90 TOO NEAR THE POLE. 



ears, my toe-board nearly coining on their ruinps. 

 I now found something was all wrong, and guessed 

 the cause. A moment, and a milling bout must 

 have been the consequence. I struck them both 

 sharply ; off they went like two startled antelopes, 

 down the hill at about eighteen miles an hour, 

 feather-edging every thing we passed, I expecting to 

 give something an insider : but we escaped ; the 

 opposite hill ascending enabled me to pull up, 

 when I found, sure enough, the pole-pin had been 

 left out. Which looked the most frightened when 

 we stopped I know not, myself, the man behind, or 

 the horses : I only know that I felt frightened 

 enough for all four, and, judging by the screams 

 as we came along, a good many others were frightened 

 too. 



I have hitherto merely confined my observations 

 to amateur drivers : let us now look a little to those 

 who engage themselves as hired coachmen. Among 

 these, the mail and fast-coach coachman takes (or I 

 ought to say took), and deservedly, the first place. 

 Among these, from the year (we will say about) 1790 

 to 1840, we could point out many men, who, ranking 

 in point of family and education as unquestionable gen- 

 tlemen, have been induced, some by adverse circum- 

 stances, and many by imprudence, to seek a livelihood 

 by driving coaches. And here let me make some 

 remarks on this subject. That the situation of a 

 stage-coachman cannot in any way be consonant with 

 the feelings of a gentleman, is a matter upon which 

 there cannot be two opinions among rational men. 

 The greater, then, the merit in the few who have 

 had resolution enough to adopt this mode of pro- 

 viding for themselves or families, in preference to 



