THE SCRATCH TEAM. 339 



been run over. The gig was stopped, and the 

 gentlemen got down and examined the dog, but 

 without detecting anything the matter with him ; so 

 they patted him, got up into the gig, and drove on, 

 but had not gone fifty yards when, judging by the 

 hideous yelpings, the poor dog was again in dreadful 

 agony. They again stopped, got down, and examined 

 him, when, it becoming known to the numerous by- 

 standers at the Peacock that Benson had performed 

 the vocal part on behalf of the dog, they burst into 

 shouts of laughter, amid which the gentlemen jumped' 

 up into the gig, and drove off. 1^ 



After he took to coaching, Benson started a,- 

 moustache, a most unusual thing in those days ; but' 

 perhaps he did it* in imitation of his master, Mr. 

 Sherman, who used to wear one. He left Sherman's 

 service for two or three years, but returned to it, and 

 was guard on his Exete.r 'Subscription ' coach for 

 some time. 



Hearing there was a guard wanted on the Exeter 

 ' Defiance,' he got put on ; and here no doubt the 

 exercise of his ventriloquial powers was a source of 

 great amusement to his passengers, as in this 

 instance. 



The coach stopped one Saturday night at a small 

 public-house, where a number of persons were sitting 

 in what was called the parlour, smoking, their pipes 



22—2 



