to become a highwayman, his best policy was to go the whole hog, fearing
nothing, but making everybody afraid of him; that people never thought of
resisting a savage-faced, foul-mouthed highwayman, and if he were taken,
were afraid to bear witness against him, lest he should get off and cut
their throats some time or other upon the roads; whereas people would
resist being robbed by a sneaking, pale-visaged rascal, and would swear
bodily against him on the first opportunity; adding, that Abershaw and
Ferguson, two most awful fellows, had enjoyed a long career, whereas two
disbanded officers of the army, who wished to rob a coach like gentlemen,
had begged the passengers' pardon, and talked of hard necessity, had been
set upon by the passengers themselves, amongst whom were three women,
pulled from their horses, conducted to Maidstone, and hanged with as
little pity as such contemptible fellows deserved. 'There is nothing
like going the whole hog,' he repeated, 'and if ever I had been a
highwayman, I would have done so; I should have thought myself all the
more safe; and, moreover, shouldn't have despised myself. To curry
favour with those you are robbing, sometimes at the expense of your own
comrades, as I have known fellows do, why it is the greatest--'

'So it is,' interposed my friend the postillion, who chanced to be
present at a considerable part of the old ostler's discourse; 'it is, as
you say, the greatest of humbug, and merely, after all, gets a fellow
into trouble; but no regular bred highwayman would do it. I say, George,
catch the Pope of Rome trying to curry favour with anybody he robs; catch
old Mumbo Jumbo currying favour with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the
Dean and Chapter, should he meet them in a stage-coach; it would be with
him, Bricconi Abbasso, as he knocked their teeth out with the butt of his
trombone, and the old regular-built ruffian would be all the safer for
it, as Bill would say, as ten to one the Archbishop and Chapter, after
such a spice of his quality, would be afraid to swear against him, and to
hang him, even if he were in their power, though that would be the proper
way; for, if it is the greatest of all humbug for a highwayman to curry
favour with those he robs, the next greatest is to try to curry favour
with a highwayman when you have got him, by letting him off.'

Finding the old man so well acquainted with the history of highwaymen,
and taking considerable interest in the s