THE EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT 



year. ' You had better put the skid on the wheel, 

 Duke,' said that experienced coachman, the Honour- 

 able Fitzroy Stanhope. ' I think not,' replied the 

 Duke ; ' it will very probably cause the hind wheels 

 to strike, and, in that case, we should be floored 

 with this top-heavy load.' 'I never let them know,' 

 said his Grace to me, ' that they were going down 

 a hill at all, and all went well' ' You were quite 

 right, Duke,' said I ; ' I always have been afraid of 

 a skid upon hard and slippery ground, having so 

 many times experienced the danger of it ; and had 

 you let those little wheel-horses once feel the 

 pressure from your load, they would soon have 

 become impatient, and, consequently, of no use to 

 you. It reminds me,' resumed I, * of a remark 

 Gentleman Taylor, as he was called, made to me, 

 when I asked whether his pole-chains (on the 

 Southampton Telegraph) were not lighter than they 

 should be over his hilly ground ? ' Quite strong 

 enough,' replied he ; ' there is never any stress on 

 my pole-chains.' This led to another observation of 

 mine to the Duke, who loves a bit of coaching talk. 

 ' I witnessed a similar case to your Brighton Lark,' 

 said I, ' when one of fifteen, on your friend George 

 Payne's coach, from Croxton Park racecourse to 

 Melton town, and an equally good specimen of 

 coachmanship. Having a very spicy team, put on 

 their mettle at the moment, as horses returning 

 from a racecourse invariably are, a hint was given 

 to him that the skid would be desirable going down 



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