The Merry Past 



for the race. I£ those people in the basket are not 

 afraid, I will drive on." The Frenchmen, on the 

 situation being explained to them, were unanimous in 

 their approval, saying : " Qui ! out ! tous les Anglais 

 connaissent bien les chevaux ; il n^y a fas de danger ; 

 allez, monsieur, brave jeime homme, jusqu'a le champs 

 de course. ''"' Throwing a shilling to the ostler, the 

 officer bade him rein up the leaders, and, putting the 

 whip suddenly into the rum 'uns, they darted off into 

 the thick of the crowd of carriages and britschkas, 

 gigs, and the like, and away they went spinning round 

 the sharp turn at Ewell. Meanwhile the foreigners 

 looking back began to shout, ''Regarded notre conducteur, 

 qui vient au grand galop " ; and sure enough, with a 

 heavy box-coat on, greasy top-boots, and greasier in- 

 expressibles, with his " shocking bad hat " raised in one 

 hand, and a bird's-eye blue waving in the other, throw- 

 ing up the mud abundantly, and shouting with all the 

 power of his lungs, the angry tones of the irate coach- 

 man rose fiercely above the din of the crowd. " Stop 

 that 'ere coach ; I'll pay you off, you young devil ! " 

 together with many other oaths, execrations, and 

 entreaties, rent the air. The man's remonstrances, 

 however, were all in vain, and served but to excite 

 the mirth of the amateur whip and his companions, as 

 he neatly cut round the corner, and lashed away best 

 pace for the Downs. There he gave over the coach 

 and rum 'uns to the booth stable-folk, took off his 

 hat to the foreigners, who highly lauded his 

 prowess, mounted his hack, and galloped off to the 

 Warren. 



139 



