Chapter 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

　

　　高顿夫妇的邻居，布劳姆菲尔德先生，有一个大家庭。他有许多孩子，他们经常来和洁茜小姐、弗劳拉小姐玩儿。一个女孩和洁茜小姐同龄，两个男孩大一点儿，另外还有几个小小孩儿。每次他们一来，就喜欢骑乐腿儿。

　　一天下午他们来串门的时候，詹姆斯牵回乐腿儿并对他说；“来，给我放规矩点。”

　　“你干什么了，乐腿儿？”我问他。

　　“那些小孩似乎不知道我会累，”他说，“所以我就把他们向后面甩下去。他们只能明白这个。”

　　“你把孩子们甩下去了！”我说，“啊，不会吧！你也把洁茜小姐和弗劳拉小姐甩下去了？”

　　“当然不了！我在她们面前可是又安静，又小心，对那些小小孩儿也是一样。我是他们最好的朋友和骑马教练。问题不是他们，是那些男孩子，”他说。“其他小孩已经骑了我快两个小时，然后那些男孩来骑我，一个接一个，又骑了一个小时，还用棍子打我。我倒不烦，可实在是累了，所以我停下来了一两回想让他们知道。但是男孩子们觉得马像机器一样，能让他们随心所欲，要骑多久骑多久，要多快有多快。他们从不觉得我们会累。当一个孩子抽打我时，我直立起来，他掉下去了。可他又爬了上来，我就又直立了一回。后来另一个男孩也来试，我就也把他甩到了草地上。他们不是什么坏孩子，也不是有意对我不好，只是我觉得他们得懂点事。

　　“当他们向詹姆斯告状时，他发现了那些棍子，很生气，警告那些孩子以后不许再这样。”

　　“要是我，会狠狠踢他们的！”金儿说。

　　“我知道，”乐腿儿说。“可是他们希望我对那些孩子照应点儿，而且希望我脾气好，我就脾气好吧。你以前从没在一个有人对你好的地方呆过，金儿，我真为你难过。但是好地方出好马，我不会惹咱这儿的人生气的！如果我开始踢人，他们很快就会卖掉我的，也许会卖给哪个狠心的人。我希望这种事永远别发生。”

* * *

　　我经常奇怪为什么奥立佛爵士，就是厩里最老的那匹马，有一条这么短的尾巴——只有约二十厘米长——一天我问他：“你遇上什么事故了吗？”

　　“哪有什么事故！”他气愤地说。“我的又长又美的尾巴在我小时候就被剪掉了。当时的一些马主人认为那样时髦！”

　　“多可怕！”我说。

　　“可怕而残忍，”奥立佛爵士说。“现在我再也不能把身体一侧或是后腿上的苍蝇扫下去了，这都是为了时髦。有些主人剪短狗的尾巴，让狗看上去勇猛，或把他们美丽的小耳朵剪成他们认为时髦的样子。他们倒并不剪他们自己孩子的耳垂，是不是？为什么他们觉得对动物做这些事儿就没关系呢？”

　　高顿先生从不冷酷，而且他也决不对其他人对动物的残酷行为坐视不管。一天早上我们回家，看见一个大个儿男人驾着一辆小马车向我们这边驶来，车子被一匹美丽的小马驹拉着。当他到庄园大门时，马驹朝大门转了过来。那人不容分说突然猛地一拉马头，用力很大，小马差点摔倒。然后那人开始狠狠地抽打小马。小马试着向前挪动，但那家伙又把马拉回来继续抽打。

　　“索亚！”我的主人喊道。

　　那人抬头看了一眼。他是个建筑工人，常来这儿干活。“他太爱想怎么干就怎么干了！”他对我的主人说。“他不该朝你的门里转，应该一直照直走。”

　　“你常赶着他来我这儿，”我的主人说。“这只能说明他很聪明，还记着这些事。他怎么知道你今天不来这儿了？我从没见过哪个人这么凶狠这么生气地打过马。索亚，别人会怎么看你呢？你打伤这匹马的同时，也损害了你自己的名声——你想让大家觉得你是个冷酷的、坏脾气的人吗？”

　　我们慢慢地往家走，我从主人的声音里判断出来，他为刚才我们见到的事不高兴。