The letter was delivered and we were returning through a field where we saw a cart full of bricks．They were so heavy that the wheels of the cart were half－buried in the soft ground，and the horses could not move the cart at all．The man leading the horses was shouting and whipping them without stopping．
\'Don\'t whip the horses like that，\'Joe shouted at him．\'The wheels are half-buried and won\'t move．I\'ll help you take some bricks out to make the cart lighter．\'
\'Mind your own business！\'said the man angrily．He was in a terrible temper and more than half－drunk．
Joe turned me，and we galloped towards the house of the brickmaker，Mr Clay．Joe knocked on the door．
The door opened．\'Hallo，young man，\'began Mr Clay．
\'There\'s a man in your field whipping two horses to death！\'Joe told him，his voice shaking with anger．\'I told him to stop，but he wouldn\'t．I offered to help him lighten the cart，but he refused．I think he\'s drunk．Please go，sir！\'
\'I will！\'said the man，and hurried off．
When we got home，Joe told John all about it．
\'You did the right thing，\'said John．\'Many people would ride by and say it was none of their business．But cruelty is everybody\'s business．\'
Just before dinner，the master sent for Joe．The drunken man was accused of cruelty to horses and Joe was wanted to tell his story to the police．
\'I\'ll tell it gladly，\'said Joe．
We heard afterwards that the poor horses were so exhausted and so badly beaten that the man might have to go to prison．
Joe came across and gave me a friendly pat．\'We won\'t al－low cruelty，will we，old friend？\'he said．
And he seemed to have grown up suddenly．
7 乔·格林
接下来的旅途就简单多了，第二天晚上我们就到了主人的朋友家，一个马夫带我们到了一个舒适的马厩。我们住了两三天，然后回家。约翰又见到我们，很高兴，我们也是一样。
“不知道谁会来顶替我呢。”詹姆斯说。
“是小乔·格林，”约翰说。“他只有十四岁半，可是他善良，也愿意来，我已同意让他试6个星期的工。”
第二天，乔·格林来了。他得赶在詹姆斯走之前学会干所有的活计。他是个快活可爱的孩子，来干活时老是唱着歌。但终于还是到了詹姆斯离开我们的时候。
“我舍弃了这么多，”他伤心地对约翰说。“我妈妈，你，一个好主人和太太，还有这些马。在新的地方我谁也不认识。”
“第一次离家的确不容易，”约翰说，“但如果你能适应——我相信你能——你妈妈会为你自豪的。”
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