01 My Early Home
The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it Some shady trees leaned over it and rushes and waterlilies grew at the deep end Over the hedge on one side we looked into a plowed field and on the other we looked over a gate at our masters house which stood by the roadside at the top of the meadow was a grove of fir trees and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a steep bank
While I was young I lived upon my mothers milk as I could not eat grass In the daytime I ran by her side and at night I lay down close by her When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove
As soon as I was old enough to eat grass my mother used to go out to work in the daytime and come back in the evening
There were six young colts in the meadow besides me they were older than I was some were nearly as large as grownup horses I used to run with them and had great fun we used to gallop all together round and round the field as hard as we could go Sometimes we had rather rough play for they would frequently bite and kick as well as gallop
One day when there was a good deal of kicking my mother whinnied to me to come to her and then she said
I wish you to pay attention to what I am going to say to you The colts who live here are very good colts but they are carthorse colts and of course they have not learned manners You have been wellbred and wellborn your father has a great name in these parts and your grandfather won the cup two years at the Newmarket races your grandmother had the sweetest temper of any horse I ever knew and I think you have never seen me kick or bite I hope you will grow up gentle and good and never learn bad ways do your work with a good will lift your feet up well when you trot and never bite or kick even in play
I have never forgotten my mothers advice I knew she was a wise old horse and our master thought a great deal of her Her name was Duchess but he often called her Pet
Our master was a good kind man He gave us good food good lodging and kind words he spoke as kindly to us as he did to his little children We were all fond of him and my mother loved him very much When she saw him at the gate she would neigh with joy and trot up to him He would pat and stroke her and say Well old Pet and how is your little Darkie I was a dull black so he called me Darkie then he would give me a piece of bread which was very good and sometimes he brought a carrot for my mother All the horses would come to him but I think we were his favorites My mother always took him to the town on a market day in a light gig
There was a plowboy Dick who sometimes came into our field to pluck blackberries from the hedge When he had eaten all he wanted he would have what he called fun with the colts throwing stones and sticks at them to make them gallop We did not much mind him for we could gallop off but sometimes a stone would hit and hurt us
One day he was at this game and did not know that the master was in the next field but he was there watching what was going on over the hedge he jumped in a snap and catching Dick by the arm he gave him such a box on the ear as made him roar with the pain and surprise As soon as we saw the master we trotted up nearer to see what went on
Bad boy he said bad boy to chase the colts This is not the first time nor the second but it shall be the last There—take your money and go home I shall not want you on my farm again So we never saw Dick any more Old Daniel the man who looked after the horses was just as gentle as our master so we were well off
02 The Hunt
Before I was two years old a circumstance happened which I have never forgotten It was early in the spring there had been a little frost in the night and a light mist still hung over the woods and meadows I and the other colts were feeding at the lower part of the field when we heard quite in the distance what sounded like the cry of dogs The oldest of the colts raised his head pricked his ears and said There are the hounds and immediately cantered off followed by the rest of us to the upper part of the field where we could look over the hedge and see several fields beyond My mother and an old riding horse of our masters were also standing near and seemed to know all about it
They have found a hare said my mother and if they come this way we shall see the hunt
And soon the dogs were all tearing down the field of young wheat next to ours I never heard such a noise as they made They did not bark nor howl nor whine but kept on a yo yo o o yo yo o o at the top of their voices After them came a number of men on horseback some of them in green coats all galloping as fast as they could The old horse snorted and looked eagerly after them and we young colts wanted to be galloping with them but they were soon away into the fields lower down here it seemed as if they had come to a stand the dogs left off barking and ran about every way with their noses to the ground
They have lost the scent said the old horse perhaps the hare will get off
What hare I said
Oh I dont know what hare likely enough it may be one of our own hares out of the woods any hare they can find will do for the dogs and men to run after and before long the dogs began their yo yo o o again and back they came altogether at full speed making straight for our meadow at the part where the high bank and hedge overhang the brook
Now we shall see the hare said my mother and just then a hare wild with fright rushed by and made for the woods On came the dogs they burst over the bank leaped the stream and came dashing across the field followed by the huntsmen Six or eight men leaped their horses clean over close upon the dogs The hare tried to get through the fence it was too thick and she turned sharp round to make for the road but it was too late the dogs were upon her with their wild cries we heard one shriek and that was the end of her One of the huntsmen rode up and whipped off the dogs who would soon have torn her to pieces He held her up by the leg torn and bleeding and all the gentlemen seemed well pleased
As for me I was so astonished that I did not at first see what was going on by the brook but when I did look there was a sad sight two fine horses were down one was struggling in the stream and the other was groaning on the grass One of the riders was getting out of the water covered with mud the other lay quite still
His neck is broke said my mother
And serve him right too said one of the colts
I thought the same but my mother did not join with us
Well no she said you must not say that but though I am an old horse and have seen and heard a great deal I never yet could make out why men are so fond of this sport they often hurt themselves often spoil good horses and tear up the fields and all for a hare or a fox or a stag that they could get more easily some other way but we are only horses and dont know
While my mother was saying this we stood and looked on Many of the riders had gone to the young man but my master who had been watching what was going on was the first to raise him His head fell back and his arms hung down and every one looked very serious There was no noise now even the dogs were quiet and seemed to know that something was wrong They carried him to our masters house I heard afterward that it was young George Gordon the squires only son a fine tall young man and the pride of his family
There was now riding off in all directions to the doctors to the farriers and no doubt to Squire Gordons to let him know about his son When Mr Bond the farrier came to look at the black horse that lay groaning on the grass he felt him all over and shook his head one of his legs was broken Then some one ran to our masters house and came back with a gun presently there was a loud bang and a dreadful shriek and then all was still the black horse moved no more
My mother seemed much troubled she said she had known that horse for years and that his name was Rob Roy he was a good horse and there was no vice in him She never would go to that part of the field afterward
Not many days after we heard the churchbell tolling for a long time and looking over the gate we saw a long strange black coach that was covered with black cloth and was drawn by black horses after that came another and another and another and all were black while the bell kept tolling tolling They were carrying young Gordon to the churchyard to bury him He would never ride again What they did with Rob Roy I never knew but twas all for one little hare
03 My Breaking In
I was now beginning to grow handsome my coat had grown fine and soft and was bright black I had one white foot and a pretty white star on my forehead I was thought very handsome my master would not sell me till I was four years old he said lads ought not to work like men and colts ought not to work like horses till they were quite grown up
When I was four years old Squire Gordon came to look at me He examined my eyes my mouth and my legs he felt them all down and then I had to walk and trot and gallop before him He seemed to like me and said When he has been well broken in he will do very well My master said he would break me in himself as he should not like me to be frightened or hurt and he lost no time about it for the next day he began
Every one may not know what breaking in is therefore I will describe it It means to teach a horse to wear a saddle and bridle and to carry on his back a man woman or child to go just the way they wish and to go quietly Besides this he has to learn to wear a collar a crupper and a breeching and to stand still while they are put on then to have a cart or a chaise fixed behind so that he cannot walk or trot without dragging it after him and he must go fast or slow just as his driver wishes He must never start at what he sees nor speak to other horses nor bite nor kick nor have any will of his own but always do his masters will even though he may be very tired or hungry but the worst of all is when his harness is once on he may neither jump for joy nor lie down for weariness So you see this breaking in is a great thing
I had of course long been used to a halter and a headstall and to be led about in the fields and lanes quietly but now I was to have a bit and bridle my master gave me some oats as usual and after a good deal of coaxing he got the bit into my mouth and the bridle fixed but it was a nasty thing Those who have never had a bit in their mouths cannot think how bad it feels a great piece of cold hard steel as thick as a mans finger to be pushed into ones mouth between ones teeth and over ones tongue with the ends coming out at the corner of your mouth and held fast there by straps over your head under your throat round your nose and under your chin so that no way in the world can you get rid of the nasty hard thing it is very bad yes very bad at least I thought so but I knew my mother always wore one when she went out and all horses did when they were grown up and so what with the nice oats and what with my masters pats kind words and gentle ways I got to wear my bit and bridle
Next came the saddle but that was not half so bad my master put it on my back very gently while old Daniel held my head he then made the girths fast under my body patting and talking to me all the time then I had a few oats then a little leading about and this he did every day till I began to look for the oats and the saddle At length one morning my master got on my back and rode me round the meadow on the soft grass It certainly did feel queer but I must say I felt rather proud to carry my master and as he continued to ride me a little every day I soon became accustomed to it
The next unpleasant business was putting on the iron shoes that too was very hard at first My master went with me to the smiths forge to see that I was not hurt or got any fright The blacksmith took my feet in his hand one after the other and cut away some of the hoof It did not pain me so I stood still on three legs till he had done them all Then he took a piece of iron the shape of my foot and clapped it on and drove some nails through the shoe quite into my hoof so that the shoe was firmly on My feet felt very stiff and heavy but in time I got used to it
And now having got so far my master went on to break me to harness there were more new things to wear First a stiff heavy collar just on my neck and a bridle with great sidepieces against my eyes called blinkers and blinkers indeed they were for I could not see on either side but only straight in front of me next there was a small saddle with a nasty stiff strap that went right under my tail that was the crupper I hated the crupper to have my long tail doubled up and poked through that strap was almost as bad as the bit I never felt more like kicking but of course I could not kick such a good master and so in time I got used to everything and could do my work as well as my mother
I must not forget to mention one part of my training which I have always considered a very great advantage My master sent me for a fortnight to a neighboring farmers who had a meadow which was skirted on one side by the railway Here were some sheep and cows and I was turned in among them
I shall never forget the first train that ran by I was feeding quietly near the pales which separated the meadow from the railway when I heard a strange sound at a distance and before I knew whence it came—with a rush and a clatter and a puffing out of smoke—a long black train of something flew by and was gone almost before I could draw my breath I turned and galloped to the further side of the meadow as fast as I could go and there I stood snorting with astonishment and fear In the course of the day many other trains went by some more slowly these drew up at the station close by and sometimes made an awful shriek and groan before they stopped I thought it very dreadful but the cows went on eating very quietly and hardly raised their heads as the black frightful thing came puffing and grinding past
For the first few days I could not feed in peace but as I found that this terrible creature never came into the field or did me any harm I began to disregard it and very soon I cared as little about the passing of a train as the cows and sheep did
Since then I have seen many horses much alarmed and restive at the sight or sound of a steam engine but thanks to my good masters care I am as fearless at railway stations as in my own stable
Now if any one wants to break in a young horse well that is the way
My master often drove me in double harness with my mother because she was steady and could teach me how to go better than a strange horse She told me the better I behaved the better I should be treated and that it was wisest always to do my best to please my master but said she there are a great many kinds of men there are good thoughtful men like our master that any horse may be proud to serve and there are bad cruel men who never ought to have a horse or dog to call their own Besides there are a great many foolish men vain ignorant and careless who never trouble themselves to think these spoil more horses than all just for want of sense they dont mean it but they do it for all that I hope you will fall into good hands but a horse never knows who may buy him or who may drive him it is all a chance for us but still I say do your best wherever it is and keep up your good name
04 Birtwick Park
At this time I used to stand in the stable and my coat was brushed every day till it shone like a rooks wing It was early in May when there came a man from Squire Gordons who took me away to the hall My master said Goodby Darkie be a good horse and always do your best I could not say goodby so I put my nose into his hand he patted me kindly and I left my first home As I lived some years with Squire Gordon I may as well tell something about the place
Squire Gordons park skirted the village of Birtwick It was entered by a large iron gate at which stood the first lodge and then you trotted along on a smooth road between clumps of large old trees then another lodge and another gate which brought you to the house and the gardens Beyond this lay the home paddock the old orchard and the stables There was accommodation for many horses and carriages but I need only describe the stable into which I was taken this was very roomy with four good stalls a large swinging window opened into the yard which made it pleasant and airy
The first stall was a large square one shut in behind with a wooden gate the others were common stalls good stalls but not nearly so large it had a low rack for hay and a low manger for corn it was called a loose box because the horse that was put into it was not tied up but left loose to do as he liked It is a great thing to have a loose box
Into this fine box the groom put me it was clean sweet and airy I never was in a better box than that and the sides were not so high but that I could see all that went on through the iron rails that were at the top
He gave me some very nice oats he patted me spoke kindly and then went away
When I had eaten my corn I looked round In the stall next to mine stood a little fat gray pony with a thick mane and tail a very pretty head and a pert little nose
I put my head up to the iron rails at the top of my box and said How do you do What is your name
He turned round as far as his halter would allow held up his head and said My name is Merrylegs I am very handsome I carry the young ladies on my back and sometimes I take our mistress out in the low chair They think a great deal of me and so does James Are you going to live next door to me in the box
I said Yes
Well then he said I hope you are goodtempered I do not like any one next door who bites
Just then a horses head looked over from the stall beyond the ears were laid back and the eye looked rather illtempered This was a tall chestnut mare with a long handsome neck She looked across to me and said
So it is you who have turned me out of my box it is a very strange thing for a colt like you to come and turn a lady out of her own home
I beg your pardon I said I have turned no one out the man who brought me put me here and I had nothing to do with it and as to my being a colt I am turned four years old and am a grownup horse I never had words yet with horse or mare and it is my wish to live at peace
Well she said we shall see Of course I do not want to have words with a young thing like you I said no more
In the afternoon when she went out Merrylegs told me all about it
The thing is this said Merrylegs Ginger has a bad habit of biting and snapping that is why they call her Ginger and when she was in the loose box she used to snap very much One day she bit James in the arm and made it bleed and so Miss Flora and Miss Jessie who are very fond of me were afraid to come into the stable They used to bring me nice things to eat an apple or a carrot or a piece of bread but after Ginger stood in that box they dared not come and I missed them very much I hope they will now come again if you do not bite or snap
I told him I never bit anything but grass hay and corn and could not think what pleasure Ginger found it
Well I dont think she does find pleasure says Merrylegs it is just a bad habit she says no one was ever kind to her and why should she not bite Of course it is a very bad habit but I am sure if all she says be true she must have been very illused before she came here John does all he can to please her and James does all he can and our master never uses a whip if a horse acts right so I think she might be goodtempered here You see he said with a wise look I am twelve years old I know a great deal and I can tell you there is not a better place for a horse all round the country than this John is the best groom that ever was he has been here fourteen years and you never saw such a kind boy as James is so that it is all Gingers own fault that she did not stay in that box
05 A Fair Start
The name of the coachman was John Manly he had a wife and one little child and they lived in the coachmans cottage very near the stables
The next morning he took me into the yard and gave me a good grooming and just as I was going into my box with my coat soft and bright the squire came in to look at me and seemed pleased John he said I meant to have tried the new horse this morning but I have other business You may as well take him around after breakfast go by the common and the Highwood and back by the watermill and the river that will show his paces
I will sir said John After breakfast he came and fitted me with a bridle He was very particular in letting out and taking in the straps to fit my head comfortably then he brought a saddle but it was not broad enough for my back he saw it in a minute and went for another which fitted nicely He rode me first slowly then a trot then a canter and when we were on the common he gave me a light touch with his whip and we had a splendid gallop
Ho ho my boy he said as he pulled me up you would like to follow the hounds I think
As we came back through the park we met the Squire and Mrs Gordon walking they stopped and John jumped off
Well John how does he go
Firstrate sir answered John he is as fleet as a deer and has a fine spirit too but the lightest touch of the rein will guide him Down at the end of the common we met one of those traveling carts hung all over with baskets rugs and such like you know sir many horses will not pass those carts quietly he just took a good look at it and then went on as quiet and pleasant as could be They were shooting rabbits near the Highwood and a gun went off close by he pulled up a little and looked but did not stir a step to right or left I just held the rein steady and did not hurry him and its my opinion he has not been frightened or illused while he was young
Thats well said the squire I will try him myself tomorrow
The next day I was brought up for my master I remembered my mothers counsel and my good old masters and I tried to do exactly what he wanted me to do I found he was a very good rider and thoughtful for his horse too When he came home the lady was at the hall door as he rode up
Well my dear she said how do you like him
He is exactly what John said he replied a pleasanter creature I never wish to mount What shall we call him
Would you like Ebony said she he is as black as ebony
No not Ebony
Will you call him Blackbird like your uncles old horse
No he is far handsomer than old Blackbird ever was
Yes she said he is really quite a beauty and he has such a sweet goodtempered face and such a fine intelligent eye—what do you say to calling him Black Beauty
Black Beauty—why yes I think that is a very good name If you like it shall be his name and so it was
When John went into the stable he told James that master and mistress had chosen a good sensible English name for me that meant something not like Marengo or Pegasus or Abdallah They both laughed and James said If it was not for bringing back the past I should have named him Rob Roy for I never saw two horses more alike
Thats no wonder said John didnt you know that Farmer Greys old Duchess was the mother of them both
I had never heard that before and so poor Rob Roy who was killed at that hunt was my brother I did not wonder that my mother was so troubled It seems that horses have no relations at least they never know each other after they are sold
John seemed very proud of me he used to make my mane and tail almost as smooth as a ladys hair and he would talk to me a great deal of course I did not understand all he said but I learned more and more to know what he meant and what he wanted me to do I grew very fond of him he was so gentle and kind he seemed to know just how a horse feels and when he cleaned me he knew the tender places and the ticklish places when he brushed my head he went as carefully over my eyes as if they were his own and never stirred up any illtemper
James Howard the stable boy was just as gentle and pleasant in his way so I thought myself well off There was another man who helped in the yard but he had very little to do with Ginger and me
A few days after this I had to go out with Ginger in the carriage I wondered how we should get on together but except laying her ears back when I was led up to her she behaved very well She did her work honestly and did her full share and I never wish to have a better partner in double harness When we came to a hill instead of slackening her pace she would throw her weight right into the collar and pull away straight up We had both the same sort of courage at our work and John had oftener to hold us in than to urge us forward he never had to use the whip with either of us then our paces were much the same and I found it very easy to keep step with her when trotting which made it pleasant and master always liked it when we kept step well and so did John After we had been out two or three times together we grew quite friendly and sociable which made me feel very much at home
As for Merrylegs he and I soon became great friends he was such a cheerful plucky goodtempered little fellow that he was a favorite with every one and especially with Miss Jessie and Flora who used to ride him about in the orchard and have fine games with him and their little dog Frisky
Our master had two other horses that stood in another stable One was Justice a roan cob used for riding or for the luggage cart the other was an old brown hunter named Sir Oliver he was past work now but was a great favorite with the master who gave him the run of the park he sometimes did a little light carting on the estate or carried one of the young ladies when they rode out with their father for he was very gentle and could be trusted with a child as well as Merrylegs The cob was a strong wellmade goodtempered horse and we sometimes had a little chat in the paddock but of course I could not be so intimate with him as with Ginger who stood in the same stable
06 Liberty
I was quite happy in my new place and if there was one thing that I missed it must not be thought I was discontented all who had to do with me were good and I had a light airy stable and the best of food What more could I want Why liberty For three years and a half of my life I had had all the liberty I could wish for but now week after week month after month and no doubt year after year I must stand up in a stable night and day except when I am wanted and then I must be just as steady and quiet as any old horse who has worked twenty years Straps here and straps there a bit in my mouth and blinkers over my eyes Now I am not complaining for I know it must be so I only mean to say that for a young horse full of strength and spirits who has been used to some large field or plain where he can fling up his head and toss up his tail and gallop away at full speed then round and back again with a snort to his companions—I say it is hard never to have a bit more liberty to do as you like Sometimes when I have had less exercise than usual I have felt so full of life and spring that when John has taken me out to exercise I really could not keep quiet do what I would it seemed as if I must jump or dance or prance and many a good shake I know I must have given him especially at the first but he was always good and patient
Steady steady my boy he would say wait a bit and we will have a good swing and soon get the tickle out of your feet Then as soon as we were out of the village he would give me a few miles at a spanking trot and then bring me back as fresh as before only clear of the fidgets as he called them Spirited horses when not enough exercised are often called skittish when it is only play and some grooms will punish them but our John did not he knew it was only high spirits Still he had his own ways of making me understand by the tone of his voice or the touch of the rein If he was very serious and quite determined I always knew it by his voice and that had more power with me than anything else for I was very fond of him
I ought to say that sometimes we had our liberty for a few hours this used to be on fine Sundays in the summertime The carriage never went out on Sundays because the church was not far off
It was a great treat to us to be turned out into the home paddock or the old orchard the grass was so cool and soft to our feet the air so sweet and the freedom to do as we liked was so pleasant—to gallop to lie down and roll over on our backs or to nibble the sweet grass Then it was a very good time for talking as we stood together under the shade of the large chestnut tree
07 Ginger
One day when Ginger and I were standing alone in the shade we had a great deal of talk she wanted to know all about my bringing up and breaking in and I told her
Well said she if I had had your bringing up I might have had as good a temper as you but now I dont believe I ever shall
Why not I said
Because it has been all so different with me she replied I never had any one horse or man that was kind to me or that I cared to please for in the first place I was taken from my mother as soon as I was weaned and put with a lot of other young colts none of them cared for me and I cared for none of them There was no kind master like yours to look after me and talk to me and bring me nice things to eat The man that had the care of us never gave me a kind word in my life I do not mean that he illused me but he did not care for us one bit further than to see that we had plenty to eat and shelter in the winter A footpath ran through our field and very often the great boys passing through would fling stones to make us gallop I was never hit but one fine young colt was badly cut in the face and I should think it would be a scar for life We did not care for them but of course it made us more wild and we settled it in our minds that boys were our enemies We had very good fun in the free meadows galloping up and down and chasing each other round and round the field then standing still under the shade of the trees But when it came to breaking in that was a bad time for me several men came to catch me and when at last they closed me in at one corner of the field one caught me by the forelock another caught me by the nose and held it so tight I could hardly draw my breath then another took my under jaw in his hard hand and wrenched my mouth open and so by force they got on the halter and the bar into my mouth then one dragged me along by the halter another flogging behind and this was the first experience I had of mens kindness it was all force They did not give me a chance to know what they wanted I was high bred and had a great deal of spirit and was very wild no doubt and gave them I dare say plenty of trouble but then it was dreadful to be shut up in a stall day after day instead of having my liberty and I fretted and pined and wanted to get loose You know yourself its bad enough when you have a kind master and plenty of coaxing but there was nothing of that sort for me
There was one—the old master Mr Ryder—who I think could soon have brought me round and could have done anything with me but he had given up all the hard part of the trade to his son and to another experienced man and he only came at times to oversee His son was a strong tall bold man they called him Samson and he used to boast that he had never found a horse that could throw him There was no gentleness in him as there was in his father but only hardness a hard voice a hard eye a hard hand and I felt from the first that what he wanted was to wear all the spirit out of me and just make me into a quiet humble obedient piece of horseflesh Horseflesh Yes that is all that he thought about and Ginger stamped her foot as if the very thought of him made her angry Then she went on
If I did not do exactly what he wanted he would get put out and make me run round with that long rein in the training field till he had tired me out I think he drank a good deal and I am quite sure that the oftener he drank the worse it was for me One day he had worked me hard in every way he could and when I lay down I was tired and miserable and angry it all seemed so hard The next morning he came for me early and ran me round again for a long time I had scarcely had an hours rest when he came again for me with a saddle and bridle and a new kind of bit I could never quite tell how it came about he had only just mounted me on the training ground when something I did put him out of temper and he chucked me hard with the rein The new bit was very painful and I reared up suddenly which angered him still more and he began to flog me I felt my whole spirit set against him and I began to kick and plunge and rear as I had never done before and we had a regular fight for a long time he stuck to the saddle and punished me cruelly with his whip and spurs but my blood was thoroughly up and I cared for nothing he could do if only I could get him off At last after a terrible struggle I threw him off backward I heard him fall heavily on the turf and without looking behind me I galloped off to the other end of the field there I turned round and saw my persecutor slowly rising from the ground and going into the stable I stood under an oak tree and watched but no one came to catch me The time went on and the sun was very hot the flies swarmed round me and settled on my bleeding flanks where the spurs had dug in I felt hungry for I had not eaten since the early morning but there was not enough grass in that meadow for a goose to live on I wanted to lie down and rest but with the saddle strapped tightly on there was no comfort and there was not a drop of water to drink The afternoon wore on and the sun got low I saw the other colts led in and I knew they were having a good feed
At last just as the sun went down I saw the old master come out with a sieve in his hand He was a very fine old gentleman with quite white hair but his voice was what I should know him by among a thousand It was not high nor yet low but full and clear and kind and when he gave orders it was so steady and decided that every one knew both horses and men that he expected to be obeyed He came quietly along now and then shaking the oats about that he had in the sieve and speaking cheerfully and gently to me Come along lassie come along lassie come along come along I stood still and let him come up he held the oats to me and I began to eat without fear his voice took all my fear away He stood by patting and stroking me while I was eating and seeing the clots of blood on my side he seemed very vexed Poor lassie it was a bad business a bad business then he quietly took the rein and led me to the stable just at the door stood Samson I laid my ears back and snapped at him Stand back said the master and keep out of her way youve done a bad days work for this filly He growled out something about a vicious brute Hark ye said the father a badtempered man will never make a goodtempered horse Youve not learned your trade yet Samson Then he led me into my box took off the saddle and bridle with his own hands and tied me up then he called for a pail of warm water and a sponge took off his coat and while the stableman held the pail he sponged my sides a good while so tenderly that I was sure he knew how sore and bruised they were Whoa my pretty one he said stand still stand still His very voice did me good and the bathing was very comfortable The skin was so broken at the corners of my mouth that I could not eat the hay the stalks hurt me He looked closely at it shook his head and told the man to fetch a good bran mash and put some meal into it How good that mash was and so soft and healing to my mouth He stood by all the time I was eating stroking me and talking to the man If a highmettled creature like this said he cant be broken by fair means she will never be good for anything
After that he often came to see me and when my mouth was healed the other breaker Job they called him went on training me he was steady and thoughtful and I soon learned what he wanted
08 Gingers Story Continued
The next time that Ginger and I were together in the paddock she told me about her first place
After my breaking in she said I was bought by a dealer to match another chestnut horse For some weeks he drove us together and then we were sold to a fashionable gentleman and were sent up to London I had been driven with a checkrein by the dealer and I hated it worse than anything else but in this place we were reined far tighter the coachman and his master thinking we looked more stylish so We were often driven about in the park and other fashionable places You who never had a checkrein on dont know what it is but I can tell you it is dreadful
I like to toss my head about and hold it as high as any horse but fancy now yourself if you tossed your head up high and were obliged to hold it there and that for hours together not able to move it at all except with a jerk still higher your neck aching till you did not know how to bear it Besides that to have two bits instead of one—and mine was a sharp one it hurt my tongue and my jaw and the blood from my tongue colored the froth that kept flying from my lips as I chafed and fretted at the bits and rein It was worst when we had to stand by the hour waiting for our mistress at some grand party or entertainment and if I fretted or stamped with impatience the whip was laid on It was enough to drive one mad
Did not your master take any thought for you I said
No said she he only cared to have a stylish turnout as they call it I think he knew very little about horses he left that to his coachman who told him I had an irritable temper that I had not been well broken to the checkrein but I should soon get used to it but he was not the man to do it for when I was in the stable miserable and angry instead of being smoothed and quieted by kindness I got only a surly word or a blow If he had been civil I would have tried to bear it I was willing to work and ready to work hard too but to be tormented for nothing but their fancies angered me What right had they to make me suffer like that Besides the soreness in my mouth and the pain in my neck it always made my windpipe feel bad and if I had stopped there long I know it would have spoiled my breathing but I grew more and more restless and irritable I could not help it and I began to snap and kick when any one came to harness me for this the groom beat me and one day as they had just buckled us into the carriage and were straining my head up with that rein I began to plunge and kick with all my might I soon broke a lot of harness and kicked myself clear so that was an end of that place
After this I was sent to Tattersalls to be sold of course I could not be warranted free from vice so nothing was said about that My handsome appearance and good paces soon brought a gentleman to bid for me and I was bought by another dealer he tried me in all kinds of ways and with different bits and he soon found out what I could not bear At last he drove me quite without a checkrein and then sold me as a perfectly quiet horse to a gentleman in the country he was a good master and I was getting on very well but his old groom left him and a new one came This man was as hardtempered and hardhanded as Samson he always spoke in a rough impatient voice and if I did not move in the stall the moment he wanted me he would hit me above the hocks with his stable broom or the fork whichever he might have in his hand Everything he did was rough and I began to hate him he wanted to make me afraid of him but I was too highmettled for that and one day when he had aggravated me more than usual I bit him which of course put him in a great rage and he began to hit me about the head with a riding whip After that he never dared to come into my stall again either my heels or my teeth were ready for him and he knew it I was quite quiet with my master but of course he listened to what the man said and so I was sold again
The same dealer heard of me and said he thought he knew one place where I should do well Twas a pity he said that such a fine horse should go to the bad for want of a real good chance and the end of it was that I came here not long before you did but I had then made up my mind that men were my natural enemies and that I must defend myself Of course it is very different here but who knows how long it will last I wish I could think about things as you do but I cant after all I have gone through
Well I said I think it would be a real shame if you were to bite or kick John or James
I dont mean to she said while they are good to me I did bite James once pretty sharp but John said Try her with kindness and instead of punishing me as I expected James came to me with his arm bound up and brought me a bran mash and stroked me and I have never snapped at him since and I wont either
I was sorry for Ginger but of course I knew very little then and I thought most likely she made the worst of it however I found that as the weeks went on she grew much more gentle and cheerful and had lost the watchful defiant look that she used to turn on any strange person who came near her and one day James said I do believe that mare is getting fond of me she quite whinnied after me this morning when I had been rubbing her forehead
Ay ay Jim tis the Birtwick balls said John shell be as good as Black Beauty by and by kindness is all the physic she wants poor thing Master noticed the change too and one day when he got out of the carriage and came to speak to us as he often did he stroked her beautiful neck Well my pretty one well how do things go with you now You are a good bit happier than when you came to us I think
She put her nose up to him in a friendly trustful way while he rubbed it gently
We shall make a cure of her John he said
Yes sir shes wonderfully improved shes not the same creature that she was its the Birtwick balls sir said John laughing
This was a little joke of Johns he used to say that a regular course of the Birtwick horseballs would cure almost any vicious horse these balls he said were made up of patience and gentleness firmness and petting one pound of each to be mixed up with half a pint of common sense and given to the horse every day
09 Merrylegs
Mr Blomefield the vicar had a large family of boys and girls sometimes they used to come and play with Miss Jessie and Flora One of the girls was as old as Miss Jessie two of the boys were older and there were several little ones When they came there was plenty of work for Merrylegs for nothing pleased them so much as getting on him by turns and riding him all about the orchard and the home paddock and this they would do by the hour together
One afternoon he had been out with them a long time and when James brought him in and put on his halter he said
There you rogue mind how you behave yourself or we shall get into trouble
What have you been doing Merrylegs I asked
Oh said he tossing his little head I have only been giving those young people a lesson they did not know when they had had enough nor when I had had enough so I just pitched them off backward that was the only thing they could understand
What said I you threw the children off I thought you did know better than that Did you throw Miss Jessie or Miss Flora
He looked very much offended and said
Of course not I would not do such a thing for the best oats that ever came into the stable why I am as careful of our young ladies as the master could be and as for the little ones it is I who teach them to ride When they seem frightened or a little unsteady on my back I go as smooth and as quiet as old pussy when she is after a bird and when they are all right I go on again faster you see just to use them to it so dont you trouble yourself preaching to me I am the best friend and the best ridingmaster those children have It is not them it is the boys boys said he shaking his mane are quite different they must be broken in as we were broken in when we were colts and just be taught whats what The other children had ridden me about for nearly two hours and then the boys thought it was their turn and so it was and I was quite agreeable They rode me by turns and I galloped them about up and down the fields and all about the orchard for a good hour They had each cut a great hazel stick for a ridingwhip and laid it on a little too hard but I took it in good part till at last I thought we had had enough so I stopped two or three times by way of a hint Boys you see think a horse or pony is like a steamengine or a thrashingmachine and can go on as long and as fast as they please they never think that a pony can get tired or have any feelings so as the one who was whipping me could not understand I just rose up on my hind legs and let him slip off behind—that was all He mounted me again and I did the same Then the other boy got up and as soon as he began to use his stick I laid him on the grass and so on till they were able to understand—that was all They are not bad boys they dont wish to be cruel I like them very well but you see I had to give them a lesson When they brought me to James and told him I think he was very angry to see such big sticks He said they were only fit for drovers or gypsies and not for young gentlemen
If I had been you said Ginger I would have given those boys a good kick and that would have given them a lesson
No doubt you would said Merrylegs but then I am not quite such a fool begging your pardon as to anger our master or make James ashamed of me Besides those children are under my charge when they are riding I tell you they are intrusted to me Why only the other day I heard our master say to Mrs Blomefield My dear madam you need not be anxious about the children my old Merrylegs will take as much care of them as you or I could I assure you I would not sell that pony for any money he is so perfectly goodtempered and trustworthy and do you think I am such an ungrateful brute as to forget all the kind treatment I have had here for five years and all the trust they place in me and turn vicious because a couple of ignorant boys used me badly No no you never had a good place where they were kind to you and so you dont know and Im sorry for you but I can tell you good places make good horses I wouldnt vex our people for anything I love them I do said Merrylegs and he gave a low ho ho ho through his nose as he used to do in the morning when he heard James footstep at the door
Besides he went on if I took to kicking where should I be Why sold off in a jiffy and no character and I might find myself slaved about under a butchers boy or worked to death at some seaside place where no one cared for me except to find out how fast I could go or be flogged along in some cart with three or four great men in it going out for a Sunday spree as I have often seen in the place I lived in before I came here no said he shaking his head I hope I shall never come to that
10 A Talk in the Orchard
Ginger and I were not of the regular tall carriage horse breed we had more of the racing blood in us We stood about fifteen and a half hands high we were therefore just as good for riding as we were for driving and our master used to say that he disliked either horse or man that could do but one thing and as he did not want to show off in London parks he preferred a more active and useful kind of horse As for us our greatest pleasure was when we were saddled for a riding party the master on Ginger the mistress on me and the young ladies on Sir Oliver and Merrylegs It was so cheerful to be trotting and cantering all together that it always put us in high spirits I had the best of it for I always carried the mistress her weight was little her voice was sweet and her hand was so light on the rein that I was guided almost without feeling it
Oh if people knew what a comfort to horses a light hand is and how it keeps a good mouth and a good temper they surely would not chuck and drag and pull at the rein as they often do Our mouths are so tender that where they have not been spoiled or hardened with bad or ignorant treatment they feel the slightest movement of the drivers hand and we know in an instant what is required of us My mouth has never been spoiled and I believe that was why the mistress preferred me to Ginger although her paces were certainly quite as good She used often to envy me and said it was all the fault of breaking in and the gag bit in London that her mouth was not so perfect as mine and then old Sir Oliver would say There there dont vex yourself you have the greatest honor a mare that can carry a tall man of our masters weight with all your spring and sprightly action does not need to hold her head down because she does not carry the lady we horses must take things as they come and always be contented and willing so long as we are kindly used
I had often wondered how it was that Sir Oliver had such a very short tail it really was only six or seven inches long with a tassel of hair hanging from it and on one of our holidays in the orchard I ventured to ask him by what accident it was that he had lost his tail Accident he snorted with a fierce look it was no accident it was a cruel shameful coldblooded act When I was young I was taken to a place where these cruel things were done I was tied up and made fast so that I could not stir and then they came and cut off my long and beautiful tail through the flesh and through the bone and took it away
How dreadful I exclaimed
Dreadful ah it was dreadful but it was not only the pain though that was terrible and lasted a long time it was not only the indignity of having my best ornament taken from me though that was bad but it was this how could I ever brush the flies off my sides and my hind legs any more You who have tails just whisk the flies off without thinking about it and you cant tell what a torment it is to have them settle upon you and sting and sting and have nothing in the world to lash them off with I tell you it is a lifelong wrong and a lifelong loss but thank heaven they dont do it now
What did they do it for then said Ginger
For fashion said the old horse with a stamp of his foot for fashion if you know what that means there was not a wellbred young horse in my time that had not his tail docked in that shameful way just as if the good God that made us did not know what we wanted and what looked best
I suppose it is fashion that makes them strap our heads up with those horrid bits that I was tortured with in London said Ginger
Of course it is said he to my mind fashion is one of the wickedest things in the world Now look for instance at the way they serve dogs cutting off their tails to make them look plucky and shearing up their pretty little ears to a point to make them both look sharp forsooth I had a dear friend once a brown terrier Skye they called her She was so fond of me that she never would sleep out of my stall she made her bed under the manger and there she had a litter of five as pretty little puppies as need be none were drowned for they were a valuable kind and how pleased she was with them and when they got their eyes open and crawled about it was a real pretty sight but one day the man came and took them all away I thought he might be afraid I should tread upon them But it was not so in the evening poor Skye brought them back again one by one in her mouth not the happy little things that they were but bleeding and crying pitifully they had all had a piece of their tails cut off and the soft flap of their pretty little ears was cut quite off How their mother licked them and how troubled she was poor thing I never forgot it They healed in time and they forgot the pain but the nice soft flap that of course was intended to protect the delicate part of their ears from dust and injury was gone forever Why dont they cut their own childrens ears into points to make them look sharp Why dont they cut the end off their noses to make them look plucky One would be just as sensible as the other What right have they to torment and disfigure Gods creatures
Sir Oliver though he was so gentle was a fiery old fellow and what he said was all so new to me and so dreadful that I found a bitter feeling toward men rise up in my mind that I never had before Of course Ginger was very much excited she flung up her head with flashing eyes and distended nostrils declaring that men were both brutes and blockheads
Who talks about blockheads said Merrylegs who just came up from the old appletree where he had been rubbing himself against the low branch Who talks about blockheads I believe that is a bad word
Bad words were made for bad things said Ginger and she told him what Sir Oliver had said
It is all true said Merrylegs sadly and Ive seen that about the dogs over and over again where I lived first but we wont talk about it here You know that master and John and James are always good to us and talking against men in such a place as this doesnt seem fair or grateful and you know there are good masters and good grooms beside ours though of course ours are the best
This wise speech of good little Merrylegs which we knew was quite true cooled us all down especially Sir Oliver who was dearly fond of his master and to turn the subject I said Can any one tell me the use of blinkers
No said Sir Oliver shortly because they are no use
They are supposed said Justice the roan cob in his calm way to prevent horses from shying and starting and getting so frightened as to cause accidents
Then what is the reason they do not put them on riding horses especially on ladies horses said I
There is no reason at all said he quietly except the fashion they say that a horse would be so frightened to see the wheels of his own cart or carriage coming behind him that he would be sure to run away although of course when he is ridden he sees them all about him if the streets are crowded I admit they do sometimes come too close to be pleasant but we dont run away we are used to it and understand it and if we never had blinkers put on we should never want them we should see what was there and know what was what and be much less frightened than by only seeing bits of things that we cant understand Of course there may be some nervous horses who have been hurt or frightened when they were young who may be the better for them but as I never was nervous I cant judge
I consider said Sir Oliver that blinkers are dangerous things in the night we horses can see much better in the dark than men can and many an accident would never have happened if horses might have had the full use of their eyes Some years ago I remember there was a hearse with two horses returning one dark night and just by Farmer Sparrows house where the pond is close to the road the wheels went too near the edge and the hearse was overturned into the water both the horses were drowned and the driver hardly escaped Of course after this accident a stout white rail was put up that might be easily seen but if those horses had not been partly blinded they would of themselves have kept further from the edge and no accident would have happened When our masters carriage was overturned before you came here it was said that if the lamp on the left side had not gone out John would have seen the great hole that the roadmakers had left and so he might but if old Colin had not had blinkers on he would have seen it lamp or no lamp for he was far too knowing an old horse to run into danger As it was he was very much hurt the carriage was broken and how John escaped nobody knew
I should say said Ginger curling her nostril that these men who are so wise had better give orders that in the future all foals should be born with their eyes set just in the middle of their foreheads instead of on the side they always think they can improve upon nature and mend what God has made
Things were getting rather sore again when Merrylegs held up his knowing little face and said Ill tell you a secret I believe John does not approve of blinkers I heard him talking with master about it one day The master said that if horses had been used to them it might be dangerous in some cases to leave them off and John said he thought it would be a good thing if all colts were broken in without blinkers as was the case in some foreign countries So let us cheer up and have a run to the other end of the orchard I believe the wind has blown down some apples and we might just as well eat them as the slugs
Merrylegs could not be resisted so we broke off our long conversation and got up our spirits by munching some very sweet apples which lay scattered on the grass
11 Plain Speaking
The longer I lived at Birtwick the more proud and happy I felt at having such a place Our master and mistress were respected and beloved by all who knew them they were good and kind to everybody and everything not only men and women but horses and donkeys dogs and cats cattle and birds there was no oppressed or illused creature that had not a friend in them and their servants took the same tone If any of the village children were known to treat any creature cruelly they soon heard about it from the Hall
The squire and Farmer Grey had worked together as they said for more than twenty years to get checkreins on the carthorses done away with and in our parts you seldom saw them and sometimes if mistress met a heavily laden horse with his head strained up she would stop the carriage and get out and reason with the driver in her sweet serious voice and try to show him how foolish and cruel it was
I dont think any man could withstand our mistress I wish all ladies were like her Our master too used to come down very heavy sometimes I remember he was riding me toward home one morning when we saw a powerful man driving toward us in a light pony chaise with a beautiful little bay pony with slender legs and a highbred sensitive head and face Just as he came to the park gates the little thing turned toward them the man without word or warning wrenched the creatures head round with such a force and suddenness that he nearly threw it on its haunches Recovering itself it was going on when he began to lash it furiously The pony plunged forward but the strong heavy hand held the pretty creature back with force almost enough to break its jaw while the whip still cut into him It was a dreadful sight to me for I knew what fearful pain it gave that delicate little mouth but master gave me the word and we were up with him in a second
Sawyer he cried in a stern voice is that pony made of flesh and blood
Flesh and blood and temper he said hes too fond of his own will and that wont suit me He spoke as if he was in a strong passion He was a builder who had often been to the park on business
And do you think said master sternly that treatment like this will make him fond of your will
He had no business to make that turn his road was straight on said the man roughly
You have often driven that pony up to my place said master it only shows the creatures memory and intelligence how did he know that you were not going there again But that has little to do with it I must say Mr Sawyer that a more unmanly brutal treatment of a little pony it was never my painful lot to witness and by giving way to such passion you injure your own character as much nay more than you injure your horse and remember we shall all have to be judged according to our works whether they be toward man or toward beast
Master rode me home slowly and I could tell by his voice how the thing had grieved him He was just as free to speak to gentlemen of his own rank as to those below him for another day when we were out we met a Captain Langley a friend of our masters he was driving a splendid pair of grays in a kind of break After a little conversation the captain said
What do you think of my new team Mr Douglas You know you are the judge of horses in these parts and I should like your opinion
The master backed me a little so as to get a good view of them They are an uncommonly handsome pair he said and if they are as good as they look I am sure you need not wish for anything better but I see you still hold that pet scheme of yours for worrying your horses and lessening their power
What do you mean said the other the checkreins Oh ah I know thats a hobby of yours well the fact is I like to see my horses hold their heads up
So do I said master as well as any man but I dont like to see them held up that takes all the shine out of it Now you are a military man Langley and no doubt like to see your regiment look well on parade heads up and all that but you would not take much credit for your drill if all your men had their heads tied to a backboard It might not be much harm on parade except to worry and fatigue them but how would it be in a bayonet charge against the enemy when they want the free use of every muscle and all their strength thrown forward I would not give much for their chance of victory And it is just the same with horses you fret and worry their tempers and decrease their power you will not let them throw their weight against their work and so they have to do too much with their joints and muscles and of course it wears them up faster You may depend upon it horses were intended to have their heads free as free as mens are and if we could act a little more according to common sense and a good deal less according to fashion we should find many things work easier besides you know as well as I that if a horse makes a false step he has much less chance of recovering himself if his head and neck are fastened back And now said the master laughing I have given my hobby a good trot out cant you make up your mind to mount him too captain Your example would go a long way
I believe you are right in theory said the other and thats rather a hard hit about the soldiers but—well—Ill think about it and so they parted
12 A Stormy Day
One day late in the autumn my master had a long journey to go on business I was put into the dogcart and John went with his master I always liked to go in the dogcart it was so light and the high wheels ran along so pleasantly There had been a great deal of rain and now the wind was very high and blew the dry leaves across the road in a shower We went along merrily till we came to the tollbar and the low wooden bridge The river banks were rather high and the bridge instead of rising went across just level so that in the middle if the river was full the water would be nearly up to the woodwork and planks but as there were good substantial rails on each side people did not mind it
The man at the gate said the river was rising fast and he feared it would be a bad night Many of the meadows were under water and in one low part of the road the water was halfway up to my knees the bottom was good and master drove gently so it was no matter
When we got to the town of course I had a good bait but as the masters business engaged him a long time we did not start for home till rather late in the afternoon The wind was then much higher and I heard the master say to John that he had never been out in such a storm and so I thought as we went along the skirts of a wood where the great branches were swaying about like twigs and the rushing sound was terrible
I wish we were well out of this wood said my master
Yes sir said John it would be rather awkward if one of these branches came down upon us
The words were scarcely out of his mouth when there was a groan and a crack and a splitting sound and tearing crashing down among the other trees came an oak torn up by the roots and it fell right across the road just before us I will never say I was not frightened for I was I stopped still and I believe I trembled of course I did not turn round or run away I was not brought up to that John jumped out and was in a moment at my head
That was a very near touch said my master Whats to be done now
Well sir we cant drive over that tree nor yet get round it there will be nothing for it but to go back to the four crossways and that will be a good six miles before we get round to the wooden bridge again it will make us late but the horse is fresh
So back we went and round by the crossroads but by the time we got to the bridge it was very nearly dark we could just see that the water was over the middle of it but as that happened sometimes when the floods were out master did not stop We were going along at a good pace but the moment my feet touched the first part of the bridge I felt sure there was something wrong I dare not go forward and I made a dead stop Go on Beauty said my master and he gave me a touch with the whip but I dare not stir he gave me a sharp cut I jumped but I dare not go forward
Theres something wrong sir said John and he sprang out of the dogcart and came to my head and looked all about He tried to lead me forward Come on Beauty whats the matter Of course I could not tell him but I knew very well that the bridge was not safe
Just then the man at the tollgate on the other side ran out of the house tossing a torch about like one mad
Hoy hoy hoy halloo stop he cried
Whats the matter shouted my master
The bridge is broken in the middle and part of it is carried away if you come on youll be into the river
Thank God said my master You Beauty said John and took the bridle and gently turned me round to the righthand road by the river side The sun had set some time the wind seemed to have lulled off after that furious blast which tore up the tree It grew darker and darker stiller and stiller I trotted quietly along the wheels hardly making a sound on the soft road For a good while neither master nor John spoke and then master began in a serious voice I could not understand much of what they said but I found they thought if I had gone on as the master wanted me most likely the bridge would have given way under us and horse chaise master and man would have fallen into the river and as the current was flowing very strongly and there was no light and no help at hand it was more than likely we should all have been drowned Master said God had given men reason by which they could find out things for themselves but he had given animals knowledge which did not depend on reason and which was much more prompt and perfect in its way and by which they had often saved the lives of men John had many stories to tell of dogs and horses and the wonderful things they had done he thought people did not value their animals half enough nor make friends of them as they ought to do I am sure he makes friends of them if ever a man did
At last we came to the park gates and found the gardener looking out for us He said that mistress had been in a dreadful way ever since dark fearing some accident had happened and that she had sent James off on Justice the roan cob toward the wooden bridge to make inquiry after us
We saw a light at the halldoor and at the upper windows and as we came up mistress ran out saying Are you really safe my dear Oh I have been so anxious fancying all sorts of things Have you had no accident
No my dear but if your Black Beauty had not been wiser than we were we should all have been carried down the river at the wooden bridge I heard no more as they went into the house and John took me to the stable Oh what a good supper he gave me that night a good bran mash and some crushed beans with my oats and such a thick bed of straw and I was glad of it for I was tired
13 The Devils Trade Mark
One day when John and I had been out on some business of our masters and were returning gently on a long straight road at some distance we saw a boy trying to leap a pony over a gate the pony would not take the leap and the boy cut him with the whip but he only turned off on one side He whipped him again but the pony turned off on the other side Then the boy got off and gave him a hard thrashing and knocked him about the head then he got up again and tried to make him leap the gate kicking him all the time shamefully but still the pony refused When we were nearly at the spot the pony put down his head and threw up his heels and sent the boy neatly over into a broad quickset hedge and with the rein dangling from his head he set off home at a full gallop John laughed out quite loud Served him right he said
Oh oh oh cried the boy as he struggled about among the thorns I say come and help me out
Thank ye said John I think you are quite in the right place and maybe a little scratching will teach you not to leap a pony over a gate that is too high for him and so with that John rode off It may be said he to himself that young fellow is a liar as well as a cruel one well just go home by Farmer Bushbys Beauty and then if anybody wants to know you and I can tell em ye see So we turned off to the right and soon came up to the stackyard and within sight of the house The farmer was hurrying out into the road and his wife was standing at the gate looking very frightened
Have you seen my boy said Mr Bushby as we came up he went out an hour ago on my black pony and the creature is just come back without a rider
I should think sir said John he had better be without a rider unless he can be ridden properly
What do you mean said the farmer
Well sir I saw your son whipping and kicking and knocking that good little pony about shamefully because he would not leap a gate that was too high for him The pony behaved well sir and showed no vice but at last he just threw up his heels and tipped the young gentleman into the thorn hedge He wanted me to help him out but I hope you will excuse me sir I did not feel inclined to do so Theres no bones broken sir hell only get a few scratches I love horses and it riles me to see them badly used it is a bad plan to aggravate an animal till he uses his heels the first time is not always the last
During this time the mother began to cry Oh my poor Bill I must go and meet him he must be hurt
You had better go into the house wife said the farmer Bill wants a lesson about this and I must see that he gets it this is not the first time nor the second that he has illused that pony and I shall stop it I am much obliged to you Manly Goodevening
So we went on John chuckling all the way home then he told James about it who laughed and said Serve him right I knew that boy at school he took great airs on himself because he was a farmers son he used to swagger about and bully the little boys Of course we elder ones would not have any of that nonsense and let him know that in the school and the playground farmers sons and laborers sons were all alike I well remember one day just before afternoon school I found him at the large window catching flies and pulling off their wings He did not see me and I gave him a box on the ears that laid him sprawling on the floor Well angry as I was I was almost frightened he roared and bellowed in such a style The boys rushed in from the playground and the master ran in from the road to see who was being murdered Of course I said fair and square at once what I had done and why then I showed the master the flies some crushed and some crawling about helpless and I showed him the wings on the window sill I never saw him so angry before but as Bill was still howling and whining like the coward that he was he did not give him any more punishment of that kind but set him up on a stool for the rest of the afternoon and said that he should not go out to play for that week Then he talked to all the boys very seriously about cruelty and said how hardhearted and cowardly it was to hurt the weak and the helpless but what stuck in my mind was this he said that cruelty was the devils own trademark and if we saw any one who took pleasure in cruelty we might know who he belonged to for the devil was a murderer from the beginning and a tormentor to the end On the other hand where we saw people who loved their neighbors and were kind to man and beast we might know that was Gods mark
Your master never taught you a truer thing said John there is no religion without love and people may talk as much as they like about their religion but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast it is all a sham—all a sham James and it wont stand when things come to be turned inside out
14 James Howard
Early one morning in December John had just led me into my box after my daily exercise and was strapping my cloth on and James was coming in from the corn chamber with some oats when the master came into the stable He looked rather serious and held an open letter in his hand John fastened the door of my box touched his cap and waited for orders
Goodmorning John said the master I want to know if you have any complaint to make of James
Complaint sir No sir
Is he industrious at his work and respectful to you
Yes sir always
You never find he slights his work when your back is turned
Never sir
Thats well but I must put another question Have you no reason to suspect when he goes out with the horses to exercise them or to take a message that he stops about talking to his acquaintances or goes into houses where he has no business leaving the horses outside
No sir certainly not and if anybody has been saying that about James I dont believe it and I dont mean to believe it unless I have it fairly proved before witnesses its not for me to say who has been trying to take away James character but I will say this sir that a steadier pleasanter honester smarter young fellow I never had in this stable I can trust his word and I can trust his work he is gentle and clever with the horses and I would rather have them in charge with him than with half the young fellows I know of in laced hats and liveries and whoever wants a character of James Howard said John with a decided jerk of his head let them come to John Manly
The master stood all this time grave and attentive but as John finished his speech a broad smile spread over his face and looking kindly across at James who all this time had stood still at the door he said James my lad set down the oats and come here I am very glad to find that Johns opinion of your character agrees so exactly with my own John is a cautious man he said with a droll smile and it is not always easy to get his opinion about people so I thought if I beat the bush on this side the birds would fly out and I should learn what I wanted to know quickly so now we will come to business I have a letter from my brotherinlaw Sir Clifford Williams of Clifford Hall He wants me to find him a trustworthy young groom about twenty or twentyone who knows his business His old coachman who has lived with him thirty years is getting feeble and he wants a man to work with him and get into his ways who would be able when the old man was pensioned off to step into his place He would have eighteen shillings a week at first a stable suit a driving suit a bedroom over the coachhouse and a boy under him Sir Clifford is a good master and if you could get the place it would be a good start for you I dont want to part with you and if you left us I know John would lose his right hand
That I should sir said John but I would not stand in his light for the world
How old are you James said master
Nineteen next May sir
Thats young what do you think John
Well sir it is young but he is as steady as a man and is strong and well grown and though he has not had much experience in driving he has a light firm hand and a quick eye and he is very careful and I am quite sure no horse of his will be ruined for want of having his feet and shoes looked after
Your word will go the furthest John said the master for Sir Clifford adds in a postscript If I could find a man trained by your John I should like him better than any other so James lad think it over talk to your mother at dinnertime and then let me know what you wish
In a few days after this conversation it was fully settled that James should go to Clifford Hall in a month or six weeks as it suited his master and in the meantime he was to get all the practice in driving that could be given to him I never knew the carriage to go out so often before when the mistress did not go out the master drove himself in the twowheeled chaise but now whether it was master or the young ladies or only an errand Ginger and I were put in the carriage and James drove us At the first John rode with him on the box telling him this and that and after that James drove alone
Then it was wonderful what a number of places the master would go to in the city on Saturday and what queer streets we were driven through He was sure to go to the railway station just as the train was coming in and cabs and carriages carts and omnibuses were all trying to get over the bridge together that bridge wanted good horses and good drivers when the railway bell was ringing for it was narrow and there was a very sharp turn up to the station where it would not have been at all difficult for people to run into each other if they did not look sharp and keep their wits about them
15 The Old Hostler
After this it was decided by my master and mistress to pay a visit to some friends who lived about fortysix miles from our home and James was to drive them The first day we traveled thirtytwo miles There were some long heavy hills but James drove so carefully and thoughtfully that we were not at all harassed He never forgot to put on the brake as we went downhill nor to take it off at the right place He kept our feet on the smoothest part of the road and if the uphill was very long he set the carriage wheels a little across the road so as not to run back and gave us a breathing All these little things help a horse very much particularly if he gets kind words into the bargain
We stopped once or twice on the road and just as the sun was going down we reached the town where we were to spend the night We stopped at the principal hotel which was in the marketplace it was a very large one we drove under an archway into a long yard at the further end of which were the stables and coachhouses Two hostlers came to take us out The head hostler was a pleasant active little man with a crooked leg and a yellow striped waistcoat I never saw a man unbuckle harness so quickly as he did and with a pat and a good word he led me to a long stable with six or eight stalls in it and two or three horses The other man brought Ginger James stood by while we were rubbed down and cleaned
I never was cleaned so lightly and quickly as by that little old man When he had done James stepped up and felt me over as if he thought I could not be thoroughly done but he found my coat as clean and smooth as silk
Well he said I thought I was pretty quick and our John quicker still but you do beat all I ever saw for being quick and thorough at the same time
Practice makes perfect said the crooked little hostler and twould be a pity if it didnt forty years practice and not perfect ha ha that would be a pity and as to being quick why bless you that is only a matter of habit if you get into the habit of being quick it is just as easy as being slow easier I should say in fact it dont agree with my health to be hulking about over a job twice as long as it need take Bless you I couldnt whistle if I crawled over my work as some folks do You see I have been about horses ever since I was twelve years old in hunting stables and racing stables and being small ye see I was jockey for several years but at the Goodwood ye see the turf was very slippery and my poor Larkspur got a fall and I broke my knee and so of course I was of no more use there But I could not live without horses of course I couldnt so I took to the hotels And I can tell ye it is a downright pleasure to handle an animal like this wellbred wellmannered wellcaredfor bless ye I can tell how a horse is treated Give me the handling of a horse for twenty minutes and Ill tell you what sort of a groom he has had Look at this one pleasant quiet turns about just as you want him holds up his feet to be cleaned out or anything else you please to wish then youll find another fidgety fretty wont move the right way or starts across the stall tosses up his head as soon as you come near him lays his ears and seems afraid of you or else squares about at you with his heels Poor things I know what sort of treatment they have had If they are timid it makes them start or shy if they are highmettled it makes them vicious or dangerous their tempers are mostly made when they are young Bless you they are like children train em up in the way they should go as the good book says and when they are old they will not depart from it if they have a chance
I like to hear you talk said James thats the way we lay it down at home at our masters
Who is your master young man if it be a proper question I should judge he is a good one from what I see
He is Squire Gordon of Birtwick Park the other side the Beacon Hills said James
Ah so so I have heard tell of him fine judge of horses aint he the best rider in the county
I believe he is said James but he rides very little now since the poor young master was killed
Ah poor gentleman I read all about it in the paper at the time A fine horse killed too wasnt there
Yes said James he was a splendid creature brother to this one and just like him
Pity pity said the old man twas a bad place to leap if I remember a thin fence at top a steep bank down to the stream wasnt it No chance for a horse to see where he is going Now I am for bold riding as much as any man but still there are some leaps that only a very knowing old huntsman has any right to take A mans life and a horses life are worth more than a foxs tail at least I should say they ought to be
During this time the other man had finished Ginger and had brought our corn and James and the old man left the stable together
16 The Fire
Later on in the evening a travelers horse was brought in by the second hostler and while he was cleaning him a young man with a pipe in his mouth lounged into the stable to gossip
I say Towler said the hostler just run up the ladder into the loft and put some hay down into this horses rack will you only lay down your pipe
All right said the other and went up through the trapdoor and I heard him step across the floor overhead and put down the hay James came in to look at us the last thing and then the door was locked
I cannot say how long I had slept nor what time in the night it was but I woke up very uncomfortable though I hardly knew why I got up the air seemed all thick and choking I heard Ginger coughing and one of the other horses seemed very restless it was quite dark and I could see nothing but the stable seemed full of smoke and I hardly knew how to breathe
The trapdoor had been left open and I thought that was the place it came through I listened and heard a soft rushing sort of noise and a low crackling and snapping I did not know what it was but there was something in the sound so strange that it made me tremble all over The other horses were all awake some were pulling at their halters others stamping
At last I heard steps outside and the hostler who had put up the travelers horse burst into the stable with a lantern and began to untie the horses and try to lead them out but he seemed in such a hurry and so frightened himself that he frightened me still more The first horse would not go with him he tried the second and third and they too would not stir He came to me next and tried to drag me out of the stall by force of course that was no use He tried us all by turns and then left the stable
No doubt we were very foolish but danger seemed to be all round and there was nobody we knew to trust in and all was strange and uncertain The fresh air that had come in through the open door made it easier to breathe but the rushing sound overhead grew louder and as I looked upward through the bars of my empty rack I saw a red light flickering on the wall Then I heard a cry of Fire outside and the old hostler quietly and quickly came in he got one horse out and went to another but the flames were playing round the trapdoor and the roaring overhead was dreadful
The next thing I heard was James voice quiet and cheery as it always was
Come my beauties it is time for us to be off so wake up and come along I stood nearest the door so he came to me first patting me as he came in
Come Beauty on with your bridle my boy well soon be out of this smother It was on in no time then he took the scarf off his neck and tied it lightly over my eyes and patting and coaxing he led me out of the stable Safe in the yard he slipped the scarf off my eyes and shouted Here somebody take this horse while I go back for the other
A tall broad man stepped forward and took me and James darted back into the stable I set up a shrill whinny as I saw him go Ginger told me afterward that whinny was the best thing I could have done for her for had she not heard me outside she would never have had courage to come out
There was much confusion in the yard the horses being got out of other stables and the carriages and gigs being pulled out of houses and sheds lest the flames should spread further On the other side the yard windows were thrown up and people were shouting all sorts of things but I kept my eye fixed on the stable door where the smoke poured out thicker than ever and I could see flashes of red light presently I heard above all the stir and din a loud clear voice which I knew was masters
James Howard James Howard Are you there There was no answer but I heard a crash of something falling in the stable and the next moment I gave a loud joyful neigh for I saw James coming through the smoke leading Ginger with him she was coughing violently and he was not able to speak
My brave lad said master laying his hand on his shoulder are you hurt
James shook his head for he could not yet speak
Ay said the big man who held me he is a brave lad and no mistake
And now said master when you have got your breath James well get out of this place as quickly as we can and we were moving toward the entry when from the marketplace there came a sound of galloping feet and loud rumbling wheels
Tis the fireengine the fireengine shouted two or three voices stand back make way and clattering and thundering over the stones two horses dashed into the yard with a heavy engine behind them The firemen leaped to the ground there was no need to ask where the fire was—it was rolling up in a great blaze from the roof
We got out as fast as we could into the broad quiet marketplace the stars were shining and except the noise behind us all was still Master led the way to a large hotel on the other side and as soon as the hostler came he said James I must now hasten to your mistress I trust the horses entirely to you order whatever you think is needed and with that he was gone The master did not run but I never saw mortal man walk so fast as he did that night
There was a dreadful sound before we got into our stalls—the shrieks of those poor horses that were left burning to death in the stable—it was very terrible and made both Ginger and me feel very bad We however were taken in and well done by
The next morning the master came to see how we were and to speak to James I did not hear much for the hostler was rubbing me down but I could see that James looked very happy and I thought the master was proud of him Our mistress had been so much alarmed in the night that the journey was put off till the afternoon so James had the morning on hand and went first to the inn to see about our harness and the carriage and then to hear more about the fire When he came back we heard him tell the hostler about it At first no one could guess how the fire had been caused but at last a man said he saw Dick Towler go into the stable with a pipe in his mouth and when he came out he had not one and went to the tap for another Then the under hostler said he had asked Dick to go up the ladder to put down some hay but told him to lay down his pipe first Dick denied taking the pipe with him but no one believed him I remember our John Manlys rule never to allow a pipe in the stable and thought it ought to be the rule everywhere
James said the roof and floor had all fallen in and that only the black walls were standing the two poor horses that could not be got out were buried under the burnt rafters and tiles
17 John Manlys Talk
The rest of our journey was very easy and a little after sunset we reached the house of my masters friend We were taken into a clean snug stable there was a kind coachman who made us very comfortable and who seemed to think a good deal of James when he heard about the fire
There is one thing quite clear young man he said your horses know who they can trust it is one of the hardest things in the world to get horses out of a stable when there is either fire or flood I dont know why they wont come out but they wont—not one in twenty
We stopped two or three days at this place and then returned home All went well on the journey we were glad to be in our own stable again and John was equally glad to see us
Before he and James left us for the night James said I wonder who is coming in my place
Little Joe Green at the lodge said John
Little Joe Green why hes a child
He is fourteen and a half said John
But he is such a little chap
Yes he is small but he is quick and willing and kindhearted too and then he wishes very much to come and his father would like it and I know the master would like to give him the chance He said if I thought he would not do he would look out for a bigger boy but I said I was quite agreeable to try him for six weeks
Six weeks said James why it will be six months before he can be of much use It will make you a deal of work John
Well said John with a laugh work and I are very good friends I never was afraid of work yet
You are a very good man said James I wish I may ever be like you
I dont often speak of myself said John but as you are going away from us out into the world to shift for yourself Ill just tell you how I look on these things I was just as old as Joseph when my father and mother died of the fever within ten days of each other and left me and my cripple sister Nelly alone in the world without a relation that we could look to for help I was a farmers boy not earning enough to keep myself much less both of us and she must have gone to the workhouse but for our mistress Nelly calls her her angel and she has good right to do so She went and hired a room for her with old Widow Mallet and she gave her knitting and needlework when she was able to do it and when she was ill she sent her dinners and many nice comfortable things and was like a mother to her Then the master he took me into the stable under old Norman the coachman that was then I had my food at the house and my bed in the loft and a suit of clothes and three shillings a week so that I could help Nelly Then there was Norman he might have turned round and said at his age he could not be troubled with a raw boy from the plowtail but he was like a father to me and took no end of pains with me When the old man died some years after I stepped into his place and now of course I have top wages and can lay by for a rainy day or a sunny day as it may happen and Nelly is as happy as a bird So you see James I am not the man that should turn up his nose at a little boy and vex a good kind master No no I shall miss you very much James but we shall pull through and theres nothing like doing a kindness when tis put in your way and I am glad I can do it
Then said James you dont hold with that saying Everybody look after himself and take care of number one
No indeed said John where should I and Nelly have been if master and mistress and old Norman had only taken care of number one Why she in the workhouse and I hoeing turnips Where would Black Beauty and Ginger have been if you had only thought of number one why roasted to death No Jim no that is a selfish heathenish saying whoever uses it and any man who thinks he has nothing to do but take care of number one why its a pity but what he had been drowned like a puppy or a kitten before he got his eyes open thats what I think said John with a very decided jerk of his head
James laughed at this but there was a thickness in his voice when he said You have been my best friend except my mother I hope you wont forget me
No lad no said John and if ever I can do you a good turn I hope you wont forget me
The next day Joe came to the stables to learn all he could before James left He learned to sweep the stable to bring in the straw and hay he began to clean the harness and helped to wash the carriage As he was quite too short to do anything in the way of grooming Ginger and me James taught him upon Merrylegs for he was to have full charge of him under John He was a nice little bright fellow and always came whistling to his work
Merrylegs was a good deal put out at being mauled about as he said by a boy who knew nothing but toward the end of the second week he told me confidentially that he thought the boy would turn out well
At last the day came when James had to leave us cheerful as he always was he looked quite downhearted that morning
You see he said to John I am leaving a great deal behind my mother and Betsy and you and a good master and mistress and then the horses and my old Merrylegs At the new place there will not be a soul that I shall know If it were not that I shall get a higher place and be able to help my mother better I dont think I should have made up my mind to it it is a real pinch John
Ay James lad so it is but I should not think much of you if you could leave your home for the first time and not feel it Cheer up youll make friends there and if you get on well as I am sure you will it will be a fine thing for your mother and she will be proud enough that you have got into such a good place as that
So John cheered him up but every one was sorry to lose James as for Merrylegs he pined after him for several days and went quite off his appetite So John took him out several mornings with a leading rein when he exercised me and trotting and galloping by my side got up the little fellows spirits again and he was soon all right
Joes father would often come in and give a little help as he understood the work and Joe took a great deal of pains to learn and John was quite encouraged about him
18 Going for the Doctor
One night a few days after James had left I had eaten my hay and was lying down in my straw fast asleep when I was suddenly roused by the stable bell ringing very loud I heard the door of Johns house open and his feet running up to the hall He was back again in no time he unlocked the stable door and came in calling out Wake up Beauty You must go well now if ever you did and almost before I could think he had got the saddle on my back and the bridle on my head He just ran round for his coat and then took me at a quick trot up to the hall door The squire stood there with a lamp in his hand
Now John he said ride for your life—that is for your mistress life there is not a moment to lose Give this note to Dr White give your horse a rest at the inn and be back as soon as you can
John said Yes sir and was on my back in a minute The gardener who lived at the lodge had heard the bell ring and was ready with the gate open and away we went through the park and through the village and down the hill till we came to the tollgate John called very loud and thumped upon the door the man was soon out and flung open the gate
Now said John do you keep the gate open for the doctor heres the money and off he went again
There was before us a long piece of level road by the river side John said to me Now Beauty do your best and so I did I wanted no whip nor spur and for two miles I galloped as fast as I could lay my feet to the ground I dont believe that my old grandfather who won the race at Newmarket could have gone faster When we came to the bridge John pulled me up a little and patted my neck Well done Beauty good old fellow he said He would have let me go slower but my spirit was up and I was off again as fast as before The air was frosty the moon was bright it was very pleasant We came through a village then through a dark wood then uphill then downhill till after eight miles run we came to the town through the streets and into the marketplace It was all quite still except the clatter of my feet on the stones—everybody was asleep The church clock struck three as we drew up at Dr Whites door John rang the bell twice and then knocked at the door like thunder A window was thrown up and Dr White in his nightcap put his head out and said What do you want
Mrs Gordon is very ill sir master wants you to go at once he thinks she will die if you cannot get there Here is a note
Wait he said I will come
He shut the window and was soon at the door
The worst of it is he said that my horse has been out all day and is quite done up my son has just been sent for and he has taken the other What is to be done Can I have your horse
He has come at a gallop nearly all the way sir and I was to give him a rest here but I think my master would not be against it if you think fit sir
All right he said I will soon be ready
John stood by me and stroked my neck I was very hot The doctor came out with his ridingwhip
You need not take that sir said John Black Beauty will go till he drops Take care of him sir if you can I should not like any harm to come to him
No no John said the doctor I hope not and in a minute we had left John far behind
I will not tell about our way back The doctor was a heavier man than John and not so good a rider however I did my very best The man at the tollgate had it open When we came to the hill the doctor drew me up Now my good fellow he said take some breath I was glad he did for I was nearly spent but that breathing helped me on and soon we were in the park Joe was at the lodge gate my master was at the hall door for he had heard us coming He spoke not a word the doctor went into the house with him and Joe led me to the stable I was glad to get home my legs shook under me and I could only stand and pant I had not a dry hair on my body the water ran down my legs and I steamed all over Joe used to say like a pot on the fire Poor Joe he was young and small and as yet he knew very little and his father who would have helped him had been sent to the next village but I am sure he did the very best he knew He rubbed my legs and my chest but he did not put my warm cloth on me he thought I was so hot I should not like it Then he gave me a pailful of water to drink it was cold and very good and I drank it all then he gave me some hay and some corn and thinking he had done right he went away Soon I began to shake and tremble and turned deadly cold my legs ached my loins ached and my chest ached and I felt sore all over Oh how I wished for my warm thick cloth as I stood and trembled I wished for John but he had eight miles to walk so I lay down in my straw and tried to go to sleep After a long while I heard John at the door I gave a low moan for I was in great pain He was at my side in a moment stooping down by me I could not tell him how I felt but he seemed to know it all he covered me up with two or three warm cloths and then ran to the house for some hot water he made me some warm gruel which I drank and then I think I went to sleep
John seemed to be very much put out I heard him say to himself over and over again Stupid boy stupid boy no cloth put on and I dare say the water was cold too boys are no good but Joe was a good boy after all
I was now very ill a strong inflammation had attacked my lungs and I could not draw my breath without pain John nursed me night and day he would get up two or three times in the night to come to me My master too often came to see me My poor Beauty he said one day my good horse you saved your mistress life Beauty yes you saved her life I was very glad to hear that for it seems the doctor had said if we had been a little longer it would have been too late John told my master he never saw a horse go so fast in his life It seemed as if the horse knew what was the matter Of course I did though John thought not at least I knew as much as this—that John and I must go at the top of our speed and that it was for the sake of the mistress
19 Only Ignorance
I do not know how long I was ill Mr Bond the horsedoctor came every day One day he bled me John held a pail for the blood I felt very faint after it and thought I should die and I believe they all thought so too
Ginger and Merrylegs had been moved into the other stable so that I might be quiet for the fever made me very quick of hearing any little noise seemed quite loud and I could tell every ones footstep going to and from the house I knew all that was going on One night John had to give me a draught Thomas Green came in to help him After I had taken it and John had made me as comfortable as he could he said he should stay half an hour to see how the medicine settled Thomas said he would stay with him so they went and sat down on a bench that had been brought into Merrylegs stall and put down the lantern at their feet that I might not be disturbed with the light
For awhile both men sat silent and then Tom Green said in a low voice
I wish John youd say a bit of a kind word to Joe The boy is quite brokenhearted he cant eat his meals and he cant smile He says he knows it was all his fault though he is sure he did the best he knew and he says if Beauty dies no one will ever speak to him again It goes to my heart to hear him I think you might give him just a word he is not a bad boy
After a short pause John said slowly You must not be too hard upon me Tom I know he meant no harm I never said he did I know he is not a bad boy But you see I am sore myself that horse is the pride of my heart to say nothing of his being such a favorite with the master and mistress and to think that his life may be flung away in this manner is more than I can bear But if you think I am hard on the boy I will try to give him a good word tomorrow—that is I mean if Beauty is better
Well John thank you I knew you did not wish to be too hard and I am glad you see it was only ignorance
Johns voice almost startled me as he answered
Only ignorance only ignorance how can you talk about only ignorance Dont you know that it is the worst thing in the world next to wickedness—and which does the most mischief heaven only knows If people can say Oh I did not know I did not mean any harm they think it is all right I suppose Martha Mulwash did not mean to kill that baby when she dosed it with Dalby and soothing syrups but she did kill it and was tried for manslaughter
And serve her right too said Tom A woman should not undertake to nurse a tender little child without knowing what is good and what is bad for it
Bill Starkey continued John did not mean to frighten his brother into fits when he dressed up like a ghost and ran after him in the moonlight but he did and that bright handsome little fellow that might have been the pride of any mothers heart is just no better than an idiot and never will be if he lives to be eighty years old You were a good deal cut up yourself Tom two weeks ago when those young ladies left your hothouse door open with a frosty east wind blowing right in you said it killed a good many of your plants
A good many said Tom there was not one of the tender cuttings that was not nipped off I shall have to strike all over again and the worst of it is that I dont know where to go to get fresh ones I was nearly mad when I came in and saw what was done
And yet said John I am sure the young ladies did not mean it it was only ignorance
I heard no more of this conversation for the medicine did well and sent me to sleep and in the morning I felt much better but I often thought of Johns words when I came to know more of the world
20 Joe Green
Joe Green went on very well he learned quickly and was so attentive and careful that John began to trust him in many things but as I have said he was small of his age and it was seldom that he was allowed to exercise either Ginger or me but it so happened one morning that John was out with Justice in the luggage cart and the master wanted a note to be taken immediately to a gentlemans house about three miles distant and sent his orders for Joe to saddle me and take it adding the caution that he was to ride steadily
The note was delivered and we were quietly returning when we came to the brickfield Here we saw a cart heavily laden with bricks the wheels had stuck fast in the stiff mud of some deep ruts and the carter was shouting and flogging the two horses unmercifully Joe pulled up It was a sad sight There were the two horses straining and struggling with all their might to drag the cart out but they could not move it the sweat streamed from their legs and flanks their sides heaved and every muscle was strained while the man fiercely pulling at the head of the fore horse swore and lashed most brutally
Hold hard said Joe dont go on flogging the horses like that the wheels are so stuck that they cannot move the cart
The man took no heed but went on lashing
Stop pray stop said Joe Ill help you to lighten the cart they cant move it now
Mind your own business you impudent young rascal and Ill mind mine The man was in a towering passion and the worse for drink and laid on the whip again Joe turned my head and the next moment we were going at a round gallop toward the house of the master brickmaker I cannot say if John would have approved of our pace but Joe and I were both of one mind and so angry that we could not have gone slower
The house stood close by the roadside Joe knocked at the door and shouted Halloo Is Mr Clay at home The door was opened and Mr Clay himself came out
Halloo young man You seem in a hurry any orders from the squire this morning
No Mr Clay but theres a fellow in your brickyard flogging two horses to death I told him to stop and he wouldnt I said Id help him to lighten the cart and he wouldnt so I have come to tell you Pray sir go Joes voice shook with excitement
Thank ye my lad said the man running in for his hat then pausing for a moment Will you give evidence of what you saw if I should bring the fellow up before a magistrate
That I will said Joe and glad too The man was gone and we were on our way home at a smart trot
Why whats the matter with you Joe You look angry all over said John as the boy flung himself from the saddle
I am angry all over I can tell you said the boy and then in hurried excited words he told all that had happened Joe was usually such a quiet gentle little fellow that it was wonderful to see him so roused
Right Joe you did right my boy whether the fellow gets a summons or not Many folks would have ridden by and said it was not their business to interfere Now I say that with cruelty and oppression it is everybodys business to interfere when they see it you did right my boy
Joe was quite calm by this time and proud that John approved of him and cleaned out my feet and rubbed me down with a firmer hand than usual
They were just going home to dinner when the footman came down to the stable to say that Joe was wanted directly in masters private room there was a man brought up for illusing horses and Joes evidence was wanted The boy flushed up to his forehead and his eyes sparkled They shall have it said he
Put yourself a bit straight said John Joe gave a pull at his necktie and a twitch at his jacket and was off in a moment Our master being one of the county magistrates cases were often brought to him to settle or say what should be done In the stable we heard no more for some time as it was the mens dinner hour but when Joe came next into the stable I saw he was in high spirits he gave me a goodnatured slap and said We wont see such things done will we old fellow We heard afterward that he had given his evidence so clearly and the horses were in such an exhausted state bearing marks of such brutal usage that the carter was committed to take his trial and might possibly be sentenced to two or three months in prison
It was wonderful what a change had come over Joe John laughed and said he had grown an inch taller in that week and I believe he had He was just as kind and gentle as before but there was more purpose and determination in all that he did—as if he had jumped at once from a boy into a man
21 The Parting
Now I had lived in this happy place three years but sad changes were about to come over us We heard from time to time that our mistress was ill The doctor was often at the house and the master looked grave and anxious Then we heard that she must leave her home at once and go to a warm country for two or three years The news fell upon the household like the tolling of a deathbell Everybody was sorry but the master began directly to make arrangements for breaking up his establishment and leaving England We used to hear it talked about in our stable indeed nothing else was talked about
John went about his work silent and sad and Joe scarcely whistled There was a great deal of coming and going Ginger and I had full work
The first of the party who went were Miss Jessie and Flora with their governess They came to bid us goodby They hugged poor Merrylegs like an old friend and so indeed he was Then we heard what had been arranged for us Master had sold Ginger and me to his old friend the Earl of W—— for he thought we should have a good place there Merrylegs he had given to the vicar who was wanting a pony for Mrs Blomefield but it was on the condition that he should never be sold and that when he was past work he should be shot and buried
Joe was engaged to take care of him and to help in the house so I thought that Merrylegs was well off John had the offer of several good places but he said he should wait a little and look round
The evening before they left the master came into the stable to give some directions and to give his horses the last pat He seemed very lowspirited I knew that by his voice I believe we horses can tell more by the voice than many men can
Have you decided what to do John he said I find you have not accepted either of those offers
No sir I have made up my mind that if I could get a situation with some firstrate coltbreaker and horsetrainer it would be the right thing for me Many young animals are frightened and spoiled by wrong treatment which need not be if the right man took them in hand I always get on well with horses and if I could help some of them to a fair start I should feel as if I was doing some good What do you think of it sir
I dont know a man anywhere said master that I should think so suitable for it as yourself You understand horses and somehow they understand you and in time you might set up for yourself I think you could not do better If in any way I can help you write to me I shall speak to my agent in London and leave your character with him
Master gave John the name and address and then he thanked him for his long and faithful service but that was too much for John Pray dont sir I cant bear it you and my dear mistress have done so much for me that I could never repay it But we shall never forget you sir and please God we may some day see mistress back again like herself we must keep up hope sir Master gave John his hand but he did not speak and they both left the stable
The last sad day had come the footman and the heavy luggage had gone off the day before and there were only master and mistress and her maid Ginger and I brought the carriage up to the hall door for the last time The servants brought out cushions and rugs and many other things and when all were arranged master came down the steps carrying the mistress in his arms I was on the side next to the house and could see all that went on he placed her carefully in the carriage while the house servants stood round crying
Goodby again he said we shall not forget any of you and he got in Drive on John
Joe jumped up and we trotted slowly through the park and through the village where the people were standing at their doors to have a last look and to say God bless them
When we reached the railway station I think mistress walked from the carriage to the waitingroom I heard her say in her own sweet voice Goodby John God bless you I felt the rein twitch but John made no answer perhaps he could not speak As soon as Joe had taken the things out of the carriage John called him to stand by the horses while he went on the platform Poor Joe he stood close up to our heads to hide his tears Very soon the train came puffing up into the station then two or three minutes and the doors were slammed to the guard whistled and the train glided away leaving behind it only clouds of white smoke and some very heavy hearts
When it was quite out of sight John came back
We shall never see her again he said—never He took the reins mounted the box and with Joe drove slowly home but it was not our home now
Part II
22 Earlshall
The next morning after breakfast Joe put Merrylegs into the mistress low chaise to take him to the vicarage he came first and said goodby to us and Merrylegs neighed to us from the yard Then John put the saddle on Ginger and the leading rein on me and rode us across the country about fifteen miles to Earlshall Park where the Earl of W—— lived There was a very fine house and a great deal of stabling We went into the yard through a stone gateway and John asked for Mr York It was some time before he came He was a finelooking middleaged man and his voice said at once that he expected to be obeyed He was very friendly and polite to John and after giving us a slight look he called a groom to take us to our boxes and invited John to take some refreshment
We were taken to a light airy stable and placed in boxes adjoining each other where we were rubbed down and fed In about half an hour John and Mr York who was to be our new coachman came in to see us
Now Mr Manly he said after carefully looking at us both I can see no fault in these horses but we all know that horses have their peculiarities as well as men and that sometimes they need different treatment I should like to know if there is anything particular in either of these that you would like to mention
Well said John I dont believe there is a better pair of horses in the country and right grieved I am to part with them but they are not alike The black one is the most perfect temper I ever knew I suppose he has never known a hard word or a blow since he was foaled and all his pleasure seems to be to do what you wish but the chestnut I fancy must have had bad treatment we heard as much from the dealer She came to us snappish and suspicious but when she found what sort of place ours was it all went off by degrees for three years I have never seen the smallest sign of temper and if she is well treated there is not a better more willing animal than she is But she is naturally a more irritable constitution than the black horse flies tease her more anything wrong in the harness frets her more and if she were illused or unfairly treated she would not be unlikely to give tit for tat You know that many highmettled horses will do so
Of course said York I quite understand but you know it is not easy in stables like these to have all the grooms just what they should be I do my best and there I must leave it Ill remember what you have said about the mare
They were going out of the stable when John stopped and said I had better mention that we have never used the checkrein with either of them the black horse never had one on and the dealer said it was the gagbit that spoiled the others temper
Well said York if they come here they must wear the checkrein I prefer a loose rein myself and his lordship is always very reasonable about horses but my lady—thats another thing she will have style and if her carriage horses are not reined up tight she wouldnt look at them I always stand out against the gagbit and shall do so but it must be tight up when my lady rides
I am sorry for it very sorry said John but I must go now or I shall lose the train
He came round to each of us to pat and speak to us for the last time his voice sounded very sad
I held my face close to him that was all I could do to say goodby and then he was gone and I have never seen him since
The next day Lord W—— came to look at us he seemed pleased with our appearance
I have great confidence in these horses he said from the character my friend Mr Gordon has given me of them Of course they are not a match in color but my idea is that they will do very well for the carriage while we are in the country Before we go to London I must try to match Baron the black horse I believe is perfect for riding
York then told him what John had said about us
Well said he you must keep an eye to the mare and put the checkrein easy I dare say they will do very well with a little humoring at first Ill mention it to your lady
In the afternoon we were harnessed and put in the carriage and as the stable clock struck three we were led round to the front of the house It was all very grand and three or four times as large as the old house at Birtwick but not half so pleasant if a horse may have an opinion Two footmen were standing ready dressed in drab livery with scarlet breeches and white stockings Presently we heard the rustling sound of silk as my lady came down the flight of stone steps She stepped round to look at us she was a tall proudlooking woman and did not seem pleased about something but she said nothing and got into the carriage This was the first time of wearing a checkrein and I must say though it certainly was a nuisance not to be able to get my head down now and then it did not pull my head higher than I was accustomed to carry it I felt anxious about Ginger but she seemed to be quiet and content
The next day at three oclock we were again at the door and the footmen as before we heard the silk dress rustle and the lady came down the steps and in an imperious voice she said York you must put those horses heads higher they are not fit to be seen
York got down and said very respectfully I beg your pardon my lady but these horses have not been reined up for three years and my lord said it would be safer to bring them to it by degrees but if your ladyship pleases I can take them up a little more
Do so she said
York came round to our heads and shortened the rein himself—one hole I think every little makes a difference be it for better or worse and that day we had a steep hill to go up Then I began to understand what I had heard of Of course I wanted to put my head forward and take the carriage up with a will as we had been used to do but no I had to pull with my head up now and that took all the spirit out of me and the strain came on my back and legs When we came in Ginger said Now you see what it is like but this is not bad and if it does not get much worse than this I shall say nothing about it for we are very well treated here but if they strain me up tight why let em look out I cant bear it and I wont
Day by day hole by hole our bearing reins were shortened and instead of looking forward with pleasure to having my harness put on as I used to do I began to dread it Ginger too seemed restless though she said very little At last I thought the worst was over for several days there was no more shortening and I determined to make the best of it and do my duty though it was now a constant harass instead of a pleasure but the worst was not come
23 A Strike for Liberty
One day my lady came down later than usual and the silk rustled more than ever
Drive to the Duchess of B——s she said and then after a pause Are you never going to get those horses heads up York Raise them at once and let us have no more of this humoring and nonsense
York came to me first while the groom stood at Gingers head He drew my head back and fixed the rein so tight that it was almost intolerable then he went to Ginger who was impatiently jerking her head up and down against the bit as was her way now She had a good idea of what was coming and the moment York took the rein off the terret in order to shorten it she took her opportunity and reared up so suddenly that York had his nose roughly hit and his hat knocked off the groom was nearly thrown off his legs At once they both flew to her head but she was a match for them and went on plunging rearing and kicking in a most desperate manner At last she kicked right over the carriage pole and fell down after giving me a severe blow on my near quarter There is no knowing what further mischief she might have done had not York promptly sat himself down flat on her head to prevent her struggling at the same time calling out Unbuckle the black horse Run for the winch and unscrew the carriage pole Cut the trace here somebody if you cant unhitch it One of the footmen ran for the winch and another brought a knife from the house The groom soon set me free from Ginger and the carriage and led me to my box He just turned me in as I was and ran back to York I was much excited by what had happened and if I had ever been used to kick or rear I am sure I should have done it then but I never had and there I stood angry sore in my leg my head still strained up to the terret on the saddle and no power to get it down I was very miserable and felt much inclined to kick the first person who came near me
Before long however Ginger was led in by two grooms a good deal knocked about and bruised York came with her and gave his orders and then came to look at me In a moment he let down my head
Confound these checkreins he said to himself I thought we should have some mischief soon Master will be sorely vexed But there if a womans husband cant rule her of course a servant cant so I wash my hands of it and if she cant get to the duchess garden party I cant help it
York did not say this before the men he always spoke respectfully when they were by Now he felt me all over and soon found the place above my hock where I had been kicked It was swelled and painful he ordered it to be sponged with hot water and then some lotion was put on
Lord W—— was much put out when he learned what had happened he blamed York for giving way to his mistress to which he replied that in future he would much prefer to receive his orders only from his lordship but I think nothing came of it for things went on the same as before I thought York might have stood up better for his horses but perhaps I am no judge
Ginger was never put into the carriage again but when she was well of her bruises one of the Lord W——s younger sons said he should like to have her he was sure she would make a good hunter As for me I was obliged still to go in the carriage and had a fresh partner called Max he had always been used to the tight rein I asked him how it was he bore it
Well he said I bear it because I must but it is shortening my life and it will shorten yours too if you have to stick to it
Do you think I said that our masters know how bad it is for us
I cant say he replied but the dealers and the horsedoctors know it very well I was at a dealers once who was training me and another horse to go as a pair he was getting our heads up as he said a little higher and a little higher every day A gentleman who was there asked him why he did so Because said he people wont buy them unless we do The London people always want their horses to carry their heads high and to step high Of course it is very bad for the horses but then it is good for trade The horses soon wear up or get diseased and they come for another pair That said Max is what he said in my hearing and you can judge for yourself
What I suffered with that rein for four long months in my ladys carriage it would be hard to describe but I am quite sure that had it lasted much longer either my health or my temper would have given way Before that I never knew what it was to foam at the mouth but now the action of the sharp bit on my tongue and jaw and the constrained position of my head and throat always caused me to froth at the mouth more or less Some people think it very fine to see this and say What fine spirited creatures But it is just as unnatural for horses as for men to foam at the mouth it is a sure sign of some discomfort and should be attended to Besides this there was a pressure on my windpipe which often made my breathing very uncomfortable when I returned from my work my neck and chest were strained and painful my mouth and tongue tender and I felt worn and depressed
In my old home I always knew that John and my master were my friends but here although in many ways I was well treated I had no friend York might have known and very likely did know how that rein harassed me but I suppose he took it as a matter of course that it could not be helped at any rate nothing was done to relieve me
24 The Lady Anne or a Runaway Horse
Early in the spring Lord W—— and part of his family went up to London and took York with them I and Ginger and some other horses were left at home for use and the head groom was left in charge
The Lady Harriet who remained at the hall was a great invalid and never went out in the carriage and the Lady Anne preferred riding on horseback with her brother or cousins She was a perfect horsewoman and as gay and gentle as she was beautiful She chose me for her horse and named me Black Auster I enjoyed these rides very much in the clear cold air sometimes with Ginger sometimes with Lizzie This Lizzie was a bright bay mare almost thoroughbred and a great favorite with the gentlemen on account of her fine action and lively spirit but Ginger who knew more of her than I did told me she was rather nervous
There was a gentleman of the name of Blantyre staying at the hall he always rode Lizzie and praised her so much that one day Lady Anne ordered the sidesaddle to be put on her and the other saddle on me When we came to the door the gentleman seemed very uneasy
How is this he said Are you tired of your good Black Auster
Oh no not at all she replied but I am amiable enough to let you ride him for once and I will try your charming Lizzie You must confess that in size and appearance she is far more like a ladys horse than my own favorite
Do let me advise you not to mount her he said she is a charming creature but she is too nervous for a lady I assure you she is not perfectly safe let me beg you to have the saddles changed
My dear cousin said Lady Anne laughing pray do not trouble your good careful head about me I have been a horsewoman ever since I was a baby and I have followed the hounds a great many times though I know you do not approve of ladies hunting but still that is the fact and I intend to try this Lizzie that you gentlemen are all so fond of so please help me to mount like a good friend as you are
There was no more to be said he placed her carefully on the saddle looked to the bit and curb gave the reins gently into her hand and then mounted me Just as we were moving off a footman came out with a slip of paper and message from the Lady Harriet Would they ask this question for her at Dr Ashleys and bring the answer
The village was about a mile off and the doctors house was the last in it We went along gayly enough till we came to his gate There was a short drive up to the house between tall evergreens
Blantyre alighted at the gate and was going to open it for Lady Anne but she said I will wait for you here and you can hang Austers rein on the gate
He looked at her doubtfully I will not be five minutes he said
Oh do not hurry yourself Lizzie and I shall not run away from you
He hung my rein on one of the iron spikes and was soon hidden among the trees Lizzie was standing quietly by the side of the road a few paces off with her back to me My young mistress was sitting easily with a loose rein humming a little song I listened to my riders footsteps until they reached the house and heard him knock at the door There was a meadow on the opposite side of the road the gate of which stood open just then some cart horses and several young colts came trotting out in a very disorderly manner while a boy behind was cracking a great whip The colts were wild and frolicsome and one of them bolted across the road and blundered up against Lizzies hind legs and whether it was the stupid colt or the loud cracking of the whip or both together I cannot say but she gave a violent kick and dashed off into a headlong gallop It was so sudden that Lady Anne was nearly unseated but she soon recovered herself I gave a loud shrill neigh for help again and again I neighed pawing the ground impatiently and tossing my head to get the rein loose I had not long to wait Blantyre came running to the gate he looked anxiously about and just caught sight of the flying figure now far away on the road In an instant he sprang to the saddle I needed no whip no spur for I was as eager as my rider he saw it and giving me a free rein and leaning a little forward we dashed after them
For about a mile and a half the road ran straight and then bent to the right after which it divided into two roads Long before we came to the bend she was out of sight Which way had she turned A woman was standing at her garden gate shading her eyes with her hand and looking eagerly up the road Scarcely drawing the rein Blantyre shouted Which way To the right cried the woman pointing with her hand and away we went up the righthand road then for a moment we caught sight of her another bend and she was hidden again Several times we caught glimpses and then lost them We scarcely seemed to gain ground upon them at all An old roadmender was standing near a heap of stones his shovel dropped and his hands raised As we came near he made a sign to speak Blantyre drew the rein a little To the common to the common sir she has turned off there I knew this common very well it was for the most part very uneven ground covered with heather and darkgreen furze bushes with here and there a scrubby old thorntree there were also open spaces of fine short grass with anthills and moleturns everywhere the worst place I ever knew for a headlong gallop
We had hardly turned on the common when we caught sight again of the green habit flying on before us My ladys hat was gone and her long brown hair was streaming behind her Her head and body were thrown back as if she were pulling with all her remaining strength and as if that strength were nearly exhausted It was clear that the roughness of the ground had very much lessened Lizzies speed and there seemed a chance that we might overtake her
While we were on the highroad Blantyre had given me my head but now with a light hand and a practiced eye he guided me over the ground in such a masterly manner that my pace was scarcely slackened and we were decidedly gaining on them
About halfway across the heath there had been a wide dike recently cut and the earth from the cutting was cast up roughly on the other side Surely this would stop them But no with scarcely a pause Lizzie took the leap stumbled among the rough clods and fell Blantyre groaned Now Auster do your best He gave me a steady rein I gathered myself well together and with one determined leap cleared both dike and bank
Motionless among the heather with her face to the earth lay my poor young mistress Blantyre kneeled down and called her name there was no sound Gently he turned her face upward it was ghastly white and the eyes were closed Annie dear Annie do speak But there was no answer He unbuttoned her habit loosened her collar felt her hands and wrist then started up and looked wildly round him for help
At no great distance there were two men cutting turf who seeing Lizzie running wild without a rider had left their work to catch her
Blantyres halloo soon brought them to the spot The foremost man seemed much troubled at the sight and asked what he could do
Can you ride
Well sir I beant much of a horseman but Id risk my neck for the Lady Anne she was uncommon good to my wife in the winter
Then mount this horse my friend—your neck will be quite safe—and ride to the doctors and ask him to come instantly then on to the hall tell them all that you know and bid them send me the carriage with Lady Annes maid and help I shall stay here
All right sir Ill do my best and I pray God the dear young lady may open her eyes soon Then seeing the other man he called out Here Joe run for some water and tell my missis to come as quick as she can to the Lady Anne
He then somehow scrambled into the saddle and with a Gee up and a clap on my sides with both his legs he started on his journey making a little circuit to avoid the dike He had no whip which seemed to trouble him but my pace soon cured that difficulty and he found the best thing he could do was to stick to the saddle and hold me in which he did manfully I shook him as little as I could help but once or twice on the rough ground he called out Steady Woah Steady On the highroad we were all right and at the doctors and the hall he did his errand like a good man and true They asked him in to take a drop of something No no he said Ill be back to em again by a short cut through the fields and be there afore the carriage
There was a great deal of hurry and excitement after the news became known I was just turned into my box the saddle and bridle were taken off and a cloth thrown over me
Ginger was saddled and sent off in great haste for Lord George and I soon heard the carriage roll out of the yard
It seemed a long time before Ginger came back and before we were left alone and then she told me all that she had seen
I cant tell much she said We went a gallop nearly all the way and got there just as the doctor rode up There was a woman sitting on the ground with the ladys head in her lap The doctor poured something into her mouth but all that I heard was She is not dead Then I was led off by a man to a little distance After awhile she was taken to the carriage and we came home together I heard my master say to a gentleman who stopped him to inquire that he hoped no bones were broken but that she had not spoken yet
When Lord George took Ginger for hunting York shook his head he said it ought to be a steady hand to train a horse for the first season and not a random rider like Lord George
Ginger used to like it very much but sometimes when she came back I could see that she had been very much strained and now and then she gave a short cough She had too much spirit to complain but I could not help feeling anxious about her
Two days after the accident Blantyre paid me a visit he patted me and praised me very much he told Lord George that he was sure the horse knew of Annies danger as well as he did I could not have held him in if I would said he she ought never to ride any other horse I found by their conversation that my young mistress was now out of danger and would soon be able to ride again This was good news to me and I looked forward to a happy life
25 Reuben Smith
Now I must say a little about Reuben Smith who was left in charge of the stables when York went to London No one more thoroughly understood his business than he did and when he was all right there could not be a more faithful or valuable man He was gentle and very clever in his management of horses and could doctor them almost as well as a farrier for he had lived two years with a veterinary surgeon He was a firstrate driver he could take a fourinhand or a tandem as easily as a pair He was a handsome man a good scholar and had very pleasant manners I believe everybody liked him certainly the horses did The only wonder was that he should be in an under situation and not in the place of a head coachman like York but he had one great fault and that was the love of drink He was not like some men always at it he used to keep steady for weeks or months together and then he would break out and have a bout of it as York called it and be a disgrace to himself a terror to his wife and a nuisance to all that had to do with him He was however so useful that two or three times York had hushed the matter up and kept it from the earls knowledge but one night when Reuben had to drive a party home from a ball he was so drunk that he could not hold the reins and a gentleman of the party had to mount the box and drive the ladies home Of course this could not be hidden and Reuben was at once dismissed his poor wife and little children had to turn out of the pretty cottage by the park gate and go where they could Old Max told me all this for it happened a good while ago but shortly before Ginger and I came Smith had been taken back again York had interceded for him with the earl who is very kindhearted and the man had promised faithfully that he would never taste another drop as long as he lived there He had kept his promise so well that York thought he might be safely trusted to fill his place while he was away and he was so clever and honest that no one else seemed so well fitted for it
It was now early in April and the family was expected home some time in May The light brougham was to be fresh done up and as Colonel Blantyre was obliged to return to his regiment it was arranged that Smith should drive him to the town in it and ride back for this purpose he took the saddle with him and I was chosen for the journey At the station the colonel put some money into Smiths hand and bid him goodby saying Take care of your young mistress Reuben and dont let Black Auster be hacked about by any random young prig that wants to ride him—keep him for the lady
We left the carriage at the makers and Smith rode me to the White Lion and ordered the hostler to feed me well and have me ready for him at four oclock A nail in one of my front shoes had started as I came along but the hostler did not notice it till just about four oclock Smith did not come into the yard till five and then he said he should not leave till six as he had met with some old friends The man then told him of the nail and asked if he should have the shoe looked to
No said Smith that will be all right till we get home
He spoke in a very loud offhand way and I thought it very unlike him not to see about the shoe as he was generally wonderfully particular about loose nails in our shoes He did not come at six nor seven nor eight and it was nearly nine oclock before he called for me and then it was with a loud rough voice He seemed in a very bad temper and abused the hostler though I could not tell what for
The landlord stood at the door and said Have a care Mr Smith but he answered angrily with an oath and almost before he was out of the town he began to gallop frequently giving me a sharp cut with his whip though I was going at full speed The moon had not yet risen and it was very dark The roads were stony having been recently mended going over them at this pace my shoe became looser and as we neared the turnpike gate it came off
If Smith had been in his right senses he would have been sensible of something wrong in my pace but he was too drunk to notice
Beyond the turnpike was a long piece of road upon which fresh stones had just been laid—large sharp stones over which no horse could be driven quickly without risk of danger Over this road with one shoe gone I was forced to gallop at my utmost speed my rider meanwhile cutting into me with his whip and with wild curses urging me to go still faster Of course my shoeless foot suffered dreadfully the hoof was broken and split down to the very quick and the inside was terribly cut by the sharpness of the stones
This could not go on no horse could keep his footing under such circumstances the pain was too great I stumbled and fell with violence on both my knees Smith was flung off by my fall and owing to the speed I was going at he must have fallen with great force I soon recovered my feet and limped to the side of the road where it was free from stones The moon had just risen above the hedge and by its light I could see Smith lying a few yards beyond me He did not rise he made one slight effort to do so and then there was a heavy groan I could have groaned too for I was suffering intense pain both from my foot and knees but horses are used to bear their pain in silence I uttered no sound but I stood there and listened One more heavy groan from Smith but though he now lay in the full moonlight I could see no motion I could do nothing for him nor myself but oh how I listened for the sound of horse or wheels or footsteps The road was not much frequented and at this time of the night we might stay for hours before help came to us I stood watching and listening It was a calm sweet April night there were no sounds but a few low notes of a nightingale and nothing moved but the white clouds near the moon and a brown owl that flitted over the hedge It made me think of the summer nights long ago when I used to lie beside my mother in the green pleasant meadow at Farmer Greys
26 How it Ended
It must have been nearly midnight when I heard at a great distance the sound of a horses feet Sometimes the sound died away then it grew clearer again and nearer The road to Earlshall led through woods that belonged to the earl the sound came in that direction and I hoped it might be some one coming in search of us As the sound came nearer and nearer I was almost sure I could distinguish Gingers step a little nearer still and I could tell she was in the dogcart I neighed loudly and was overjoyed to hear an answering neigh from Ginger and mens voices They came slowly over the stones and stopped at the dark figure that lay upon the ground
One of the men jumped out and stooped down over it It is Reuben he said and he does not stir
The other man followed and bent over him Hes dead he said feel how cold his hands are
They raised him up but there was no life and his hair was soaked with blood They laid him down again and came and looked at me They soon saw my cut knees
Why the horse has been down and thrown him Who would have thought the black horse would have done that Nobody thought he could fall Reuben must have been lying here for hours Odd too that the horse has not moved from the place
Robert then attempted to lead me forward I made a step but almost fell again
Halloo hes bad in his foot as well as his knees Look here—his hoof is cut all to pieces he might well come down poor fellow I tell you what Ned Im afraid it hasnt been all right with Reuben Just think of his riding a horse over these stones without a shoe Why if he had been in his right senses he would just as soon have tried to ride him over the moon Im afraid it has been the old thing over again Poor Susan she looked awfully pale when she came to my house to ask if he had not come home She made believe she was not a bit anxious and talked of a lot of things that might have kept him But for all that she begged me to go and meet him But what must we do Theres the horse to get home as well as the body and that will be no easy matter
Then followed a conversation between them till it was agreed that Robert as the groom should lead me and that Ned must take the body It was a hard job to get it into the dogcart for there was no one to hold Ginger but she knew as well as I did what was going on and stood as still as a stone I noticed that because if she had a fault it was that she was impatient in standing
Ned started off very slowly with his sad load and Robert came and looked at my foot again then he took his handkerchief and bound it closely round and so he led me home I shall never forget that night walk it was more than three miles Robert led me on very slowly and I limped and hobbled on as well as I could with great pain I am sure he was sorry for me for he often patted and encouraged me talking to me in a pleasant voice
At last I reached my own box and had some corn and after Robert had wrapped up my knees in wet cloths he tied up my foot in a bran poultice to draw out the heat and cleanse it before the horsedoctor saw it in the morning and I managed to get myself down on the straw and slept in spite of the pain
The next day after the farrier had examined my wounds he said he hoped the joint was not injured and if so I should not be spoiled for work but I should never lose the blemish I believe they did the best to make a good cure but it was a long and painful one Proud flesh as they called it came up in my knees and was burned out with caustic and when at last it was healed they put a blistering fluid over the front of both knees to bring all the hair off they had some reason for this and I suppose it was all right
As Smiths death had been so sudden and no one was there to see it there was an inquest held The landlord and hostler at the White Lion with several other people gave evidence that he was intoxicated when he started from the inn The keeper of the tollgate said he rode at a hard gallop through the gate and my shoe was picked up among the stones so that the case was quite plain to them and I was cleared of all blame
Everybody pitied Susan She was nearly out of her mind she kept saying over and over again Oh he was so good—so good It was all that cursed drink why will they sell that cursed drink Oh Reuben Reuben So she went on till after he was buried and then as she had no home or relations she with her six little children was obliged once more to leave the pleasant home by the tall oaktrees and go into that great gloomy Union House
27 Ruined and Going Downhill
As soon as my knees were sufficiently healed I was turned into a small meadow for a month or two no other creature was there and though I enjoyed the liberty and the sweet grass yet I had been so long used to society that I felt very lonely Ginger and I had become fast friends and now I missed her company extremely I often neighed when I heard horses feet passing in the road but I seldom got an answer till one morning the gate was opened and who should come in but dear old Ginger The man slipped off her halter and left her there With a joyful whinny I trotted up to her we were both glad to meet but I soon found that it was not for our pleasure that she was brought to be with me Her story would be too long to tell but the end of it was that she had been ruined by hard riding and was now turned off to see what rest would do
Lord George was young and would take no warning he was a hard rider and would hunt whenever he could get the chance quite careless of his horse Soon after I left the stable there was a steeplechase and he determined to ride Though the groom told him she was a little strained and was not fit for the race he did not believe it and on the day of the race urged Ginger to keep up with the foremost riders With her high spirit she strained herself to the utmost she came in with the first three horses but her wind was touched besides which he was too heavy for her and her back was strained And so she said here we are ruined in the prime of our youth and strength you by a drunkard and I by a fool it is very hard We both felt in ourselves that we were not what we had been However that did not spoil the pleasure we had in each others company we did not gallop about as we once did but we used to feed and lie down together and stand for hours under one of the shady limetrees with our heads close to each other and so we passed our time till the family returned from town
One day we saw the earl come into the meadow and York was with him Seeing who it was we stood still under our limetree and let them come up to us They examined us carefully The earl seemed much annoyed
There is three hundred pounds flung away for no earthly use said he but what I care most for is that these horses of my old friend who thought they would find a good home with me are ruined The mare shall have a twelvemonths run and we shall see what that will do for her but the black one he must be sold tis a great pity but I could not have knees like these in my stables
No my lord of course not said York but he might get a place where appearance is not of much consequence and still be well treated I know a man in Bath the master of some livery stables who often wants a good horse at a low figure I know he looks well after his horses The inquest cleared the horses character and your lordships recommendation or mine would be sufficient warrant for him
You had better write to him York I should be more particular about the place than the money he would fetch
After this they left us
Theyll soon take you away said Ginger and I shall lose the only friend I have and most likely we shall never see each other again Tis a hard world
About a week after this Robert came into the field with a halter which he slipped over my head and led me away There was no leavetaking of Ginger we neighed to each other as I was led off and she trotted anxiously along by the hedge calling to me as long as she could hear the sound of my feet
Through the recommendation of York I was bought by the master of the livery stables I had to go by train which was new to me and required a good deal of courage the first time but as I found the puffing rushing whistling and more than all the trembling of the horsebox in which I stood did me no real harm I soon took it quietly
When I reached the end of my journey I found myself in a tolerably comfortable stable and well attended to These stables were not so airy and pleasant as those I had been used to The stalls were laid on a slope instead of being level and as my head was kept tied to the manger I was obliged always to stand on the slope which was very fatiguing Men do not seem to know yet that horses can do more work if they can stand comfortably and can turn about however I was well fed and well cleaned and on the whole I think our master took as much care of us as he could He kept a good many horses and carriages of different kinds for hire Sometimes his own men drove them at others the horse and chaise were let to gentlemen or ladies who drove themselves
28 A Job Horse and His Drivers
Hitherto I had always been driven by people who at least knew how to drive but in this place I was to get my experience of all the different kinds of bad and ignorant driving to which we horses are subjected for I was a job horse and was let out to all sorts of people who wished to hire me and as I was goodtempered and gentle I think I was oftener let out to the ignorant drivers than some of the other horses because I could be depended upon It would take a long time to tell of all the different styles in which I was driven but I will mention a few of them
First there were the tightrein drivers—men who seemed to think that all depended on holding the reins as hard as they could never relaxing the pull on the horses mouth or giving him the least liberty of movement They are always talking about keeping the horse well in hand and holding a horse up just as if a horse was not made to hold himself up
Some poor brokendown horses whose mouths have been made hard and insensible by just such drivers as these may perhaps find some support in it but for a horse who can depend upon his own legs and who has a tender mouth and is easily guided it is not only tormenting but it is stupid
Then there are the looserein drivers who let the reins lie easily on our backs and their own hand rest lazily on their knees Of course such gentlemen have no control over a horse if anything happens suddenly If a horse shies or starts or stumbles they are nowhere and cannot help the horse or themselves till the mischief is done Of course for myself I had no objection to it as I was not in the habit either of starting or stumbling and had only been used to depend on my driver for guidance and encouragement Still one likes to feel the rein a little in going downhill and likes to know that ones driver is not gone to sleep
Besides a slovenly way of driving gets a horse into bad and often lazy habits and when he changes hands he has to be whipped out of them with more or less pain and trouble Squire Gordon always kept us to our best paces and our best manners He said that spoiling a horse and letting him get into bad habits was just as cruel as spoiling a child and both had to suffer for it afterward
Besides these drivers are often careless altogether and will attend to anything else more than their horses I went out in the phaeton one day with one of them he had a lady and two children behind He flopped the reins about as we started and of course gave me several unmeaning cuts with the whip though I was fairly off There had been a good deal of roadmending going on and even where the stones were not freshly laid down there were a great many loose ones about My driver was laughing and joking with the lady and the children and talking about the country to the right and the left but he never thought it worth while to keep an eye on his horse or to drive on the smoothest parts of the road and so it easily happened that I got a stone in one of my fore feet
Now if Mr Gordon or John or in fact any good driver had been there he would have seen that something was wrong before I had gone three paces Or even if it had been dark a practiced hand would have felt by the rein that there was something wrong in the step and they would have got down and picked out the stone But this man went on laughing and talking while at every step the stone became more firmly wedged between my shoe and the frog of my foot The stone was sharp on the inside and round on the outside which as every one knows is the most dangerous kind that a horse can pick up at the same time cutting his foot and making him most liable to stumble and fall
Whether the man was partly blind or only very careless I cant say but he drove me with that stone in my foot for a good halfmile before he saw anything By that time I was going so lame with the pain that at last he saw it and called out Well heres a go Why they have sent us out with a lame horse What a shame
He then chucked the reins and flipped about with the whip saying Now then its no use playing the old soldier with me theres the journey to go and its no use turning lame and lazy
Just at this time a farmer came riding up on a brown cob He lifted his hat and pulled up
I beg your pardon sir he said but I think there is something the matter with your horse he goes very much as if he had a stone in his shoe If you will allow me I will look at his feet these loose scattered stones are confounded dangerous things for the horses
Hes a hired horse said my driver I dont know whats the matter with him but it is a great shame to send out a lame beast like this
The farmer dismounted and slipping his rein over his arm at once took up my near foot
Bless me theres a stone Lame I should think so
At first he tried to dislodge it with his hand but as it was now very tightly wedged he drew a stonepick out of his pocket and very carefully and with some trouble got it out Then holding it up he said There thats the stone your horse had picked up It is a wonder he did not fall down and break his knees into the bargain
Well to be sure said my driver that is a queer thing I never knew that horses picked up stones before
Didnt you said the farmer rather contemptuously but they do though and the best of them will do it and cant help it sometimes on such roads as these And if you dont want to lame your horse you must look sharp and get them out quickly This foot is very much bruised he said setting it gently down and patting me If I might advise sir you had better drive him gently for awhile the foot is a good deal hurt and the lameness will not go off directly
Then mounting his cob and raising his hat to the lady he trotted off
When he was gone my driver began to flop the reins about and whip the harness by which I understood that I was to go on which of course I did glad that the stone was gone but still in a good deal of pain
This was the sort of experience we job horses often came in for
29 Cockneys
Then there is the steamengine style of driving these drivers were mostly people from towns who never had a horse of their own and generally traveled by rail
They always seemed to think that a horse was something like a steamengine only smaller At any rate they think that if only they pay for it a horse is bound to go just as far and just as fast and with just as heavy a load as they please And be the roads heavy and muddy or dry and good be they stony or smooth uphill or downhill it is all the same—on on on one must go at the same pace with no relief and no consideration
These people never think of getting out to walk up a steep hill Oh no they have paid to ride and ride they will The horse Oh hes used to it What were horses made for if not to drag people uphill Walk A good joke indeed And so the whip is plied and the rein is chucked and often a rough scolding voice cries out Go along you lazy beast And then another slash of the whip when all the time we are doing our very best to get along uncomplaining and obedient though often sorely harassed and downhearted
This steamengine style of driving wears us up faster than any other kind I would far rather go twenty miles with a good considerate driver than I would go ten with some of these it would take less out of me
Another thing they scarcely ever put on the brake however steep the downhill may be and thus bad accidents sometimes happen or if they do put it on they often forget to take it off at the bottom of the hill and more than once I have had to pull halfway up the next hill with one of the wheels held by the brake before my driver chose to think about it and that is a terrible strain on a horse
Then these cockneys instead of starting at an easy pace as a gentleman would do generally set off at full speed from the very stableyard and when they want to stop they first whip us and then pull up so suddenly that we are nearly thrown on our haunches and our mouths jagged with the bit—they call that pulling up with a dash and when they turn a corner they do it as sharply as if there were no right side or wrong side of the road
I well remember one spring evening I and Rory had been out for the day Rory was the horse that mostly went with me when a pair was ordered and a good honest fellow he was We had our own driver and as he was always considerate and gentle with us we had a very pleasant day We were coming home at a good smart pace about twilight Our road turned sharp to the left but as we were close to the hedge on our own side and there was plenty of room to pass our driver did not pull us in As we neared the corner I heard a horse and two wheels coming rapidly down the hill toward us The hedge was high and I could see nothing but the next moment we were upon each other Happily for me I was on the side next the hedge Rory was on the left side of the pole and had not even a shaft to protect him The man who was driving was making straight for the corner and when he came in sight of us he had no time to pull over to his own side The whole shock came upon Rory The gig shaft ran right into the chest making him stagger back with a cry that I shall never forget The other horse was thrown upon his haunches and one shaft broken It turned out that it was a horse from our own stables with the highwheeled gig that the young men were so fond of
The driver was one of those random ignorant fellows who dont even know which is their own side of the road or if they know dont care And there was poor Rory with his flesh torn open and bleeding and the blood streaming down They said if it had been a little more to one side it would have killed him and a good thing for him poor fellow if it had
As it was it was a long time before the wound healed and then he was sold for coalcarting and what that is up and down those steep hills only horses know Some of the sights I saw there where a horse had to come downhill with a heavily loaded twowheel cart behind him on which no brake could be placed make me sad even now to think of
After Rory was disabled I often went in the carriage with a mare named Peggy who stood in the next stall to mine She was a strong wellmade animal of a bright dun color beautifully dappled and with a darkbrown mane and tail There was no high breeding about her but she was very pretty and remarkably sweettempered and willing Still there was an anxious look about her eye by which I knew that she had some trouble The first time we went out together I thought she had a very odd pace she seemed to go partly a trot partly a canter three or four paces and then a little jump forward
It was very unpleasant for any horse who pulled with her and made me quite fidgety When we got home I asked her what made her go in that odd awkward way
Ah she said in a troubled manner I know my paces are very bad but what can I do It really is not my fault it is just because my legs are so short I stand nearly as high as you but your legs are a good three inches longer above your knee than mine and of course you can take a much longer step and go much faster You see I did not make myself I wish I could have done so I would have had long legs then All my troubles come from my short legs said Peggy in a desponding tone
But how is it I said when you are so strong and goodtempered and willing
Why you see said she men will go so fast and if one cant keep up to other horses it is nothing but whip whip whip all the time And so I have had to keep up as I could and have got into this ugly shuffling pace It was not always so when I lived with my first master I always went a good regular trot but then he was not in such a hurry He was a young clergyman in the country and a good kind master he was He had two churches a good way apart and a great deal of work but he never scolded or whipped me for not going faster He was very fond of me I only wish I was with him now but he had to leave and go to a large town and then I was sold to a farmer
Some farmers you know are capital masters but I think this one was a low sort of man He cared nothing about good horses or good driving he only cared for going fast I went as fast as I could but that would not do and he was always whipping so I got into this way of making a spring forward to keep up On market nights he used to stay very late at the inn and then drive home at a gallop
One dark night he was galloping home as usual when all of a sudden the wheel came against some great heavy thing in the road and turned the gig over in a minute He was thrown out and his arm broken and some of his ribs I think At any rate it was the end of my living with him and I was not sorry But you see it will be the same everywhere for me if men must go so fast I wish my legs were longer
Poor Peggy I was very sorry for her and I could not comfort her for I knew how hard it was upon slowpaced horses to be put with fast ones all the whipping comes to their share and they cant help it
She was often used in the phaeton and was very much liked by some of the ladies because she was so gentle and some time after this she was sold to two ladies who drove themselves and wanted a safe good horse
I met her several times out in the country going a good steady pace and looking as gay and contented as a horse could be I was very glad to see her for she deserved a good place
After she left us another horse came in her stead He was young and had a bad name for shying and starting by which he had lost a good place I asked him what made him shy
Well I hardly know he said I was timid when I was young and was a good deal frightened several times and if I saw anything strange I used to turn and look at it—you see with our blinkers one cant see or understand what a thing is unless one looks round—and then my master always gave me a whipping which of course made me start on and did not make me less afraid I think if he would have let me just look at things quietly and see that there was nothing to hurt me it would have been all right and I should have got used to them One day an old gentleman was riding with him and a large piece of white paper or rag blew across just on one side of me I shied and started forward My master as usual whipped me smartly but the old man cried out Youre wrong youre wrong You should never whip a horse for shying he shies because he is frightened and you only frighten him more and make the habit worse So I suppose all men dont do so I am sure I dont want to shy for the sake of it but how should one know what is dangerous and what is not if one is never allowed to get used to anything I am never afraid of what I know Now I was brought up in a park where there were deer of course I knew them as well as I did a sheep or a cow but they are not common and I know many sensible horses who are frightened at them and who kick up quite a shindy before they will pass a paddock where there are deer
I knew what my companion said was true and I wished that every young horse had as good masters as Farmer Grey and Squire Gordon
Of course we sometimes came in for good driving here I remember one morning I was put into the light gig and taken to a house in Pulteney Street Two gentlemen came out the taller of them came round to my head he looked at the bit and bridle and just shifted the collar with his hand to see if it fitted comfortably
Do you consider this horse wants a curb he said to the hostler
Well said the man I should say he would go just as well without he has an uncommon good mouth and though he has a fine spirit he has no vice but we generally find people like the curb
I dont like it said the gentleman be so good as to take it off and put the rein in at the cheek An easy mouth is a great thing on a long journey is it not old fellow he said patting my neck
Then he took the reins and they both got up I can remember now how quietly he turned me round and then with a light feel of the rein and drawing the whip gently across my back we were off
I arched my neck and set off at my best pace I found I had some one behind me who knew how a good horse ought to be driven It seemed like old times again and made me feel quite gay
This gentleman took a great liking to me and after trying me several times with the saddle he prevailed upon my master to sell me to a friend of his who wanted a safe pleasant horse for riding And so it came to pass that in the summer I was sold to Mr Barry
30 A Thief
My new master was an unmarried man He lived at Bath and was much engaged in business His doctor advised him to take horse exercise and for this purpose he bought me He hired a stable a short distance from his lodgings and engaged a man named Filcher as groom My master knew very little about horses but he treated me well and I should have had a good and easy place but for circumstances of which he was ignorant He ordered the best hay with plenty of oats crushed beans and bran with vetches or rye grass as the man might think needful I heard the master give the order so I knew there was plenty of good food and I thought I was well off
For a few days all went on well I found that my groom understood his business He kept the stable clean and airy and he groomed me thoroughly and was never otherwise than gentle He had been an hostler in one of the great hotels in Bath He had given that up and now cultivated fruit and vegetables for the market and his wife bred and fattened poultry and rabbits for sale After awhile it seemed to me that my oats came very short I had the beans but bran was mixed with them instead of oats of which there were very few certainly not more than a quarter of what there should have been In two or three weeks this began to tell upon my strength and spirits The grass food though very good was not the thing to keep up my condition without corn However I could not complain nor make known my wants So it went on for about two months and I wondered that my master did not see that something was the matter However one afternoon he rode out into the country to see a friend of his a gentleman farmer who lived on the road to Wells
This gentleman had a very quick eye for horses and after he had welcomed his friend he said casting his eye over me
It seems to me Barry that your horse does not look so well as he did when you first had him has he been well
Yes I believe so said my master but he is not nearly so lively as he was my groom tells me that horses are always dull and weak in the autumn and that I must expect it
Autumn fiddlesticks said the farmer Why this is only August and with your light work and good food he ought not to go down like this even if it was autumn How do you feed him
My master told him The other shook his head slowly and began to feel me over
I cant say who eats your corn my dear fellow but I am much mistaken if your horse gets it Have you ridden very fast
No very gently
Then just put your hand here said he passing his hand over my neck and shoulder he is as warm and damp as a horse just come up from grass I advise you to look into your stable a little more I hate to be suspicious and thank heaven I have no cause to be for I can trust my men present or absent but there are mean scoundrels wicked enough to rob a dumb beast of his food You must look into it And turning to his man who had come to take me Give this horse a right good feed of bruised oats and dont stint him
Dumb beasts Yes we are but if I could have spoken I could have told my master where his oats went to My groom used to come every morning about six oclock and with him a little boy who always had a covered basket with him He used to go with his father into the harnessroom where the corn was kept and I could see them when the door stood ajar fill a little bag with oats out of the bin and then he used to be off
Five or six mornings after this just as the boy had left the stable the door was pushed open and a policeman walked in holding the child tight by the arm another policeman followed and locked the door on the inside saying Show me the place where your father keeps his rabbits food
The boy looked very frightened and began to cry but there was no escape and he led the way to the cornbin Here the policeman found another empty bag like that which was found full of oats in the boys basket
Filcher was cleaning my feet at the time but they soon saw him and though he blustered a good deal they walked him off to the lockup and his boy with him I heard afterward that the boy was not held to be guilty but the man was sentenced to prison for two months
31 A Humbug
My master was not immediately suited but in a few days my new groom came He was a tall goodlooking fellow enough but if ever there was a humbug in the shape of a groom Alfred Smirk was the man He was very civil to me and never used me ill in fact he did a great deal of stroking and patting when his master was there to see it He always brushed my mane and tail with water and my hoofs with oil before he brought me to the door to make me look smart but as to cleaning my feet or looking to my shoes or grooming me thoroughly he thought no more of that than if I had been a cow He left my bit rusty my saddle damp and my crupper stiff
Alfred Smirk considered himself very handsome he spent a great deal of time about his hair whiskers and necktie before a little lookingglass in the harnessroom When his master was speaking to him it was always Yes sir yes sir—touching his hat at every word and every one thought he was a very nice young man and that Mr Barry was very fortunate to meet with him I should say he was the laziest most conceited fellow I ever came near Of course it was a great thing not to be illused but then a horse wants more than that I had a loose box and might have been very comfortable if he had not been too indolent to clean it out He never took all the straw away and the smell from what lay underneath was very bad while the strong vapors that rose made my eyes smart and inflame and I did not feel the same appetite for my food
One day his master came in and said Alfred the stable smells rather strong should not you give that stall a good scrub and throw down plenty of water
Well sir he said touching his cap Ill do so if you please sir but it is rather dangerous sir throwing down water in a horses box they are very apt to take cold sir I should not like to do him an injury but Ill do it if you please sir
Well said his master I should not like him to take cold but I dont like the smell of this stable Do you think the drains are all right
Well sir now you mention it I think the drain does sometimes send back a smell there may be something wrong sir
Then send for the bricklayer and have it seen to said his master
Yes sir I will
The bricklayer came and pulled up a great many bricks but found nothing amiss so he put down some lime and charged the master five shillings and the smell in my box was as bad as ever But that was not all standing as I did on a quantity of moist straw my feet grew unhealthy and tender and the master used to say
I dont know what is the matter with this horse he goes very fumblefooted I am sometimes afraid he will stumble
Yes sir said Alfred I have noticed the same myself when I have exercised him
Now the fact was that he hardly ever did exercise me and when the master was busy I often stood for days together without stretching my legs at all and yet being fed just as high as if I were at hard work This often disordered my health and made me sometimes heavy and dull but more often restless and feverish He never even gave me a meal of green food or a bran mash which would have cooled me for he was altogether as ignorant as he was conceited and then instead of exercise or change of food I had to take horse balls and draughts which beside the nuisance of having them poured down my throat used to make me feel ill and uncomfortable
One day my feet were so tender that trotting over some fresh stones with my master on my back I made two such serious stumbles that as he came down Lansdown into the city he stopped at the farriers and asked him to see what was the matter with me The man took up my feet one by one and examined them then standing up and dusting his hands one against the other he said
Your horse has got the thrush and badly too his feet are very tender it is fortunate that he has not been down I wonder your groom has not seen to it before This is the sort of thing we find in foul stables where the litter is never properly cleaned out If you will send him here tomorrow I will attend to the hoof and I will direct your man how to apply the liniment which I will give him
The next day I had my feet thoroughly cleansed and stuffed with tow soaked in some strong lotion and an unpleasant business it was
The farrier ordered all the litter to be taken out of my box day by day and the floor kept very clean Then I was to have bran mashes a little green food and not so much corn till my feet were well again With this treatment I soon regained my spirits but Mr Barry was so much disgusted at being twice deceived by his grooms that he determined to give up keeping a horse and to hire when he wanted one I was therefore kept till my feet were quite sound and was then sold again
Part III
32 A Horse Fair
No doubt a horse fair is a very amusing place to those who have nothing to lose at any rate there is plenty to see
Long strings of young horses out of the country fresh from the marshes and droves of shaggy little Welsh ponies no higher than Merrylegs and hundreds of cart horses of all sorts some of them with their long tails braided up and tied with scarlet cord and a good many like myself handsome and highbred but fallen into the middle class through some accident or blemish unsoundness of wind or some other complaint There were some splendid animals quite in their prime and fit for anything they were throwing out their legs and showing off their paces in high style as they were trotted out with a leading rein the groom running by the side But round in the background there were a number of poor things sadly broken down with hard work with their knees knuckling over and their hind legs swinging out at every step and there were some very dejectedlooking old horses with the under lip hanging down and the ears lying back heavily as if there were no more pleasure in life and no more hope there were some so thin you might see all their ribs and some with old sores on their backs and hips These were sad sights for a horse to look upon who knows not but he may come to the same state
There was a great deal of bargaining of running up and beating down and if a horse may speak his mind so far as he understands I should say there were more lies told and more trickery at that horse fair than a clever man could give an account of I was put with two or three other strong usefullooking horses and a good many people came to look at us The gentlemen always turned from me when they saw my broken knees though the man who had me swore it was only a slip in the stall
The first thing was to pull my mouth open then to look at my eyes then feel all the way down my legs and give me a hard feel of the skin and flesh and then try my paces It was wonderful what a difference there was in the way these things were done Some did it in a rough offhand way as if one was only a piece of wood while others would take their hands gently over ones body with a pat now and then as much as to say By your leave Of course I judged a good deal of the buyers by their manners to myself
There was one man I thought if he would buy me I should be happy He was not a gentleman nor yet one of the loud flashy sort that call themselves so He was rather a small man but well made and quick in all his motions I knew in a moment by the way he handled me that he was used to horses he spoke gently and his gray eye had a kindly cheery look in it It may seem strange to say—but it is true all the same—that the clean fresh smell there was about him made me take to him no smell of old beer and tobacco which I hated but a fresh smell as if he had come out of a hayloft He offered twentythree pounds for me but that was refused and he walked away I looked after him but he was gone and a very hardlooking loudvoiced man came I was dreadfully afraid he would have me but he walked off One or two more came who did not mean business Then the hardfaced man came back again and offered twentythree pounds A very close bargain was being driven for my salesman began to think he should not get all he asked and must come down but just then the grayeyed man came back again I could not help reaching out my head toward him He stroked my face kindly
Well old chap he said I think we should suit each other Ill give twentyfour for him
Say twentyfive and you shall have him
Twentyfour ten said my friend in a very decided tone and not another sixpence—yes or no
Done said the salesman and you may depend upon it theres a monstrous deal of quality in that horse and if you want him for cab work hes a bargain
The money was paid on the spot and my new master took my halter and led me out of the fair to an inn where he had a saddle and bridle ready He gave me a good feed of oats and stood by while I ate it talking to himself and talking to me Half an hour after we were on our way to London through pleasant lanes and country roads until we came into the great London thoroughfare on which we traveled steadily till in the twilight we reached the great city The gas lamps were already lighted there were streets to the right and streets to the left and streets crossing each other for mile upon mile I thought we should never come to the end of them At last in passing through one we came to a long cab stand when my rider called out in a cheery voice Goodnight governor
Halloo cried a voice Have you got a good one
I think so replied my owner
I wish you luck with him
Thank you governor and he rode on We soon turned up one of the side streets and about halfway up that we turned into a very narrow street with rather poorlooking houses on one side and what seemed to be coachhouses and stables on the other
My owner pulled up at one of the houses and whistled The door flew open and a young woman followed by a little girl and boy ran out There was a very lively greeting as my rider dismounted
Now then Harry my boy open the gates and mother will bring us the lantern
The next minute they were all standing round me in a small stableyard
Is he gentle father
Yes Dolly as gentle as your own kitten come and pat him
At once the little hand was patting about all over my shoulder without fear How good it felt
Let me get him a bran mash while you rub him down said the mother
Do Polly its just what he wants and I know youve got a beautiful mash ready for me
Sausage dumpling and apple turnover shouted the boy which set them all laughing I was led into a comfortable cleansmelling stall with plenty of dry straw and after a capital supper I lay down thinking I was going to be happy
33 A London Cab Horse
Jeremiah Barker was my new masters name but as every one called him Jerry I shall do the same Polly his wife was just as good a match as a man could have She was a plump trim tidy little woman with smooth dark hair dark eyes and a merry little mouth The boy was twelve years old a tall frank goodtempered lad and little Dorothy Dolly they called her was her mother over again at eight years old They were all wonderfully fond of each other I never knew such a happy merry family before or since Jerry had a cab of his own and two horses which he drove and attended to himself His other horse was a tall white rather largeboned animal called Captain He was old now but when he was young he must have been splendid he had still a proud way of holding his head and arching his neck in fact he was a highbred finemannered noble old horse every inch of him He told me that in his early youth he went to the Crimean War he belonged to an officer in the cavalry and used to lead the regiment I will tell more of that hereafter
The next morning when I was wellgroomed Polly and Dolly came into the yard to see me and make friends Harry had been helping his father since the early morning and had stated his opinion that I should turn out a regular brick Polly brought me a slice of apple and Dolly a piece of bread and made as much of me as if I had been the Black Beauty of olden time It was a great treat to be petted again and talked to in a gentle voice and I let them see as well as I could that I wished to be friendly Polly thought I was very handsome and a great deal too good for a cab if it was not for the broken knees
Of course theres no one to tell us whose fault that was said Jerry and as long as I dont know I shall give him the benefit of the doubt for a firmer neater stepper I never rode Well call him Jack after the old one—shall we Polly
Do she said for I like to keep a good name going
Captain went out in the cab all the morning Harry came in after school to feed me and give me water In the afternoon I was put into the cab Jerry took as much pains to see if the collar and bridle fitted comfortably as if he had been John Manly over again When the crupper was let out a hole or two it all fitted well There was no checkrein no curb nothing but a plain ring snaffle What a blessing that was
After driving through the side street we came to the large cab stand where Jerry had said Goodnight On one side of this wide street were high houses with wonderful shop fronts and on the other was an old church and churchyard surrounded by iron palisades Alongside these iron rails a number of cabs were drawn up waiting for passengers bits of hay were lying about on the ground some of the men were standing together talking some were sitting on their boxes reading the newspaper and one or two were feeding their horses with bits of hay and giving them a drink of water We pulled up in the rank at the back of the last cab Two or three men came round and began to look at me and pass their remarks
Very good for a funeral said one
Too smartlooking said another shaking his head in a very wise way youll find out something wrong one of these fine mornings or my name isnt Jones
Well said Jerry pleasantly I suppose I need not find it out till it finds me out eh And if so Ill keep up my spirits a little longer
Then there came up a broadfaced man dressed in a great gray coat with great gray cape and great white buttons a gray hat and a blue comforter loosely tied round his neck his hair was gray too but he was a jollylooking fellow and the other men made way for him He looked me all over as if he had been going to buy me and then straightening himself up with a grunt he said Hes the right sort for you Jerry I dont care what you gave for him hell be worth it Thus my character was established on the stand
This mans name was Grant but he was called Gray Grant or Governor Grant He had been the longest on that stand of any of the men and he took it upon himself to settle matters and stop disputes He was generally a goodhumored sensible man but if his temper was a little out as it was sometimes when he had drunk too much nobody liked to come too near his fist for he could deal a very heavy blow
The first week of my life as a cab horse was very trying I had never been used to London and the noise the hurry the crowds of horses carts and carriages that I had to make my way through made me feel anxious and harassed but I soon found that I could perfectly trust my driver and then I made myself easy and got used to it
Jerry was as good a driver as I had ever known and what was better he took as much thought for his horses as he did for himself He soon found out that I was willing to work and do my best and he never laid the whip on me unless it was gently drawing the end of it over my back when I was to go on but generally I knew this quite well by the way in which he took up the reins and I believe his whip was more frequently stuck up by his side than in his hand
In a short time I and my master understood each other as well as horse and man can do In the stable too he did all that he could for our comfort The stalls were the oldfashioned style too much on the slope but he had two movable bars fixed across the back of our stalls so that at night and when we were resting he just took off our halters and put up the bars and thus we could turn about and stand whichever way we pleased which is a great comfort
Jerry kept us very clean and gave us as much change of food as he could and always plenty of it and not only that but he always gave us plenty of clean fresh water which he allowed to stand by us both night and day except of course when we came in warm Some people say that a horse ought not to drink all he likes but I know if we are allowed to drink when we want it we drink only a little at a time and it does us a great deal more good than swallowing down half a bucketful at a time because we have been left without till we are thirsty and miserable Some grooms will go home to their beer and leave us for hours with our dry hay and oats and nothing to moisten them then of course we gulp down too much at once which helps to spoil our breathing and sometimes chills our stomachs But the best thing we had here was our Sundays for rest we worked so hard in the week that I do not think we could have kept up to it but for that day besides we had then time to enjoy each others company It was on these days that I learned my companions history
34 An Old War Horse
Captain had been broken in and trained for an army horse his first owner was an officer of cavalry going out to the Crimean war He said he quite enjoyed the training with all the other horses trotting together turning together to the right hand or the left halting at the word of command or dashing forward at full speed at the sound of the trumpet or signal of the officer He was when young a dark dappled irongray and considered very handsome His master a young highspirited gentleman was very fond of him and treated him from the first with the greatest care and kindness He told me he thought the life of an army horse was very pleasant but when it came to being sent abroad over the sea in a great ship he almost changed his mind
That part of it said he was dreadful Of course we could not walk off the land into the ship so they were obliged to put strong straps under our bodies and then we were lifted off our legs in spite of our struggles and were swung through the air over the water to the deck of the great vessel There we were placed in small close stalls and never for a long time saw the sky or were able to stretch our legs The ship sometimes rolled about in high winds and we were knocked about and felt bad enough
However at last it came to an end and we were hauled up and swung over again to the land we were very glad and snorted and neighed for joy when we once more felt firm ground under our feet
We soon found that the country we had come to was very different from our own and that we had many hardships to endure besides the fighting but many of the men were so fond of their horses that they did everything they could to make them comfortable in spite of snow wet and all things out of order
But what about the fighting said I was not that worse than anything else
Well said he I hardly know we always liked to hear the trumpet sound and to be called out and were impatient to start off though sometimes we had to stand for hours waiting for the word of command and when the word was given we used to spring forward as gayly and eagerly as if there were no cannon balls bayonets or bullets I believe so long as we felt our rider firm in the saddle and his hand steady on the bridle not one of us gave way to fear not even when the terrible bombshells whirled through the air and burst into a thousand pieces
I with my noble master went into many actions together without a wound and though I saw horses shot down with bullets pierced through with lances and gashed with fearful sabercuts though we left them dead on the field or dying in the agony of their wounds I dont think I feared for myself My masters cheery voice as he encouraged his men made me feel as if he and I could not be killed I had such perfect trust in him that while he was guiding me I was ready to charge up to the very cannons mouth I saw many brave men cut down many fall mortally wounded from their saddles I had heard the cries and groans of the dying I had cantered over ground slippery with blood and frequently had to turn aside to avoid trampling on wounded man or horse but until one dreadful day I had never felt terror that day I shall never forget
Here old Captain paused for awhile and drew a long breath I waited and he went on
It was one autumn morning and as usual an hour before daybreak our cavalry had turned out ready caparisoned for the days work whether it might be fighting or waiting The men stood by their horses waiting ready for orders As the light increased there seemed to be some excitement among the officers and before the day was well begun we heard the firing of the enemys guns
Then one of the officers rode up and gave the word for the men to mount and in a second every man was in his saddle and every horse stood expecting the touch of the rein or the pressure of his riders heels all animated all eager but still we had been trained so well that except by the champing of our bits and the restive tossing of our heads from time to time it could not be said that we stirred
My dear master and I were at the head of the line and as all sat motionless and watchful he took a little stray lock of my mane which had turned over on the wrong side laid it over on the right and smoothed it down with his hand then patting my neck he said We shall have a day of it today Bayard my beauty but well do our duty as we have done He stroked my neck that morning more I think than he had ever done before quietly on and on as if he were thinking of something else I loved to feel his hand on my neck and arched my crest proudly and happily but I stood very still for I knew all his moods and when he liked me to be quiet and when gay
I cannot tell all that happened on that day but I will tell of the last charge that we made together it was across a valley right in front of the enemys cannon By this time we were well used to the roar of heavy guns the rattle of musket fire and the flying of shot near us but never had I been under such a fire as we rode through on that day From the right from the left and from the front shot and shell poured in upon us Many a brave man went down many a horse fell flinging his rider to the earth many a horse without a rider ran wildly out of the ranks then terrified at being alone with no hand to guide him came pressing in among his old companions to gallop with them to the charge
Fearful as it was no one stopped no one turned back Every moment the ranks were thinned but as our comrades fell we closed in to keep them together and instead of being shaken or staggered in our pace our gallop became faster and faster as we neared the cannon
My master my dear master was cheering on his comrades with his right arm raised on high when one of the balls whizzing close to my head struck him I felt him stagger with the shock though he uttered no cry I tried to check my speed but the sword dropped from his right hand the rein fell loose from the left and sinking backward from the saddle he fell to the earth the other riders swept past us and by the force of their charge I was driven from the spot
I wanted to keep my place by his side and not leave him under that rush of horses feet but it was in vain and now without a master or a friend I was alone on that great slaughter ground then fear took hold on me and I trembled as I had never trembled before and I too as I had seen other horses do tried to join in the ranks and gallop with them but I was beaten off by the swords of the soldiers Just then a soldier whose horse had been killed under him caught at my bridle and mounted me and with this new master I was again going forward but our gallant company was cruelly overpowered and those who remained alive after the fierce fight for the guns came galloping back over the same ground Some of the horses had been so badly wounded that they could scarcely move from the loss of blood other noble creatures were trying on three legs to drag themselves along and others were struggling to rise on their fore feet when their hind legs had been shattered by shot After the battle the wounded men were brought in and the dead were buried
And what about the wounded horses I said were they left to die
No the army farriers went over the field with their pistols and shot all that were ruined some that had only slight wounds were brought back and attended to but the greater part of the noble willing creatures that went out that morning never came back In our stables there was only about one in four that returned
I never saw my dear master again I believe he fell dead from the saddle I never loved any other master so well I went into many other engagements but was only once wounded and then not seriously and when the war was over I came back again to England as sound and strong as when I went out
I said I have heard people talk about war as if it was a very fine thing
Ah said he I should think they never saw it No doubt it is very fine when there is no enemy when it is just exercise and parade and sham fight Yes it is very fine then but when thousands of good brave men and horses are killed or crippled for life it has a very different look
Do you know what they fought about said I
No he said that is more than a horse can understand but the enemy must have been awfully wicked people if it was right to go all that way over the sea on purpose to kill them
35 Jerry Barker
I never knew a better man than my new master He was kind and good and as strong for the right as John Manly and so goodtempered and merry that very few people could pick a quarrel with him He was very fond of making little songs and singing them to himself One he was very fond of was this
Come father and mother
And sister and brother
Come all of you turn to
And help one another
And so they did Harry was as clever at stablework as a much older boy and always wanted to do what he could Then Polly and Dolly used to come in the morning to help with the cab—to brush and beat the cushions and rub the glass while Jerry was giving us a cleaning in the yard and Harry was rubbing the harness There used to be a great deal of laughing and fun between them and it put Captain and me in much better spirits than if we had heard scolding and hard words They were always early in the morning for Jerry would say
If you in the morning
Throw minutes away
You cant pick them up
In the course of a day
You may hurry and scurry
And flurry and worry
Youve lost them forever
Forever and aye
He could not bear any careless loitering and waste of time and nothing was so near making him angry as to find people who were always late wanting a cab horse to be driven hard to make up for their idleness
One day two wildlooking young men came out of a tavern close by the stand and called Jerry
Here cabby look sharp we are rather late put on the steam will you and take us to the Victoria in time for the one oclock train You shall have a shilling extra
I will take you at the regular pace gentlemen shillings dont pay for putting on the steam like that
Larrys cab was standing next to ours he flung open the door and said Im your man gentlemen take my cab my horse will get you there all right and as he shut them in with a wink toward Jerry said Its against his conscience to go beyond a jogtrot Then slashing his jaded horse he set off as hard as he could Jerry patted me on the neck No Jack a shilling would not pay for that sort of thing would it old boy
Although Jerry was determinedly set against hard driving to please careless people he always went a good fair pace and was not against putting on the steam as he said if only he knew why
I well remember one morning as we were on the stand waiting for a fare that a young man carrying a heavy portmanteau trod on a piece of orange peel which lay on the pavement and fell down with great force
Jerry was the first to run and lift him up He seemed much stunned and as they led him into a shop he walked as if he were in great pain Jerry of course came back to the stand but in about ten minutes one of the shopmen called him so we drew up to the pavement
Can you take me to the SouthEastern Railway said the young man this unlucky fall has made me late I fear but it is of great importance that I should not lose the twelve oclock train I should be most thankful if you could get me there in time and will gladly pay you an extra fare
Ill do my very best said Jerry heartily if you think you are well enough sir for he looked dreadfully white and ill
I must go he said earnestly please to open the door and let us lose no time
The next minute Jerry was on the box with a cheery chirrup to me and a twitch of the rein that I well understood
Now then Jack my boy said he spin along well show them how we can get over the ground if we only know why
It is always difficult to drive fast in the city in the middle of the day when the streets are full of traffic but we did what could be done and when a good driver and a good horse who understand each other are of one mind it is wonderful what they can do I had a very good mouth—that is I could be guided by the slightest touch of the rein and that is a great thing in London among carriages omnibuses carts vans trucks cabs and great wagons creeping along at a walking pace some going one way some another some going slowly others wanting to pass them omnibuses stopping short every few minutes to take up a passenger obliging the horse that is coming behind to pull up too or to pass and get before them perhaps you try to pass but just then something else comes dashing in through the narrow opening and you have to keep in behind the omnibus again presently you think you see a chance and manage to get to the front going so near the wheels on each side that half an inch nearer and they would scrape Well you get along for a bit but soon find yourself in a long train of carts and carriages all obliged to go at a walk perhaps you come to a regular blockup and have to stand still for minutes together till something clears out into a side street or the policeman interferes you have to be ready for any chance—to dash forward if there be an opening and be quick as a ratdog to see if there be room and if there be time lest you get your own wheels locked or smashed or the shaft of some other vehicle run into your chest or shoulder All this is what you have to be ready for If you want to get through London fast in the middle of the day it wants a deal of practice
Jerry and I were used to it and no one could beat us at getting through when we were set upon it I was quick and bold and could always trust my driver Jerry was quick and patient at the same time and could trust his horse which was a great thing too He very seldom used the whip I knew by his voice and his click click when he wanted to get on fast and by the rein where I was to go so there was no need for whipping but I must go back to my story
The streets were very full that day but we got on pretty well as far as the bottom of Cheapside where there was a block for three or four minutes The young man put his head out and said anxiously I think I had better get out and walk I shall never get there if this goes on
Ill do all that can be done sir said Jerry I think we shall be in time This blockup cannot last much longer and your luggage is very heavy for you to carry sir
Just then the cart in front of us began to move on and then we had a good turn In and out in and out we went as fast as horseflesh could do it and for a wonder had a good clear time on London Bridge for there was a whole train of cabs and carriages all going our way at a quick trot perhaps wanting to catch that very train At any rate we whirled into the station with many more just as the great clock pointed to eight minutes to twelve oclock
Thank God we are in time said the young man and thank you too my friend and your good horse You have saved me more than money can ever pay for Take this extra halfcrown
No sir no thank you all the same so glad we hit the time sir but dont stay now sir the bell is ringing Here porter take this gentlemans luggage—Dover line twelve oclock train—thats it and without waiting for another word Jerry wheeled me round to make room for other cabs that were dashing up at the last minute and drew up on one side till the crush was past
So glad he said so glad Poor young fellow I wonder what it was that made him so anxious
Jerry often talked to himself quite loud enough for me to hear when we were not moving
On Jerrys return to the rank there was a good deal of laughing and chaffing at him for driving hard to the train for an extra fare as they said all against his principles and they wanted to know how much he had pocketed
A good deal more than I generally get said he nodding slyly what he gave me will keep me in little comforts for several days
Gammon said one
Hes a humbug said another preaching to us and then doing the same himself
Look here mates said Jerry the gentleman offered me half a crown extra but I didnt take it twas quite pay enough for me to see how glad he was to catch that train and if Jack and I choose to have a quick run now and then to please ourselves thats our business and not yours
Well said Larry youll never be a rich man
Most likely not said Jerry but I dont know that I shall be the less happy for that I have heard the commandments read a great many times and I never noticed that any of them said Thou shalt be rich and there are a good many curious things said in the New Testament about rich men that I think would make me feel rather queer if I was one of them
If you ever do get rich said Governor Gray looking over his shoulder across the top of his cab youll deserve it Jerry and you wont find a curse come with your wealth As for you Larry youll die poor you spend too much in whipcord
Well said Larry what is a fellow to do if his horse wont go without it
You never take the trouble to see if he will go without it your whip is always going as if you had the St Vitus dance in your arm and if it does not wear you out it wears your horse out you know you are always changing your horses and why Because you never give them any peace or encouragement
Well I have not had good luck said Larry thats where it is
And you never will said the governor Good Luck is rather particular who she rides with and mostly prefers those who have got common sense and a good heart at least that is my experience
Governor Gray turned round again to his newspaper and the other men went to their cabs
36 The Sunday Cab
One morning as Jerry had just put me into the shafts and was fastening the traces a gentleman walked into the yard Your servant sir said Jerry
Goodmorning Mr Barker said the gentleman I should be glad to make some arrangements with you for taking Mrs Briggs regularly to church on Sunday mornings We go to the New Church now and that is rather further than she can walk
Thank you sir said Jerry but I have only taken out a sixdays license and therefore I could not take a fare on a Sunday it would not be legal
A few years since the annual charge for a cab license was very much reduced and the difference between the six and seven days cabs was abolished
Oh said the other I did not know yours was a sixdays cab but of course it would be very easy to alter your license I would see that you did not lose by it the fact is Mrs Briggs very much prefers you to drive her
I should be glad to oblige the lady sir but I had a sevendays license once and the work was too hard for me and too hard for my horses Year in and year out not a days rest and never a Sunday with my wife and children and never able to go to a place of worship which I had always been used to do before I took to the driving box So for the last five years I have only taken a sixdays license and I find it better all the way round
Well of course replied Mr Briggs it is very proper that every person should have rest and be able to go to church on Sundays but I should have thought you would not have minded such a short distance for the horse and only once a day you would have all the afternoon and evening for yourself and we are very good customers you know
Yes sir that is true and I am grateful for all favors I am sure and anything that I could do to oblige you or the lady I should be proud and happy to do but I cant give up my Sundays sir indeed I cant I read that God made man and he made horses and all the other beasts and as soon as He had made them He made a day of rest and bade that all should rest one day in seven and I think sir He must have known what was good for them and I am sure it is good for me I am stronger and healthier altogether now that I have a day of rest the horses are fresh too and do not wear up nearly so fast The sixday drivers all tell me the same and I have laid by more money in the savings bank than ever I did before and as for the wife and children sir why heart alive they would not go back to the seven days for all they could see
Oh very well said the gentleman Dont trouble yourself Mr Barker any further I will inquire somewhere else and he walked away
Well says Jerry to me we cant help it Jack old boy we must have our Sundays
Polly he shouted Polly come here
She was there in a minute
What is it all about Jerry
Why my dear Mr Briggs wants me to take Mrs Briggs to church every Sunday morning I say I have only a sixdays license He says Get a sevendays license and Ill make it worth your while and you know Polly they are very good customers to us Mrs Briggs often goes out shopping for hours or making calls and then she pays down fair and honorable like a lady theres no beating down or making three hours into two hours and a half as some folks do and it is easy work for the horses not like tearing along to catch trains for people that are always a quarter of an hour too late and if I dont oblige her in this matter it is very likely we shall lose them altogether What do you say little woman
I say Jerry says she speaking very slowly I say if Mrs Briggs would give you a sovereign every Sunday morning I would not have you a sevendays cabman again We have known what it was to have no Sundays and now we know what it is to call them our own Thank God you earn enough to keep us though it is sometimes close work to pay for all the oats and hay the license and the rent besides but Harry will soon be earning something and I would rather struggle on harder than we do than go back to those horrid times when you hardly had a minute to look at your own children and we never could go to a place of worship together or have a happy quiet day God forbid that we should ever turn back to those times thats what I say Jerry
And that is just what I told Mr Briggs my dear said Jerry and what I mean to stick to So dont go and fret yourself Polly for she had begun to cry I would not go back to the old times if I earned twice as much so that is settled little woman Now cheer up and Ill be off to the stand
Three weeks had passed away after this conversation and no order had come from Mrs Briggs so there was nothing but taking jobs from the stand Jerry took it to heart a good deal for of course the work was harder for horse and man But Polly would always cheer him up and say Never mind father never mind
Do your best
And leave the rest
Twill all come right
Some day or night
It soon became known that Jerry had lost his best customer and for what reason Most of the men said he was a fool but two or three took his part
If workingmen dont stick to their Sunday said Truman theyll soon have none left it is every mans right and every beasts right By Gods law we have a day of rest and by the law of England we have a day of rest and I say we ought to hold to the rights these laws give us and keep them for our children
All very well for you religious chaps to talk so said Larry but Ill turn a shilling when I can I dont believe in religion for I dont see that your religious people are any better than the rest
If they are not better put in Jerry it is because they are not religious You might as well say that our countrys laws are not good because some people break them If a man gives way to his temper and speaks evil of his neighbor and does not pay his debts he is not religious I dont care how much he goes to church If some men are shams and humbugs that does not make religion untrue Real religion is the best and truest thing in the world and the only thing that can make a man really happy or make the world we live in any better
If religion was good for anything said Jones it would prevent your religious people from making us work on Sundays as you know many of them do and thats why I say religion is nothing but a sham why if it was not for the church and chapelgoers it would be hardly worth while our coming out on a Sunday But they have their privileges as they call them and I go without I shall expect them to answer for my soul if I cant get a chance of saving it
Several of the men applauded this till Jerry said
That may sound well enough but it wont do every man must look after his own soul you cant lay it down at another mans door like a foundling and expect him to take care of it and dont you see if you are always sitting on your box waiting for a fare they will say If we dont take him some one else will and he does not look for any Sunday Of course they dont go to the bottom of it or they would see if they never came for a cab it would be no use your standing there but people dont always like to go to the bottom of things it may not be convenient to do it but if you Sunday drivers would all strike for a day of rest the thing would be done
And what would all the good people do if they could not get to their favorite preachers said Larry
Tis not for me to lay down plans for other people said Jerry but if they cant walk so far they can go to what is nearer and if it should rain they can put on their mackintoshes as they do on a weekday If a thing is right it can be done and if it is wrong it can be done without and a good man will find a way And that is as true for us cabmen as it is for the churchgoers
37 The Golden Rule
Two or three weeks after this as we came into the yard rather late in the evening Polly came running across the road with the lantern she always brought it to him if it was not very wet
It has all come right Jerry Mrs Briggs sent her servant this afternoon to ask you to take her out tomorrow at eleven oclock I said Yes I thought so but we supposed she employed some one else now
Well said he the real fact is master was put out because Mr Barker refused to come on Sundays and he has been trying other cabs but theres something wrong with them all some drive too fast and some too slow and the mistress says there is not one of them so nice and clean as yours and nothing will suit her but Mr Barkers cab again
Polly was almost out of breath and Jerry broke out into a merry laugh
Twill all come right some day or night you were right my dear you generally are Run in and get the supper and Ill have Jacks harness off and make him snug and happy in no time
After this Mrs Briggs wanted Jerrys cab quite as often as before never however on a Sunday but there came a day when we had Sunday work and this was how it happened We had all come home on the Saturday night very tired and very glad to think that the next day would be all rest but so it was not to be
On Sunday morning Jerry was cleaning me in the yard when Polly stepped up to him looking very full of something
What is it said Jerry
Well my dear she said poor Dinah Brown has just had a letter brought to say that her mother is dangerously ill and that she must go directly if she wishes to see her alive The place is more than ten miles away from here out in the country and she says if she takes the train she should still have four miles to walk and so weak as she is and the baby only four weeks old of course that would be impossible and she wants to know if you would take her in your cab and she promises to pay you faithfully as she can get the money
Tut tut well see about that It was not the money I was thinking about but of losing our Sunday the horses are tired and I am tired too—thats where it pinches
It pinches all round for that matter said Polly for its only half Sunday without you but you know we should do to other people as we should like they should do to us and I know very well what I should like if my mother was dying and Jerry dear I am sure it wont break the Sabbath for if pulling a poor beast or donkey out of a pit would not spoil it I am quite sure taking poor Dinah would not do it
Why Polly you are as good as the minister and so as Ive had my Sundaymorning sermon early today you may go and tell Dinah that Ill be ready for her as the clock strikes ten but stop—just step round to butcher Braydons with my compliments and ask him if he would lend me his light trap I know he never uses it on the Sunday and it would make a wonderful difference to the horse
Away she went and soon returned saying that he could have the trap and welcome
All right said he now put me up a bit of bread and cheese and Ill be back in the afternoon as soon as I can
And Ill have the meat pie ready for an early tea instead of for dinner said Polly and away she went while he made his preparations to the tune of Pollys the woman and no mistake of which tune he was very fond
I was selected for the journey and at ten oclock we started in a light highwheeled gig which ran so easily that after the fourwheeled cab it seemed like nothing
It was a fine May day and as soon as we were out of the town the sweet air the smell of the fresh grass and the soft country roads were as pleasant as they used to be in the old times and I soon began to feel quite fresh
Dinahs family lived in a small farmhouse up a green lane close by a meadow with some fine shady trees there were two cows feeding in it A young man asked Jerry to bring his trap into the meadow and he would tie me up in the cowshed he wished he had a better stable to offer
If your cows would not be offended said Jerry there is nothing my horse would like so well as to have an hour or two in your beautiful meadow hes quiet and it would be a rare treat for him
Do and welcome said the young man the best we have is at your service for your kindness to my sister we shall be having some dinner in an hour and I hope youll come in though with mother so ill we are all out of sorts in the house
Jerry thanked him kindly but said as he had some dinner with him there was nothing he should like so well as walking about in the meadow
When my harness was taken off I did not know what I should do first—whether to eat the grass or roll over on my back or lie down and rest or have a gallop across the meadow out of sheer spirits at being free and I did all by turns Jerry seemed to be quite as happy as I was he sat down by a bank under a shady tree and listened to the birds then he sang himself and read out of the little brown book he is so fond of then wandered round the meadow and down by a little brook where he picked the flowers and the hawthorn and tied them up with long sprays of ivy then he gave me a good feed of the oats which he had brought with him but the time seemed all too short—I had not been in a field since I left poor Ginger at Earlshall
We came home gently and Jerrys first words were as we came into the yard Well Polly I have not lost my Sunday after all for the birds were singing hymns in every bush and I joined in the service and as for Jack he was like a young colt
When he handed Dolly the flowers she jumped about for joy
38 Dolly and a Real Gentleman
Winter came in early with a great deal of cold and wet There was snow or sleet or rain almost every day for weeks changing only for keen driving winds or sharp frosts The horses all felt it very much When it is a dry cold a couple of good thick rugs will keep the warmth in us but when it is soaking rain they soon get wet through and are no good Some of the drivers had a waterproof cover to throw over which was a fine thing but some of the men were so poor that they could not protect either themselves or their horses and many of them suffered very much that winter When we horses had worked half the day we went to our dry stables and could rest while they had to sit on their boxes sometimes staying out as late as one or two oclock in the morning if they had a party to wait for
When the streets were slippery with frost or snow that was the worst of all for us horses One mile of such traveling with a weight to draw and no firm footing would take more out of us than four on a good road every nerve and muscle of our bodies is on the strain to keep our balance and added to this the fear of falling is more exhausting than anything else If the roads are very bad indeed our shoes are roughed but that makes us feel nervous at first
When the weather was very bad many of the men would go and sit in the tavern close by and get some one to watch for them but they often lost a fare in that way and could not as Jerry said be there without spending money He never went to the Rising Sun there was a coffeeshop near where he now and then went or he bought of an old man who came to our rank with tins of hot coffee and pies It was his opinion that spirits and beer made a man colder afterward and that dry clothes good food cheerfulness and a comfortable wife at home were the best things to keep a cabman warm Polly always supplied him with something to eat when he could not get home and sometimes he would see little Dolly peeping from the corner of the street to make sure if father was on the stand If she saw him she would run off at full speed and soon come back with something in a tin or basket some hot soup or pudding Polly had ready It was wonderful how such a little thing could get safely across the street often thronged with horses and carriages but she was a brave little maid and felt it quite an honor to bring fathers first course as he used to call it She was a general favorite on the stand and there was not a man who would not have seen her safely across the street if Jerry had not been able to do it
One cold windy day Dolly had brought Jerry a basin of something hot and was standing by him while he ate it He had scarcely begun when a gentleman walking toward us very fast held up his umbrella Jerry touched his hat in return gave the basin to Dolly and was taking off my cloth when the gentleman hastening up cried out No no finish your soup my friend I have not much time to spare but I can wait till you have done and set your little girl safe on the pavement So saying he seated himself in the cab Jerry thanked him kindly and came back to Dolly
There Dolly thats a gentleman thats a real gentleman Dolly he has got time and thought for the comfort of a poor cabman and a little girl
Jerry finished his soup set the child across and then took his orders to drive to Clapham Rise Several times after that the same gentleman took our cab I think he was very fond of dogs and horses for whenever we took him to his own door two or three dogs would come bounding out to meet him Sometimes he came round and patted me saying in his quiet pleasant way This horse has got a good master and he deserves it It was a very rare thing for any one to notice the horse that had been working for him I have known ladies to do it now and then and this gentleman and one or two others have given me a pat and a kind word but ninetynine persons out of a hundred would as soon think of patting the steam engine that drew the train
The gentleman was not young and there was a forward stoop in his shoulders as if he was always going at something His lips were thin and close shut though they had a very pleasant smile his eye was keen and there was something in his jaw and the motion of his head that made one think he was very determined in anything he set about His voice was pleasant and kind any horse would trust that voice though it was just as decided as everything else about him
One day he and another gentleman took our cab they stopped at a shop in R—— Street and while his friend went in he stood at the door A little ahead of us on the other side of the street a cart with two very fine horses was standing before some wine vaults the carter was not with them and I cannot tell how long they had been standing but they seemed to think they had waited long enough and began to move off Before they had gone many paces the carter came running out and caught them He seemed furious at their having moved and with whip and rein punished them brutally even beating them about the head Our gentleman saw it all and stepping quickly across the street said in a decided voice
If you dont stop that directly Ill have you arrested for leaving your horses and for brutal conduct
The man who had clearly been drinking poured forth some abusive language but he left off knocking the horses about and taking the reins got into his cart meantime our friend had quietly taken a notebook from his pocket and looking at the name and address painted on the cart he wrote something down
What do you want with that growled the carter as he cracked his whip and was moving on A nod and a grim smile was the only answer he got
On returning to the cab our friend was joined by his companion who said laughingly I should have thought Wright you had enough business of your own to look after without troubling yourself about other peoples horses and servants
Our friend stood still for a moment and throwing his head a little back Do you know why this world is as bad as it is
No said the other
Then Ill tell you It is because people think only about their own business and wont trouble themselves to stand up for the oppressed nor bring the wrongdoer to light I never see a wicked thing like this without doing what I can and many a master has thanked me for letting him know how his horses have been used
I wish there were more gentlemen like you sir said Jerry for they are wanted badly enough in this city
After this we continued our journey and as they got out of the cab our friend was saying My doctrine is this that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop and do nothing we make ourselves sharers in the guilt
39 Seedy Sam
I should say that for a cabhorse I was very well off indeed my driver was my owner and it was his interest to treat me well and not overwork me even had he not been so good a man as he was but there were a great many horses which belonged to the large cabowners who let them out to their drivers for so much money a day As the horses did not belong to these men the only thing they thought of was how to get their money out of them first to pay the master and then to provide for their own living and a dreadful time some of these horses had of it Of course I understood but little but it was often talked over on the stand and the governor who was a kindhearted man and fond of horses would sometimes speak up if one came in very much jaded or illused
One day a shabby miserablelooking driver who went by the name of Seedy Sam brought in his horse looking dreadfully beat and the governor said
You and your horse look more fit for the police station than for this rank
The man flung his tattered rug over the horse turned full round upon the Governor and said in a voice that sounded almost desperate
If the police have any business with the matter it ought to be with the masters who charge us so much or with the fares that are fixed so low If a man has to pay eighteen shillings a day for the use of a cab and two horses as many of us have to do in the season and must make that up before we earn a penny for ourselves I say tis more than hard work nine shillings a day to get out of each horse before you begin to get your own living You know thats true and if the horses dont work we must starve and I and my children have known what that is before now Ive six of em and only one earns anything I am on the stand fourteen or sixteen hours a day and I havent had a Sunday these ten or twelve weeks you know Skinner never gives a day if he can help it and if I dont work hard tell me who does I want a warm coat and a mackintosh but with so many to feed how can a man get it I had to pledge my clock a week ago to pay Skinner and I shall never see it again
Some of the other drivers stood round nodding their heads and saying he was right The man went on
You that have your own horses and cabs or drive for good masters have a chance of getting on and a chance of doing right I havent We cant charge more than sixpence a mile after the first within the fourmile radius This very morning I had to go a clear six miles and only took three shillings I could not get a return fare and had to come all the way back theres twelve miles for the horse and three shillings for me After that I had a threemile fare and there were bags and boxes enough to have brought in a good many twopences if they had been put outside but you know how people do all that could be piled up inside on the front seat were put in and three heavy boxes went on the top That was sixpence and the fare one and sixpence then I got a return for a shilling Now that makes eighteen miles for the horse and six shillings for me theres three shillings still for that horse to earn and nine shillings for the afternoon horse before I touch a penny Of course it is not always so bad as that but you know it often is and I say tis a mockery to tell a man that he must not overwork his horse for when a beast is downright tired theres nothing but the whip that will keep his legs agoing you cant help yourself—you must put your wife and children before the horse the masters must look to that we cant I dont illuse my horse for the sake of it none of you can say I do Theres wrong lays somewhere—never a days rest never a quiet hour with the wife and children I often feel like an old man though Im only fortyfive You know how quick some of the gentry are to suspect us of cheating and overcharging why they stand with their purses in their hands counting it over to a penny and looking at us as if we were pickpockets I wish some of em had got to sit on my box sixteen hours a day and get a living out of it and eighteen shillings beside and that in all weathers they would not be so uncommon particular never to give us a sixpence over or to cram all the luggage inside Of course some of em tip us pretty handsome now and then or else we could not live but you cant depend upon that
The men who stood round much approved this speech and one of them said It is desperate hard and if a man sometimes does what is wrong it is no wonder and if he gets a dram too much whos to blow him up
Jerry had taken no part in this conversation but I never saw his face look so sad before The governor had stood with both his hands in his pockets now he took his handkerchief out of his hat and wiped his forehead
Youve beaten me Sam he said for its all true and I wont cast it up to you any more about the police it was the look in that horses eye that came over me It is hard lines for man and it is hard lines for beast and whos to mend it I dont know but anyway you might tell the poor beast that you were sorry to take it out of him in that way Sometimes a kind word is all we can give em poor brutes and tis wonderful what they do understand
A few mornings after this talk a new man came on the stand with Sams cab
Halloo said one whats up with Seedy Sam
Hes ill in bed said the man he was taken last night in the yard and could scarcely crawl home His wife sent a boy this morning to say his father was in a high fever and could not get out so Im here instead
The next morning the same man came again
How is Sam inquired the governor
Hes gone said the man
What gone You dont mean to say hes dead
Just snuffed out said the other he died at four oclock this morning all yesterday he was raving—raving about Skinner and having no Sundays I never had a Sundays rest these were his last words
No one spoke for a while and then the governor said Ill tell you what mates this is a warning for us
40 Poor Ginger
One day while our cab and many others were waiting outside one of the parks where music was playing a shabby old cab drove up beside ours The horse was an old wornout chestnut with an illkept coat and bones that showed plainly through it the knees knuckled over and the forelegs were very unsteady I had been eating some hay and the wind rolled a little lock of it that way and the poor creature put out her long thin neck and picked it up and then turned and looked about for more There was a hopeless look in the dull eye that I could not help noticing and then as I was thinking where I had seen that horse before she looked full at me and said Black Beauty is that you
It was Ginger but how changed The beautifully arched and glossy neck was now straight and lank and fallen in the clean straight legs and delicate fetlocks were swelled the joints were grown out of shape with hard work the face that was once so full of spirit and life was now full of suffering and I could tell by the heaving of her sides and her frequent cough how bad her breath was
Our drivers were standing together a little way off so I sidled up to her a step or two that we might have a little quiet talk It was a sad tale that she had to tell
After a twelvemonths run off at Earlshall she was considered to be fit for work again and was sold to a gentleman For a little while she got on very well but after a longer gallop than usual the old strain returned and after being rested and doctored she was again sold In this way she changed hands several times but always getting lower down
And so at last said she I was bought by a man who keeps a number of cabs and horses and lets them out You look well off and I am glad of it but I could not tell you what my life has been When they found out my weakness they said I was not worth what they gave for me and that I must go into one of the low cabs and just be used up that is what they are doing whipping and working with never one thought of what I suffer—they paid for me and must get it out of me they say The man who hires me now pays a deal of money to the owner every day and so he has to get it out of me too and so its all the week round and round with never a Sunday rest
I said You used to stand up for yourself if you were illused
Ah she said I did once but its no use men are strongest and if they are cruel and have no feeling there is nothing that we can do but just bear it—bear it on and on to the end I wish the end was come I wish I was dead I have seen dead horses and I am sure they do not suffer pain I wish I may drop down dead at my work and not be sent off to the knackers
I was very much troubled and I put my nose up to hers but I could say nothing to comfort her I think she was pleased to see me for she said You are the only friend I ever had
Just then her driver came up and with a tug at her mouth backed her out of the line and drove off leaving me very sad indeed
A short time after this a cart with a dead horse in it passed our cabstand The head hung out of the carttail the lifeless tongue was slowly dropping with blood and the sunken eyes but I cant speak of them the sight was too dreadful It was a chestnut horse with a long thin neck I saw a white streak down the forehead I believe it was Ginger I hoped it was for then her troubles would be over Oh if men were more merciful they would shoot us before we came to such misery
41 The Butcher
I saw a great deal of trouble among the horses in London and much of it might have been prevented by a little common sense We horses do not mind hard work if we are treated reasonably and I am sure there are many driven by quite poor men who have a happier life than I had when I used to go in the Countess of W——s carriage with my silvermounted harness and high feeding
It often went to my heart to see how the little ponies were used straining along with heavy loads or staggering under heavy blows from some low cruel boy Once I saw a little gray pony with a thick mane and a pretty head and so much like Merrylegs that if I had not been in harness I should have neighed to him He was doing his best to pull a heavy cart while a strong rough boy was cutting him under the belly with his whip and chucking cruelly at his little mouth Could it be Merrylegs It was just like him but then Mr Blomefield was never to sell him and I think he would not do it but this might have been quite as good a little fellow and had as happy a place when he was young
I often noticed the great speed at which butchers horses were made to go though I did not know why it was so till one day when we had to wait some time in St Johns Wood There was a butchers shop next door and as we were standing a butchers cart came dashing up at a great pace The horse was hot and much exhausted he hung his head down while his heaving sides and trembling legs showed how hard he had been driven The lad jumped out of the cart and was getting the basket when the master came out of the shop much displeased After looking at the horse he turned angrily to the lad
How many times shall I tell you not to drive in this way You ruined the last horse and broke his wind and you are going to ruin this in the same way If you were not my own son I would dismiss you on the spot it is a disgrace to have a horse brought to the shop in a condition like that you are liable to be taken up by the police for such driving and if you are you need not look to me for bail for I have spoken to you till Im tired you must look out for yourself
During this speech the boy had stood by sullen and dogged but when his father ceased he broke out angrily It wasnt his fault and he wouldnt take the blame he was only going by orders all the time
You always say Now be quick now look sharp and when I go to the houses one wants a leg of mutton for an early dinner and I must be back with it in a quarter of an hour another cook has forgotten to order the beef I must go and fetch it and be back in no time or the mistress will scold and the housekeeper says they have company coming unexpectedly and must have some chops sent up directly and the lady at No 4 in the Crescent never orders her dinner till the meat comes in for lunch and its nothing but hurry hurry all the time If the gentry would think of what they want and order their meat the day before there need not be this blow up
I wish to goodness they would said the butcher twould save me a wonderful deal of harass and I could suit my customers much better if I knew beforehand—But there whats the use of talking—who ever thinks of a butchers convenience or a butchers horse Now then take him in and look to him well mind he does not go out again today and if anything else is wanted you must carry it yourself in the basket With that he went in and the horse was led away
But all boys are not cruel I have seen some as fond of their pony or donkey as if it had been a favorite dog and the little creatures have worked away as cheerfully and willingly for their young drivers as I work for Jerry It may be hard work sometimes but a friends hand and voice make it easy
There was a young costerboy who came up our street with greens and potatoes he had an old pony not very handsome but the cheerfullest and pluckiest little thing I ever saw and to see how fond those two were of each other was a treat The pony followed his master like a dog and when he got into his cart would trot off without a whip or a word and rattle down the street as merrily as if he had come out of the queens stables Jerry liked the boy and called him Prince Charlie for he said he would make a king of drivers some day
There was an old man too who used to come up our street with a little coal cart he wore a coalheavers hat and looked rough and black He and his old horse used to plod together along the street like two good partners who understood each other the horse would stop of his own accord at the doors where they took coal of him he used to keep one ear bent toward his master The old mans cry could be heard up the street long before he came near I never knew what he said but the children called him Old Baaar Hoo for it sounded like that Polly took her coal of him and was very friendly and Jerry said it was a comfort to think how happy an old horse might be in a poor place
42 The Election
As we came into the yard one afternoon Polly came out Jerry Ive had Mr B—— here asking about your vote and he wants to hire your cab for the election he will call for an answer
Well Polly you may say that my cab will be otherwise engaged I should not like to have it pasted over with their great bills and as to making Jack and Captain race about to the publichouses to bring up halfdrunken voters why I think twould be an insult to the horses No I shant do it
I suppose youll vote for the gentleman He said he was of your politics
So he is in some things but I shall not vote for him Polly you know what his trade is
Yes
Well a man who gets rich by that trade may be all very well in some ways but he is blind as to what workingmen want I could not in my conscience send him up to make the laws I dare say theyll be angry but every man must do what he thinks to be the best for his country
On the morning before the election Jerry was putting me into the shafts when Dolly came into the yard sobbing and crying with her little blue frock and white pinafore spattered all over with mud
Why Dolly what is the matter
Those naughty boys she sobbed have thrown the dirt all over me and called me a little raga—raga—
They called her a little blue ragamuffin father said Harry who ran in looking very angry but I have given it to them they wont insult my sister again I have given them a thrashing they will remember a set of cowardly rascally orange blackguards
Jerry kissed the child and said Run in to mother my pet and tell her I think you had better stay at home today and help her
Then turning gravely to Harry
My boy I hope you will always defend your sister and give anybody who insults her a good thrashing—that is as it should be but mind I wont have any election blackguarding on my premises There are as many blue blackguards as there are orange and as many white as there are purple or any other color and I wont have any of my family mixed up with it Even women and children are ready to quarrel for the sake of a color and not one in ten of them knows what it is about
Why father I thought blue was for Liberty
My boy Liberty does not come from colors they only show party and all the liberty you can get out of them is liberty to get drunk at other peoples expense liberty to ride to the poll in a dirty old cab liberty to abuse any one that does not wear your color and to shout yourself hoarse at what you only halfunderstand—thats your liberty
Oh father you are laughing
No Harry I am serious and I am ashamed to see how men go on who ought to know better An election is a very serious thing at least it ought to be and every man ought to vote according to his conscience and let his neighbor do the same
43 A Friend in Need
The election day came at last there was no lack of work for Jerry and me First came a stout puffy gentleman with a carpet bag he wanted to go to the Bishopsgate station then we were called by a party who wished to be taken to the Regents Park and next we were wanted in a side street where a timid anxious old lady was waiting to be taken to the bank there we had to stop to take her back again and just as we had set her down a redfaced gentleman with a handful of papers came running up out of breath and before Jerry could get down he had opened the door popped himself in and called out Bow Street Police Station quick so off we went with him and when after another turn or two we came back there was no other cab on the stand Jerry put on my nosebag for as he said We must eat when we can on such days as these so munch away Jack and make the best of your time old boy
I found I had a good feed of crushed oats wetted up with a little bran this would be a treat any day but very refreshing then Jerry was so thoughtful and kind—what horse would not do his best for such a master Then he took out one of Pollys meat pies and standing near me he began to eat it The streets were very full and the cabs with the candidates colors on them were dashing about through the crowd as if life and limb were of no consequence we saw two people knocked down that day and one was a woman The horses were having a bad time of it poor things but the voters inside thought nothing of that many of them were halfdrunk hurrahing out of the cab windows if their own party came by It was the first election I had seen and I dont want to be in another though I have heard things are better now
Jerry and I had not eaten many mouthfuls before a poor young woman carrying a heavy child came along the street She was looking this way and that way and seemed quite bewildered Presently she made her way up to Jerry and asked if he could tell her the way to St Thomas Hospital and how far it was to get there She had come from the country that morning she said in a market cart she did not know about the election and was quite a stranger in London She had got an order for the hospital for her little boy The child was crying with a feeble pining cry
Poor little fellow she said he suffers a deal of pain he is four years old and cant walk any more than a baby but the doctor said if I could get him into the hospital he might get well pray sir how far is it and which way is it
Why missis said Jerry you cant get there walking through crowds like this why it is three miles away and that child is heavy
Yes bless him he is but I am strong thank God and if I knew the way I think I should get on somehow please tell me the way
You cant do it said Jerry you might be knocked down and the child be run over Now look here just get into this cab and Ill drive you safe to the hospital Dont you see the rain is coming on
No sir no I cant do that thank you I have only just money enough to get back with Please tell me the way
Look you here missis said Jerry Ive got a wife and dear children at home and I know a fathers feelings now get you into that cab and Ill take you there for nothing Id be ashamed of myself to let a woman and a sick child run a risk like that
Heaven bless you said the woman and burst into tears
There there cheer up my dear Ill soon take you there come let me put you inside
As Jerry went to open the door two men with colors in their hats and buttonholes ran up calling out Cab
Engaged cried Jerry but one of the men pushing past the woman sprang into the cab followed by the other Jerry looked as stern as a policeman This cab is already engaged gentlemen by that lady
Lady said one of them oh she can wait our business is very important besides we were in first it is our right and we shall stay in
A droll smile came over Jerrys face as he shut the door upon them All right gentlemen pray stay in as long as it suits you I can wait while you rest yourselves And turning his back upon them he walked up to the young woman who was standing near me Theyll soon be gone he said laughing dont trouble yourself my dear
And they soon were gone for when they understood Jerrys dodge they got out calling him all sorts of bad names and blustering about his number and getting a summons After this little stoppage we were soon on our way to the hospital going as much as possible through bystreets Jerry rung the great bell and helped the young woman out
Thank you a thousand times she said I could never have got here alone
Youre kindly welcome and I hope the dear child will soon be better
He watched her go in at the door and gently he said to himself Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these Then he patted my neck which was always his way when anything pleased him
The rain was now coming down fast and just as we were leaving the hospital the door opened again and the porter called out Cab We stopped and a lady came down the steps Jerry seemed to know her at once she put back her veil and said Barker Jeremiah Barker is it you I am very glad to find you here you are just the friend I want for it is very difficult to get a cab in this part of London today
I shall be proud to serve you maam I am right glad I happened to be here Where may I take you to maam
To the Paddington Station and then if we are in good time as I think we shall be you shall tell me all about Mary and the children
We got to the station in good time and being under shelter the lady stood a good while talking to Jerry I found she had been Pollys mistress and after many inquiries about her she said
How do you find the cab work suit you in winter I know Mary was rather anxious about you last year
Yes maam she was I had a bad cough that followed me up quite into the warm weather and when I am kept out late she does worry herself a good deal You see maam it is all hours and all weathers and that does try a mans constitution but I am getting on pretty well and I should feel quite lost if I had not horses to look after I was brought up to it and I am afraid I should not do so well at anything else
Well Barker she said it would be a great pity that you should seriously risk your health in this work not only for your own but for Marys and the childrens sake there are many places where good drivers or good grooms are wanted and if ever you think you ought to give up this cab work let me know
Then sending some kind messages to Mary she put something into his hand saying There is five shillings each for the two children Mary will know how to spend it
Jerry thanked her and seemed much pleased and turning out of the station we at last reached home and I at least was tired
44 Old Captain and His Successor
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 brewers 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
Hell 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 Ive 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 cant make compensation theres all the trouble and vexation and loss of time besides losing a good horse thats like an old friend—its nonsense talking of compensation If theres one devil that I should like to see in the bottomless pit more than another its the drink devil
I say Jerry said the governor you are treading pretty hard on my toes you know Im not so good as you are more shame to me I wish I was
Well said Jerry why dont you cut with it governor You are too good a man to be the slave of such a thing
Im 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 Pollys 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
Ive a great mind to try at it said Grant for tis a poor thing not to be ones own master
Do governor do youll 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 theres 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 Jerrys 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 undergroom in a noblemans 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 gentlemans 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 hardmouthed
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 checkrein 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 Ill 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 hundredguinea favorite the cabman had gained a good horse with all his strength in him
Hotspur thought it a great comedown to be a cabhorse 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 ones head and tail fastened to each other at the saddle In fact he settled in well and Jerry liked him very much
45 Jerrys New Year
For some people Christmas and the New Year are very merry times but for cabmen and cabmens 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 Jerrys 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 oclock 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 dont 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 halfpast twelve he rang the bell and asked the servant if he would be wanted that night
Oh yes youll 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 hardearned 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
Cant 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 rubdown 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 wouldnt go to the house my boy he said but I want to know how your father is
He is very bad said Harry he cant be much worse they call it bronchitis the doctor thinks it will turn one way or another tonight
Thats 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 theres life theres 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 didnt 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 dont you think he will Mr Grant
The governor looked puzzled
If theres any rule that good men should get over these things Im sure he will my boy hes the best man I know Ill look in early tomorrow
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 therell be an accident
It is like that now said Harry I have kept him short of corn but hes so full of spirit I dont 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 Ill 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 wont keep the horses and theyll be eating their heads off all this time Ill come at noon and hear what she says and without waiting for Harrys 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 Hotspurs 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
Dont you know Why it is the name of Mrs Fowlers place—mothers 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 appletrees 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 pageboy and theres a good school for me and mother is laughing and crying by turns and father does look so happy
Thats uncommon jolly said Harry and just the right thing I should say it will suit father and mother both but I dont intend to be a pageboy with tight clothes and rows of buttons Ill 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 ones 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 Years eve Polly and the children came to bid me goodby 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
Part IV
46 Jakes and the Lady
I was sold to a corn dealer and baker whom Jerry knew and with him he thought I should have good food and fair work In the first he was quite right and if my master had always been on the premises I do not think I should have been overloaded but there was a foreman who was always hurrying and driving every one and frequently when I had quite a full load he would order something else to be taken on My carter whose name was Jakes often said it was more than I ought to take but the other always overruled him Twas no use going twice when once would do and he chose to get business forward
Jakes like the other carters always had the checkrein up which prevented me from drawing easily and by the time I had been there three or four months I found the work telling very much on my strength
One day I was loaded more than usual and part of the road was a steep uphill I used all my strength but I could not get on and was obliged continually to stop This did not please my driver and he laid his whip on badly Get on you lazy fellow he said or Ill make you
Again I started the heavy load and struggled on a few yards again the whip came down and again I struggled forward The pain of that great cart whip was sharp but my mind was hurt quite as much as my poor sides To be punished and abused when I was doing my very best was so hard it took the heart out of me A third time he was flogging me cruelly when a lady stepped quickly up to him and said in a sweet earnest voice
Oh pray do not whip your good horse any more I am sure he is doing all he can and the road is very steep I am sure he is doing his best
If doing his best wont get this load up he must do something more than his best thats all I know maam said Jakes
But is it not a heavy load she said
Yes yes too heavy he said but thats not my fault the foreman came just as we were starting and would have three hundredweight more put on to save him trouble and I must get on with it as well as I can
He was raising the whip again when the lady said
Pray stop I think I can help you if you will let me
The man laughed
You see she said you do not give him a fair chance he cannot use all his power with his head held back as it is with that checkrein if you would take it off I am sure he would do better—do try it she said persuasively I should be very glad if you would
Well well said Jakes with a short laugh anything to please a lady of course How far would you wish it down maam
Quite down give him his head altogether
The rein was taken off and in a moment I put my head down to my very knees What a comfort it was Then I tossed it up and down several times to get the aching stiffness out of my neck
Poor fellow that is what you wanted said she patting and stroking me with her gentle hand and now if you will speak kindly to him and lead him on I believe he will be able to do better
Jakes took the rein Come on Blackie I put down my head and threw my whole weight against the collar I spared no strength the load moved on and I pulled it steadily up the hill and then stopped to take breath
The lady had walked along the footpath and now came across into the road She stroked and patted my neck as I had not been patted for many a long day
You see he was quite willing when you gave him the chance I am sure he is a finetempered creature and I dare say has known better days You wont put that rein on again will you for he was just going to hitch it up on the old plan
Well maam I cant deny that having his head has helped him up the hill and Ill remember it another time and thank you maam but if he went without a checkrein I should be the laughingstock of all the carters it is the fashion you see
Is it not better she said to lead a good fashion than to follow a bad one A great many gentlemen do not use checkreins now our carriage horses have not worn them for fifteen years and work with much less fatigue than those who have them besides she added in a very serious voice we have no right to distress any of Gods creatures without a very good reason we call them dumb animals and so they are for they cannot tell us how they feel but they do not suffer less because they have no words But I must not detain you now I thank you for trying my plan with your good horse and I am sure you will find it far better than the whip Goodday and with another soft pat on my neck she stepped lightly across the path and I saw her no more
That was a real lady Ill be bound for it said Jakes to himself she spoke just as polite as if I was a gentleman and Ill try her plan uphill at any rate and I must do him the justice to say that he let my rein out several holes and going uphill after that he always gave me my head but the heavy loads went on Good feed and fair rest will keep up ones strength under full work but no horse can stand against overloading and I was getting so thoroughly pulled down from this cause that a younger horse was bought in my place I may as well mention here what I suffered at this time from another cause I had heard horses speak of it but had never myself had experience of the evil this was a badlylighted stable there was only one very small window at the end and the consequence was that the stalls were almost dark
Besides the depressing effect this had on my spirits it very much weakened my sight and when I was suddenly brought out of the darkness into the glare of daylight it was very painful to my eyes Several times I stumbled over the threshold and could scarcely see where I was going
I believe had I stayed there very long I should have become purblind and that would have been a great misfortune for I have heard men say that a stoneblind horse was safer to drive than one which had imperfect sight as it generally makes them very timid However I escaped without any permanent injury to my sight and was sold to a large cab owner
47 Hard Times
My new master I shall never forget he had black eyes and a hooked nose his mouth was as full of teeth as a bulldogs and his voice was as harsh as the grinding of cart wheels over graveled stones His name was Nicholas Skinner and I believe he was the man that poor Seedy Sam drove for
I have heard men say that seeing is believing but I should say that feeling is believing for much as I had seen before I never knew till now the utter misery of a cabhorses life
Skinner had a low set of cabs and a low set of drivers he was hard on the men and the men were hard on the horses In this place we had no Sunday rest and it was in the heat of summer
Sometimes on a Sunday morning a party of fast men would hire the cab for the day four of them inside and another with the driver and I had to take them ten or fifteen miles out into the country and back again never would any of them get down to walk up a hill let it be ever so steep or the day ever so hot—unless indeed when the driver was afraid I should not manage it and sometimes I was so fevered and worn that I could hardly touch my food How I used to long for the nice bran mash with niter in it that Jerry used to give us on Saturday nights in hot weather that used to cool us down and make us so comfortable Then we had two nights and a whole day for unbroken rest and on Monday morning we were as fresh as young horses again but here there was no rest and my driver was just as hard as his master He had a cruel whip with something so sharp at the end that it sometimes drew blood and he would even whip me under the belly and flip the lash out at my head Indignities like these took the heart out of me terribly but still I did my best and never hung back for as poor Ginger said it was no use men are the strongest
My life was now so utterly wretched that I wished I might like Ginger drop down dead at my work and be out of my misery and one day my wish very nearly came to pass
I went on the stand at eight in the morning and had done a good share of work when we had to take a fare to the railway A long train was just expected in so my driver pulled up at the back of some of the outside cabs to take the chance of a return fare It was a very heavy train and as all the cabs were soon engaged ours was called for There was a party of four a noisy blustering man with a lady a little boy and a young girl and a great deal of luggage The lady and the boy got into the cab and while the man ordered about the luggage the young girl came and looked at me
Papa she said I am sure this poor horse cannot take us and all our luggage so far he is so very weak and worn up Do look at him
Oh hes all right miss said my driver hes strong enough
The porter who was pulling about some heavy boxes suggested to the gentleman as there was so much luggage whether he would not take a second cab
Can your horse do it or cant he said the blustering man
Oh he can do it all right sir send up the boxes porter he could take more than that and he helped to haul up a box so heavy that I could feel the springs go down
Papa papa do take a second cab said the young girl in a beseeching tone I am sure we are wrong I am sure it is very cruel
Nonsense Grace get in at once and dont make all this fuss a pretty thing it would be if a man of business had to examine every cabhorse before he hired it—the man knows his own business of course there get in and hold your tongue
My gentle friend had to obey and box after box was dragged up and lodged on the top of the cab or settled by the side of the driver At last all was ready and with his usual jerk at the rein and slash of the whip he drove out of the station
The load was very heavy and I had had neither food nor rest since morning but I did my best as I always had done in spite of cruelty and injustice
I got along fairly till we came to Ludgate Hill but there the heavy load and my own exhaustion were too much I was struggling to keep on goaded by constant chucks of the rein and use of the whip when in a single moment—I cannot tell how—my feet slipped from under me and I fell heavily to the ground on my side the suddenness and the force with which I fell seemed to beat all the breath out of my body I lay perfectly still indeed I had no power to move and I thought now I was going to die I heard a sort of confusion round me loud angry voices and the getting down of the luggage but it was all like a dream I thought I heard that sweet pitiful voice saying Oh that poor horse it is all our fault Some one came and loosened the throat strap of my bridle and undid the traces which kept the collar so tight upon me Some one said Hes dead hell never get up again Then I could hear a policeman giving orders but I did not even open my eyes I could only draw a gasping breath now and then Some cold water was thrown over my head and some cordial was poured into my mouth and something was covered over me I cannot tell how long I lay there but I found my life coming back and a kindvoiced man was patting me and encouraging me to rise After some more cordial had been given me and after one or two attempts I staggered to my feet and was gently led to some stables which were close by Here I was put into a welllittered stall and some warm gruel was brought to me which I drank thankfully
In the evening I was sufficiently recovered to be led back to Skinners stables where I think they did the best for me they could In the morning Skinner came with a farrier to look at me He examined me very closely and said
This is a case of overwork more than disease and if you could give him a run off for six months he would be able to work again but now there is not an ounce of strength left in him
Then he must just go to the dogs said Skinner I have no meadows to nurse sick horses in—he might get well or he might not that sort of thing dont suit my business my plan is to work em as long as theyll go and then sell em for what theyll fetch at the knackers or elsewhere
If he was brokenwinded said the farrier you had better have him killed out of hand but he is not there is a sale of horses coming off in about ten days if you rest him and feed him up he may pick up and you may get more than his skin is worth at any rate
Upon this advice Skinner rather unwillingly I think gave orders that I should be well fed and cared for and the stable man happily for me carried out the orders with a much better will than his master had in giving them Ten days of perfect rest plenty of good oats hay bran mashes with boiled linseed mixed in them did more to get up my condition than anything else could have done those linseed mashes were delicious and I began to think after all it might be better to live than go to the dogs When the twelfth day after the accident came I was taken to the sale a few miles out of London I felt that any change from my present place must be an improvement so I held up my head and hoped for the best
48 Farmer Thoroughgood and His Grandson Willie
At this sale of course I found myself in company with the old brokendown horses—some lame some brokenwinded some old and some that I am sure it would have been merciful to shoot
The buyers and sellers too many of them looked not much better off than the poor beasts they were bargaining about There were poor old men trying to get a horse or a pony for a few pounds that might drag about some little wood or coal cart There were poor men trying to sell a wornout beast for two or three pounds rather than have the greater loss of killing him Some of them looked as if poverty and hard times had hardened them all over but there were others that I would have willingly used the last of my strength in serving poor and shabby but kind and human with voices that I could trust There was one tottering old man who took a great fancy to me and I to him but I was not strong enough—it was an anxious time Coming from the better part of the fair I noticed a man who looked like a gentleman farmer with a young boy by his side he had a broad back and round shoulders a kind ruddy face and he wore a broadbrimmed hat When he came up to me and my companions he stood still and gave a pitiful look round upon us I saw his eye rest on me I had still a good mane and tail which did something for my appearance I pricked my ears and looked at him
Theres a horse Willie that has known better days
Poor old fellow said the boy do you think grandpapa he was ever a carriage horse
Oh yes my boy said the farmer coming closer he might have been anything when he was young look at his nostrils and his ears the shape of his neck and shoulder theres a deal of breeding about that horse He put out his hand and gave me a kind pat on the neck I put out my nose in answer to his kindness the boy stroked my face
Poor old fellow see grandpapa how well he understands kindness Could not you buy him and make him young again as you did with Ladybird
My dear boy I cant make all old horses young besides Ladybird was not so very old as she was run down and badly used
Well grandpapa I dont believe that this one is old look at his mane and tail I wish you would look into his mouth and then you could tell though he is so very thin his eyes are not sunk like some old horses
The old gentleman laughed Bless the boy he is as horsey as his old grandfather
But do look at his mouth grandpapa and ask the price I am sure he would grow young in our meadows
The man who had brought me for sale now put in his word
The young gentlemans a real knowing one sir Now the fact is this ere hoss is just pulled down with overwork in the cabs hes not an old one and I heerd as how the vetenary should say that a six months run off would set him right up being as how his wind was not broken Ive had the tending of him these ten days past and a gratefuller pleasanter animal I never met with and twould be worth a gentlemans while to give a fivepound note for him and let him have a chance Ill be bound hed be worth twenty pounds next spring
The old gentleman laughed and the little boy looked up eagerly
Oh grandpapa did you not say the colt sold for five pounds more than you expected You would not be poorer if you did buy this one
The farmer slowly felt my legs which were much swelled and strained then he looked at my mouth Thirteen or fourteen I should say just trot him out will you
I arched my poor thin neck raised my tail a little and threw out my legs as well as I could for they were very stiff
What is the lowest you will take for him said the farmer as I came back
Five pounds sir that was the lowest price my master set
Tis a speculation said the old gentleman shaking his head but at the same time slowly drawing out his purse quite a speculation Have you any more business here he said counting the sovereigns into his hand
No sir I can take him for you to the inn if you please
Do so I am now going there
They walked forward and I was led behind The boy could hardly control his delight and the old gentleman seemed to enjoy his pleasure I had a good feed at the inn and was then gently ridden home by a servant of my new masters and turned into a large meadow with a shed in one corner of it
Mr Thoroughgood for that was the name of my benefactor gave orders that I should have hay and oats every night and morning and the run of the meadow during the day and you Willie said he must take the oversight of him I give him in charge to you
The boy was proud of his charge and undertook it in all seriousness There was not a day when he did not pay me a visit sometimes picking me out from among the other horses and giving me a bit of carrot or something good or sometimes standing by me while I ate my oats He always came with kind words and caresses and of course I grew very fond of him He called me Old Crony as I used to come to him in the field and follow him about Sometimes he brought his grandfather who always looked closely at my legs
This is our point Willie he would say but he is improving so steadily that I think we shall see a change for the better in the spring
The perfect rest the good food the soft turf and gentle exercise soon began to tell on my condition and my spirits I had a good constitution from my mother and I was never strained when I was young so that I had a better chance than many horses who have been worked before they came to their full strength During the winter my legs improved so much that I began to feel quite young again The spring came round and one day in March Mr Thoroughgood determined that he would try me in the phaeton I was well pleased and he and Willie drove me a few miles My legs were not stiff now and I did the work with perfect ease
Hes growing young Willie we must give him a little gentle work now and by midsummer he will be as good as Ladybird He has a beautiful mouth and good paces they cant be better
Oh grandpapa how glad I am you bought him
So am I my boy but he has to thank you more than me we must now be looking out for a quiet genteel place for him where he will be valued
49 My Last Home
One day during this summer the groom cleaned and dressed me with such extraordinary care that I thought some new change must be at hand he trimmed my fetlocks and legs passed the tarbrush over my hoofs and even parted my forelock I think the harness had an extra polish Willie seemed halfanxious halfmerry as he got into the chaise with his grandfather
If the ladies take to him said the old gentleman theyll be suited and hell be suited We can but try
At the distance of a mile or two from the village we came to a pretty low house with a lawn and shrubbery at the front and a drive up to the door Willie rang the bell and asked if Miss Blomefield or Miss Ellen was at home Yes they were So while Willie stayed with me Mr Thoroughgood went into the house In about ten minutes he returned followed by three ladies one tall pale lady wrapped in a white shawl leaned on a younger lady with dark eyes and a merry face the other a very statelylooking person was Miss Blomefield They all came and looked at me and asked questions The younger lady—that was Miss Ellen—took to me very much she said she was sure she should like me I had such a good face The tall pale lady said that she should always be nervous in riding behind a horse that had once been down as I might come down again and if I did she should never get over the fright
You see ladies said Mr Thoroughgood many firstrate horses have had their knees broken through the carelessness of their drivers without any fault of their own and from what I see of this horse I should say that is his case but of course I do not wish to influence you If you incline you can have him on trial and then your coachman will see what he thinks of him
You have always been such a good adviser to us about our horses said the stately lady that your recommendation would go a long way with me and if my sister Lavinia sees no objection we will accept your offer of a trial with thanks
It was then arranged that I should be sent for the next day
In the morning a smartlooking young man came for me At first he looked pleased but when he saw my knees he said in a disappointed voice
I didnt think sir you would have recommended my ladies a blemished horse like that
Handsome is that handsome does said my master you are only taking him on trial and I am sure you will do fairly by him young man If he is not as safe as any horse you ever drove send him back
I was led to my new home placed in a comfortable stable fed and left to myself The next day when the groom was cleaning my face he said
That is just like the star that Black Beauty had he is much the same height too I wonder where he is now
A little further on he came to the place in my neck where I was bled and where a little knot was left in the skin He almost started and began to look me over carefully talking to himself
White star in the forehead one white foot on the off side this little knot just in that place then looking at the middle of my back—and as I am alive there is that little patch of white hair that John used to call Beautys threepenny bit It must be Black Beauty Why Beauty Beauty do you know me—little Joe Green that almost killed you And he began patting and patting me as if he was quite overjoyed
I could not say that I remembered him for now he was a fine grown young fellow with black whiskers and a mans voice but I was sure he knew me and that he was Joe Green and I was very glad I put my nose up to him and tried to say that we were friends I never saw a man so pleased
Give you a fair trial I should think so indeed I wonder who the rascal was that broke your knees my old Beauty you must have been badly served out somewhere well well it wont be my fault if you havent good times of it now I wish John Manly was here to see you
In the afternoon I was put into a low park chair and brought to the door Miss Ellen was going to try me and Green went with her I soon found that she was a good driver and she seemed pleased with my paces I heard Joe telling her about me and that he was sure I was Squire Gordons old Black Beauty
When we returned the other sisters came out to hear how I had behaved myself She told them what she had just heard and said
I shall certainly write to Mrs Gordon and tell her that her favorite horse has come to us How pleased she will be
After this I was driven every day for a week or so and as I appeared to be quite safe Miss Lavinia at last ventured out in the small close carriage After this it was quite decided to keep me and call me by my old name of Black Beauty
I have now lived in this happy place a whole year Joe is the best and kindest of grooms My work is easy and pleasant and I feel my strength and spirits all coming back again Mr Thoroughgood said to Joe the other day
In your place he will last till he is twenty years old—perhaps more
Willie always speaks to me when he can and treats me as his special friend My ladies have promised that I shall never be sold and so I have nothing to fear and here my story ends My troubles are all over and I am at home and often before I am quite awake I fancy I am still in the orchard at Birtwick standing with my old friends under the appletrees