THE EXETER ROAD 93 



regard it, or regards it purely as a landmark, and majesti- 

 cally avoids the pit into which his less fortunate brother 

 has fallen. Surely in vain is the snare laid in sight of 

 any coachman. But to see at all has become difficult 

 by this time. The snow drives ; the wind blows it full 

 in their faces ; the horses begin to show signs of 

 suddenly capitulating. The coachman now has recourse 

 to all the dark arts of persuasion and the whip ; " fan- 

 ning " them, which in the tongue of coachmen is 

 whipping them, "towelling them," which is flogging, 

 " chopping them," which is hitting the horse with the 

 whip on the thigh (a barbarous practice very common 

 among the coachmen of the Iceni, who however pre- 

 ferred a spear head for the purpose), in vain ! — absolutely 

 in vain ! The six horses fell into a walk, and can only 

 be kept to that by incredible exertions and oaths. The 

 passengers now give themselves for gone, in the expres- 

 sive language of the day ; but presently when things 

 are at the worst, their clouds break a bit, and the snow 

 ceases driving. The coachman does the opposite with 

 redoubled vigour, and presently draws up before The 

 Bush, at Staines. The Exeter Fly has taken nearly 

 three hours to come the seven miles from Hounslow. 

 The landlord of The Bush, Staines, hearing this, follows 

 the lead of the landlord of The George, and counsels 

 rest and dinner ; and the passengers, who to speak 

 truly, have never before in their lives come so near to the 

 experience of riding in the air in a hollowed-out iceberg, 

 incline their ears to the advice. Success, stimulant, and 

 the lull in the snow storm have, however, made the 

 coachman daring. He observes thickly that he is an 

 Englishman, and declares his intention of inning at 

 Bagshot for the night, whether the passengers leave 

 the coach or stick to it. Upon this the young captor of 

 the highwayman says, blushing with ingenuous shame, 

 that he is willing to go on ; upon which the young 

 lady, blushing also, says that she is willing too. 

 This necessitates the mother also putting her neck in 



