At
last all was ready, and with his usual jerk at the rein and slash of the
whip he drove out of the station.
The load was very heavy and I had had neither food nor rest since
morning; but I did my best, as I always had done, in spite of cruelty
and injustice.
I got along fairly till we came to Ludgate Hill; but there the heavy
load and my own exhaustion were too much. I was struggling to keep on,
goaded by constant chucks of the rein and use of the whip, when in a
single moment--I cannot tell how--my feet slipped from under me, and I
fell heavily to the ground on my side; the suddenness and the force
with which I fell seemed to beat all the breath out of my body. I lay
perfectly still; indeed, I had no power to move, and I thought now I was
going to die. I heard a sort of confusion round me, loud, angry voices,
and the getting down of the luggage, but it was all like a dream. I
thought I heard that sweet, pitiful voice saying, "Oh! that poor horse!
it is all our fault." Some one came and loosened the throat strap of
my bridle, and undid the traces which kept the collar so tight upon me.
Some one said, "He's dead, he'll never get up again." Then I could hear
a policeman giving orders, but I did not even open my eyes; I could only
draw a gasping breath now and then.
Pages:
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233