REWARD OF KINDNESS 263 



expressions, were used to Charlotte and to Pilot, for the donkey 

 went by both names ; but, though she was as true to the collar 

 as any London dray-horse, poor little Pilot could not accom- 

 plish the way. I watched their proceedings from my ambush, 

 and the more so, because not once was the donkey sworn at or 

 struck ; and the man himself pushed behind the cart with all 

 his might. The child, a little boy, was too young to be of any 

 manual service. Resting my rifle against a tree, I addressed the 

 man, and told him to put his shoulder to one wheel, while I put 

 mine to the other, and we pushed the cart through, till it was 

 landed on the firmer heath. Having paused to take breath, on 

 looking into the poor fellow's face, I saw he was blind ; in short, 

 that he had hardly any eyes, not much nose, and scarce any lip ; 

 his face being one frightful scar. On asking him if he was not 

 blind, he replied, " Yes ; all he could ascertain, by vision, was 

 the difference of night and day;" having a shilling in my 

 pocket, I gave it him, the more induced to it, as he told me 

 "that the parish refused him any allowance." He was very 

 thankful for the aid I had given him in each instance; and 

 when complimented on not ill-using his donkey, he told me " he 

 was too fond of her; that she cost him fourpence soon after 

 she was born, and that he reared her by hand, and shared all he 

 had with her." We parted, and having made some inquiries as 

 to the character of the poor fellow, which were satisfactory, I 

 wrote a letter to his donkey, enclosing another shilling, as 

 follows, which letter she was enjoined to read to him. I sent 

 it by post to him, " for his donkey." She was to tell him " that 

 the man who helped them out of the mud had sent her a shilling 

 for her master, with which she was to redeem the price he had 

 paid for her, and then serve him all the better, because she was 

 free. She was to tell him, that the man had watched how kind 

 he was to her ; that he had never beaten her, nor used any ill 

 language ; and that, so long as he continued kind and good in 

 his general conduct, he should always have a hearty dinner given 

 to him on Christmas Day. By what had befallen him now, he 

 was to remember that there was always an eye upon the actions 



