3 o6 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



"Several, my Lord." 



"Of course the opposition stopped to afford assistance 

 to the passengers." 



" Not a bit of it, my Lord ; one gentleman told me that, 

 as he was in the act of rolling away from the coach, he 

 heard the opposition coachman sing out to the other, as 

 he galloped by 'What, Joe, your bees are a-swarming 

 this fine morning, are they ? ' Then again," resumed 

 Jem, " I takes a precaution that, perhaps, few others does. 

 On my two worst hills, I gives the man who looks after 

 the road, a pot of beer, now and then, to leave a few 

 yards of loose stone or gravel in two, or perhaps three, 

 places on the near side ; when I feel the coach press on 

 the wheel-horses going down these hills, I run her into 

 this loose stone, or gravel, and, if it don't quite balance 

 her, it so far checks her as to make all safe. Then, as 

 this prevents my putting on the skid, I can let 'em go 

 towards the bottom, and " 



" Let them avail themselves of the impetus of motion 

 the vis vivida, as we call it," observed Lord Edmonston. 



" 7 calls it cheating 'em out of half the opposite hill," 

 said Jem. 



"You have had your share of kickers, I suppose," 

 observed "Webber. 



" Not lately," replied Jem. " My master and I are old 

 acquaintances now ; I can pick my stock a little ; and 

 depend on't I don't pick out a kicker. But when I was 

 a-going over, I didn't think much of kickers, dangerous as 

 they are. If leaders, I always had a ring on the leading- 

 reins, between the head turrets of the wheelers and the 

 pad turrets of the leaders, so as to prevent their getting 

 under their tails ; and if at wheel, I took care to have a 

 right strong kicking trace over their backs. I got tired 

 of carrying a wheeler on the pole, one day ; and as for 

 leaders, I have had their legs so fast, either among the 

 bars, or among the pole-chains, that I more than once 

 thought I must have got a saw to work to get them out. 

 Never keep a kicker, Mr. Raby, he gives no notice ; a 

 mere pinch of a pad, or even a twist in his trace, sets him 

 off ; and he cares not where he runs you, till he has had 

 his kick out. Depend on't he'll never leave it off, for his 

 real meaning is he don't like work, and he wants to kick 

 himself out of harness at once. And be sure always keep 

 your own side on the road " 



