Part 1, Chapter 1, My Early Years The first place I remember was a large pleasant meadow.
On this land there was a clear pond.
Shady trees leaned over the water.
A plowed field was to our left and our master's house was to our right.
It was a beautiful place.
When I was very young I stayed by my mother.
As I grew older, she would work during the day and come back in the evening.
I ran and played with six colts in the meadow, but sometimes the other colts would kick and bite.
Listen to what I say, my mother said one day.
These colts are cart horse colts.
They have not learned manners.
You have been well-bred.
Your parents and grandparents have good tempers.
You have never seen me kick or bite.
I hope you will grow up gentle and good.
Never learn bad ways.
Do your work without complaining.
Lift your feet high when you trot and never bite or kick, even when it's only play.
I have never forgotten my mother's words.
She was a wise mare and our master liked her very much.
He called her pet, even though her name was Duchess.
When our master came to the gate, my mother neighed with joy and ran to him.
As I was dull black, he called me darky.
He would give me bread and my mother would get a carrot.
Before I was two years old, something happened that I have never forgotten.
We were eating in the meadow when the oldest of the colts said, There are the hounds.
They have found a rabbit, said my mother, who was standing nearby.
Soon, men on horseback galloped by as fast as they could.
They were far into the lower field when the dogs stopped running and barking.
"'They must have lost the scent,' said another old horse, watching the dogs scatter with their noses to the ground.
"'Perhaps the rabbit will get away.'
Before long, the dogs started yowling and came back toward us at full speed.
A rabbit rushed by, wild with fright.
The dogs burst over the bank, leaped into the stream, and came dashing across the field.
The men followed.
The rabbit tried to get through a fence but couldn't.
She turned toward the road, but the yowling dogs were too quick.
Then we heard a shriek, and that was the end of her.
I was so surprised that I didn't see what was going on by the brook.
Two fine horses were down, one in the stream, the other one in the grass.
One rider got out of the stream.
The other man lay still.
Later we learned that George Gordon, the squire's only son, had died in the accident.
As we watched, one of the horses lay on the grass, badly injured.
One man left and came back with a gun, and after a loud bang, all was still.
The black horse moved no more.
My mother seemed upset and sad.
She said she knew that horse for a long time and that Rob Roy was a good horse.
After that day, my mother never visited that part of the field again.
My master took care of me until I turned four.
That was when Squire Gordon came to look at me.
He looked at my eyes, my mouth, and my legs, and then watched me walk, trot, and gallop.
My coat was soft and bright black.
I had one white foot and a pretty white star on my forehead.
When he's broken in, he will do very well. the man said.
Broken in meant that I would wear a saddle and bridle and carry a man, woman, or child on my back.
It meant I would listen to my master's commands.
I also had to understand that when my harness was on, I could neither jump for joy nor lie down.
I had much to learn.
The worst thing was getting used to the bit and bridle, but With kind words from my master and a bucket of oats I allowed it to be worn.
My master took me to a blacksmith who fitted me for shoes made of iron.
They didn't hurt, but my feet felt very stiff and heavy.
I also learned to wear a collar on my neck and blinkers around my eyes that allowed me to only look straight ahead.
Even my tail was bothered.
A small saddle with a strap forced my tail to double up and poke out of a small hole.
I never felt more like kicking.
But, of course, I did not kick my kind master.
In time, I got used to everything.
Then my master sent me to a neighbor's farm for two weeks and I was in a meadow with sheep and cows feeding quietly.
A long black train came, puffing out billows of smoke.
I was scared at first, but during the day many other trains went by.
The cows kept eating quietly, hardly raising their heads, and so I began to ignore the trains, just as the cows and sheep did.
After learning how to drive a carriage, I was finally broken in.
I was ready to go to my new master.
My mother told me there are many kinds of men.
Some are good, but many are foolish.
She hoped that I would fall into good hands.
However, a horse never knows who may buy him or who may drive him.
It's all a matter of chance.
But still, said mother, you must do your best wherever you are and keep up your good name.
