POLING- UP AND BREECHINGS. 201 



as the confinement is more than they can bear. I have 

 known several that were fidgety, and even dangerous, 

 when first put to their coach, stand very quiet when let 

 out two or three links in their pole-chain ; and some that 

 would never suffer themselves to be poled-up at all, till 

 they had gone a mile or two on the road. There was a 

 remarkable instance of this in a capital little grey mare 

 that ran many years in the Worcester Mail. Her ground 

 was from Worcester to Bengeworth — fifteen miles. At 

 Worcester she would stand poled-up, perfectly quiet, for 

 a quarter of an hour, amidst the rattling of a carriage, 

 drums and fifes, &c. ; but at the other end, it was with 

 difficulty she could be put to the coach at all. When the 

 coachman, guard, and passengers were up, and all was 

 right, she was brought to the coach, with her head 

 towards it — the pole-chain just hooked in the ring of her 

 hames — and the leader's reins run through her terrets — 

 when she was turned quickly around, pushed up to the 

 pole, and with the assistance of three men she was 

 started. One of them reached over the traces of the 

 other wheel-horse to slip one of hers on the roller. 

 Another, on the same side, fixed her coupling-reins ; 

 whilst the third put on her outside trace, and poled her 

 up, if he could — but this was a service of danger, and 

 could not always be done until she had gone some 

 distance on the road. To account for this would puzzle 

 a philosopher ; but it may be reasonably conjectured that 

 something had affronted or alarmed her when first put to 

 the coach at Bengeworth, which she had never forgiven 

 or forgotten. She was in the hands of a very good 



