366 THE COACHING AGE. 



the public-house. A doctor was soon in attendance, 

 who considered it best that Humpy, in accordance 

 with his own wish, should be taken home as soon as 

 possible ; therefore, as the coach from Eedbourn 

 passed his lodgings in St. John's Street, he was put 

 into it, leaving his horses and the disabled ' Umpire ' 

 coach to the care of the guard, some of the passengers 

 riding up with the Eedbourn coach, which deposited 

 Humpy safely at his home. He ultimately recovered, 

 and resumed his seat on the box, notwithstanding his 

 gross misconduct, but he always went hopping to the 

 end of his days. Some part of the coach had fallen 

 upon him, and dislocated, or materially injured, his 

 hip-joint. The real cause of the accident was 

 supposed to be his having his leaders* reins wrongly 

 placed between his fingers, which was done when 

 he took them from his box-passenger in his hurry to 

 start without properly arranging them. In going 

 round the bend in the road by the Bald-faced Stag, 

 when he found himself too near the fence, he pulled 

 the wrong rein, which caused his leaders to hug the 

 fence, and the front wheel striking against it, over- 

 turned the coach into the road. 



In order to guard against the probability of an 

 accident occurring from the coachman taking the 

 reins in wrong order from the box-passenger, a 

 gentleman who frequently rode with the old coach- 



