📝 您未登录，登录后完成练习可保存成绩、查看最佳记录。
总字符
0
正确字符
0
错误字符
0
错误率
0.00%
耗时(秒)
0
速度 WPM
0
0 / 64
1As Smith's death had been so sudden, and no one was there to see it, there was an inquest held. The landlord and hostler
2at the White Lion, with several other people, gave evidence that he was intoxicated when he started from the inn. The
3keeper of the toll-gate said he rode at a hard gallop through the gate; and my shoe was picked up among the stones, so
4that the case was quite plain to them, and I was cleared of all blame. Everybody pitied Susan. She was nearly out of her
5mind; she kept saying over and over again, "Oh! he was so good--so good! It was all that cursed drink; why will they
6sell that cursed drink? Oh Reuben, Reuben!" So she went on till after he was buried; and then, as she had no home or
7relations, she, with her six little children, was obliged once more to leave the pleasant home by the tall oak-trees,
8and go into that great gloomy Union House. 27 Ruined and Going Downhill As soon as my knees were sufficiently healed I
9was turned into a small meadow for a month or two; no other creature was there; and though I enjoyed the liberty and the
10sweet grass, yet I had been so long used to society that I felt very lonely. Ginger and I had become fast friends, and
11now I missed her company extremely. I often neighed when I heard horses' feet passing in the road, but I seldom got an
12answer; till one morning the gate was opened, and who should come in but dear old Ginger. The man slipped off her
13halter, and left her there. With a joyful whinny I trotted up to her; we were both glad to meet, but I soon found that
14it was not for our pleasure that she was brought to be with me. Her story would be too long to tell, but the end of it
15was that she had been ruined by hard riding, and was now turned off to see what rest would do. Lord George was young and
16would take no warning; he was a hard rider, and would hunt whenever he could get the chance, quite careless of his
17horse. Soon after I left the stable there was a steeplechase, and he determined to ride. Though the groom told him she
18was a little strained, and was not fit for the race, he did not believe it, and on the day of the race urged Ginger to
19keep up with the foremost riders. With her high spirit, she strained herself to the utmost; she came in with the first
20three horses, but her wind was touched, besides which he was too heavy for her, and her back was strained. "And so," she
21said, "here we are, ruined in the prime of our youth and strength, you by a drunkard, and I by a fool; it is very hard."
22We both felt in ourselves that we were not what we had been. However, that did not spoil the pleasure we had in each
23other's company; we did not gallop about as we once did, but we used to feed, and lie down together, and stand for hours
24under one of the shady lime-trees with our heads close to each other; and so we passed our time till the family returned
25from town. One day we saw the earl come into the meadow, and York was with him. Seeing who it was, we stood still under
26our lime-tree, and let them come up to us. They examined us carefully. The earl seemed much annoyed. "There is three
27hundred pounds flung away for no earthly use," said he; "but what I care most for is that these horses of my old friend,
28who thought they would find a good home with me, are ruined. The mare shall have a twelve-month's run, and we shall see
29what that will do for her; but the black one, he must be sold; 'tis a great pity, but I could not have knees like these
30in my stables." "No, my lord, of course not," said York; "but he might get a place where appearance is not of much
31consequence, and still be well treated. I know a man in Bath, the master of some livery stables, who often wants a good
32horse at a low figure; I know he looks well after his horses. The inquest cleared the horse's character, and your
33lordship's recommendation, or mine, would be sufficient warrant for him." "You had better write to him, York. I should
34be more particular about the place than the money he would fetch." After this they left us. "They'll soon take you
35away," said Ginger, "and I shall lose the only friend I have, and most likely we shall never see each other again. 'Tis
36a hard world!" About a week after this Robert came into the field with a halter, which he slipped over my head, and led
37me away. There was no leave-taking of Ginger; we neighed to each other as I was led off, and she trotted anxiously along
38by the hedge, calling to me as long as she could hear the sound of my feet. Through the recommendation of York, I was
39bought by the master of the livery stables. I had to go by train, which was new to me, and required a good deal of
40courage the first time; but as I found the puffing, rushing, whistling, and, more than all, the trembling of the
41horse-box in which I stood did me no real harm, I soon took it quietly. When I reached the end of my journey I found
42myself in a tolerably comfortable stable, and well attended to. These stables were not so airy and pleasant as those I
43had been used to. The stalls were laid on a slope instead of being level, and as my head was kept tied to the manger, I
44was obliged always to stand on the slope, which was very fatiguing. Men do not seem to know yet that horses can do more
45work if they can stand comfortably and can turn about; however, I was well fed and well cleaned, and, on the whole, I
46think our master took as much care of us as he could. He kept a good many horses and carriages of different kinds for
47hire. Sometimes his own men drove them; at others, the horse and chaise were let to gentlemen or ladies who drove
48themselves. 28 A Job Horse and His Drivers Hitherto I had always been driven by people who at least knew how to drive;
49but in this place I was to get my experience of all the different kinds of bad and ignorant driving to which we horses
50are subjected; for I was a "job horse", and was let out to all sorts of people who wished to hire me; and as I was
51good-tempered and gentle, I think I was oftener let out to the ignorant drivers than some of the other horses, because I
52could be depended upon. It would take a long time to tell of all the different styles in which I was driven, but I will
53mention a few of them. First, there were the tight-rein drivers--men who seemed to think that all depended on holding
54the reins as hard as they could, never relaxing the pull on the horse's mouth, or giving him the least liberty of
55movement. They are always talking about "keeping the horse well in hand", and "holding a horse up", just as if a horse
56was not made to hold himself up. Some poor, broken-down horses, whose mouths have been made hard and insensible by just
57such drivers as these, may, perhaps, find some support in it; but for a horse who can depend upon his own legs, and who
58has a tender mouth and is easily guided, it is not only tormenting, but it is stupid. Then there are the loose-rein
59drivers, who let the reins lie easily on our backs, and their own hand rest lazily on their knees. Of course, such
60gentlemen have no control over a horse, if anything happens suddenly. If a horse shies, or starts, or stumbles, they are
61nowhere, and cannot help the horse or themselves till the mischief is done. Of course, for myself I had no objection to
62it, as I was not in the habit either of starting or stumbling, and had only been used to depend on my driver for
63guidance and encouragement. Still, one likes to feel the rein a little in going downhill, and likes to know that one's
64driver is not gone to sleep.
🎉 全部完成！共 64 行