Unsaddling

Every stable is crammed with horses; and Sir Richard Grenvil’s house is like a very tavern, with eating, and drinking, and unsaddling, and running to and fro of grooms and serving-men.

And so through all the racket and noise of two or three saddlings and unsaddlings, he remained quite undisturbed, and came out of it much the best.

He let Sandy stand for a minute and then took the saddle off. Several more of these saddlings and unsaddlings followed. Then finally the saddle was cinched. Again Sandy repeated his pattern of calming down after the first unfamiliarity of a new experience had worn off. […] Before long Sandy accepted the saddle as if he’d been born with one on his back.

Suddenly it occurred to Mala why the unsaddlings and the faraway looks. All four of them were expecting something of a fairly long wait.

She was right about the smell, so I walked a little distance away from the bustle and hurry of unsaddling and firemaking till I came to a small irrigation channel.