Inside were suspended many sheets of tin or thin iron, and against these metal sheets a row of donkeys were pounding their heels with vicious kicks.
"We were scaring away the foxes," said one of the donkeys, meekly.
"Extremely so," replied the donkey. "Notice what vulgar expressions she uses.
"Not in the daytime," said the donkey. "She can't see very well by day, poor thing.
One fellow would demand a dollar an hour for the use of his donkey; another claimed half a dollar for pricking him up, another a quarter for helping in that service, and about fourteen guides presented bills for showing us the way through the town and its environs; and every vagrant of them was more vociferous, and more vehement and more frantic in gesture than his neighbor.
When the wind changes they hitch on some donkeys and actually turn the whole upper half of the mill around until the sails are in proper position, instead of fixing the concern so that the sails could be moved instead of the mill.
He jumped to the ground, ran up to the donkey on whose back he had been riding, and taking his nose in his hands, looked at him.
"Come, come," said the Little Man, "do not lose time over a donkey that can weep.
And the donkey'll carry you as nice as can be; you'll see."
He lifted Maggie as he spoke, and set her on the donkey. She felt relieved that it was not the old man who seemed to be going with her, but she had only a trembling hope that she was really going home.
Then the Hunter said that to the old
donkey, which was the witch, three beatings and one meal; to the younger one, which was the servant, one beating and three meals; and to the youngest one, which was the maiden, no beating and three meals; for he could not find it in his heart to let the maiden be beaten.
"Oh, that wretched
donkey again, I see!" cried the lady.
Gamfield having lingered behind, to give the
donkey another blow on the head, and another wrench of the jaw, as a caution not to run away in his absence, followed the gentleman with the white waistcoat into the room where Oliver had first seen him.
The
donkeys were quickly jerked into attention, and the second carriage arrived.
I thoroughly believe that but for those unfortunate
donkeys, we should have come to a good understanding; for my aunt had laid her hand on my shoulder, and the impulse was upon me, thus emboldened, to embrace her and beseech her protection.