23 HORSES AND HOUNDS. 



near a ditch, take a "flying leap over into a cottage garden, to 

 the great consternation of the worthy old occupant of the cot- 

 tage adjoining, who was standing outside the door to see the 

 coach pass. The coach did not go over at all, but from the 

 lurch it gave, tlie gentlemen on the roof, taking this as a matter 

 of course, anticipated the event, and, to their dismay, not only 

 had their leap for nothing, but saw the coach travelling on as if 

 it was "all right." 



The most extraordinary performance, however, I ever saw 

 without an accident, was on the Cheltenham road, where a turn- 

 pike man took upon himself the office of Jehu to his own horses, 

 a short stage into Evesham. A friend and myself journeying 

 into Leicestershire, chanced to fall in with this conveyance, but 

 on the change of teams and coachman, seeing the turn-out, now 

 prepared to forward us on our journey, we declined the front 

 seats, which we had hitherto occupied, and retr^ted to the 

 rear, ready for the overthrow which we had every reason to 

 expect. The off leader was of elephantine proportions, nearly 

 seventeen liands high, and a dead puller, w4tli a mouth as hard as 

 a crocodile's. His fellow or companion in arms, for in harness 

 they were not, was about fourteen hands, a sort of nondescript ani- 

 mal, in head and shape more resembling a hippopotamus, and 

 decidedly as slow. The off-wheeler was blind, and a bolter ; and 

 the hopes of the "family coach" depended solely upon the 

 exertions of the near wheeler, who had to strain and tug against 

 these three contending powers to keep the vehicle anywhere in 

 the road. The tackling by which these variously-disposed ani- 

 mals were fruitlessly attempted to be held together was upon a 

 par with the team itself — cord, chains, and tar-twine prepon- 

 derating over leather. The master of the horses being as w^ell 

 master of the tolls, and Jehu only j^^^o hdc vice,^ was evidently a 

 strong cross of the butcher, and handled the ribbons and whip 

 much after the fashion of a London drayman, though not quite 

 so artistically. I observed to the coachman, who left us at this 

 point, that it was a very rum lot to look at. — " Yes, sir," he 

 replied ; "and I think you will find it altogether about the rum- 

 mest lot to go you ever sat behind yet ; and if you'll take my 

 advice, you'll be on the look-out for squally weather." The 

 preparations being completed, we very reluctantly took our 

 places behind, in company with an aged^ ostler, from whose 

 quivering lips the words " all right" issued in tremulous accents, 

 as if in strong anticipation of their being speedily converted 

 into the contrary meaning ; and this was the case much more 

 quickly than I expected. At starting, the Brobdignag pulled 

 steadily away to his side of the road, and, notwithstanding all 



