صفحة 144 من 1294

"Thrash her, thrash her! Why have you stopped?" shouted voices in

the crowd.

And Mikolka swung the shaft a second time and it fell a second

time on the spine of the luckless mare. She sank back on her

haunches, but lurched forward and tugged forward with all her

force, tugged first on one side and then on the other, trying to

move the cart. But the six whips were attacking her in all

directions, and the shaft was raised again and fell upon her a

third time, then a fourth, with heavy measured blows. Mikolka was

in a fury that he could not kill her at one blow.

"She's a tough one," was shouted in the crowd.

"She'll fall in a minute, mates, there will soon be an end of

her," said an admiring spectator in the crowd.

"Fetch an axe to her! Finish her off," shouted a third.