COACHING DAYS AND WAYS 



presenting these glimpses of coach travel at its 

 worst : — 



* Tabor, guard of the Devonport, who left London 

 with the mail on Sunday and returned on Wednes- 

 day, reports that a mile and a half from Amesbury 

 they got completely blocked. The leaders dropped 

 down, but rose again ; the near wheel-horse fell and 

 could not be got up. The coachman procured a 

 pair of post horses, but they could only get the 

 wheel-horse out of the snow ; it was impossible to 

 get him on his legs. Four more post horses and 

 four waggon horses were requisitioned, and with their 

 assistance the mail was extricated by daylight. Then 

 they travelled with the six post horses across the 

 Downs. They were again blocked near Mere. 

 About a hundred men were at this time employed 

 a little distance off in digging out the Subscription 

 and Defiance coaches. After being extricated by 

 some labourers they resumed their progress from 

 Mere with four fresh mail-horses and two posters. 

 Between Ilchester and Ilminster the post horse 

 leaders fell in a snow drift, and were run upon 

 by the mail leaders.' {Bell's Life, January 1837). 



'The Estafette coach from Manchester on Sunday 



42 



