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1"Yes, ma'am, she was; I had a bad cough that followed me up quite into the warm weather, and when I am kept out late she
2does worry herself a good deal. You see, ma'am, it is all hours and all weathers, and that does try a man's
3constitution; but I am getting on pretty well, and I should feel quite lost if I had not horses to look after. I was
4brought up to it, and I am afraid I should not do so well at anything else." "Well, Barker," she said, "it would be a
5great pity that you should seriously risk your health in this work, not only for your own but for Mary's and the
6children's sake; there are many places where good drivers or good grooms are wanted, and if ever you think you ought to
7give up this cab work let me know." Then sending some kind messages to Mary she put something into his hand, saying,
8"There is five shillings each for the two children; Mary will know how to spend it." Jerry thanked her and seemed much
9pleased, and turning out of the station we at last reached home, and I, at least, was tired. 44 Old Captain and His
10Successor Captain and I were great friends. He was a noble old fellow, and he was very good company. I never thought
11that 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
12there, but I heard all about it. He and Jerry had taken a party to the great railway station over London Bridge, and
13were coming back, somewhere between the bridge and the monument, when Jerry saw a brewer's empty dray coming along,
14drawn by two powerful horses. The drayman was lashing his horses with his heavy whip; the dray was light, and they
15started off at a furious rate; the man had no control over them, and the street was full of traffic. One young girl was
16knocked down and run over, and the next moment they dashed up against our cab; both the wheels were torn off and the cab
17was thrown over. Captain was dragged down, the shafts splintered, and one of them ran into his side. Jerry, too, was
18thrown, but was only bruised; nobody could tell how he escaped; he always said 'twas a miracle. When poor Captain was
19got 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
20blood soaking into his white coat and dropping from his side and shoulder. The drayman was proved to be very drunk, and
21was fined, and the brewer had to pay damages to our master; but there was no one to pay damages to poor Captain. The
22farrier and Jerry did the best they could to ease his pain and make him comfortable. The fly had to be mended, and for
23several days I did not go out, and Jerry earned nothing. The first time we went to the stand after the accident the
24governor came up to hear how Captain was. "He'll never get over it," said Jerry, "at least not for my work, so the
25farrier said this morning. He says he may do for carting, and that sort of work. It has put me out very much. Carting,
26indeed! I've seen what horses come to at that work round London. I only wish all the drunkards could be put in a lunatic
27asylum instead of being allowed to run foul of sober people. If they would break their own bones, and smash their own
28carts, and lame their own horses, that would be their own affair, and we might let them alone, but it seems to me that
29the innocent always suffer; and then they talk about compensation! You can't make compensation; there's all the trouble,
30and vexation, and loss of time, besides losing a good horse that's like an old friend--it's nonsense talking of
31compensation! If there's one devil that I should like to see in the bottomless pit more than another, it's the drink
32devil." "I say, Jerry," said the governor, "you are treading pretty hard on my toes, you know; I'm not so good as you
33are, more shame to me; I wish I was." "Well," said Jerry, "why don't you cut with it, governor? You are too good a man
34to be the slave of such a thing." "I'm a great fool, Jerry, but I tried once for two days, and I thought I should have
35died; 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
36not 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
37under, the drink devil or Jerry Barker, and I said that it should not be Jerry Barker, God helping me; but it was a
38struggle, 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;
39but 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,
40or 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,
41'Give up the drink or lose your soul! Give up the drink or break Polly's heart!' But thanks be to God, and my dear wife,
42my chains were broken, and now for ten years I have not tasted a drop, and never wish for it." "I've a great mind to try
43at it," said Grant, "for 'tis a poor thing not to be one's own master." "Do, governor, do, you'll never repent it, and
44what a help it would be to some of the poor fellows in our rank if they saw you do without it. I know there's two or
45three would like to keep out of that tavern if they could." At first Captain seemed to do well, but he was a very old
46horse, and it was only his wonderful constitution, and Jerry's care, that had kept him up at the cab work so long; now
47he broke down very much. The farrier said he might mend up enough to sell for a few pounds, but Jerry said, no! a few
48pounds got by selling a good old servant into hard work and misery would canker all the rest of his money, and he
49thought the kindest thing he could do for the fine old fellow would be to put a sure bullet through his head, and then
50he 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
51was decided Harry took me to the forge for some new shoes; when I returned Captain was gone. I and the family all felt
52it very much. Jerry had now to look out for another horse, and he soon heard of one through an acquaintance who was
53under-groom in a nobleman's stables. He was a valuable young horse, but he had run away, smashed into another carriage,
54flung his lordship out, and so cut and blemished himself that he was no longer fit for a gentleman's stables, and the
55coachman had orders to look round, and sell him as well as he could. "I can do with high spirits," said Jerry, "if a
56horse is not vicious or hard-mouthed." "There is not a bit of vice in him," said the man; "his mouth is very tender, and
57I think myself that was the cause of the accident; you see he had just been clipped, and the weather was bad, and he had
58not had exercise enough, and when he did go out he was as full of spring as a balloon. Our governor (the coachman, I
59mean) had him harnessed in as tight and strong as he could, with the martingale, and the check-rein, a very sharp curb,
60and 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
61full of spirit." "Likely enough; I'll come and see him," said Jerry.
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