[00:00.45]Chapter 8: An accident.
[00:04.41]Early in the spring, Lord W and some of the family went away to London.
[00:11.84]Mr. York went with them.
[00:15.62]I was left at home as a riding horse.
[00:21.50]Those were happy days.
[00:25.12]Lady Anne took a liking to me.
[00:29.96]She called me Black Auster, and she rode me out with her brother, Lord George, and her cousin, Blantyre.
[00:39.31]The men took turns to ride Ginger, and a lively horse called Lizzie.
[00:46.93]Lady Anne was an excellent horsewoman, and one day, when taking a message to Dr. Ashley, she decided to ride Lizzie for a change.
[00:58.32]Blantyre and I went with them.
[01:02.82]When we arrived at the doctor's, Lady Anne said she would wait at the gate with us horses, while Blantyre walked up the drive with the message.
[01:13.89]It'll be safer if you come with me, said Blantyre.
[01:18.70]Why? asked Lady Anne, laughing.
[01:23.43]What's going to happen to me here?
[01:27.61]Lizzie and I stood patiently while we waited.
[01:32.83]Soon, a boy came along driving a herd of horses.
[01:38.73]He was cracking a huge whip, and the horses were jostling each other.
[01:45.97]Suddenly, a young cult broke away from the herd, and crashed into Lizzie.
[01:54.66]Badly startled, Lizzie kicked out, then bolted with poor Lady Anne hanging on for dear life.
[02:03.66]Help! I nayed.
[02:07.55]Help!
[02:11.34]I snorted and poured the ground until Blantyre heard me and came running down the drive.
[02:20.04]Immediately, he leaped into my saddle and gave chase.
[02:25.69]It was very exciting.
[02:29.66]I sped after Lizzie and Lady Anne until the road divided and we lost them.
[02:37.95]Which way had they gone?
[02:42.53]A woman raced out of her house.
[02:47.18]That way! she shouted.
[02:52.31]We were off again, and soon I saw Lizzie in the distance.
[02:58.66]I galloped after her, but the road was twisty, and she kept going out of sight.
[03:07.97]Finally, we reached the common.
[03:12.10]This was a dangerous place.
[03:15.89]The ground was very uneven, and it was easy for a horse to trip and fall.
[03:23.55]But Blantyre urged me on, and with his expert riding, we covered the ground safely and caught up with Lizzie just before a big ditch.
[03:37.14]Lizzie didn't stop.
[03:40.48]She cleared the ditch in one leap, but stumbled on landing and fell heavily.
[03:49.21]Blantyre groaned.
[03:51.69]Come on, Auster, he said, putting me at the jump.
[03:58.70]I took the ditch with a huge leap and made it safely to the other side.
[04:06.09]But what a sad sight met me.
[04:12.42]Lady Anne had fallen from Lizzie and lay in the heather.
[04:19.12]Her face was chalk white, and her eyes closed.
[04:25.65]Annie! cried Blantyre leaping from me.
[04:31.01]Annie, are you all right?
[04:36.33]Lady Anne didn't move, even when Blantyre loosened the collar of her riding habit.
[04:46.45]Wildly he looked around, and seeing two men cutting turf, he shouted to them.
[04:53.66]Blantyre couldn't leave Lady Anne, so he asked one of the men to ride for help on me.
[05:03.06]Black Auster is a good, safe horse, he said.
[05:09.19]He'll look after you.
[05:13.43]The man was not a confident rider, but he quickly learned to trust me.
[05:21.24]I carried him as carefully as I could back to the doctor's house, and then on to Earl's Hall, to tell the rest of the family about the accident.
[05:36.04]At Earl's Hall, a carriage was sent to bring Lady Anne home.
[05:42.95]A messenger riding Ginger also went to find Lord George.
[05:51.51]It was a long, anxious wait for news, and I couldn't settle until Ginger came back.
[06:01.57]Lady Anne's fine, Ginger said.
[06:06.16]She's awake.
[06:09.00]She's too shocked to speak, but she hasn't broken any bones.
[06:17.21]I was very glad.
[06:20.46]Lady Anne was a good person, and I didn't wish her any harm.
[06:29.54]Two days after the accident, Blantyre came to see me.
[06:36.02]Well done, Auster, he said, patting me.
[06:42.26]You're a brave horse, and your courage helped save Lady Anne's life.