166 WAYFARING NOTIONS 



These young parties declined to discuss the rule 

 of the road, but pitched into me because I had 

 crossed a little while before we got mixed up. 

 In the matter of logic they were triumphantly 

 unassailable. How can you controvert the 

 assertion, *' If you had stopped over there you 

 would not have been here." 



I saw a funny bird who had views on the 

 rights of the road, practically to the effect that it 

 didn't mind how much of it it took. When I 

 came across this masterful man he was playing 

 wolf to the lamb of a little boy carrying a burden 

 in the very place where he ought to be, the 

 extreme right edge of the footpath ; t'other party, 

 an equestrian, had a led horse, and all the road to 

 himself. Very properly, as I understand the 

 rules, he took the second steed on his off-side so 

 as to be between it and advancing traffic, while 

 nothing coming behind should cause disturbance. 

 With the great highway all his, pro tem., his line 

 was right on the path's coping. Instead of 

 which, he blew the poor little nipper up sky-high 

 and said horse-kicking would serve him right. 

 This notion set me thinking whether conven- 

 tional handling of led horses is quite as common- 

 sensible as it might be, where the road is 

 bordered by paths. The question is, you know, 

 whether an obstreperous led animal should 

 chance kicking traps and other horses or human 

 beings. A lot of points must be taken into 

 consideration when the Imperial rules of the road 

 are drawn up. They do not exist at present, I 

 believe. While such rates are being drafted I 

 hope pronouncement will be made to guide the 

 pedestrian using the road. According to some, 

 he should rank himself as a vehicle, seeing that 



