use of them? The men folk
remind me of the hosses to Sable Island. It's a long low sand-bank on
Nova Scotia coast, thirty miles long and better is Sable Island, and not
much higher than the water. It has awful breakers round it, and picks
up a shockin' sight of vessels does that island. Government keeps a
super-intender there and twelve men to save wracked people, and there is
a herd of three hundred wild hosses kept there for food for saved crews
that land there, when provision is short, or for super-intender to catch
and break for use, as the case may be.

"Well, if he wants a new hoss, he mounts his folks on his tame hosses,
and makes a dash into the herd, and runs a wild feller down, lugs him
off to the stable-yard, and breaks him in, in no time. A smart little
hoss he is too, but he always has an _eye to natur'_ arterwards; _the
change is too sudden_, and he'll off, if he gets a chance.

"Now that's the case with these country congregations, we know where.
The women and old tame men folk are, inside; the young wild boys and
ontamed men folk are on the fences, outside a settin' on the top rail, a
speculatin' on times or marriages, or markets, or what not, or a walkin'
round and studyin' hoss flesh, or a talkin' of a swap to be completed of
a Monday, or a leadin' off of two hosses on the sly of the old deacon's,
takin' a lick of a half mile on a bye road, right slap a-head, and
swearin' the hosses had got loose, and they was just a fetchin' of them
back.

"'Whose side-saddle is this?'

"'Slim Sall Dowdie's.'

"'Shift it on to the deacon's beast, and put his on to her'n and tie the
two critters together by the tail. This is old Mother Pitcher's waggon;
her hoss kicks like a grasshopper. Lengthen the breechin', and when
aunty starts, he'll make all fly agin into shavin's, like a plane. Who
is that a comin' along full split there a horseback?'

"'It's old Booby's son, Tom. Well, it's the old man's shaft hoss; call
out whoh! and he'll stop short, and pitch Tom right over his head on the
broad of his back, whap.

"Tim Fish, and Ned Pike, come scale up here with us boys on the fence.'
The weight is too great; away goes the fence, and away goes the boys,
all flyin'; legs, arms, hats, poles, stakes, withes, and all, with an
awful crash and an awful shout; and away goes two or three hosses that
have broke their bridles, and off home like wink.

"Out comes Elder Sourcrout. 'Them as won't come in had better stay to
h