52 ON THE STABLES, ETC. 



Boys who live in race-horse stables are generally 

 obliged to rise early in the morning during the summer 

 months, but more particularly during July and Au- 

 gust. At this season of the year, should any of the 

 horses in the establishment require strong work, the 

 groom must get such work into them before the sun 

 has too much power. On such occasions, the groom 

 himself, or the head lad, opens the stables at three 

 o'clock in the morning ; the boys are instantly roused 

 up, and while the head lad is giving a double-handful 

 of corn to such of the horses as are usually allowed 

 this small portion, the boys are hurrying on their 

 clothes. Nor have they much time allowed them for 

 their toilets ; few of them waiting even to tie up their 

 stockings, but content just to pull the tops of them 

 over the knees of their breeches, when each boy im- 

 mediately betakes himself to his duty in the care of 

 his horse. This duty in the course of the day, to- 

 gether with the great desire he has, when at liberty, 

 to indulge himself with different games of play 

 (which he is allowed to do during those intervals of 

 relaxation and amusement which intervene between 

 the stable hours), prevents the weary boy from getting 

 but a small portion of rest. At night, therefore, he is 

 so fatigued, that when he gets to bed, he sleeps much 

 too sound to be easily awakened by any noise that may 

 be made in the stables fiom a horse getting loose, or 

 being cast in his stall. This I know from experience : 

 besides, a boy's ear is so accustomed to the noise made 

 in the stables by the horses, at the hours of brushing 



