their own
living; and a dreadful time some of these horses had of it. Of course,
I understood but little, but it was often talked over on the stand,
and the governor, who was a kind-hearted man and fond of horses, would
sometimes speak up if one came in very much jaded or ill-used.

One day a shabby, miserable-looking driver, who went by the name of
"Seedy Sam", brought in his horse looking dreadfully beat, and the
governor said:

"You and your horse look more fit for the police station than for this
rank."

The man flung his tattered rug over the horse, turned full round upon
the Governor and said in a voice that sounded almost desperate:

"If the police have any business with the matter it ought to be with the
masters who charge us so much, or with the fares that are fixed so low.
If a man has to pay eighteen shillings a day for the use of a cab and
two horses, as many of us have to do in the season, and must make that
up before we earn a penny for ourselves I say 'tis more than hard work;
nine shillings a day to get out of each horse before you begin to get
your own living. You know that's true, and if the horses don't work we
must starve, and I and my children have known what that is before now.
I've six of 'em, and only one earns anything; I am on the stand fourteen
or sixteen hours a day, and I haven't had a Sunday these ten or twelve
weeks; you know Skinner never gives a day if he can help it, and if I
don't work hard, tell me who does! I want a warm coat and a mackintosh,
but with so many to feed how can a man get it? I had to pledge my clock
a week ago to pay Skinner, and I shall never see it again."

Some of the other drivers stood round nodding their heads and saying he
was right. The man went on:

"You that have your own horses and cabs, or drive for good masters, have
a chance of getting on and a chance of doing right; I haven't. We can't
charge more than sixpence a mile after the first, within the four-mile
radius. This very morning I had to go a clear six miles and only took
three shillings. I could not get a return fare, and had to come all the
way back; there's twelve miles for the horse and three shillings for me.
After that I had a three-mile fare, and there were bags and boxes enough
to have brought in a good many twopences if they had been put outside;
but you know how people do; all that could be piled up inside on the
front seat were put in and three heavy boxes went on the top. That
was s