Sentence:  ... only sometimes at night she murmured or cried out in strange syllables Stag took to be her native tongue: but not often, not for long), the ass-man and the laden onagers — big, healthy, sandy or reddish-colored beasts: different from the stunty gray <WSD>asslings</WSD> of the Northern Capes — and rested at the corner. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A small or young ass (all senses)