A Rougher Or Ruder Kind Of People I Never Saw Than These Colliers,
Whom I Here Met Assembled In The Kitchen, And In Whose Company I Was
Obliged To Spend The Evening.
Their language, their dress, their manners were, all of them,
singularly vulgar and disagreeable, and their expressions still more
So, for they hardly spoke a word, without adding "a G-d d - me" to
it, and thus cursing, quarrelling, drinking, singing, and fighting,
they seemed to be pleased, and to enjoy the evening. I must do them
the justice to add, that none of them, however, at all molested me
or did me any harm. On the contrary, every one again and again
drank my health, and I took care not to forget to drink theirs in
return. The treatment of my host at Matlock was still fresh in my
memory, and so, as often as I drank, I never omitted saying, "Your
healths, gentlemen all!"
When two Englishmen quarrel, the fray is carried on, and decided,
rather by actions than by words; though loud and boisterous, they do
not say much, and frequently repeat the same thing over and over
again, always clinching it with an additional "G - d - you!" Their
anger seems to overpower their utterance, and can vent only by
coming to blows.
The landlady, who sat in the kitchen along with all this goodly
company, was nevertheless well dressed, and a remarkably well-
looking woman. As soon as I had supped I hastened to bed, but could
not sleep; my quondam companions, the colliers, made such a noise
the whole night through.
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