Captain and Black Beauty were great friends. Captain was a very good and noble horse. Black Beauty thought Captain would always stay in his home. But one day, something very bad happened to Captain.
Jerry Barker and Captain were coming back from the railway station. They saw a dray (a large, heavy wagon for carrying big boxes) on the street. The drayman (the man who drives a large wagon) was hitting his horses with a whip. The horses were running very fast and the man could not stop them.
The heavy wagon hit Jerry Barker’s cab (carriage). Both wheels broke and the cab (carriage) fell over. The shafts (the two long pieces of wood that connect a horse to a carriage) broke into pieces. One piece of wood went into Captain's side. Jerry Barker fell too, but he was not badly hurt.
Jerry Barker led Captain home slowly. Captain was bleeding a lot. The drayman (wagon driver) was very drunk. The owners of the wagon had to pay money to Jerry Barker. But money could not fix poor Captain.
A farrier (a person who makes shoes for horses and helps when they are sick) came to see Captain. Jerry Barker did everything he could to help. For several days, Jerry Barker did not work. He stayed home to look after Captain.
One day, Governor Grant came to the yard. Jerry Barker told him that Captain could never work as a cab (taxi) horse again. Jerry Barker was very angry about the accident. He said that people who drink too much alcohol are very dangerous.
Jerry Barker told Governor Grant a story about his own life. Many years ago, Jerry Barker also drank alcohol. It was very hard for him to stop. But his wife, Polly Barker, helped him. Now Jerry Barker did not drink at all.
Captain did not get better. He was a very old horse. Jerry Barker did not want to sell Captain to a mean owner. He did not want Captain to suffer. Jerry Barker decided the kindest thing was to end Captain's life quickly.
A few days later, Jerry Barker found a new horse. The horse’s name was Hotspur. He was a strong brown horse. Hotspur was only five years old. He was a very good horse, but he was very full of energy.
Hotspur used to belong to a rich man. One day, Hotspur ran away and broke a carriage. The rich man’s driver used a very painful bit (the metal piece in a horse’s mouth). This made Hotspur angry and scared.
Jerry Barker was very kind to Hotspur. He used an easy bit (metal mouth piece) and talked to him softly. Soon, Hotspur and Jerry Barker were good friends. Hotspur liked working for Jerry Barker more than working for the rich man.