04-02-01-黑骏马 [17]
人跳下车站在史密斯身旁。“是鲁宾，”一个说，“他一动也不动，罗伯特。”
“他死了，”罗伯特摸了摸史密斯说，“他的手冰凉，头上满是鲜血。”
他们看了看我，发现了我受伤的膝盖。
“这马摔倒了，把他甩了出去！”罗伯特说，他想牵着我向前走，可我差点儿又摔倒。“他的蹄子也不对劲。怪不得他摔倒呢，没有掌还在这片石头地上跑！鲁宾醉了，耐德。除非他醉了，不然他不会骑一匹没戴掌的马。”
耐德把史密斯的尸体扛进车里，罗伯特用他的手帕把我的脚包了起来，牵着我慢慢地走回家，谁也没为这场事故责怪我。白狮饭店的主人证实鲁宾·史密斯在离开饭店时就已经醉了。
但是我得离开沙尔伯爵庄园了，金儿也是。
有一两个月人们让我生活在田野里，一天金儿也被牵来和我一道。她被格雷勋爵的儿子的一通狠骑给累伤了。经过12个月的休整以后，她将被卖掉。至于我，虽然我膝盖的伤好多了，可它们看上去丑陋不堪，所以我不再适合于留在一个时髦的家庭里。和金儿一块儿在田野真好，可是，一天罗伯特来把我带走了。我和金儿两个互道了再见，心里都很难过。
我被卖给贝思的一个拥有很多马和各种马车并把它们出租的人。我现在成了一匹“工作马”，有各种各样的人来租我。有的是好骑手，其他的则糟透了。后来有一个人说服我的主人把我卖给他的一个朋友，这个人想要一匹安全的、舒服的马来骑。
于是，那个夏天我被卖给了白利先生。
白利先生不懂马，但他为我租了一个很舒适的马厩，还雇了一个叫费舍尔的马夫照料我。他还买最好的燕麦及其他好东西给我吃。
开始时一切顺利，但是接下来，似乎饭里的燕麦少了，而草多了。就算很好的草料也不足以使我保持强壮和健康。但是我不会说话。这种状况持续了大约两个月。
一天下午我的主人骑我下乡去看一个朋友——一个懂马的农场主，他仔细地看了看我。
“你的马看上去可不如刚买的时候了，白利，”他摸摸我的脖子和肩膀说。“看它累得又湿又热——只不过稍微骑了这么一会儿！”
“我的马夫说，马匹在秋天时状态都不好，”我的主人说。
“可是这只是8月份呀！”农夫说，“你的活儿又轻，料又好，他不该是这副样子。我不知是谁在吃你的燕麦，朋友。”他继续道，“但我怀疑你的马到底吃到没有。我建议你对你的马夫多留意一点儿。”
噢，我多想说话啊！我想告诉我的主人他的燕麦到哪里去了。每天早上6点我的马夫带着他的小儿子来马厩。那孩子带着一个篮子走进放燕麦的屋子。我可以看见他们装满一袋燕麦，再把袋子放进篮子里。
访问过农场主五六天后的一天早上，那孩子带着他的燕麦篮子离开马厩，可很快又回来了，他神情惊恐，两个警察抓着他的胳膊。
“告诉我你爸爸把他的鸡饲料藏到哪儿了，”一个警察对孩子说。
男孩哭了起来，可是逃脱不得。片刻之后，警察又发现了一个和篮子里的袋子一样的空口袋。他们把费舍尔带走了，我再也没看见过他。
又雇了另一个马夫，可是他非常懒于打扫马厩，我整天站在潮湿、肮脏的马厩中，变得又瘦又病。被马夫惹出这些麻烦之后，白利先生决定不再养马了。我被送到一个马市上，那儿有几百匹马被买卖。我认为那儿充满着比全国任何一个地方都要多的谎言。
那天我还算幸运。我以25镑被一个叫杰利米亚·巴克尔的人买走了，大家叫他杰利，我也这么叫吧。
■ 10 A London cab horse
Jerry Barker was a small man，but well－made and quick in all his movements．He lived in London and was a cab driver．Jerry's wife，Polly，was a little woman with smooth dark hair and dark eyes．His son，Harry，was nearly twelve years old， and was a tall，good－tempered boy．His daughter，Dolly，was eight，and she looked just like her mother．
Jerry had his own cab and two horses，which he drove and groomed himself．His other horse was a tall，white animal called Captain．The next morning，Polly and Dolly came to see me．Harry had helped his father since early that morning and had already decided that I would be a good horse．Polly brought me a piece of apple and Dolly brought me some bread．
'We'll call him Jack，after the old one，'said Jerry．'Shall we，Polly？'
'Yes，'she said．'I like to keep a good name going．'
Captain went out in the cab all morning and I went out in the afternoon．Jerry took a lot of care to make sure that my col－lar and bridle were comfortable——and there was no bearing rein！
We went to the cab stand where the other cabs were waiting for passengers，and took our place at the back of the last cab．Several of the other drivers came to look at me．
'Too handsome，'saia one．'You'll find something wrong with him one morning．'
Then a man in a grey coat and grey hat came up．His name was Grant，and he looked a happy，sensible kind of man．He had been longer on the cab stand than any of the other men，so they let him through to have a look at me，and waited for his opinion．
He looked me all over very carefully，then said：
'He's the right kind for you，Jerry．I don't care what you paid for him，he'll be worth it．'
My first week as a cab horse was very hard．I was not used to London—the noise，the hurry，the crowds of horses，carts and carriages．But Jerry was a good driver and soon discovered that I was willing to work and do my best．He never used the whip on me，and we soon understood each other as well as a horse and man can do．Jerry kept his horses clean and gave us plenty of food and fresh water，and on Sundays we rested．
I never knew a better man than my new master．He was kind and good-tempered，like John Manly．Harry was clever at stable work and always wanted to do what he could．Polly and Dolly came in the morning to brush out the cab，and to wash the glass，while Jerry gave Captain and me a grooming．There was a lot of laughing and fun between them，which all helped to keep Captain and me happy． The family came early in the morning because Jerry did not like lateness．It always made him angry when people wanted him to drive hard because of their own lateness．
One day，two wild-looking young men called to him．
'Cabby！Hurry up，we're late for our train at Victoria
“他死了，”罗伯特摸了摸史密斯说，“他的手冰凉，头上满是鲜血。”
他们看了看我，发现了我受伤的膝盖。
“这马摔倒了，把他甩了出去！”罗伯特说，他想牵着我向前走，可我差点儿又摔倒。“他的蹄子也不对劲。怪不得他摔倒呢，没有掌还在这片石头地上跑！鲁宾醉了，耐德。除非他醉了，不然他不会骑一匹没戴掌的马。”
耐德把史密斯的尸体扛进车里，罗伯特用他的手帕把我的脚包了起来，牵着我慢慢地走回家，谁也没为这场事故责怪我。白狮饭店的主人证实鲁宾·史密斯在离开饭店时就已经醉了。
但是我得离开沙尔伯爵庄园了，金儿也是。
有一两个月人们让我生活在田野里，一天金儿也被牵来和我一道。她被格雷勋爵的儿子的一通狠骑给累伤了。经过12个月的休整以后，她将被卖掉。至于我，虽然我膝盖的伤好多了，可它们看上去丑陋不堪，所以我不再适合于留在一个时髦的家庭里。和金儿一块儿在田野真好，可是，一天罗伯特来把我带走了。我和金儿两个互道了再见，心里都很难过。
我被卖给贝思的一个拥有很多马和各种马车并把它们出租的人。我现在成了一匹“工作马”，有各种各样的人来租我。有的是好骑手，其他的则糟透了。后来有一个人说服我的主人把我卖给他的一个朋友，这个人想要一匹安全的、舒服的马来骑。
于是，那个夏天我被卖给了白利先生。
白利先生不懂马，但他为我租了一个很舒适的马厩，还雇了一个叫费舍尔的马夫照料我。他还买最好的燕麦及其他好东西给我吃。
开始时一切顺利，但是接下来，似乎饭里的燕麦少了，而草多了。就算很好的草料也不足以使我保持强壮和健康。但是我不会说话。这种状况持续了大约两个月。
一天下午我的主人骑我下乡去看一个朋友——一个懂马的农场主，他仔细地看了看我。
“你的马看上去可不如刚买的时候了，白利，”他摸摸我的脖子和肩膀说。“看它累得又湿又热——只不过稍微骑了这么一会儿！”
“我的马夫说，马匹在秋天时状态都不好，”我的主人说。
“可是这只是8月份呀！”农夫说，“你的活儿又轻，料又好，他不该是这副样子。我不知是谁在吃你的燕麦，朋友。”他继续道，“但我怀疑你的马到底吃到没有。我建议你对你的马夫多留意一点儿。”
噢，我多想说话啊！我想告诉我的主人他的燕麦到哪里去了。每天早上6点我的马夫带着他的小儿子来马厩。那孩子带着一个篮子走进放燕麦的屋子。我可以看见他们装满一袋燕麦，再把袋子放进篮子里。
访问过农场主五六天后的一天早上，那孩子带着他的燕麦篮子离开马厩，可很快又回来了，他神情惊恐，两个警察抓着他的胳膊。
“告诉我你爸爸把他的鸡饲料藏到哪儿了，”一个警察对孩子说。
男孩哭了起来，可是逃脱不得。片刻之后，警察又发现了一个和篮子里的袋子一样的空口袋。他们把费舍尔带走了，我再也没看见过他。
又雇了另一个马夫，可是他非常懒于打扫马厩，我整天站在潮湿、肮脏的马厩中，变得又瘦又病。被马夫惹出这些麻烦之后，白利先生决定不再养马了。我被送到一个马市上，那儿有几百匹马被买卖。我认为那儿充满着比全国任何一个地方都要多的谎言。
那天我还算幸运。我以25镑被一个叫杰利米亚·巴克尔的人买走了，大家叫他杰利，我也这么叫吧。
■ 10 A London cab horse
Jerry Barker was a small man，but well－made and quick in all his movements．He lived in London and was a cab driver．Jerry's wife，Polly，was a little woman with smooth dark hair and dark eyes．His son，Harry，was nearly twelve years old， and was a tall，good－tempered boy．His daughter，Dolly，was eight，and she looked just like her mother．
Jerry had his own cab and two horses，which he drove and groomed himself．His other horse was a tall，white animal called Captain．The next morning，Polly and Dolly came to see me．Harry had helped his father since early that morning and had already decided that I would be a good horse．Polly brought me a piece of apple and Dolly brought me some bread．
'We'll call him Jack，after the old one，'said Jerry．'Shall we，Polly？'
'Yes，'she said．'I like to keep a good name going．'
Captain went out in the cab all morning and I went out in the afternoon．Jerry took a lot of care to make sure that my col－lar and bridle were comfortable——and there was no bearing rein！
We went to the cab stand where the other cabs were waiting for passengers，and took our place at the back of the last cab．Several of the other drivers came to look at me．
'Too handsome，'saia one．'You'll find something wrong with him one morning．'
Then a man in a grey coat and grey hat came up．His name was Grant，and he looked a happy，sensible kind of man．He had been longer on the cab stand than any of the other men，so they let him through to have a look at me，and waited for his opinion．
He looked me all over very carefully，then said：
'He's the right kind for you，Jerry．I don't care what you paid for him，he'll be worth it．'
My first week as a cab horse was very hard．I was not used to London—the noise，the hurry，the crowds of horses，carts and carriages．But Jerry was a good driver and soon discovered that I was willing to work and do my best．He never used the whip on me，and we soon understood each other as well as a horse and man can do．Jerry kept his horses clean and gave us plenty of food and fresh water，and on Sundays we rested．
I never knew a better man than my new master．He was kind and good-tempered，like John Manly．Harry was clever at stable work and always wanted to do what he could．Polly and Dolly came in the morning to brush out the cab，and to wash the glass，while Jerry gave Captain and me a grooming．There was a lot of laughing and fun between them，which all helped to keep Captain and me happy． The family came early in the morning because Jerry did not like lateness．It always made him angry when people wanted him to drive hard because of their own lateness．
One day，two wild-looking young men called to him．
'Cabby！Hurry up，we're late for our train at Victoria