116 STOUT YEOMEN 



the table, and the bottle making more speedy revolutions 

 than I had of late been accustomed to, I was obliged to 

 be on my guard ; and it was some little time before I 

 gathered from them that they wanted my assistance in 

 getting an old friend and companion of theirs, who had a 

 little run out, as they termed it, on to a box. I promised 

 to use my interest with the London proprietor for him, 

 though I could not promise them success. With this 

 they were satisfied, but not with the wine, and, after I 

 thought they had had a sufficient quantity (for bottle 

 after bottle disappeared with amazing rapidity), I began 

 to perceive they had another object besides the one named, 

 and I had a difficult matter to escape the effects, or elude 

 the manifold potations with which they continually plied 

 me, while they appeared to remain quite innocent of such 

 excess. On my positively declining to have any more, 

 they called for the bill and another bottle, and, having 

 discharged the one and swallowed the other, they departed, 

 leaving me impressed with a good idea of the bodily and 

 mental capacities of these stout yeomen of the Fens. The 

 object of their solicitude, who Avas an example of the 

 same species, was afterwards established on the box of the 

 Wisbech coach, and gave unmistakable evidence of his 

 former associations. 



As the spring advanced (for the alteration had taken 

 place exactly a twelvemonth from the commencement of 

 my officiate) the coach improved both in the numbers 

 and the quality of the passengers, and the proprietors had 

 not to regret the loss of the carriage of the shrimps, which 

 had always formed the staple of the coach's earnings. 

 Wow being on the best of terms with all the proprietors, 



