T^he Stable 



of any kind, and it was easy to carry off the water 

 to an open gutter outside, and thence away to the 

 drainage system of the house through an ordinary 

 trap. The greatest of all difficulties and dangers 

 being thus disposed of, all I did was to lay down 

 a concrete flooring to each stable, with a slight 

 slope, so that the water could be carried out of 

 the building by the simple process of sluicing 

 down with a pail and broom. The concrete was 

 ridged to give the horses a foot-hold on it, and 

 when the floors were dry and firm they were 

 ready for use. Then the walls were lime-washed, 

 and a coating of yellow wash gave the stables a 

 clean and cheerful appearance. Whitewash is bad 

 for the horses' eyesight, and in any case the yellow 

 tinge on the walls looks neat and clean. Cheap 

 iron mangers were put in and a ring to hold a 

 bucket, and the inside was complete. There were 

 no hay racks, nor were they wanted. 



Now came the question of ventilation. There 

 were no windows, but the half-door, of which the 

 upper half was always open by day and, except in 

 very bad or severe weather, by night, supplied 

 light. Two iron bars were placed across the 

 upper half of the door, for I have known a horse 

 to jump out of such stables. Yet it was necessary, 

 as I have said, sometimes to shut the upper half of 

 the door at night, or when the wind was from the 

 south-west, to which quarter the stables faced, so 

 across the door and under the eaves a row of 



