COACH HORSES. 321 



of spectators. No one could stop him until lie had 

 finished his task, although four men were offered 

 sixpence each to catch him. The worst of it was 

 that he was so cut and wounded by the broken glass, 

 that he was re-sold for a trifle to the proprietor of 

 the circus.' 



Perhaps the horse was happier in the restricted 

 life to which he had been accustomed, than in the 

 comparative liberty of the road. The account was 

 sent to a nephew of the unwilling John Gilpin, and 

 corroborated by him before it was transmitted to me. 



A similar act of conscientious duty on the part 

 of the horse was lately told me by a gentleman 

 whose father witnessed the occurrence. 



About sixty years ago the Blandford four-horse 

 mail coach came in as usual, but without coachman, 

 guard, or passengers. It was noticed that the horses 

 galloped up the street at full speed, this being the 

 etiquette at the conclusion of every stage, turned 

 through the narrow archway leading to the inn 

 where they were accustomed to stop, and pulled up 

 without the slightest mishap. 



The difficulty of this task can only be understood 

 by those who have undertaken it. To take a carriage 

 and pair through a narrow gateway is by no means 

 easy, and requires considerable practice. In the 

 case of four horses, the difficulty is more than 



Y 



