DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 229 



While mounting the hill he displayed much spirit 

 in his talk and some of his tales were worthy of his 

 master. Unwisely, I told him of the Irish driver 

 who when he pulled up his four outside a hotel had 

 one of them drop dead and how, when the ostler 

 spoke of the luck of its happening there, he said : 

 "Luck, be jabers! Why the animal was dead on 

 the hill ; it's me driving that brought it here to 

 drop." This was new to Pat and, I fear, acted 

 as a spur to one whose chief need was a drag 

 and contributed somewhat to the accident that 

 befell us. 



The pace we travelled at seemed to be ever on 

 the increase, and the whip to be making increasing 

 flourishes when, on turning a high-hedged corner, 

 we were startled to see a cart within a few yards of 

 us on the same track. The horses were pulled 

 back upon their haunches and the inevitable 

 collision was thereby modified to a bump of wheels. 

 The men failed to settle who was more to blame 

 though each spoke as if perfectly sure upon the 

 point. Pat's grievance was thrown into : 



" Divil take ye. Couldn't ye see the pace I was 

 coming at ? Isn't the side of the road good enough 

 for the bag av bones ye sit behind ? " 



The man thus addressed made reply : 



" Bag av bones, is it, begorra, and yerself not fit 

 to bray in the same field with it. But it's meself 

 that wouldn't keep gintlemen waiting, good luck to 

 yer honours, and may the divil take the driver that 

 should be minding pigs." 



With this he pulled his horse to the side and 

 gave us room to pass. Pat took advantage of this 

 without response and, though he had a few remarks 



