), 'here's fun! Let the Pats have it about the ears.' 'God's
sake sir!' says Bob (that's my mate the coachman); 'don't go for to
shoot at 'em. They'll knock us off the coach.' 'Damme, coachee,' says
young my lord, 'you ain't afraid.--Hoora, boys! let 'em have it.'
'Hoora!' sings out the others, and fill their mouths choke-full of peas
to last the whole line. Bob, seeing as 'twas to come, knocks his hat
over his eyes, hollers to his osses, and shakes 'em up; and away we goes
up to the line on 'em, twenty miles an hour. The Pats begin to hoora
too, thinking it was a runaway; and first lot on 'em stands grinnin'
and wavin' their old hats as we comes abreast on 'em; and then you'd ha'
laughed to see how took aback and choking savage they looked, when they
gets the peas a-stinging all over 'em. But bless you, the laugh weren't
all of our side, sir, by a long way. We was going so fast, and they was
so took aback, that they didn't take what was up till we was half-way
up the line. Then 'twas, 'Look out all!' surely. They howls all down the
line fit to frighten you; some on 'em runs arter us and tries to clamber
up behind, only we hits 'em over the fingers and pulls their hands off;
one as had had it very sharp act'ly runs right at the leaders, as though
he'd ketch 'em by the heads, only luck'ly for him he misses his tip and
comes over a heap o' stones first. The rest picks up stones, and gives
it us right away till we gets out of shot, the young gents holding out
werry manful with the pea-shooters and such stones as lodged on us, and
a pretty many there was too. Then Bob picks hisself up again, and looks
at young gent on box werry solemn. Bob'd had a rum un in the ribs,
which'd like to ha' knocked him off the box, or made him drop the reins.
Young gent on box picks hisself up, and so does we all, and looks round
to count damage. Box's head cut open and his hat gone; 'nother young
gent's hat gone; mine knocked in at the side, and not one on us as
wasn't black and blue somewheres or another, most on 'em all over. Two
pound ten to pay for damage to paint, which they subscribed for there
and then, and give Bob and me a extra half-sovereign each; but I
wouldn't go down that line again not for twenty half-sovereigns." And
the guard shook his head slowly, and got up and blew a clear, brisk
toot-toot.

"What fun!" said Tom, who could scarcely contain his pride at this
exploit of his future school-fellows. He longed already for the end