to sleep on. Joe sympathized with me and gave me a bucket of cold water. It was refreshing but it wasn’t a right thing to do. The boy shouldn’t have given me cold water.
Joe made another mistake that night. He must have thought that I was already hot, so he didn’t put my blanket over me. Instantaneously, I thought that I didn’t require the blanket and hot water that were a compulsory part of hospitality.
I regretted at Joe’s decision. Both of us retired to our respective beds. Just after merely half an hour, I started shivering. I was feeling so cold that I wished I had two or three blankets over me. I was missing John severely in such a condition. I was getting so weak that I didn’t even feel like whining.
The thought that John would be too far made me more worried.
How could I wish someone to come and see me?
Much time rolled by. Finally, I gave up the hope of John’s arrival and closed my eyes, that were glued to the stable door till then.
Hardly had I closed my eyes when the sound of footsteps approached me. I opened my eyes to see John at the stable door. As he saw me, he ran up to me and said in an angry voice, “Oh my God! No blanket over you! How can the boy be so careless?”
He then felt my nerves and immediately rushed towards the door. In a few minutes, he was back with a doctor.
The treatment stretched till a week. During that time, John never left me alone. One day, Joe’s father came to see me. John had probably been very harsh to Joe, for his father asked him to be more kind with him.
Joe had confessed to his mistake. While I was up and doing, Joe was also back in the stable. I noticed that he had become more responsible, well-natured and careful than before. Although John believed that Joe could manage us without any inspection yet he wasn’t allowed to serve on me and Ginger.
One day, John had gone somewhere with Justice. So, Joe had some work to do. The master had given him a letter to deliver to his friend who lived three miles away from Birtwick Park.
Joe was allowed to ride me for the errand. The master believed that he could manage me well.
After we had gone down, what master had asked Joe to do, we returned. On our way back, we had an encounter with a carter who kept whipping his horses because they weren’t able to pull the cart out of the mud in which the wheels of the cart had sunk.
Joe offered the man some help, but all the attempts of Joe fell flat on the man’s ears. Joe decided to move on and lodge a complaint against the carter’s hostility, rather than dismounting and protesting against him.
Soon we were in front of a house, where Joe met the employer of the carter. He complained to the owner about that man.
The man asked Joe if he could keep his word in front of the magistrate.
After some time, we rode back home. On reaching Birtwick Park, Joe narrated the whole incident to John. John was happy and said that he had taken a right step.
I spent much of my lifetime in the stable under Joe and John’s guidance. I could prove it that Joe had been the best stable boy amongst those whom I had met or would meet in future.
