One year after the races at Calcutta, where Lord William had been riding in several and had a bad fall, dislocating his shoulder, notwithstanding which he drove his coach laden with friends off the course, through the thronged streets, the horses very fresh and pulling hard; but beyond the fact that he was looking very white nobody would have known anything was the matter with him, and all reached their homes in safety. Another day when returning from a picnic at the Botanical Gardens on the opposite side of the river to Calcutta his coach-load had a near shave of a nasty accident. Sir John Hext, who was on the staff of two Viceroys with Lord Bill, was one of the party at the time, and tells me they started away from the trysting-place rather late, when it was quite dark, and somehow managed to miss the road; the horses were longing to get away, and were scarcely under control. Having got off the road the next thing to do was to get on again as soon as possible, not an easy matter, but nobody spoke, and Lord William kept his head; by a piece of dexterous driving he tooled them safely under large low hanging branches of trees, round trunks of trees, and over all sorts of uncomfortable places before reaching their destination. All on board were holding their breath awaiting disaster at any moment, happily none occurred, thanks to good driving. I really think Lord William thoroughly enjoyed hairbreadth escapes; he always seemed especially pleased after one that would have left most people limp, to say the least of it. His driving powers were certainly put to the test sometimes, and during exciting and critical moments his eyes seemed to become bigger, bluer, and fiercer. Coming over the Howrah Bridge one day, the hook of the pole-piece came off and dropped the bars on to the leaders’ hocks. This not being part of the usual programme they objected to it, not quite knowing what was the proper thing to do under the circumstances, whether to kick the thing to pieces, jump over the bridge, or run away. Owing to their not being concerted in their action Lord William decided it for them, allowing them a little of each, but none for long; owing no doubt to these little concessions there was no accident, but when all reached home safely a few pointed remarks were made to the man who had been entrusted with the revarnishing of the coach, in return for his forgetfulness in not bolting the pole-piece on again properly.