In the spring, the Earl and his family went to London. Mr. York went with them. Ginger and I stayed at the house. A worker took care of us. One of the daughters, Lady Anne, stayed at the house too. She was a very good rider. She was also very kind.
Lady Anne chose me for her horse. She gave me a new name: Black Auster (a name that means "black south wind"). I liked these rides very much. Sometimes I went with Ginger. Sometimes I went with a mare named Lizzie. Lizzie was a fast and lively horse.
A gentleman named Colonel Blantyre was visiting. He always rode Lizzie. One day, Lady Anne wanted to ride Lizzie. Colonel Blantyre was worried. He said Lizzie was too nervous for a lady. But Lady Anne laughed. She said she was a great rider.
Lady Anne got on a side-saddle (a seat for women to sit with both legs on one side). Colonel Blantyre rode me. We went to the village to see the doctor. Lady Anne waited at the gate on Lizzie. Colonel Blantyre went to the doctor's door. He tied my rein to the gate.
Across the road, some young horses came out of a field. A boy was behind them. The boy cracked a loud whip. One of the young horses ran into Lizzie’s legs. Lizzie was scared. She kicked and then ran away very fast. Lady Anne almost fell, but she stayed on.
I made a loud noise to call for help. Colonel Blantyre came running. He saw Lizzie running away. He jumped on my back. I ran as fast as I could. We did not need a whip. We followed Lizzie for a long time. Finally, we saw her on a piece of rough land.
Lady Anne’s hat was gone. Her hair was flying behind her. She looked very tired. Lizzie jumped over a wide ditch. But Lizzie hit the ground and fell. Lady Anne fell off. She lay on the ground and did not move. Her face was white.
Colonel Blantyre ran to her. He called her name, but she did not answer. He was very scared. Two men were working nearby. Colonel Blantyre asked them for help. He told one man to ride me to the doctor. Then the man had to go to the house to get a carriage.
The man got on my back. I ran very fast to the doctor's house. Then I ran to Earlshall. The people at the house were very worried. They sent the carriage to help Lady Anne. I went back to my box. Later, Ginger told me what happened.
Lady Anne was not dead. The doctor helped her. She came home in the carriage. After a few days, Lady Anne was much better. Colonel Blantyre thanked me. He said I was a very good horse. He said Lady Anne should always ride me. I was happy and hoped for a good life.