Chapter-2
Finally, I got up and started walking. I hoped that I might meet somebody who could guide me. I had not got far, when one of these creatures came out of the trees and stood in front of me. The creature came closer to me and lifted up his forepaw. I could not understand whether he did so out of curiosity or mischief. Without thinking for a moment, I drew out my sword and gave him a good blow with the flat side of it. He drew back and roared so loud that a herd of at least forty came flocking about me from the next field. They howled and made horrible faces. I started to walk backwards into the trees but they followed me. When my back was against a tree, I waved my sword at them once again. Some climbed up the tree and started throwing things at me. Suddenly, they stopped and ran away. It seemed as though something had frightened them.
I turned back and saw a horse walk gently in the field. I started walking along the road again. As I came close to the horse, it stopped. It looked surprised. It looked up and down at me from my feet to my head and then walked around me several times. I began to walk down the road again but the horse stood in front of me. We looked at each other. Then I put my hand out to stroke him. He moved his head away from my hand and put up his front leg to push my hand away. Then he began to neigh. It sounded as if he had been talking to himself.
As I stood in front of the horse, I saw another horse come down the road. The first horse neighed to the second one and he walked over to us. They struck each other’s right hoof. Then both began to neigh to each other. They started walking side by side, backward and forward, like human being discussing over some matter. They often turned their eyes towards me, as if they were to watch that I might not escape.
I was amazed to see such actions and behaviour in these creatures. I decided to go forward. As soon as I moved a little, the two horses came up close to me. They looked at me and then began to touch me with their front hooves. One horse tried to strike my hand but it hurt me and I shouted. Afterwards they touched me very gently and didn’t hurt me again. One of them touched me very gently and didn’t hurt me again. One of them touched my coat and moved his hoof up and down. The other did the same to my hat but his hoof pushed the sides in. I took off the hat and pushed the sides out. Then I put it back on my head. The horses looked very interested in this exercise.
As they examined me, they neighed at each other. It sounded like they were talking to each other. I heard one word which they repeated again and again. It was ‘yahoo’. I didn’t know what the word meant but I tried to say it. They looked very surprised. I repeated the word several times. Each time, I repeated the word a little better. I got better at saying it the same way as the horse. Then they tried another word. I couldn’t write the word exactly, but it was something like houyhnhnm. I didn’t know what that word meant but I tried to say it too. It was difficult. But after a few times, I could say something like it. I thought, perhaps they are men playing a trick on me. Probably they knew strong magic that could turn them into horses. After they had talked for some more time, one horse touched the other horse with his hoof and then went away. The first horse showed me signs that I should walk behind him to which I agreed. Whenever I slowed down my pace, he would cry hhuun hhuun. I guessed that he wanted me to walk faster. Then I made some signs to show that I was tired and wiery and could not walk faster. The horses understood my feelings, stood for some time and allowed me to rest.
