Marble Hill press., 1892-02-25
the ground, and the buggy ana it, In.

my master and the young lady escaped
unhurt but alas for me. When l re.
gained my feet found could scarce
ly walk. My master was OF course,
in passion over my stupidity He.
however. managed to patch up the
broken rig. and l hobbled along and
after weary and painful journey
brought him home. The next morn
ing / was taken to the horse doctor.
1t seemed to me that there were about
a dozen of them, all willing and anx-
ious to diagnose my case and apply
their remedies. no two of which l
found were the same. Each doctor
had his theory and his method of ap-
plying it One sad l was stified in
the right hind leg, and that the left
leg ought to b. bandaged with a
leather strap so tight that l could not
stand upon it. He said this would
make me stand upon the lame leg.
and bring the stihe joint back to its
place. Another said was stove up in
the shoulder and If peculiar lini-
ment which he prepared. was ap.
piled, would be all right in few
days.
To my pain and anguish the most
of these aborainable remedies were
applied; and it is a mystery to me to
this day. how ever escaped with my
life The fact is my injury was sim
ply slight sprain in the ankle of my
right fore foot, and had my master
protected me from the doctors and
turned me out to Craze for few days,
would have soon recovered. But ss
it was, my MASTER seeing no speedy
improvement in my condition es-
pecially after he had exhausted the
scientific lore of the horse doctors.
and after having spent several dollars
for useless ointments salves> >and lini-
ments. traded me of to a farmer for
an old mule.
Il keenly felt this degradation, but
this was simply nothing to what l ex-
perienced later on The mule and my.
self having exchanged masters Twas,
of course, expected to fill the mules
place was put into the plow before
sunrise ic the morning where re-
mained until after sundown in the
evening. was hitched to the wagon
beside an old horse who knew how to
shirk, and l had the greater portion
of the load to draw. was naturally
high spirited, and the plodding gait
of my mate annoyed me. This con-
slant hard work soon began to show
itself on my body. became poor and
skinny, and at times so weak that |
could scarcely do the work required
of me. 10 add to my suffering the
lash was freely used. You have no
idea, sir how tender a horses skin is.
A cut with a knife is not mora painful
than a sharp lash of the whip. NV
food supply during this time was very
short too and l frequently felt the
pangs of hunger As natural con.
sequence from this hard usage be.
came diseased aud permanently lame.
My master, seeing was no longer able
to work. traded me of to deacon for
yoke OF steers.
My new MASTER the deacon. of
course expected me to take the place
of the oxen on his farm. Aud nv
sufferings during the next few years
were frightful. / was made to work
the entire week ard on SUNDAYS /
was hitched to clumsy spring wagon,
and had the deacon. his wife, who
was very fat six children. and some-
times neighbor or two in addition
to pull to the meeting house. was
hitched to a sapling near the place Of
worship and left standing for long
weary hours without food or water.
l was used It all the funerals and
weddings for miles around by day and
night The result was that / soon
became blind from constant overwork.
During this period of my servitude |
wished myself dead a tho6sand times
but no such good luck fell to me- The
good deacon. discovering that l was
turning blind on his hands hastily
proceeded to get rid of me and highly
praising qualities l did not possess
traded me off to brother deacon.
who. by the way, was my last master.
l think he gave an old COW in exchange
for me. l soon turned stone blind on
his hands, but was nevertheless made
to work SO hard that often staggered
in my tracks from sheer exhaustion.
Finally l became so poor and weak
that it was all could do to carry nv
own weight My master finding that
he could not trade me of, or use me
any longer turned me out suppose
to die
so you see have no master now,
and l am left old blind and crippled
to starve and die But have been
keeping skin and bones together for
few months in this old field. and as
long - the sun shines and the grass
grows may live little while longer
but dread the snow and ice of win.
ter. do not mind dying OF hunger
SO much as dreaA freezing and starv.
ing TO death together s