One afternoon he had been sent out with them a long time, and when James brought him in and put on his halter, he said:  “There, you rogue, mind how you behave yourself, or we shall get into trouble.”

“What have you been doing, Merrylegs?” I asked.

“Oh!” said he, tossing his little head, “I have only been giving those young people a lesson; they did not know when they had enough, so I just pitched them off backwards; that was the only thing they could understand.”

“What?” said I, “you threw the children off?  I thought you did know better than that!  Did you throw Miss Jessie or Miss Flora?”

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He looked very much offended, and said:  “Of course not; I would not do such a thing for the best oats that ever came into the stable; why, I am as careful of our young ladies as the master could be, and as for the little ones, it is I who teach them to ride.  When they seem frightened or a little unsteady on my back, I go as smooth and as quiet as old pussy when she is after a bird; and when they are all right I go on again faster, you see, just to use them to it; so don’t you trouble yourself preaching to me; I am the best friend and the best riding-master those children have.  It is not them, it is the boys; boys,” said he, shaking his mane, “are quite different, they must be broken in, as we were broken in when we were colts, and just be taught what’s what.  The other children had ridden me about for nearly two hours, and then the boys thought it was their turn, and so it was, and I was quite agreeable.  They rode me by turns, and I galloped them about, up and down the fields and all about the orchard, for a good hour.  They had each cut a great hazel stick for a riding whip, and laid it on a little too hard; but I took it in good part, till at last I thought we had had enough, so I stopped two or three times by way of a hint.  Boys think a horse or pony is like a steam engine, and can go as long and as fast as they please; they never think that a pony can get tired, or have any feelings; so as the one who was whipping me could not understand, I just rose up on my hind legs and let him slip off behind—­that was all; he mounted me again, and I did the same.  Then the other boy got up, and as soon as he began to use his stick, I laid him on the grass, and so on, till they were able to understand, that was all.  They were not bad boys; they don’t wish to be cruel.  I like them very well; but you see I had to give them a lesson.  When they brought me to James and told him, I think he was very angry to see such big sticks.  He said they were not for young gentlemen.”

“If I had been you,” said Ginger, “I would have given those boys a good kick, and that would have given them a lesson.”