88 THE COACHING ERA 



are not going to put an unruly horse in the coach?" The 

 man replies that it is "the quietest hanimal alive," but 

 the old gentleman is not much reassured, for he hears 

 the coachman say urgently: "Mind what you are about, 

 Bob, don't let him touch the roller bolt!" 



The passengers take their seats. "Let 'em go, and 

 take care of yourselves," says the coachman, and the 

 "staid and steady team" start — "the near leader rears 

 right on end, and if the reins had not been yielded to him 

 at the instant he would have fallen backwards on the 

 head of the pole. The moment the twitch was taken from 

 the nose of the thoroughbred near wheeler, he drew 

 himself back to the extent of his pole chain on his fore- 

 legs stretched out before him — and then, like a lion 

 loosened from his toil, made a snatch at the coach that 

 would have broken two pairs of traces in 1742." 



The old gentleman has one glimmer of comfort, he is 

 not asked to walk up the hills. Even that is shortlived, 

 for going down a hill the coach presses on the thorough- 

 bred, which annoys him so much that he breaks into a 

 gallop, the rest of the team join in, and away goes the 

 coach at a terrific rate, frightening the old gentleman 

 nearly out of his senses. 



At Bagshot he gets out of the Comet with all possible 

 despatch, and declines to return to it at any price. He 

 recounts his harrowing experiences to the waiter, and 

 pathetically inquires if there is such a thing as a slow 

 coach left. 



"Why, yes, sir," replies John, "we shall have the 

 Regulator down in an hour." 



