7. “They would rest for a few minutes, and the pig would settle down to his cabbage-leaf, when they would rush at him from different sides, so that he had not the least idea where to run to get away from them.” LESSON XXVII. _HOW THE HORSE SHOULD BE TREATED._ [Illustration] 1. We see, from what Charlie has told us, how useful the horse is. We now would like to have him tell us how we should take care of horses. 2. I will do so by telling a story. Last Saturday Uncle William hitched old Major and Ben to a big wagon, and took a load of boys to Oak Hill, to pick berries and have a good time. 3. I tell you uncle knows what boys and horses want, if anybody does. Pretty soon Bobby Jones wanted to drive. So uncle gave him the reins. 4. Bobby wanted the whip, too; but uncle said that we should not whip the horses, as they went fast enough. He carried the whip just to touch them up when there was any danger. 5. Then Bobby began to jerk the reins; but uncle showed him how the horses would move one way or the other by pulling the rein a little, and he told Bobby that jerking hurt their mouths. 6. When we went down Stony Hill, just before we came to the long bridge, uncle took the reins, and drove slowly, because, he said, it would make the horses lame to drive fast down hill. 7. As we were crossing the bridge, uncle jumped out to see what was the matter with old Major, who was limping a little, and he found one of his shoes was loose. Uncle pulled the shoe off, and threw it into the wagon, and then walked the horses until we came to the blacksmith’s shop, on the other side of the bridge. 8. Then they took old Major into the shop, and the blacksmith pared the hoof and set the shoe. In nailing on the shoe, he said he must be careful not to drive the nails too far in where the hoof was tender, or it would make the horse lame. 9. In going up Oak Hill, uncle would stop the horses every little way to let them rest. They would pant for a minute or two, then take a deep breath and go on. There was a cool spring close by, where we stopped to go into the berry-field, and here we hitched the horses in the shade. 10. They were very warm and thirsty, but uncle would not give them any water until they had time to cool. The flies were awful, but our horses switched them off with their long tails. 11. Near by was a little bob-tailed horse turned out to pasture; and, as he could not switch off the flies, they bit him so he could hardly get time to eat. If the man who owned that horse could have the flies bite him so for a few days, I don’t think he would cut off the tail of another horse. 12. We just filled our baskets with berries, and ate our dinner under the shade of some big trees that stood by the spring. Then we came home. 13. Uncle’s horses are steady, because he uses them well. He never jerks them, or whips them, or yells at them. When he goes near them they rub their noses against him, they are so glad to see him.