REBEL TO THE LAST.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 954, 22 October 1910, Page 11

REBEL TO THE LAST.

LITTLE .SCENE.'AT THE WHARF..'-. ■: "Whoa! ■/Whoa-n-a.! .'Whoa, ~now!. There's a pretty '." .But",'pretiy," otherwise ; an excited, terrified horse,, utterly refused to;listen;to .such'blandishments, arid .fled for all lie was';worth'' to the other end'of the wharf among-:riine. or ten of his companions.' Ho and all; of them -had the .strongest /objections : and dread of•'. sea-travelling. ;The green: paddocks ■ which; they... loved, so' well, and.,the, long country roads" were .all they want-, ed in thei.vfofld, and fruitlessly' but vigorously, they resented being .shipped in such, an undignified "fashion upon, the steamer.; '.".-"..' : .v"' v ''■';. '■'-.'■"'•'.■' ' ■

, Up'and ;down the-wharf,-beside which the. Moana was moored, the' horses rushed-,, trying "to'':break through;the body-, guard'.stationed ' at each-'.'end.- In vain!' No one even .'Wenched;-and once more a. bright-eyed,;agitated: animal was; captured- and., led-towards the. hated- bos. Again- the., decoy, traitor to his kind, passed doors' at- each end, pausing and. negligently .leaning against' .the sides when; half way 'through, but . "prettyj"-! with jirpwri flanks heaving and ears laid back,.'refused to'follow. .'Nothing: would move 'him.: ; ; Not the sweetest ' endearments, not < even .rope ends that did anything but caress him. If in the - end' he-had; to submit he .would at. least; put, up -.a very ;good fight,ibefore doing- so." several of --.the;.men. bound ropes .ab.but/him, and, helpless but, sullen he was. forcibly dragged and push T ed into, the bolt;. The. doors ,at either, end 1 : were fastened/ aiid away' he soared into ■■ the "air, ; ; looking pathetically over the; sides at his'troubled- friends': whinny-' ing ; 'belbw. ; ; '.,'"' ;: ,"i !•■■■•..- '■;■::• •-:■■•';; '-;';

,■ Whether -in the .'transit' to the deck of the steamer -vhe was■ seized.i.with' a-fresh access of-vanger-one can,hardly,say, but,-: at : any rate, when'the .box. arrived, he was, found .to be isittirig down on, his' hindfeet, and for ;qiiite a long, time he utterly refused' to: niove.., Blandishments of any' kind .whatsoever he''was Absolutely impervious to; and it'seemed as though a';fresh pf6bi'em i *'cdnfrorited lil the 'men. However, after' having made' it 'plain that he'would move'only when r <he pleased, this';time , the, .rebel-.-finallyi.rose to his: four'feet. -and slowly -disappeared down the passage that ' led .to .his quarters;', where, in, the .course ■ of time, - after,- many frenzied attempts to leave.the wharf far -behind, he. was joined.by. his fellow travellers. It was a strenuous time, one can-, not , help thinking,' for. all' concerned;