on his side by the simple process of being knelt
upon by his persecutor. To make doubly sure of him, his fore-legs
were then tightly lashed together with his own green collar; and
then the two men mounted the front of the cart and drove off.

The memory of that night's drive burnt itself deep into Finn's
young mind. He never really forgot it; that is to say, its effect
upon his attitude toward men and life was never completely lost.
His skin was broken in three or four places; every bone in his body
ached from the heavy kicks he had received; an intolerable thirst
kept him gasping for every breath he drew; the cramp set up in his
fore-legs by their being strapped tightly together, one across the
other, was an exquisite pain; and his muzzle was held hard down
against the grimy floor-boards of the cart, while his mind was full
of a black despairing fear of he knew not what. It was a severe
ordeal for one who, up till then, had never even known what it
meant to receive a severe verbal scolding; for one who had never
seen a man's hand lifted in anger.

An end came at last to this horrible drive.

"Thank Gawd, 'ere's 'orley!" said the man who drove; and after
another minute or two the little cart came to a standstill in a
walled-in yard. The pony was taken out and stabled, and then the
man addressed as "Matey," still sullen and sour, let down the tail-board
of the cart with a jerk, and dragged Finn out by the collar,
allowing him to fall with a thud from the cart to the ground,
rendered helpless by the strap round his fore-legs.

"'Ere, get up outa that!" growled the man, with a careless kick.
Then, seeing that Finn could not move, he bent down, unbuckled the
green enamelled strap, dragged it roughly away, and kicked the dog
again. Cramped and sore beyond belief, Finn staggered on to his
feet. A door was opened, and Finn was jerked and dragged into a
perfectly dark, evil-smelling hole, about four feet square, with an
earthen floor, from which horrible odours rose. The ground in this
place was filthy. It had no drainage and no ventilation, except a
few round holes in the door; which door was now slammed to and
locked on the outside.

"Ain't ye goin' to give 'im a drink, matey?" asked Bill, outside.

"Drink be blowed! Let 'im wait till mornin'. Come in an' 'ave one
yerself. I'm blessed glad this night's job's done; an' if I can't
make fifty quid out 've it, I shall want to know the reason why, I
can tell yer. Big, ugl