Tuppy, or, The autobiography of a donkey

Front matter

Tuppy Or The Autobiography Of A Donkey (1860)

E. Burrows

Tuppy: Or The Autobiography Of A Donkey

Chapter I

My earliest Recollections—I find my Mother rather a dull Companion —I make Friends with Old Thomas—The Return of my Master's Family—My First Interview with my dear Mistress—Annie and I become great Friends . . . . . . «1... | pp. 1-16

Chapter V

I travel into all Parts of England, and make acquaintance with every Variety of People—At length I come to London—Regent-street in mid-day—A Recognition—I make my first ethers in @ Police Court, and prove myself a Valuable Witness—I take up my Abode Inthe: Green YSrd 2) 79% cose wee 2 2) ©660—B84

Chapter VI

The Trial comes to an end—An old Friend visita my Stable—I take my first Railway Excursion, and find myself in well-remembered Scenes—Home again—Conclusion . . . . . . . - 85—100 ie eeePayve

OR,

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A DONKEY.

Chapter I

My earliest Recollections—I find my Mother rather a dull Companion—I make Friends with Old Thomas—The Return of my Master’s Family—My First Interview with my dear Mistress—Annie and I become great Friends.

Tue Story of an Ass, and written by Himself! Ah! good reader, have patience with me. It is not the first time that such an indiscretion has been committed, and doubtless it will not be the last. And, indeed, if I did not think I had something pleasant to relate I would not trespass upon your patience; but now, asin my old age I quietly graze through the summer days in my pleasant green field, or keep myself warm in my comfortable winter shed, I often think over my past career, and it seems to me to have been so full of strange events, that I am induced to jot down B some few of its most stirring incidents, in the hope that whilst my faults may be a warning to some, the blessing that has attended my earnest desire to do my duty may be a comfort and encouragement to all.

My first recollection of life is finding myself lying quietly down by my mother’s side on the soft, green grass of a large field. Very pleasant it looked to me, as I laid there under the shadow of a great oak tree, and looked out upon the sunshiny landscape, and I thought I should never be tired of lying there quite still, and admiring all the wonderfully beautiful objects which met my eyes wherever they turned.

- But as soon as I began to be a little stronger, this state of inaction became tiresome; my curiosity was aroused to see what there might be beyond my own little world, and many a frisk I took away from my mother’s side, to peep over a hedge into another field, and amuse myself by looking at some animals very different to ourselves, which my mother said were cows; but I did not admire their shape so much as our own, and as to their horns, I did not think them half so pretty as our ears. Then, when I had looked at the cows till I was tired, off I would gambol to where some iron rails separated our field from a long, sloping lawn, bright with beds of many-coloured flowers. Every day I seemed to spy out something more beautiful than before, and I would gallop back to my mother, and ask her to come and look too, and tell me what was the name of this or that wonderful new thing.

But my mother was not of so adventurous a spirit as I was, or possibly she was getting old, and did not like to be troubled with all my endless questions; she was very ready to tell me what little she knew, but she was not the least desirous of increasing her stock of knowledge. “Ah! my son,” she would say, sometimes, as she gave her ears a melancholy shake, “I foresee there is a great deal of unhappiness in store for you. Why must you always be spying about into that which does not concern you; why are you not content tostay quietly by your mother’s side? When you are my age you will know the wisdom of just simply enjoying your tuft of grass or draught of water without troubling your head as to what the rest of the world are doing.”

“Very likely,” I replied, with a kick of disdain, for I was a pert young donkey from my earliest years; “but as I am not so old as you are

B2 by a long way, you need not expect that I should consider munching up grass from morning to night is the perfection of earthly happiness. 1 want to know what life is and what goes on beyond this field. I declare I get sick to death of hearing you munch, munch, munch, as if you had nota thought beyond your nose.”

“Ah! my son,” said my mother, sadly, “ you will know what life is soon enough, never fear, and what work is, and poor fare, and hard blows; and then, when your back aches and your sides are sore, you will remember your mother’s words, and think that if you could but get back again into this pleasant field, you would trouble yourself very little with what is going on in the outer world.”

Fora moment I was silent. Work,—poor fare,— and hard blows were not pleasant-sounding words. I had never heard them before, and I began to wonder what they meant; but my mind was suddenly distracted by a sound behind the hedge, and off I scampered to see what it might be, and by. the time I came back again to my mother's side, I had forgotten the expressions that had alarmed me, and was as full of tricks and gambols as I had been before.

But though my mother was not fond of conversation, yet I gathered from words which she would occasionally let fall sufficient to make me understand that we were the servants of a gentleman of good property, that my mother’s business was to draw his wife out in a little carriage, she being in delicate health; and when I asked why I had never seen her doing this, she told me the family had all been away for some time, but that she should be glad when they came home again, for they were all very kind to her, and often brought her some nice things, such as a carrot, or some cabbage leaves, or occasionally even a small feed of corn.

The idea of these dainties made my mouth water, and I began to be as impatient as my mother for the return of my master’s family, hoping that I, too, might come in for a share in her good fortune. So anxious was I to know when they were coming, that at length my incessant teasing became unbearable to my mother, and she angrily told me “‘to go and ask that old man on the lawn there, for he was the only person the least likely to be able to gratify my curiosity.”

It was very easy to say ask, but how was I to make him understand what I wanted to know? Not but that we were very good friends. I had made his acquaintance some time ago, during one of my visits to the iron railings which shut me out from my favourite flower-garden. At first, when he had come near me, I had felt very much frightened, and had scampered away as hard asI could, but he called out so pleasantly, ‘‘Wo—so ho, little Neddy!” that though I did not know that was my name, yet 1 was sure he meant me, and so I summoned up courage to turn round and look him in the face, and a very kind face it was, and he held out his hand so coaxingly, that I was induced to come afew steps forward, but then my heart misgave me, and I took two bounds back.

“ Whoo—little Neddy—whoo,” said the kind voice again, ‘sure Thomas will not hurt you. “Come my little man, come and be scratched.”

Such an invitation was irresistible. Again I turned, walking a few steps towards my new acquaintance, then I stopped. ‘Come, come,” said the voice again, and I made a few steps more in advance. Again I heard myself encouraged, and now I had approached near enough by stretching out my neck to smell whether there was any mischief:in the hand that was stretched out towards me. No, all seemed safe, and the hand was held steady till I had been able to sniff all round it, and satisfy myself that no harm was intended me; then

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A DONKEY. a the hand was gently raised to my head, and the. pleasantest sensation I had ever felt in my life was transferred to my whole body. Oh, how soothing,

how delightful was that rubbing and scratching, and IJ broused against my new friend, and looked up in his face, as much as to say, “ On! do it again, please, do it again.”

““ What, you like it, little Neddy, you like it, do you,” said the kind voice; “ah! 1 thought we should soon be friends.”

Friends, I should think we were; from that day forth I was always on the look out for Old Thomas, and no sooner did I see him come on to the lawn than I would gallop up to the iron railings, kick up my heels, and bray out my welcome in my loudest voice, though by the way I soon began to perceive that this was not the most pleasing style of address to my friend. ‘There, Neddy, there,” he would say, ‘that is quite enough of that noise; be silent, do.” At first, ] must confess, my vanity was so much hurt, I felt inclined to turn my back and take no further notice of my friend, but I was soon sensible that I should be the greatest loser by such folly, and so wisely endeavouring to alter my mode of salutation, I rubbed my nose against the iron railings, and made the softest and most whinnying tones of which my voice was capable. It had the desired effect, Old Thomas evidently saw, that I had got the better of my little tempers, and was trying my best to be pleasant, and so he would put down his rake or his hoe, or leave the flowers he was tying up, and bring me a few carrots, or an apple or two, or something equally good, and as he was feeding me, he would say kindly—

“ Ah! little Neddy, you are a good-hearted little beast, full of spirits, but not a bit of vice about you, and you will be a rare beauty one of these days, that you will. How my young missus will admire you!”

And then I would rub myself against his hand and look up in his face, as much as to say, “ who is your young missus? tell me.”

And so by degrees, as I say, we had grown very intimate, and I could understand almost everything Thomas said to me, but I was grieved to find he did not comprehend my meaning so easily, so that it was very difficult to get an answer to what I wished to ask him. Sometimes he would say, “Why, Neddy, you have got such intelligent eyes, you look a’most as if you could speak. I wonder what you have got to say to me. Is it more carrots you want, ay, Neddy?” and he would hold out a carrot so close to my mouth that though that was not what I wanted at all, yet for the life of me I could not resist the temptation of eating it up; and so Thomas misunderstood my meaning, and went away, thinking perhaps what a greedy little donkey I was, whilst all the time I was only seeking for instruction and information. Ah! well; I have listened since then to what many a man has said of his neighbour or his friend, and I have come to the conclusion, it is not only animals whose earnest longings after truth must remain ungratified, and whose best actions are liable to be misinterpreted. If man cannot understand his fellowmen, no wonder he knows very little of what dumb brutes are thinking about.

Well, then, that day, when my mother got angry with me for teasing her, and told me to be off and ask Old Thomas, I felt piqued and angry. ‘‘ Who knows,” thought I, “ but that I can make him tell me, and then there will be a triumph, for mother only sends me to him because she is cross, and because she thinks I shall never be able to find out;” so, putting on my most pleasing manners, for we can all seem to be very good humoured when we have got any end to gain by it, however cross we may feel inside all the while, I galloped up to the iron railings, and began whinnying in my most engaging tones. It was not long before I attracted the notice of Thomas, who, looking up from his work, said, in his usual kind tone,

“ Ah, little Neddy, you are come, are you? I have nothing for you to-day.”

Now though I quite understood this disappointing announcement, yet I was not one bit more inclined to go away. I had come fora particular purpose, and I was determined to accomplish it, if possible. Our race have the character of being obstinate, and though I like to dignify it by the name of perseverance, yet I suppose I am no better than the rest of my species. Any way, I began a series of gambols, such as generally succeeded in bringing old Thomas to my side. But in vain. I kicked my best kicks, gambolled round in circles, pricked up my ears, and even tried a short, very short bray. It was all to no purpose, Thomas went steadily on with his work, paying no attention to all my antics, At length, sick of an exhibition which attracted no admirers, I was on the point of returning, yery much out of humour, to my mother’s side, when suddenly 1 saw Thomas leave off work for an instant, and resting on his spade, he looked towards me. This was enconragement enough,

= and again drawing near the rails, I began rubbing my nose against them more wistfully than before.

“Poor little Neddy,” he said, as he walked slowly up to me, “you will soon have a better playfellow than I am.”

I pricked upmy ears at the words. “ Ah!”’thought I, “now it is coming.”

“You see, I have no time to waste with you to-day, Neddy,” continued Thomas, “I have got to get the place to rights. The master’s coming home; can you understand that, Neddy?”

Understand it, of course I could, and I rubbed my head against Thomas’s hand to ask him to go on.

‘“* And when he comes, he must net see so much as a leaf out of its place,” said Thomas; “no bits of carrots left by the rails, my little donkey. But it is not long you will be left without a bite of summat, I guess. When Miss Annie sees you, I am very much mistaken if she does not give you more than ever Old Thomas did. You will forget your old friend then, maybe, Neddy.”

Now somehow, though his voice sounded sorrowful as he said these words, I was so overjoyed at having made the discovery that the family were returning, that I paid no heed to Thomas’s grief, my only thought was to get back to my mother, and tell her the news as fast as possible. So breaking from the kind hand that was stroking me, I turned hastily away.

“Ah! it is just like ’em all,” I heard old Thomas say; ‘‘men and beasts, they be much alike; they will come fast enough if they think you have got anything for them, and then, when they have got all they can, off they go, like a shot, without so much as a ‘ Thankye.’ ”

I hardly noticed the words then. «I was very young, very conceited, and very much spoiled; but I have often thought of them since, when I have known what it was to have my own heart well nigh broken by the unkindness of others. Ah me! it is all very well for us old folks to preach. The young ones will never pay a whit more heed to any thing we may say than we did to our fathers. Every one must buy his experience for himself. Happy he who pays least dearly for it.

It was a day or two after my last conversation with Thomas that, as I was frisking about the field, feeling in more than usually high spirits, I suddenly heard a voice exclaim, “Oh! look, look, Papa—did you ever see such a little darling?”

My natural self-sufficiency leading me instantly to suppose that this term could apply to no other than myself, I turned immediately in the direction of the speaker, and for a moment stood astonished as I saw a beautiful little girl running towards me. Whether it was that she came so fast towards me, or whether it was that she was so unlike Thomas or any thing I had ever seen before, I cannot say; but a panic seized me, and without waiting to give a second look, I galloped off, and never stopped till I found myself safely ensconced on the further side of my mother. Then I took courage to look up, and saw that my pursuer had also given up the chase.

Finding this was the case, and emboldened also by seeing that my mother showed no sign of alarm, I peeped out again, and then went a few steps in advance.

“Gently Annie, gently my love,” I heard the elder person say; “‘do not frighten the little thing. Let us find it something to eat, it will come — then.”

“Oh yes, papa; Thomas says it comes up every day to be fed. I will run and fetch some carrots, may 1?”

The permission being given, off ran the little girl, and by the time she had returned, I had sufficiently mastered my emotion to approach with a tolerable degree of self-possession. Still it was not without considerable alarm that I saw Annie come insidethe fence, and walk upto where I was standing ; and I confess I should have been glad to have had the railings as a protection between us. I dare say you. think ‘this was very silly, and so it was; but can you never remember, kind reader, the time when your faults or your follies made you wish to ‘keep the railings between your best friend and yourself? However, this was the last time that I ever committed such a mistake with Annie.

From that day forward we became the best of friends. I never was so happy as when I was with her, and few days passed that she did not pay me two or three visits—sometimes she would coax me back with her to the house, and even take me with her into one of the sitting rooms.

But I did not like those visits, and always escaped from them when I could. It was quite contrary to my nature to behave with the degree of quiet propriety which was necessary in society. My mistress schooled and taught me to the best of her ability, and I did what I could to follow her instructions; but I am afraid I was not at all an apt scholar. I never felt at my ease in a room fitted up with all sorts of strange, queer-looking things, of which I did not understand the use, and which I always dreaded I should knock down and destroy, and so get into disgrace; and I took pains to show her I only came into the house to obey her, and not from any wish of my own. I think she understood me, for she would often say, in her kind caressing way,

“Oh! Tuppy, you like being out in the fields, frisking about, better than coming into the drawingroom, I can see that plainly enough; but, Tuppy, you must remember, you must learn to behave like a well-bred little donkey, for if you spend all your life frisking about on the grass, you will grow up so ignorant that I shall be quite ashamed of you, Tuppy; and, after all, you are much better off than I am—TI sit for hours, and hours, and hours, quite still, learning my lessons, and you—you stupid little thing, you are tired if you stand still for five minutes together. Ah! Tuppy, you have a great deal to learn before your education is finished.”

And so I had, though I did not know it then; and like a thoughtless little creature as I was, I did not trouble my head about what was to take place in the future—perfectly content to go gambolling about in the enjoyment of the happy present.

Those were pleasant times, and my memory likes to go back to them. It is astonishing how fond the old are of recalling the enjoyments of their young days, and perhaps they are a little apt to forget that what is so very pleasant to themselves is rather tedious to others; and so I shall keep the remembrance of the first three happy years of my life for my own consolation, and pass rapidly on to the more stirring period of my existence.

a

Chapter II

My Mistress leaves Home—On her Return I do not know her —My First Lesson, and who was the Best Master.

My master’s family had been away from home for a long, long time—so long, that I had almost given up all hopes of seeing them again, and was getting very impatient; besides, my life in the field was very dull. My mother had left it some time ago, and I never heard anything of her now. Not that I regretted that very much. She had long since ceased to think about me, and had centred all her affection upon a younger child. Still, as long as she was in the field, she was some sort of companion for me, and I was now growing to an age to be impatient of solitude, and to wish for more stirring occupation than wandering round and round the meadow by myself, and having nothing to do but to eatand to drink. Occasionally indeed I still saw Old Thomas, but our intercourse was not so frequent as it used to be, and indeed was of quite a different kind. I no longer felt it con- Cc sistent with my dignity to frisk and gambol about; and even when kindnesses were offered tome I could, when I pleased, assume an air of such perfect indifference, that I think if my mistress could have seen me she would have acknowledged I was rapidly acquiring that manner of society about which she was always instructing me. In fact, my perfect self-possession and entire indifference to the feelings or comforts of any one but myself would not have disgraced the most well-bred exquisite in the land.

Matters were in this state, when one day, as I was standing all alone under the oak tree, thinking over my own perfections, and how unworthy my position was of my deserts, J suddenly heard a well-remembered voice call “Tuppy—Tuppy !” Turning quickly round, I was on the point of going to meet the speaker, when instead of the little girl I knew as my mistress, I beheld a tall, elegant-looking: lady coming towards me; so putting on my most dignified air, I stayed quietly under the great tree, lazily moving my ears, as much as to say— “Here am I; if you want me, you must cometo me.” . “What, Tuppy, do you not remember me? Have you forgotten your mistress? oh, Tuppy, you ungrateful donkey !”

She spoke so kindly and yet so sorrowfully, that _ I felt pained to the heart, not only at my stupidity in forgetting her, but at my folly in having tried to play off my grand airs before her. Still, I did not like to acknowledge myself to have been in the wrong, and so instead of doing what my heart dictated, and galloping instantly to meet her, I contented myself with coming a few steps forward, and then standing perfectly still. 1 was properly punished for my pride when I heard my mistress say, as she turned to her father, who had just joined her, |

“Oh, papa, would you believe it? Tuppy has quite forgotten me; I have always heard donkeys are stupid and incapable of feeling attachment, but I thought Tuppy would be an exception; oh, papa, I am so sorry.”

“Tuppy, Tuppy,” she added, as she held out her hand; “you do not know how you have grieved me.”

To hear myself so kindly spoken to, when I had deserved such different treatment, completely broke down my obstinate pride, and trotting up to my mistress as fast as I could, I began to rub my head against her hand, and to whinny out my sorrow for my past misconduct, and my promises of

c 2 amendment for the future—excuses which my kind mistress was only too ready to receive; and in a few minutes our reconciliation was complete, and IJ felt happier than I had done for months past.

“Poor Tuppy,” said my kind mistress, as she continued to caress me; “I ought to have remembered that I am as much changed as you are yourself. Is he not altered, papa? He is not nearly so pretty as he was when he was little; but he is a very handsome donkey still—do you not think so, papa?”

Could there be a doubt upon such a subject? Why, the very idea put me into an ill-humour; so entirely had I brought myself to believe that I was one of the most beautiful creatures in the world. Often and often had I stood for the hour together in the clear water of the brook which ran at the bottom of the field, and as I saw my image reflected in the water, I was never tired of admiring my long soft ears, the bright brown of my coat, or the deep black cross marked out so clearly on my shoulder. Ah! well, when we live very much alone, we are apt to get very false impressions. It is only by mixing with our fellows that we learn to estimate our merits aright; pushing

TUPPY CARESSED BY HIS MISTRESS.—Page 20.

through the world rubs off the sharp angles wonderfully.

I was so engrossed with my own thoughts of mortified vanity, that I did not hear what passed. between Mr. Morton and his daughter, till suddenly my ears caught the sound,

‘‘ Thomas shall break him in, my love—and then you shall drive him in the little chaise.”

“Oh! I shall like that,” replied my mistress; ‘‘can it be done at once, papa?”

‘* Yes, directly Thomas is at leisure.”

‘‘ Then good-bye, Tuppy, for to-day,” continued my mistress, as she again patted my forehead; “we shall soon be better acquainted. I wonder whether you will like drawing me in the carriage as well as playing with me in the field. Ah, Tuppy, will you be a good little donkey, and trot along as fast as I know you can trot when you like it?”

I rubbed my head against her by way of reply, and then, when she left me, began to muse not over pleasantly on the words she had just spoken. I had no very clear idea, certainly, of what they meant, but they conveyed a sort of shadowy notion to my mind that my days of liberty were over, and that now I was to be put to some such work as I had often seen my mother doing. I used to re-:

monstrate with her then, on allowing herself to be so tamely yoked to the chaise, drawing it about in all weathers, and tiring herself to death dragging it up steep hills and over stony roads—and when she would gravely shake her head, and say with a gentle sigh, “It was her destiny; it was better to yield to it with a good heart and do her duty cheerfully, than to resist and be beaten,” I used to jeer at her for a meek-spirited creature, who had not pluck enough to stand up in her own defence, and tell her when my turn came she would see a very different state of affairs.

‘My son,” my mother would reply, “if you think you have come into the world merely to amuse yourself, you make a very great mistake; we all have our allotted tasks. They must be done. Happy those who can find pleasure in the doing of them. Take my advice; you are placed here to be the servant of those much stronger and wiser than yourself. If you resist their will, you will smart for it with kicks and blows. If you try to do your duty faithfully, you will find it will bring its own reward.”

My mother seldom made so long a speech, and finding I paid but little attention, she did not again trouble me with her advice; and indeed I soon forgot her words till they were brought back to my recollection by those of my young mistress, and a very uncomfortable feeling they gave me.