36o THE COACHING AGE. 



minute or two, but was sufficiently wide awake not 

 to get off the box, being, as lie said, afraid to trust 

 himself, as he began to feel more and more the effects 

 of the quantity, as well as the quality, of the wine 

 he had taken. They then proceeded very steadily 

 and well to the top of Ridge Hill, a long hill about 

 half-way between St. Albans and Barnet ; and from 

 thence, the worst part of the stage being over, the 

 horses were accustomed to go the last four miles at 

 a faster pace, consequently. he put them on a little, 

 and passing through the turnpike gate at South 

 Mimms, and being all very fresh (including himself), 

 he thought they would like a gallop, so after leaving 

 the village, and going down a little descent on to a 

 part of the road called the Wash, he sprang them. 



He did not say when this occurred, but it must have 

 been very many years since, and when he was quite a 

 young man, as among the many improvements made 

 in the Holyhead road was diverting it from the Wash, 

 so as to avoid the dangers and delays occasioned by 

 the floods which occasionally occurred there, and 

 gave the locality its name. 



To continue the narrative of the coachman who 

 had just sprung his horses. The fence on his off-side 

 being very high, he didn't observe the Manchester 

 ' Cobourg ' coach coming round the corner at about 

 eight or nine miles an hour ; he himself was going at 



