orses; they were to him
creatures to be compelled, not friends with whom to hold sweet concert.
He had not learned that to rule ill is worse than to obey ill. Kings
may be worse than it is in the power of any subject to be. As he was
raising his arm for a second useless, cruel, and dangerous blow, Donal
darted to the horse's head.

"You mustn't do that, my lord!" he said. "You'll drive him mad."

But the worst part of Forgue's nature was uppermost, in his rage all
the vices of his family rushed to the top. He looked down on Donal
with a fury checked only by contempt.

"Keep off," he said, "or it will be the worse for you. What do you
know about horses?"

"Enough to know that you are not fair to him. I will not let you
strike the poor animal. Just look at this water-chain!"

"Hold your tongue, and stand away, or, by--"

"Ye winna fricht me, sir," said Donal, whose English would, for years,
upon any excitement, turn cowardly and run away, leaving his
mother-tongue to bear the brunt, "--I'm no timorsome."

Forgue brought down his whip with a great stinging blow upon Donal's
shoulder and back. The fierce blood of the highland Celt rushed to his
brain, and had not the man in him held by God and trampled on the
devil, there might then have been miserable work. But though he
clenched his teeth, he fettered his hands, and ruled his tongue, and
the Master of men was master still.

"My lord," he said, after one instant's thunderous silence, "there's
that i' me wad think as little o' throttlin' ye as ye du o' ill-usin'
yer puir beast. But I'm no gaein' to drop his quarrel, an' tak up my
ain: that wad be cooardly." Here he patted the creature's neck, and
recovering his composure and his English, went on. "I tell you, my
lord, the curb-chain is too tight! The animal is suffering as you can
have no conception of, or you would pity him."

"Let him go," cried Forgue, "or I will make you."

He raised his whip again, the more enraged that the groom stood looking
on with his mouth open.

"I tell your lordship," said Donal, "it is my turn to strike; and if
you hit the animal again before that chain is slackened, I will pitch
you out of the saddle."

For answer Forgue struck the horse over the head. The same moment he
was on the ground; Donal had taken him by the leg and thrown him off.
He was not horseman enough to keep his hold of the reins, and Donal led
the horse a little way off, and left him to get up in saf