270 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



never upset his coach, but that he put every shilling he 

 received on the bill. We will now give his answer, apologiz- 

 ing for this interlude : 



Jack Webber. " I see very little to find fault with. The 

 box appears to sail well over your wheelers, so as to put 

 you near enough to your leaders to have them well in 

 your hand, and to give them a taste of the whip when 

 they want it ; and the axletrees and boxes seem strong 

 and good. Perhaps two inches less length of perch would 

 have made her follow better, but I daresay you have 

 plenty of strength in your harness, and she is safer on her 

 legs as she is. The foot-board is capital ; there is nothing 

 like a roomy foot-board, not slanting too much, to give a 

 man a good firm seat on his box, and full command of his 

 team. It is disgusting to see a man sitting on a coach- 

 box with his knees bent as if he were sitting on a low 

 stool." 



Sir John. " I quite agree with you, Jack. The drag 

 looks like business, and, if I mistake not, belongs to a 

 very business-like fellow, for I think that our friend 

 Raby will make a right good coachman in time." 



Jack Webber. " How can he fail in being so, when one 

 Sir John Inkleton was his tutor ? " 



Sir John. " Thanks for the compliment, Jack ; now let 

 us look at the horses." On entering the stable in which 

 the ten horses before mentioned stood, all as clean as they 

 could be made by the aid of four stout helpers, at the 

 expense of at least five shillings'- worth of soap, " Upon 

 my word, Frank," continued Sir John, "you have made 

 the best use of your time. Business again, eh, Jack ? " 



Jack Webber. " Good sort of stock, upon my word ; 

 plenty of strength on short legs. Ah, here's an old friend 

 of mine. I drove that black piebald for three months as 

 leader in my coach, and a capital leader he is." 



Frank Raby. " Then why was he sold 1 " 



Jack Webber. " For two reasons. First, he fetched a 

 good price from a young carpet - manufacturer in the 

 Borough, who went clown one day with me, and fell in 

 love with him ; secondly, he was a bad starter at one end 

 of his ground. I would never keep a bad starter, if I 

 horsed a coach. They are generally the best of cattle 

 when once off, but they alarm passengers, and get the 

 coach a bad name. That horse twice fell back with me, 

 and once broke the main bar." 



