A horse fair (a place where people buy and sell animals) is an interesting place to see. There were many different types of horses there. Some were young horses from the country. Some were small ponies. There were many hundreds of cart horses too. Many horses were like me. We were handsome horses, but we had scars or were not perfectly healthy.
Some horses were in their prime (the time when a horse is strongest and healthiest). These horses looked beautiful. Grooms ran beside them to show how fast they could move. But in the back, there were many poor, old horses. These horses looked very sad. They were very thin and had sores on their skin. It was a very sad sight for a horse to see.
Men at the fair talked a lot. They tried to make deals. There was a lot of trickery and many lies. People looked at me and two other strong horses. Most gentlemen looked away when they saw my broken knees. The man selling me told lies. He said I fell in a stable, not on the road.
The buyers pulled my mouth open. They looked at my eyes and felt my legs. They made me walk and run. Some men were very rough. They treated me like a piece of wood. Other men were gentle. They patted me and spoke kindly. I liked the gentle men more.
I saw one man with kind gray eyes. He was a small man, but he looked strong. He handled me very gently. He did not smell like beer or tobacco. He smelled like fresh hay. He offered twenty-three pounds for me. The seller said no, so the man walked away. I was very sad to see him go.
A loud, mean man came next. I was afraid he would buy me. He offered twenty-three pounds too. The seller began to think about the deal. Then, the man with the gray eyes came back. I reached out my head to him. He stroked my face. He offered twenty-four pounds and ten shillings. The seller agreed to the price.
My new master paid the money immediately. He led me to a hotel and gave me oats. Then we began the journey to London. We traveled on big roads for a long time. Finally, we reached the great city at night. There were lights and streets everywhere. We stopped at a cab stand (a place where carriages wait for passengers).
My master called out "Goodnight" to another driver. Then we turned into a small, narrow street. My master stopped at a house and whistled. A young woman and two children ran out. They were very happy to see him. My master told them that I was a gentle horse.
The little girl, Dolly, patted my shoulder. She was not afraid of me. The mother, Polly, made a bran mash (a warm, soft meal made of grain and water). The boy, Harry, led me into a clean stall. The stable smelled very good. I had plenty of dry straw. I ate my supper and felt very happy.