COACHING COMPETITION 87 



The Comet arrives at Hounslow in five minutes under 

 the hour, and the old gentleman has pleasurable thoughts 

 of breakfast, but when he puts his head out of the 

 window, to call to the waiter, he is thrown back with a 

 jerk which renders him speechless. Recovering a little, 

 he inquires why they did not change horses at Hounslow. 

 His companion assured him they did — only one minute 

 allowed for so doing. 



"You astonish me; but really I do not like to go so 

 fast," says the bewildered old gentleman of 1742. 



"Oh, sir, we always spring them over these six miles. 

 It is what we call the hospital ground.'''' This alarming 

 phrase is presently interpreted: it intimates that horses 

 whose "backs are getting down instead of up in their 

 work," some "that won't hold an ounce downhill, or 

 draw an ounce up," others "that kick over the pole one 

 day and over the bars the next"; in short all the repro- 

 bates, styled in the road slang bokickers^ are sent to work 

 these six miles — because here they have nothing to do but 

 gallop." 



The coach goes faster and faster as the "bokickers " 

 feel their legs, the coach rocks and the old gentleman is 

 convinced that the horses are running away. At Staines 

 he gets out of the coach to see how it is possible for 

 horses to be changed in one minute, instead of half an 

 hour, as in his young days. He has been positively 

 assured that the fresh team is a steady one, containing no 

 "bokickers," but when he sees a fine thoroughbred horse 

 led towards the coach with a twitch on his nose, he ex- 

 claims apprehensively: "Holloa, Mr. Horse-keeper, you 



