208 DRIVING. 



been seen that I kept to coaching nearly as long as there were 

 any coaches left to drive. 



I had for some years given up driving regularly, having 

 taken the Horse Bazaar at Plymouth, where I used to supply 

 officers of the garrison with teams, and give them instructions 

 in driving ; this I still continue to do, and in every variety of 

 driving. It gives me, indeed,* much pleasure to see many of 

 my pupils daily handling their teams skilfully ; not a few of 

 them giving me good reason to be really proud of them, as I 

 know they do me credit. In my description of my driving 

 career, I stated that I had never had an accident ; I ought to 

 have said, no serious casualty, never having upset or injured 

 anyone ; but I have had many trifling mishaps, such as run- 

 ning foul of a wagon in a fog, having my whole team down in 

 slippery weather \ on many occasions I have had a wheel come 

 off, but still nothing that could fairly be termed a bad accident. 



During the last twenty-five years I have been engaged 

 keeping livery stables and breaking horses to harness, and in 

 that period I have had some very narrow escapes. In one 

 instance, the box of a new double break came off and pitched 

 me astride across the pole between two young horses ; I once 

 had the top of the pole come off when driving two high- 

 couraged horses ; a horse set to kicking, and ran away with 

 me in single harness. As I was of course pulling at him very 

 hard, my feet went through the bottom of the dog-cart, he 

 kicking furiously all the time. Fortunately I escaped with 

 only a few bruises. On another occasion, in single harness a 

 mare began kicking, and, before I could get her head up, she ran 

 against the area railings of a house in Princess Square, Plymouth, 

 broke both shafts, and split the break into matches ; myself and 

 man nearly went through the kitchen window, into the arms of 

 the cook ; she did not, however, ask us to stop and dine. 



I could mention many little events of a similar kind, and 

 consider myself very fortunate in having never had anything 

 more serious than a sprained ankle or wrist during my tolerably 

 long career. 



