Page:Fairy Tales for Worker's Children.djvu/45

 The coachman promised to do this; indeed he pitied the lively little animal, but the master was strict and he did not dare to disobey the command. He called the little dog, who came running joyously, and started toward the river. As he came near the homes of the slaves, a little black boy ran out of one of the huts and cried, "O, the lovely little animal! Where are you taking it?" And he ran quite close to them and patted the dog, who mischievously jumped at him, barking.

"I must drown the dog," answered the coachman.

At that the eyes of the little boy filled with tears, he took the dog in his arms, held him close, and begged, "Don't do it, just see how darling he is!"

"I must do it, Benjamin. The master has commanded me. If I don't obey him he will punish me severely."

The little grey dog licked Benjamin's face, looked at him with his large eyes that seemed to implore him, "Save me, save me!"

"Give me the dog," pleaded Benjamin. "I will hide him well so that the master will not see him."

The coachman thought for a moment, then replied, "Good, you may hide him. But," he said warningly, "you must not betray the fact that I have given him to you. If the master should ever see him, you must say that you saved him from the river. Then he will give you a bad beating "

"That doesn't matter," cried Benjamin eagerly. "As long as the little dog is allowed to live."

The coachman laughed, removed the string from the neck of the dog, and Benjamin ran to the hut with him, patting him, kissing him, full of joy. At evening when Benjamin's parents came home, he showed them the dog, and the parents also were happy because they had to be away from home all day and always feared that the little boy might go to the river, fall in and be drowned. But now he 39