Black Beauty (17 page)

Captain and I were great friends. He was a noble old fellow, and
he was very good company. I never thought that he would have to
leave his home and go down the hill; but his turn came, and this
was how it happened. I was not there, but I heard all about it.

He and Jerry had taken a party to the great railway station over
London Bridge, and were coming back, somewhere between the bridge
and the monument, when Jerry saw a brewer's empty dray coming
along, drawn by two powerful horses. The drayman was lashing his
horses with his heavy whip; the dray was light, and they started
off at a furious rate; the man had no control over them, and the
street was full of traffic.

One young girl was knocked down and run over, and the next
moment they dashed up against our cab; both the wheels were torn
off and the cab was thrown over. Captain was dragged down, the
shafts splintered, and one of them ran into his side. Jerry, too,
was thrown, but was only bruised; nobody could tell how he escaped;
he always said 'twas a miracle. When poor Captain was got up he was
found to be very much cut and knocked about. Jerry led him home
gently, and a sad sight it was to see the blood soaking into his
white coat and dropping from his side and shoulder. The drayman was
proved to be very drunk, and was fined, and the brewer had to pay
damages to our master; but there was no one to pay damages to poor
Captain.

The farrier and Jerry did the best they could to ease his pain
and make him comfortable. The fly had to be mended, and for several
days I did not go out, and Jerry earned nothing. The first time we
went to the stand after the accident the governor came up to hear
how Captain was.

"He'll never get over it," said Jerry, "at least not for my
work, so the farrier said this morning. He says he may do for
carting, and that sort of work. It has put me out very much.
Carting, indeed! I've seen what horses come to at that work round
London. I only wish all the drunkards could be put in a lunatic
asylum instead of being allowed to run foul of sober people. If
they would break their own bones, and smash their own carts, and
lame their own horses, that would be their own affair, and we might
let them alone, but it seems to me that the innocent always suffer;
and then they talk about compensation! You can't make compensation;
there's all the trouble, and vexation, and loss of time, besides
losing a good horse that's like an old friend—it's nonsense talking
of compensation! If there's one devil that I should like to see in
the bottomless pit more than another, it's the drink devil."

"I say, Jerry," said the governor, "you are treading pretty hard
on my toes, you know; I'm not so good as you are, more shame to me;
I wish I was."

"Well," said Jerry, "why don't you cut with it, governor? You
are too good a man to be the slave of such a thing."

"I'm a great fool, Jerry, but I tried once for two days, and I
thought I should have died; how did you do?"

"I had hard work at it for several weeks; you see I never did
get drunk, but I found that I was not my own master, and that when
the craving came on it was hard work to say 'no'. I saw that one of
us must knock under, the drink devil or Jerry Barker, and I said
that it should not be Jerry Barker, God helping me; but it was a
struggle, and I wanted all the help I could get, for till I tried
to break the habit I did not know how strong it was; but then Polly
took such pains that I should have good food, and when the craving
came on I used to get a cup of coffee, or some peppermint, or read
a bit in my book, and that was a help to me; sometimes I had to say
over and over to myself, 'Give up the drink or lose your soul! Give
up the drink or break Polly's heart!' But thanks be to God, and my
dear wife, my chains were broken, and now for ten years I have not
tasted a drop, and never wish for it."

"I've a great mind to try at it," said Grant, "for 'tis a poor
thing not to be one's own master."

"Do, governor, do, you'll never repent it, and what a help it
would be to some of the poor fellows in our rank if they saw you do
without it. I know there's two or three would like to keep out of
that tavern if they could."

At first Captain seemed to do well, but he was a very old horse,
and it was only his wonderful constitution, and Jerry's care, that
had kept him up at the cab work so long; now he broke down very
much. The farrier said he might mend up enough to sell for a few
pounds, but Jerry said, no! a few pounds got by selling a good old
servant into hard work and misery would canker all the rest of his
money, and he thought the kindest thing he could do for the fine
old fellow would be to put a sure bullet through his head, and then
he would never suffer more; for he did not know where to find a
kind master for the rest of his days.

The day after this was decided Harry took me to the forge for
some new shoes; when I returned Captain was gone. I and the family
all felt it very much.

Jerry had now to look out for another horse, and he soon heard
of one through an acquaintance who was under-groom in a nobleman's
stables. He was a valuable young horse, but he had run away,
smashed into another carriage, flung his lordship out, and so cut
and blemished himself that he was no longer fit for a gentleman's
stables, and the coachman had orders to look round, and sell him as
well as he could.

"I can do with high spirits," said Jerry, "if a horse is not
vicious or hard-mouthed."

"There is not a bit of vice in him," said the man; "his mouth is
very tender, and I think myself that was the cause of the accident;
you see he had just been clipped, and the weather was bad, and he
had not had exercise enough, and when he did go out he was as full
of spring as a balloon. Our governor (the coachman, I mean) had him
harnessed in as tight and strong as he could, with the martingale,
and the check-rein, a very sharp curb, and the reins put in at the
bottom bar. It is my belief that it made the horse mad, being
tender in the mouth and so full of spirit."

"Likely enough; I'll come and see him," said Jerry.

The next day Hotspur, that was his name, came home; he was a
fine brown horse, without a white hair in him, as tall as Captain,
with a very handsome head, and only five years old. I gave him a
friendly greeting by way of good fellowship, but did not ask him
any questions. The first night he was very restless. Instead of
lying down, he kept jerking his halter rope up and down through the
ring, and knocking the block about against the manger till I could
not sleep. However, the next day, after five or six hours in the
cab, he came in quiet and sensible. Jerry patted and talked to him
a good deal, and very soon they understood each other, and Jerry
said that with an easy bit and plenty of work he would be as gentle
as a lamb; and that it was an ill wind that blew nobody good, for
if his lordship had lost a hundred-guinea favorite, the cabman had
gained a good horse with all his strength in him.

Hotspur thought it a great come-down to be a cab-horse, and was
disgusted at standing in the rank, but he confessed to me at the
end of the week that an easy mouth and a free head made up for a
great deal, and after all, the work was not so degrading as having
one's head and tail fastened to each other at the saddle. In fact,
he settled in well, and Jerry liked him very much.

For some people Christmas and the New Year are very merry times;
but for cabmen and cabmen's horses it is no holiday, though it may
be a harvest. There are so many parties, balls, and places of
amusement open that the work is hard and often late. Sometimes
driver and horse have to wait for hours in the rain or frost,
shivering with the cold, while the merry people within are dancing
away to the music. I wonder if the beautiful ladies ever think of
the weary cabman waiting on his box, and his patient beast
standing, till his legs get stiff with cold.

I had now most of the evening work, as I was well accustomed to
standing, and Jerry was also more afraid of Hotspur taking cold. We
had a great deal of late work in the Christmas week, and Jerry's
cough was bad; but however late we were, Polly sat up for him, and
came out with a lantern to meet him, looking anxious and
troubled.

On the evening of the New Year we had to take two gentlemen to a
house in one of the West End Squares. We set them down at nine
o'clock, and were told to come again at eleven, "but," said one,
"as it is a card party, you may have to wait a few minutes, but
don't be late."

As the clock struck eleven we were at the door, for Jerry was
always punctual. The clock chimed the quarters, one, two, three,
and then struck twelve, but the door did not open.

The wind had been very changeable, with squalls of rain during
the day, but now it came on sharp, driving sleet, which seemed to
come all the way round; it was very cold, and there was no shelter.
Jerry got off his box and came and pulled one of my cloths a little
more over my neck; then he took a turn or two up and down, stamping
his feet; then he began to beat his arms, but that set him off
coughing; so he opened the cab door and sat at the bottom with his
feet on the pavement, and was a little sheltered. Still the clock
chimed the quarters, and no one came. At half-past twelve he rang
the bell and asked the servant if he would be wanted that
night.

"Oh, yes, you'll be wanted safe enough," said the man; "you must
not go, it will soon be over," and again Jerry sat down, but his
voice was so hoarse I could hardly hear him.

At a quarter past one the door opened, and the two gentlemen
came out; they got into the cab without a word, and told Jerry
where to drive, that was nearly two miles. My legs were numb with
cold, and I thought I should have stumbled. When the men got out
they never said they were sorry to have kept us waiting so long,
but were angry at the charge; however, as Jerry never charged more
than was his due, so he never took less, and they had to pay for
the two hours and a quarter waiting; but it was hard-earned money
to Jerry.

At last we got home; he could hardly speak, and his cough was
dreadful. Polly asked no questions, but opened the door and held
the lantern for him.

"Can't I do something?" she said.

"Yes; get Jack something warm, and then boil me some gruel."

This was said in a hoarse whisper; he could hardly get his
breath, but he gave me a rub-down as usual, and even went up into
the hayloft for an extra bundle of straw for my bed. Polly brought
me a warm mash that made me comfortable, and then they locked the
door.

It was late the next morning before any one came, and then it
was only Harry. He cleaned us and fed us, and swept out the stalls,
then he put the straw back again as if it was Sunday. He was very
still, and neither whistled nor sang. At noon he came again and
gave us our food and water; this time Dolly came with him; she was
crying, and I could gather from what they said that Jerry was
dangerously ill, and the doctor said it was a bad case. So two days
passed, and there was great trouble indoors. We only saw Harry, and
sometimes Dolly. I think she came for company, for Polly was always
with Jerry, and he had to be kept very quiet.

On the third day, while Harry was in the stable, a tap came at
the door, and Governor Grant came in.

"I wouldn't go to the house, my boy," he said, "but I want to
know how your father is."

"He is very bad," said Harry, "he can't be much worse; they call
it 'bronchitis'; the doctor thinks it will turn one way or another
to-night."

"That's bad, very bad," said Grant, shaking his head; "I know
two men who died of that last week; it takes 'em off in no time;
but while there's life there's hope, so you must keep up your
spirits."

"Yes," said Harry quickly, "and the doctor said that father had
a better chance than most men, because he didn't drink. He said
yesterday the fever was so high that if father had been a drinking
man it would have burned him up like a piece of paper; but I
believe he thinks he will get over it; don't you think he will, Mr.
Grant?"

The governor looked puzzled.

"If there's any rule that good men should get over these things,
I'm sure he will, my boy; he's the best man I know. I'll look in
early to-morrow."

Early next morning he was there.

"Well?" said he.

"Father is better," said Harry. "Mother hopes he will get over
it."

"Thank God!" said the governor, "and now you must keep him warm,
and keep his mind easy, and that brings me to the horses; you see
Jack will be all the better for the rest of a week or two in a warm
stable, and you can easily take him a turn up and down the street
to stretch his legs; but this young one, if he does not get work,
he will soon be all up on end, as you may say, and will be rather
too much for you; and when he does go out there'll be an
accident."

"It is like that now," said Harry. "I have kept him short of
corn, but he's so full of spirit I don't know what to do with
him."

"Just so," said Grant. "Now look here, will you tell your mother
that if she is agreeable I will come for him every day till
something is arranged, and take him for a good spell of work, and
whatever he earns, I'll bring your mother half of it, and that will
help with the horses' feed. Your father is in a good club, I know,
but that won't keep the horses, and they'll be eating their heads
off all this time; I'll come at noon and hear what she says," and
without waiting for Harry's thanks he was gone.

At noon I think he went and saw Polly, for he and Harry came to
the stable together, harnessed Hotspur, and took him out.

For a week or more he came for Hotspur, and when Harry thanked
him or said anything about his kindness, he laughed it off, saying
it was all good luck for him, for his horses were wanting a little
rest which they would not otherwise have had.

Jerry grew better steadily, but the doctor said that he must
never go back to the cab work again if he wished to be an old man.
The children had many consultations together about what father and
mother would do, and how they could help to earn money.

One afternoon Hotspur was brought in very wet and dirty.

"The streets are nothing but slush," said the governor; "it will
give you a good warming, my boy, to get him clean and dry."

"All right, governor," said Harry, "I shall not leave him till
he is; you know I have been trained by my father."

"I wish all the boys had been trained like you," said the
governor.

While Harry was sponging off the mud from Hotspur's body and
legs Dolly came in, looking very full of something.

"Who lives at Fairstowe, Harry? Mother has got a letter from
Fairstowe; she seemed so glad, and ran upstairs to father with
it."

"Don't you know? Why, it is the name of Mrs. Fowler's
place—mother's old mistress, you know—the lady that father met last
summer, who sent you and me five shillings each."

"Oh! Mrs. Fowler. Of course, I know all about her. I wonder what
she is writing to mother about."

"Mother wrote to her last week," said Harry; "you know she told
father if ever he gave up the cab work she would like to know. I
wonder what she says; run in and see, Dolly."

Harry scrubbed away at Hotspur with a huish! huish! like any old
hostler. In a few minutes Dolly came dancing into the stable.

"Oh! Harry, there never was anything so beautiful; Mrs. Fowler
says we are all to go and live near her. There is a cottage now
empty that will just suit us, with a garden and a henhouse, and
apple-trees, and everything! and her coachman is going away in the
spring, and then she will want father in his place; and there are
good families round, where you can get a place in the garden or the
stable, or as a page-boy; and there's a good school for me; and
mother is laughing and crying by turns, and father does look so
happy!"

"That's uncommon jolly," said Harry, "and just the right thing,
I should say; it will suit father and mother both; but I don't
intend to be a page-boy with tight clothes and rows of buttons.
I'll be a groom or a gardener."

It was quickly settled that as soon as Jerry was well enough
they should remove to the country, and that the cab and horses
should be sold as soon as possible.

This was heavy news for me, for I was not young now, and could
not look for any improvement in my condition. Since I left Birtwick
I had never been so happy as with my dear master Jerry; but three
years of cab work, even under the best conditions, will tell on
one's strength, and I felt that I was not the horse that I had
been.

Grant said at once that he would take Hotspur, and there were
men on the stand who would have bought me; but Jerry said I should
not go to cab work again with just anybody, and the governor
promised to find a place for me where I should be comfortable.

The day came for going away. Jerry had not been allowed to go
out yet, and I never saw him after that New Year's eve. Polly and
the children came to bid me good-by. "Poor old Jack! dear old Jack!
I wish we could take you with us," she said, and then laying her
hand on my mane she put her face close to my neck and kissed me.
Dolly was crying and kissed me too. Harry stroked me a great deal,
but said nothing, only he seemed very sad, and so I was led away to
my new place.