All right?' inquired Mr Pickwick, with an inward presentiment that it

was all wrong.

'All right,' replied Mr Winkle faintly.

'Let 'em go,' cried the hostler. - 'Hold him in, sir;' and away went the

chaise, and the saddle-horse, with Mr Pickwick on the box of the one,

and Mr Winkle on the back of the other, to the delight and

gratification of the whole inn-yard.

What makes him go sideways?' said Mr Snodgrass in the bin, to Mr

Winkle in the saddle.

'I can't imagine,' replied Mr Winkle. His horse was drifting up the

street in the most mysterious manner - side first, with his head

towards one side of the way, and his tail towards the other.

Mr Pickwick had no leisure to observe either this or any other

particular, the whole of his faculties being concentrated in the

management of the animal attached to the chaise, who displayed

various peculiarities, highly interesting to a bystander, but by no

means equally amusing to any one seated behind him. Besides

constantly jerking his head up, in a very unpleasant and

uncomfortable manner, and tugging at the reins to an extent which

rendered it a matter of great difficulty for Mr Pickwick to hold them,

he had a singular propensity for darting suddenly every now and then

to the side of the road, then stopping short, and then rushing forward

for some minutes, at a speed which it was wholly impossible to

control.

'What CAN he mean by this?' said Mr Snodgrass, when the horse had

executed this manoeuvre for the twentieth time.

I don't know,' replied Mr Tupman; 'it looks very like shying, don't it?'

Mr Snodgrass was about to reply, when he was interrupted by a shout

from Mr Pickwick.

Woo!' said that gentleman; 'I have dropped my whip.' 'Winkle,' said Mr

Snodgrass, as the equestrian came trotting up on the tall horse, with

his hat over his ears, and shaking all over, as if he would shake to

pieces, with the violence of the exercise, 'pick up the whip, there's a

good fellow.' Mr Winkle pulled at the bridle of the tall horse till he was

black in the face; and having at length succeeded in stopping him,

dismounted, handed the whip to Mr Pickwick, and grasping the reins,

prepared to remount.

Now whether the tall horse, in the natural playfulness of his

disposition, was desirous of having a little innocent recreation with Mr

The Pickwick Papers