I, wishing to give a good opinion of my kindness and good will, came gently towards the country woman and stopped near her to let her mount upon my back.
“He doesn’t seem a bad sort!” said the man, helping his wife to the saddle.
I smiled with pity on hearing this remark. Bad! as if a donkey kindly treated were ever bad! We become angry, disobedient, and obstinate only to revenge ourselves for the blows and injuries we receive. When we are well treated we are good,—much better, in fact, than many other animals.
I took the young woman and her little child of two years back to their home; they stroked me, were very much pleased with me, and would willingly have kept me.
But it was, I thought, not honest to stay with them. My masters had bought me and I belonged to them. I had already broken my mistress’s nose, teeth, and wrist, and had kicked her in the stomach. I was sufficiently revenged.
“I jumped clean over the Hedge.
Seeing that the mother was going to give in to her little boy (who I noticed was a spoiled child), I jumped to one side, and before the mother could catch my bridle again, I ran away at a gallop and came back to my home.
Mary, my mistress’s little girl, saw me come back.
“Hallo, here’s Neddy,” she said; “how early he is! Jim, come and take off his pack-saddle.”