“Broo.hoo.hah！” he snorted. “Steady there！ I heard you， I did. There’s no good pretending， Ma‘am. I heard you. You’re a Talking Horse， a Narnian horse just like me.”
“What‘s it got to do with you if she is？” said the strange rider fiercely， laying hand on sword.hilt. But the voice in which the words were spoken had already told Shasta something.
“Why， it’s only a girl！” he exclaimed.
“And what business is it of yours if I am only a girl？” snapped the stranger. “You‘re probably only a boy： a rude， common little boy.a slave probably， who’s stolen his master‘s horse.”
“That’s all you know，” said Shasta.
“He‘s not a thief， little Tarkheena，” said Bree. “At least， if there’s been any stealing， you might just as well say I stole him. And as for its not being my business， you wouldn‘t expect me to pass a lady of my own race in this strange country without speaking to her？ It’s only natural I should.”
“I think it‘s very natural too，” said the mare.
“I wish you’d held your tongue， Hwin，” said the girl. “Look at the trouble you‘ve got us into.”
“I don’t know about trouble，” said Shasta. “You can clearoff as soon as you like. We shan‘t keep you.”
“No， you shan’t，” said the girl.
