ADVENTURE WITH BALL HUGHES. 269 



silk stockings ; my legs will be awfully 

 chafed." 



" Never mind, my good fellow, we will go 

 as slow as you please, and you shall have 

 your choice, short or long traces." 



The postilions had ahghted, and, having 

 borrowed their whips, we exchanged places, 

 and in less time than I can describe it the 

 Golden Ball was mounted on a high-stepping 

 thorough-bred leader, while I was piloting two 

 as handsome wheelers as ever trotted their 

 twelve miles an hour. 



No event worthy of record occurred upon the 

 road. It is true that the pole occasionally re- 

 minded my brother postilion that the traces 

 were slack, that we grazed a carrier's cart 

 upon entering Deptford, that we frightened an 

 itinerant vendor of apples and pears as we 

 dashed over Blackheath, and, finally, that 

 we upset a one-horse chaise standing in the 

 High Street of the town identified with Pigou 

 and gunpowder. 



As we drove up to the door of the " Bull 

 Inn " we found, to our great horror, a crowd 

 assembled in front of it. 



" Pull up !" I bellowed at the top of my 

 voice. 



