Green’s Dictionary of Slang

chalks n.

the legs.

1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.

In phrases

walk one’s chalks (v.) (also chalk, stir one’s chalks, walk the chalk, — the chalks)

to leave, to go away; also as imper.

1835		F. Chalmer Unfortunate Man 2 109: You must walk your chalks, sir, you must indeed. You’d better go below.
1836		D. Crockett Exploits and Adventures (1934) 138: Boo-oo-oo! – O! wake snakes, and walk your chalks!
1843		T. Haliburton Sam Slick in England I 268: ‘Wake Snakes, and walk your chalks,’ sais I.
1845		Disraeli Sybil Bk IV 80: I’d advise you and Hell Fire Dick to stir your chalks.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 10 Oct. 3/1: [He] bid them ‘hold their tongues, and walk their chalks’.
1850		Bell’s Life in Sydney 9 Feb. 3/4: The Bench directed Foley to walk his chalks.
1853		C. Reade Gold iv 2: There are riflemen among them that will bring you down like squirrels if you don’t walk your chalks in good time [F&H].
1855		T. Haliburton Nature and Human Nature I 225: Come, rouse up, wake snakes, and walk chalks, as the thoughtless children of evil say.
1857		C. Kingsley Two Years Ago I 16: Here’s a good riddance [...] Cut his stick and walked his chalks.
1861		M.E. Braddon Trail of the Serpent 362: So I valks my chalks, but I doesn’t valk ’em very far.
1864		C.R. Thatcher Songs of the War 5: Milkmen give their customers warning / They’re leaving their usual walks / And off to the Wakamarina / Old Skyblue is walking his chalks [DNZE].
1871		Gympie Times (Qld) 11 jan. 3/6: He never goes away or withdraws, but he ‘bolts’ — he ‘slopes’ — he ‘mizzles’ [...] — he ‘walks his chalks’.
1872		Schele De Vere Americanisms 318: [...] when he dismisses an official, he is made to walk the chalk .
1872		Western Times 20 Apr. 3/1: Soon they’ll walk their chalk, / For eve’ry work but lawyer work they either bilk or baulk.
1873		Sl. Dict. 112: ‘Walk your chalks’ be off, or run away, ? spoken sharply by any one who wishes to get rid of a troublesome person.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 16: Chalk, [...] to make off [ibid.] 92: Walk your Chalks, clear away from this place.
1897		Mirror of Life 26 May 3/2: [W]e hope those milk warriors who contest at Bat’s show for championship honours ‘walk their chalks’ to a better tune than this.
1901		Portsmouth Eve. News 27 Sept. 4/1: I’ve learned it doesn’t do to talk [...] / An’ so I simply walk the chalk.
1927		(con. 1835–40) P. Herring Bold Bendigo 86: Don’t spoil him for the road, or we shall have to walk our chalks out of the county.