The new master was Nicholas Skinner. Nicholas Skinner had black eyes and a big, curved nose. His voice was loud and harsh. Nicholas Skinner was the master of a man named Seedy Sam.
Life was very miserable for a cab horse. Nicholas Skinner was hard on his drivers. The drivers were hard on the horses. The horses worked every day. They had no rest on Sundays.
The summer was very hot. On Sundays, groups of men hired the cab. Five men would sit in the cab. Black Beauty had to pull them many miles into the country.
The men never walked up the hills. They stayed in the cab even when the sun was very hot. Black Beauty became very sick and tired. He could not eat his food.
Black Beauty remembered Jerry Barker. Jerry Barker gave the horses special food and rest on Sundays. With Jerry Barker, the horses felt fresh on Monday morning. With Nicholas Skinner, there was no rest.
The driver was as hard as Nicholas Skinner. The driver used a very sharp whip. He hit Black Beauty on his stomach and his head. Black Beauty was very sad. He wished he could die like his friend Ginger.
One morning, Black Beauty went to the train station. A man, a lady, and two children wanted the cab. They had many heavy suitcases. A young girl named Grace looked at Black Beauty.
Grace told her father that Black Beauty looked very weak. She asked her father to take a different cab. But the driver said Black Beauty was strong. The driver put all the heavy boxes on top of the cab.
Grace asked her father again to take a second cab. She said it was cruel to make Black Beauty pull so much weight. Her father told Grace to be quiet. He told Grace to get into the cab.
The driver hit Black Beauty with the whip. The load was very heavy. Black Beauty had no food or rest all morning. He tried his best to pull the cab.
When they reached Ludgate Hill, Black Beauty was exhausted. The driver pulled the reins and used the whip. Suddenly, Black Beauty’s feet slipped. He fell heavily on his side.
Black Beauty could not breathe. He lay still on the ground. He thought he was going to die. He heard angry voices and the sound of the suitcases. He heard Grace crying for the poor horse.
A man loosened the harness. Someone said that Black Beauty was dead. A policeman gave orders. Someone threw cold water on Black Beauty’s head. Someone gave him a special drink to help him.
After some time, Black Beauty felt better. A kind man helped Black Beauty stand up. The man led Black Beauty to a stable nearby. Black Beauty had some warm food and water.
In the evening, Black Beauty went back to the stables of Nicholas Skinner. The next morning, a farrier (a person who makes shoes for horses and takes care of their feet) looked at Black Beauty.
The farrier said that Black Beauty was only very tired. He said Black Beauty needed to rest for six months. Nicholas Skinner said he did not have a field for sick horses.
Nicholas Skinner wanted to sell Black Beauty to a knacker (a person who buys old horses to kill them for meat). The farrier told Nicholas Skinner to wait ten days.
The farrier said that if Black Beauty had food and rest, he would look better. Then Nicholas Skinner could sell him for more money. Nicholas Skinner agreed to wait.
For ten days, Black Beauty had perfect rest. He had plenty of good grain and hay. The stable man was kind to him. Black Beauty began to feel strong again.
On the twelfth day, Black Beauty went to a horse sale. The sale was a few miles outside of London. Black Beauty hoped to find a better home. He held his head up and waited.