300 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



I am no drinker, nor would I advise any coachman to be 

 such, particularly one that drives over such cold ground 

 as I do. All I have on the road is half a pint of ale, 

 with my lunch, where I meets my coach, and then I enjoy 

 my dinner when I gets in. Indeed, I often say to myself, 

 when returning over those cold hills : ' Oh, how I could 

 set-to now, at a good rump-steak and onions ! ' " 



"I have always thought," observed Lord Edmonston, 

 " that road coachmen must obtain a great knowledge 

 of mankind from their everyday communication with 

 persons of all descriptions, and nearly from all countries." 



"Why, my Lord," said Jem, "we meets with all sorts 

 good, bad, and indifferent and especially on this road. 

 We carries a great many Irish." 



" And how do you find them ? " asked Jack Webber. 



" There are many good ones amongst them, but still 

 more good for nothing," was the answer ; " but, saving 

 your presence, gentlemen, they are all devils to brag. I 

 never carried one, calling himself a gentleman, that had less 

 than 1500 a year." 



" And a park 1 " said Raby. 



" A park, of course," resumed Jem ; " and many on 

 them talk of their castles in the air, I suppose. But I 

 could not help thinking that they must often get pulled 

 up, when talking so big. Indeed, I pulled up one of 

 them myself, last summer. He asked me who lived at 

 Warton House, on our road. I told him the Earl of 

 Connell my kind friend, as you have heard me speak of, 

 Mr. Raby. ' By the powers ! ' said he, ' but I know his 

 Lordship well ; he comes from my own country. How 

 I should like to stop and: ask him how he does ! ' Now, 

 as to that part of the story, you know it was quite out of 

 the question, as the hall is nearly a mile from the road ; 

 but, as ill-luck for the Irishman would have it, we had 

 not gone far before we meets my Lord, who pulls up his 

 horse and gives me a letter to take to a friend of his in 

 Oxford. ' Who is that gentleman ? ' said the Irishman, 

 as soon as the coach went on. ' That nobkman, sir,' said 

 I, ' is the Earl of Connell.' Now, I says nothing more 

 on the subject for as much as a quarter of an hour, giving 

 the gentleman time to recover himself a little, for he 

 looked mighty simple after the answer I gave him about 

 his ' friend ; ' but, at last, I turns myself a little towards 

 him on the box, and looking full in his face, says 



