THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



to explain. This seems a hard case, to knock up sucli a system 

 as coachino-, now that it is just brought to perfection, or nearly 

 so. It will be the ruin of a great many people who now gets 

 their living on the road. But they tells me this is the case 

 in most other tilings, nowadays. Some busybody, with, perhaps, 

 more brains than his neighbours, and wanting to make himself 

 rich, without caring who he may make poor, comes out with 

 some new-fangled plans, and upsets all the old ones, w'hich did 

 very well for us before.' 



' There is some trutli in what you have said,' observed Lord 

 Edmonston ; ' this is a wise and understanding age ; but if we 

 look into the history of mankind, in all periods of the world, 

 we find men have arisen, from time to time, who have changed 

 the whole face of some department of human knowledge ; 

 nevertheless, Jem, you need not alarm yourself on this point. 

 I conceive you have been told that carriages will be propelled 

 on roads by what is called a locomotive power, produced by 

 steam, but, be assured, it will never take place. Whenever 

 they travel by steam, it must be on iron tram-roads, but the 

 time is far distant before that will be accomplished. At all 

 events, coaching by horses will last your time.' 



' Then,' resumed Jem, ' there is a man who has built a carriage 

 that cannot be overturned, but they tells me it is as heavy as 

 a broad-wheel waggon, and as much iron about it as is in three 

 of our coaches. Surely our coaches are safe enough, in safe 

 hands.' 



' I saw the coach you speak of, tried,' observed Goodall ; ' it 

 certainly did run on a bank elevated thirty inches from the 

 ground, and the centre of gravity was not disturbed, but I 

 thought it a sad complicated piece of workmanship, and, for my 

 own part, I would as soon ride in a waggon.' 



' Well,' said Jem, ' we must not find fault with all those busy- 

 bodys, as I calls them, for this American chap, Mr. McAdam, is 

 showing our people how to make the roads run well, though 

 they are terribly loth to follow his directions. They won't 

 believe but what those small stones will grind all to pieces in 

 a very short time, instead of — which they do — forming a hard 

 and smooth surface. Indeed, I was myself some time before I 

 could persuade myself that they would do so, even if properly 

 broke, and put thick enough on the road.' 



' The surface of a road is formed as ice is formed,' observed 



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