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XI . A London Cab Horse A horse fair is a busy , noisy place . There were young horses from the country and hundreds of cart horses . There were fine horses in their best years , and there were many poor , tired old horses with thin bodies and sad eyes . It was hard for me to look at them , because one day I might be like them . People opened my mouth , looked at my eyes and felt my legs . The gentlemen always turned away when they saw my broken knees . Some people handled me roughly , as if I was a piece of wood . Others touched me gently . I judged the buyers by the way they treated me . There was one man I liked very much . He was small but quick , and his grey eyes were kind and cheerful . He smelt clean and fresh , like hay . He did not smell of beer and tobacco . He offered twenty - three pounds for me , but the seller wanted more , so the grey - eyed man walked away . Then a hard - looking man with a loud voice came , and I was afraid that he would buy me . But the grey - eyed man came back , and I put my head out towards him . “ Well , old chap , ” he said , “ I think we should suit each other . ” He bought me for twenty - four pounds and ten shillings and rode me to London . In the evening we came to a narrow street with small houses . He whistled , and a young woman ran out with a little girl and a boy . “ Is he gentle , Father ? ” asked the girl . “ Yes , Dolly , as gentle as your own kitten . Come and pat him . ” At once her little hand was patting my shoulder without any fear . How good it felt ! My new master was Jeremiah Barker , but everybody called him Jerry . His wife , Polly , was small and neat , with a merry face . Harry was twelve , and little Dolly was eight . I never knew a happier family . They called me Jack , after Jerry’s old horse . Jerry drove a cab . A cab is a small carriage for hire , like a taxi today . People pay the driver to take them across the city . Jerry had two horses . The other one was Captain , a tall white horse . He was old now , but he still held his head proudly . When he was young , he carried a soldier in a war . The first time Jerry put me in the cab , he checked the collar and the bridle as carefully as John Manly . There was no bearing rein , only a gentle bit . What a blessing that was ! We waited with the other cabs at a stand in a wide street . A big man in a grey coat looked me all over . His name was Grant , but everybody called him Governor Grant , because he had worked there longer than anyone else .
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