DOWN THE ROAD 117 



mendin' a quarter-mile of road, and there was a lot of 

 Irish chaps, reg'lar roughs, a breaking stones. As we 

 comes up, 'Now, boys,' says young gent on the box 

 (smart young fellow and desper't reckless) 'here's fun! 

 let the Pats have it about the ears,' 'God's sake, sir!' says 

 Bob (that's my mate the coachman), 'don't go for to shoot 

 at 'em, they'll knock us off the coach.' 'Damme, coachee,' 

 says young my lord, 'you ain't afraid; hoora, boys! let 'em 

 have it.' 'Hoora!' sings out the others, and fill their 

 mouths chock full of peas to last the whole line. Bob, 

 seeing as 'twas to come, knocks his hat over his eyes, hollers 

 to his 'osses, and shakes 'em up, and away we goes up to 

 the line of 'em, twenty miles an hour. The Pats begins to 

 hoora too, thinking it was a runaway, and first lot on 'em 

 stands grinnin' and wavin' their old hats as we comes 

 abreast on 'em, and then you'd ha' laughed to see how 

 took aback and choking savage they looked, when they 

 gets the peas a stinging all over 'em. But, bless you, the 

 laugh weren't all of our side, sir, by a long way. We was 

 going so fast, and they was so took aback, that they 

 didn't take what was up till we was half-way up the line. 

 Then 'twas, 'look out all,' surely. They howls all down 

 the line fit to frighten you, some on 'em runs arter us 

 and tries to clamber up behind, only we hits 'em over the 

 fingers and pulls their hands off: one as had had it very 

 sharp ad'ly runs right at the leaders, as though he'd 

 ketch 'em by the heads, only luck'ly for him he misses his 

 tip, and comes over a heap o' stones first. The rest pick up 

 stones, and gives it us right away till we gets out of shot, 

 the young gents holding out werry manful with the pea- 

 shooters and such stones as lodged on us, and a pretty 

 many there was too. Then Bob picks hisself up again, 

 and looks at young gent on box werry solemn. Bob'd 

 had a rum 'un in the ribs, which'd like to ha' knocked him 

 off the box, or made him drop the reins. Young gent on 



