ngly started the "Tally Ho!" making it a day coach
from Truro to London, joining the rail at Plymouth; this was a very
difficult road for a fast coach, but we ran it, till Government offered
the contract for a Mail; we then converted the "Tally Ho!" into a Mail,
and ran it till the rail opened to Truro. It will have been seen that I
kept to coaching nearly as long as there were any coaches left to drive.

I had for some years given up driving regularly, having taken the Horse
Bazaar at Plymouth, where I used to supply officers of the garrison with
teams, and give them instructions in driving; this I still continue to
do, and in every variety of driving. It gives me, indeed, much pleasure
to see many of my pupils daily handling their teams skilfully; not a few
of them giving me good reason to be really proud of them, as I know they
do me credit. In my description of my driving career, I stated that I
had never had an accident; I ought to have said, no serious casualty,
never having upset or injured any one; but I have had many trifling
mishaps, such as running foul of a waggon in a fog, having my whole team
down in slippery weather; on many occasions I have had a wheel come off,
but still nothing that could fairly be termed a bad accident.

During the last twenty-five years I have been engaged keeping livery
stables and breaking horses to harness, and in that period I have had
some very narrow escapes. In one instance, the box of a new double break
came off and pitched me astride across the pole between two young
horses; I once had the top of the pole come off when driving two
high-couraged horses; a horse set to kicking, and ran away with me in
single harness. As I was of course pulling at him very hard, my feet
went through the bottom of the dog-cart, he kicking furiously all the
time. Fortunately I escaped with only a few bruises. On another
occasion, in single harness, a mare began kicking, and, before I could
get her head up, she ran against the area railings of a house in
Princess Square, Plymouth, broke both shafts, and split the break into
matches; myself and man nearly went through the kitchen window, into the
arms of the cook; she did not, however, ask us to stop and dine.

I could mention many little events of a similar kind, and consider
myself very fortunate in having never had anything more serious than a
sprained ankle or wrist during my tolerably long career. I will now
commence my instructions.

RUL