e high-road,
and came upon a scene of cultivation and refinement that was very
charming. A rapid cooling down of our driver's extravagance of manner
was the immediate result of our entering upon the well-kept paths, and
between smooth lawns; we went at a decent trot, following a semicircular
road, by which we were brought immediately in front of a noble mansion.
At the door of an inn, which pressed upon the pathway, our Bohemian
halted and addressed to us a voluble and enthusiastic harangue in his own
language (one that has a soft and pleasant sound): evidently he meant to
impress us with the beauty of the scene.

We soon learned all about it from the landlord of the inn. Our driver
was a liveried servant of the Prince before whose mansion we had stopped,
and he was probably running much risk of dismissal in letting his grace's
country cart for hire. He was a sad dog, for, in the course of a quarter
of an hour he ran up a score upon the strength of an alleged promise on
our parts to pay all expenses, and succeeded in wheedling another
zwanziger in advance out of our cashier, the military Lubecker. This
piece of money, however, on being proffered in payment of a last
half-pint of beer, was instantly confiscated by the landlord for previous
arrears.

Amid a hurricane of abuse, exchanged between landlord and driver, we
clattered out of private ground to the main road again. Our charioteer
had risen into a state of exaltation that defied all curb, and in a short
time we were again firmly planted before the sign-post of a public-house.
But here there was no credit, and our good-natured Lubecker having doled
out a fourth zwanziger on account, was scarcely surprised to see it
pounced upon and totally appropriated by the host in liquidation of some
ancient score. With a shout of rage, or rather a howl, from our Bohemian
whip, we again set forward. "Hi, hi, hi!" and helter-skelter we went,
through bush and bramble, where indeed there was no trace or shadow of a
beaten track. The Bohemian was lost to control; he shouted, he sang, he
yelled, savagely flogging his willing beast all the while, until we began
to have serious fears for the safety of our necks. Presently we were
skimming along the edge of the steep bank of a broad and rapid stream,
wondering internally what might possibly come next, when, to our terror,
the Bohemian, pointing with his whip to the opposite bank, suddenly
wheeled the horse and rude vehicle roun