at night, and when we were resting, he just took off our halters and
put up the bars, and thus we could turn about and stand whichever way we
pleased, which is a great comfort.
Jerry kept us very clean, and gave us as much change of food as he
could, and always plenty of it; and not only that, but he always gave us
plenty of clean fresh water, which he allowed to stand by us both night
and day, except of course when we came in warm. Some people say that a
horse ought not to drink all he likes; but I know if we are allowed to
drink when we want it we drink only a little at a time, and it does us
a great deal more good than swallowing down half a bucketful at a time,
because we have been left without till we are thirsty and miserable.
Some grooms will go home to their beer and leave us for hours with our
dry hay and oats and nothing to moisten them; then of course we gulp
down too much at once, which helps to spoil our breathing and sometimes
chills our stomachs. But the best thing we had here was our Sundays for
rest; we worked so hard in the week that I do not think we could have
kept up to it but for that day; besides, we had then time to enjoy each
other's company. It was on these days that I learned my companion's
history.
34 An Old War Horse
Captain had been broken in and trained for an army horse; his first
owner was an officer of cavalry going out to the Crimean war. He said he
quite enjoyed the training with all the other horses, trotting together,
turning together, to the right hand or the left, halting at the word of
command, or dashing forward at full speed at the sound of the trumpet
or signal of the officer. He was, when young, a dark, dappled iron-gray,
and considered very handsome. His master, a young, high-spirited
gentleman, was very fond of him, and treated him from the first with the
greatest care and kindness. He told me he thought the life of an army
horse was very pleasant; but when it came to being sent abroad over the
sea in a great ship, he almost changed his mind.
That part of it, said he, was dreadful! Of course we could not walk
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