of the Old World. 477 



selves snugly packed outside and in. Too-too-too ! 

 went a hunting-horn, crack went the whip, round went 

 the wheels, and our seven horses set off at a hand- 

 gallop, which lasted for a few hundred yards past the 

 barrier gates, when their pace sunk by degrees into 

 a shuffling walk ; and at about four miles from the 

 town we were brought to a standstill, the ruts being 

 nearly two feet deep. Our driver, the queerest fish 

 for a son of Jehu that ever mounted a box, did not 

 appear in the least disconcerted : he flung down the 

 ribbons, and, coolly dismounting from his seat, opened 

 a boot and took out a quantity of pickaxes and spades, 

 which he distributed among the passengers, all of whom 

 were expected to try their hands at road-making. 

 Some gathered stones from the wayside to fill up 

 the ruts, others dug up the road so as to make it as 

 level as possible ; and at last, with the assistance of 

 eight extra mules, making a team of fifteen in all, and 

 the combined force of our whole party pushing and 

 pulling, amid the shouts, oaths, prayers, protestations, 

 groans, yells, and frantic shrieks of our conductor and 

 driver, we managed to extricate the wheels, and were 

 once more en route. The passengers were, however, 

 obliged to walk in many places ; and some of them 

 accomplished many miles on foot, to avoid the dis- 

 agreeable jolting of our unwieldy machine. 



We passed through a most beautiful country, the 

 road winding amongst well-wooded hills, to St. 



