Reeve looked dubiously at the horses in the shed.

“Ze big hrrss,” Hrrula said softly in Terran, making the 'r' take the place of the vowel. “I am to learn to care them?” His eyes glistened with eagerness as Ben nodded solemnly.

“He understood?” Ben asked Reeve in a quiet aside.

“Evidently.”

“I prefer that Hrrubans get them. It would be a pity to shoot them,” Ben remarked.

“Shoot them?”'

“They are unused to freedom, and it would be unfair to permit them to fall prey to mda after we left.”

Ben ushered them over to the nearest stall and, taking a bridle from its peg, explained its purpose and use. He spoke next in simple but adequate Hrruban, although something he said caused Hrriss to giggle until Hrrula growled warningly. Todd then pulled Hrriss's head down to whisper something which made both boys laugh.

“You! Sit here,” Ken said irritably. He picked up Todd, then Hrriss, and set them on the unopened feed sacks. “And stay there. These horses are nervous and we don't need you getting kicked. Watch.”

The boys blinked rapidly, their eyes accusing Ken; they hadn't done anything wrong. He resolutely turned his back on them.

Ben gave Ken and Hrrula a bridle each.

“When you go into a stall, go to the left side and slap the horse smartly on the rump. Tell it to get over,” and he demonstrated. The gray mare moved over obediently. “Horses like to be talked to in low reassuring tones. Now, release the halter strap from the manger, so. Slip the reins over the head, so; the headstall goes up over the ears. Hold the bit, so, in the hand, and open the teeth, forcing the bit within. So! Now, taking the reins behind the bit, so, and encouraging the animal with your voice, back it out of the stall. So!”

The procedure appeared remarkably simple and, determined to learn what he could, Ken advanced resolutely into a stall. It was not entirely by chance that he picked the ruddy red mare. He had admired her when she had come off the ship. She was a cheerful color, with white markings up to her knees on her front legs. Her name turned out to be Socks. Ken slapped her smartly on her rump, advising her to move her big warm rear end over. Socks snorted but obliged. Where Ben had smoothly slipped the reins over his mount's neck, Ken found he had too many lines and they got entangled. He had to stop and sort out the bridle again. This time he got the proper lines on the proper sides of the mare's neck. Fumbling, he got the headstall up on the ridges above her eyes. She blinked patiently. He put his fingers on either side of her mouth and was appalled at the size and quantity of her teeth. He inserted his fingers as he imagined Ben had done and discovered that her hard teeth could also hurt him. He got his thumb out of the way and tried to get her to open her jaws to take the bit. Socks snorted, ducked her head, the reins slid to her ears and the headstall crumpled over his fumbling hand.

When he finally got her bridled and out of the shed, he saw that Hrrula, with two small followers, was half-way across the meadow to the river on the stallion. Ben was already returning with the gray mare.

“I'll give you a leg up,” the vet called cheerfully.

This recalled to Ken the fact that he was supposed, somehow, to get astride this now large looming animal. He patted her shoulder tentatively and she looked around at him, her big brown eyes politely questioning. Her hide was warm and velvety. And the rich aroma of her was oddly comforting to Ken.

Ben gave him a leg up as promised and there was Ken high up on the horse, his legs dangling uselessly down. Socks didn't seem to mind and Ken told himself that if she didn't, he shouldn't. But her backbone was very hard and pressed him in a physiologically vulnerable place. He adjusted himself.

“Now,” Ben was explaining. “She has been trained to neckrein and this is what you do. You wish her to turn left, you lay the rein, so, on her neck, turning her head. You wish to turn right, you lay the rein, so, turning her head the other way. You wish to back her, pull firmly backward on both reins. You wish her to go forward, ease up all pressure on her mouth and press your heels, so,” and his big hand took Ken's left heel and pressed it firmly, into Socks's ribs “and she will move forward.” Which is exactly what the mare did so that Ken was caught off balance and clutched at her mane. He was glad Ben was too polite to laugh for he knew he looked ridiculous.

“What do I do when I want to stop?” he asked, trying not to sound frantic and pulling up on the reins. The mare obediently stopped.

"She knows,'' Ben said encouragingly and led his horse back into the shed.

Ken found he was pressing tightly with his knees against her withers and that she didn't seem to mind. Her ears cocked forward and her head came up. He let up on the reins and she moved forward in a pleasant rhythm. He got himself into a comfortable position although he felt he must look foolish with his feet flopping around. She moved a little faster as she smelled the water.

“Daddy, look at us,” Todd's voice crowed, interrupting Ken's concentration, and startled, he looked up to see Todd and Hrriss, legs at right angles on the back of the big stallion.

“Faster, faster, Hrrula,” Todd said in Hrruban. Grinning, Hrrula urged the trotting stallion on. Todd had his fists knotted in the black mane, bouncing happily. Hrriss, his arms and tail around Todd's waist, wore a grin of apprehensive surprise.

Reeve swiveled around in horrified concern for the children. The next thing he knew, he was spitting out black dirt and grass, one arm pulled upward with socket-wrenching jerks.

He realized he still had the reins in his hand and he looked up at the green sky, the mare's pretty head silhouetted against it. She made a farrumping noise and blew down in his face as if apologizing for finding him there.

“You've the makings of a good horseman,” Ben said as Ken scrambled to his feet. “You held onto the reins.” With no more comment, Ben linked his hands to give Ken a knee up. Before he realized it Ken was mounted again and Ben, riding beside him, patiently explained the elements of equitation just as if falling off a horse was an everyday occurrence. As Reeve was soon to learn, it was.

He took the bay mare down to the river next and found that he preferred the sorrel mare Socks. The bay mare minced her way in a bone-jerking fashion and had an annoying habit of tossing her head constantly.

Back at the shed, Ben set about teaching his four pupils how to groom their animals.

“Todd's too small to curry a horse. He might get hurt,” Ken said anxiously.

“I will not. I didn't fall off,” Todd reminded his father pointedly. “I'll stand on that,” he added, indicating a plastic crate, “and then I'll be tall enough.”

“The child doesn't fear the horse so why should we? It is good to catch them young,” Ben said with a grin which included Hrriss too.

It took Todd a little longer to finish but he worked willingly and well. The little gray mare he had been assigned stood obediently throughout the ministrations. Hrriss and Hrrula both had an additional hazard in that their tails were painfully trod on several times by their charges. Todd had merely wrapped his pseudo-tail around his waist.

Bill Moody and Alfred Ramasan appeared at the shed door, eyeing the horses nervously.

“Mr. Adjei,” Bill began tentatively. Ben was crooning to the horses and did not hear the boy's properly modulated tones. “Mr. Adjei,” and Bill blinked startled at his own unaccustomed volume, “we were told to help you.”

“We're finished here but we could use your help with the cows,” Ben declared, pointing to the placidly chewing beasts.

Fifteen minutes later his helpers were back to the original four. Alfred was being taken to the infirmary with a crushed toe and Bill willingly accompanied him. Bill was, – well, frightened wasn't kind – unaccustomed to livestock.