There is no doubt people became acquainted, as a general rule, and shook off the rigid forms of etiquette--so essentially English--much more readily during the days of the coach travelling than now; but on the other hand, one may escape more quickly from objectionable fellow-travellers, from whom in the coaching days there was no escape till the end of the journey. This inconvenience was more felt on the Continent than in England, where the passengers were divided into three lots, or compartments--front, back, and inside; whereas the interior of the diligence, carrying ten persons, contained barely room for each person to sit upright. I was once returning from Madrid to Paris, after having accomplished a riding tour through Spain, visiting most of the principal towns. On quitting Madrid I rode to Bayonne, where, my horse having a bad sore back, I left him, and proceeded by diligence. Some consternation was caused on our arrival at the hotel at Bayonne by the mispronunciation of one of my travelling companions. We had lived very sparely during our riding tour, oil and garlic predominating to such a degree in all the second-class "fondas" in Spain, as to prevent an English palate taking food, except he cooked it himself. As we were a party of three, this difficulty was easily got over by our taking it in turns to make the omelettes, or spatchcock a fowl at our different halting-places. This sort of diet had naturally sharpened our appetites, and even the "sniff" of a real French dinner made us ravenous. Influenced by this feeling, Colonel C----ll, addressing our hostess of The Hôtel de France, exclaimed: "Avez-vous assez, madame, parce-que j'ai beaucoup de femmes?" The poor woman looked thunderstruck. "Mais, monsieur, vous m'avez rien dit de ça! Où sont-elles donc ces dames?" I need not say that her notion that the colonel was a Turkish pasha, travelling with his harem, was soon dispelled when we took our places at the table-d'hôte _en garçon_. CHAPTER VII. Draught horses--The old "fly-waggon"--Weight and pace--Sagacity of mules--Hanging on by a wheel--The Refuge--Hot fighting in the Alps--Suffocation--Over at last--Railway to Paris. The selection of horses for draught purposes should be made with a view to the pace at which they are expected to work. You may get a perfect model for harness and draught, but if he is not cut according to the pattern which is required for fast work, half his energy and good intention will be exhausted in trying to do that for which he is physically unfit. He is prevented from throwing his weight and strength into his work, because it takes him all his time to keep his place. [Illustration: THE OLD FLY WAGGON.]