Got him up at last, and while the driver was reloading his vehicle, tried to put on the gearing—never tried to harness a horse before, don't think I could do it well without practice.
Got the breeching over his eyes, the hames between his foreshoulders, buckled the belly-band round his ears, forgot the collar entirely, and hooked the traces to the fore-wheels—driver didn't seem to like my way of doing things, but at last he got every thing fixed right and passed along.
Alarm of fire—tried to keep the engines from running on the sidewalk—as a reward for trying to do my duty, got run over by two hose-carts, and a hook and ladder truck, and was knocked bodily into an ash-box by the foreman of engine 73.
Mighty torrent of opposing vehicles got jammed—stages, carts, coal-waggons, drays, hackney-coaches, two military companies with a brass-band, a four-horse hearse with a long funeral procession.
Every body very obstinate, wouldn't move—tried to disentangle them—got bewildered, made every thing worse—horses fell down, stages fell on top of them—mourners escaped with their lives—coffin didn't—hearse tipped over and pitched into a swill-cart—soldiers stuck their bayonets through the omnibus windows, ladies screamed, drivers yelled—got scared—didn't know what I was about, ordered everybody to go everywhere, put half the mourners into a Crystal Palace stage, and sent them up town, and the rest into a private coach, and sent them down town—got the coffin out of the swill-tub, and despatched it by express to the Hudson River Railroad.
Couldn't with all my exertions get the tangle unsnarled, and it was only eventually accomplished by the Captain of the Police Division, who came to my assistance, and made every thing all right in about two minutes and a half.
Was sent to a drinking saloon to take a couple of river thieves—found the place, arrested two suspicious-looking persons, got them to the Chief's office after a great deal of trouble, and then discovered that I had let the right men go, and secured only the bar-tender and one of the waiters.
Was sent with half a dozen others to capture a notorious burglar—tracked him to his house—the rest went inside to look for him, and left me to watch the garden wall to see that he didn't get out that way.
Saw a man getting over, rushed up to him, asked him who he was—said he was a stranger in the city, that the wind had blown his hat over the wall, and, having recovered it, he was just climbing back; gentlemanly-looking man—believed his story, helped him over, asked if I shouldn't brush his clothes, said he had an appointment and couldn't wait; let him go, and he disappeared round the corner just as the rest of my company came down stairs after an unsuccessful search for the burglar; asked if I'd seen anybody—told them about it— and Sergeant informed me that I'd been helping the very man to escape whom they were trying to take.
Believed him for I now discovered that he had stolen my week's salary from my pocket, and an "Albert tie" and a false collar from my neck, while I was helping him over the wall; got reprimanded by the Chief, but not discharged.