THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 307 



Jack Webber interrupting him 



"The rule of the road is a paradox quite, 



I confess I have thought it so long : 

 If you go to the left you are sure to go right, 

 If you go to the right, you are wrong." 



" I am not much of a man for poetry," resumed Jem ; 

 "but never throw a chance away in coaching, for, 

 remember, other limbs and lives are in your care besides 

 your own. Never run too near carts, and waggons, and so 

 forth. The horses in them may bolt towards you, and 

 catch hold of you before you can get away from them 

 especially if your team is not one of the handiest. But, 

 mind this wherever your leaders' bars can go, your 

 wheels can go, without touching, with something to spare 

 that is to say, provided your leaders are on the collars 

 at the time. I was once in a nice scrape by going too 

 near a cart in which two horses ran abreast of each other 

 before the shaft horse. The trace of the off horse caught 

 my roller bolt, and thus we were locked together as fast 

 as if we had been in the same vice." 



" And how did you get out of it 1 " asked Webber. 



"Why, by a bit of good luck," replied Jem ; "the cart- 

 horses kept pace with me, till they got blown, and then 

 stopped of their own accord ; the driver was in the cart, 

 without reins, and had no command of them. It cured 

 me of running too near a team of powerful horses. 



" But to show you how soon an accident may happen to 

 a coach, and from what a trifling cause, I will tell you 

 what happened to a fellow-servant of mine about a dozen 

 years back. The collar of his box coat was fastened by 

 what is called a hook and eye ; having occasion to stroke 

 his chin with his right hand, on which was a strong glove, 

 with a hole in it, the hook entered the hole, and held his 

 hand fast. The horses bolted at the moment towards the 

 near side of the road, which, being deprived of the use of 

 his right hand, he had not the power of preventing, and 

 the consequence was, that his coach was upset, and one 

 passenger killed and several badly hurt." 



On arriving at the house where Jem Powell had been 

 picked up, he was taken leave of by the party, our hero 

 slipping a five-pound note into his hand, as he gave it a 

 hearty shake ; and the fresh team being put to the coach, 

 within a minute of the time allowed they were at the hall 



