looking for all the world as if they had been winners at a smock
race. Now, my dear, my proposal is this: there are our two plow horses,
the Colt that has been in our family these nine years, and his companion
Blackberry, that have scarce done an earthly thing for this month past.
They are both grown fat and lazy. Why should not they do something as
well as we? And let me tell you, when Moses has trimmed them a little,
they will cut a very tolerable figure.' To this proposal I objected,
that walking would be twenty times more genteel than such a paltry
conveyance, as Blackberry was wall-eyed, and the Colt wanted a tail:
that they had never been broke to the rein; but had an hundred vicious
tricks; and that we had but one saddle and pillion in the whole house.
All these objections, however, were over-ruled; so that I was obliged
to comply. The next morning I perceived them not a little busy in
collecting such materials as might be necessary for the expedition; but
as I found it would be a business of time, I walked on to the church
before, and they promised speedily to follow. I waited near an hour
in the reading desk for their arrival; but not finding them come as
expected, I was obliged to begin, and went through the service, not
without some uneasiness at finding them absent. This was encreased when
all was finished, and no appearance of the family. I therefore walked
back by the horse-way, which was five miles round, tho' the foot-way
was but two, and when got about half way home, perceived the procession
marching slowly forward towards the church; my son, my wife, and the two
little ones exalted upon one horse, and my two daughters upon the other.
I demanded the cause of their delay; but I soon found by their looks
they had met with a thousand misfortunes on the road. The horses had at
first refused to move from the door, till Mr Burchell was kind enough to
beat them forward for about two hundred yards with his cudgel. Next the
straps of my wife's pillion broke down, and they were obliged to stop
to repair them before they could proceed. After that, one of the horses
took it into his head to stand still, and neither blows nor entreaties
could prevail with him to proceed. It was just recovering from this
dismal situation that I found them; but perceiving every thing safe, I
own their present mortification did not much displease me, as it would
give me many opportunities of future triumph, and teach my daughters
more hu