[Captain] was a tall, white, rather large-boned animal... He was old now, but when he was young he must have been splendid. He had still a proud way of holding his head and arching his neck; in fact, he was a high-bred, fine-mannered, noble old horse, every inch of him. He told me that in his early youth he went to the Crimean War; he belonged to an officer in the cavalry, and used to lead the regiment. I will tell more of that hereafter...
Captain had been broken in and trained for an army horse. His first owner was an officer of cavalry going out to the Crimean War. He said he quite enjoyed the training with all the other horses, trotting together, turning together, to the right hand, or to the left, halting at the word of command, or dashing forward at full speed at the sound of the trumpet or signal of the officer. He was, when young, a dark, dappled iron-gray, and considered very handsome. His master, a young, high-spirited gentleman, was very fond of him, and treated him from the first with the greatest care and kindness. He told me he thought the life of an army horse was very pleasant; but when it came to being sent abroad, over the sea in a great ship, he almost changed his mind.
"That part of it," said he," was dreadful! Of course we could not walk off the land into the ship; so they were obliged to put strong straps under our bodies, and then we were lifted off our legs in spite of our struggles, and were swung through the air over the water, to the deck of the great vessel. There we were placed in small, close stalls, and never for a long time saw the sky, or were able to stretch our legs. The ship sometimes rolled about in high winds, and we were knocked about, and felt bad enough. However, at last it came to an end, and we were hauled up, and swung over again to the land. We were very glad, and snorted and neighed for joy when we once more felt firm ground under our feet.
"We soon found that the country we had come to was very different to our own, and that we had many hardships to endure besides the fighting; but many of the men were so fond of their horses, that they did everything they could to make them comfortable, in spite of snow, wet, and all things out of order."
"But what about the fighting?" said I. "Was not that worse than anything else?"
"Well," said he,"I hardly know. We always liked to hear the trumpet sound, and to be called out, and were impatient to start off, though sometimes we had to stand for hours, waiting for the word of command; and when the word was given, we used to spring forward as gayly and eagerly as if there were no cannon-balls, bayonets, or bullets. I believe so long as we felt our rider firm in the saddle, and his hand steady on the bridle, not one of us gave way to fear, not even when the terrible bombshells whirled through the air and burst into a thousand pieces.
"I with my noble master went into many actions together without a wound; and though I saw horses shot down with bullets, pierced through with lances, and gashed with fearful sabre-cuts, though we left them dead on the field or dying in the agony of their wounds, I don't think I feared for myself. My master's cheery voice, as he encouraged his men, made me feel as if he and I could not be killed. I had such perfect trust in him, that whilst he was guiding me I was ready to charge up to the very cannon's mouth. I saw many brave men cut down, many fall mortally wounded from their saddles; I had heard the cries and groans of the dying; I had cantered over ground slippery with blood, and frequently had to turn aside to avoid trampling on wounded man or horse; but until one dreadful day I had never felt terror: that day I shall never forget."
Here old Captain paused for a while, and drew a long breath. I waited, and he went on,
"It was one autumn morning; and, as usual, an hour before daybreak our cavalry had turned out, ready caparisoned for the day's work, whether it might be fighting or waiting. The men stood by their horses waiting, ready for orders. As the light increased, there seemed to be some excitement among the officers; and before the day was well begun we heard the firing of the enemy's gun.
"Then one of the officers rode up, and gave the word for the men to mount; and in a second every man was in his saddle, and every horse stood expecting the touch of the rein or the pressure of his rider's heels, all animated, all eager; but still we had been trained so well that, except by the champing of our bits and the restive tossing of our heads from time to time, it could not be said that we stirred.
"My dear master and I were at the head of the line; and as all sat motionless and watchful, he took a little stray lock of my mane which had turned over on the wrong side, laid it over on the right, and smoothed it down with his hand; then patting my neck, he said, 'We shall have a day of it to-day, Bayard, my beauty; but we'll do our duty as we have done.' He stroked my neck that morning more, I think, than he had ever done before; quietly on and on, as if he were thinking of something else. I loved to feel his hand on my neck, and arched my crest proudly and happily; but I stood very still, for I knew all his moods, and when he liked me to be quiet and when gay.
"I cannot tell all that happened on that day, but I will tell of the last charge that we made together. It was across a valley, right in front of the enemy's cannon. By this time we were well used to the roar of heavy guns, the rattle of musket fire, and the flying of shot near us; but never had I been under such a fire as we rode through on that day. From the right, from the left, and from the front, shot and shell poured in upon us. Many a brave man went down; many a horse fell, flinging his rider to the earth; many a horse without a rider ran wildly out of the ranks, then, terrified at being alone with no hand to guide him, came pressing in amongst his old companions, to gallop with them to the charge.
"Fearful as it was, no one stopped, no one turned back. Every moment the ranks were thinned; but as our comrades fell we closed in to keep them together, and instead of being shaken or staggered in our pace, our gallop became faster and faster as we neared the cannon, all clouded in white smoke, while the red fire flashed through it.
"My master, my dear master, was cheering on his comrades with his right arm raised on high, when one of the balls, whizzing close to my head, struck him. I felt him stagger with the shock, though he uttered no cry. I tried to check my speed; but the sword dropped from his right hand, the rein fell loose from the left, and, sinking backward from the saddle, he fell to the earth. The other riders swept past him, and by the force of their charge I was driven from the spot where he fell.
"I wanted to keep my place by his side, and not leave him under that rush of horses' feet; but it was in vain. And now without a master or a friend, I was alone on that great slaughter-ground. Then fear took hold on me, and I trembled as I had never trembled before; and I too, as I had seen other horses do, tried to join in the ranks, and gallop with them; but I was beaten off by the swords of the soldiers. Just then a soldier whose horse had been killed under him caught at my bridle, and mounted me. And with this new master I was again going forward: but our gallant company was cruelly overpowered, and those who remained alive after the fierce fight for the guns came galloping back over the same ground.
Some of the horses had been so badly wounded that they could scarcely move from the loss of blood; other noble creatures were trying on three legs to drag themselves along; and others were struggling to rise on their forefeet, when their hind legs had been shattered by shot. Their groans were piteous to hear, and the beseeching look in their eyes, as those who escaped passed by and left them to their fate, I shall never forget. After the battle the wounded men were brought in, and the dead were buried."
"And what about the wounded horses? " I said. " Were they left to die? "
"No; the army farriers went over the field with their pistols, and shot all that were ruined. Some that had only slight wounds were brought back and attended to; but the greater part of the noble, willing creatures that went out that morning never came back! In our stables there was only about one in four that returned.
"I never saw my dear master again. I believe he fell dead from the saddle. I never loved any other master so well. I went into many other engagements, but was only once wounded, and then not seriously; and when the war was over I came back again to England, as sound and strong as when I went out."
I said, "I have heard people talk about war as if it was a very fine thing."
"Ah! " said he, "I should think they never saw it. No doubt it is very fine when there is no enemy, when it is just exercise and parade and sham-fight. Yes, it is very fine then; but when thousands of good, brave men and horses are killed, or crippled for life, it has a very different look."
"Do you know what they fought about?" said I.
"No," he said, "that is more than a horse can understand; but the enemy must have been awfully wicked people, if it was right to go all that way over the sea on purpose to kill them."
Captain and I were great friends. He was a noble old fellow, and he was very good company. I never thought that 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 there, but I heard all about it.
He and Jerry had taken a party to the great railway station over London Bridge, and were coming back, somewhere between the bridge and the monument, when Jerry saw a brewer's empty dray coming along, drawn by two powerful horses. The drayman was lashing his horses with his heavy whip. The dray was light, and they started off at a furious rate. The man had no control over them, and the street was full of traffic. One young girl was knocked down and run over, and the next moment they dashed up against our cab; both the wheels were torn off, and the cab was thrown over. Captain was dragged down, the shafts splintered, and one of them ran into his side. Jerry too was thrown, but was only bruised. Nobody could tell how he escaped; he always said it was a miracle.
When poor Captain was got 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 blood soaking into his white coat, and dropping from his side and shoulder. The drayman was proved to be very drunk, and was fined, and the brewer had to pay damages to our master; but there was no one to pay damages to poor Captain.
The farrier and Jerry did the best they could to ease his pain and make him comfortable. The fly had to be mended; and for several days I did not go out, and Jerry earned nothing. The first time we went to the stand after the accident, the Governor came up to hear how Captain was.
"He'll never get over it, "said Jerry, "at least not for my work; so the farrier said this morning. He says he may do for carting, and that sort of work. It has put me out very much. Carting, indeed! I've seen what horses come to at that work round London. I only wish all the drunkards could be put in a lunatic asylum, instead of being allowed to run foul of sober people. If they would break their own bones, and smash their own carts, and lame their own horses, that would be their own affair, and we might let them alone; but it seems to me that the innocent always suffer, and then they talk about compensation! You can't make compensation. There's all the trouble and vexation and loss of time, besides losing a good horse that's like an old friend. It's nonsense talking of compensation! If there's one devil that I should like to see in the bottomless pit more than another, it's the drink-devil! "
"I say, Jerry, "said the Governor, "you are treading pretty hard on my toes. You know I'm not so good as you are, more shame for me! I wish I was."
"Well, "said Jerry, "why don't you cut with it, Governor? You are too good a man to 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 died. 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 not 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 under, the drink-devil or Jerry Barker, and I said that it should not be Jerry Barker, God helping me! But it was a struggle, 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. But 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, or 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, '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, my 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 at it, "said Grant; " for 't is a poor thing not to be one's own master."
"Do, Governor, do! You'll never repent it; and what 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 three would like to keep out of that tavern if they could."
At first Captain seemed to do well; but he was a very old horse, and it was only his wonderful constitution and Jerry's care that had kept him up at the cab-work so long; now he broke down very much. The farrier said he might mend up enough to sell for a few pounds; but Jerry said, no! a few pounds got by selling a good old servant into hard work and misery would canker all the rest of his money, and he thought the kindest thing he could do for the fine old fellow would be to put a sure bullet through his heart, and then he 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 was decided, Harry took me to the forge for some new shoes. When I returned Captain was gone. The family and I all felt it very much.
[Source: etc.]