344 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



coach makes in descending a hill will show whether horses 

 are properly held together or not. We are perpetually 

 hearing of accidents from horses taking fright and bolting 

 across the road ; but these only happen to clumsy fellows, 

 of which the list is considerable. Many coachmen in fast 

 work like to have their horses pull at them — considering 

 it safer — and therefore cheek their horses to enable 

 them to do so. I have seen Peer with all his horses to 

 the cheek, over what is considered his fastest stage- 

 from Hounslow to Egham — but it is a rare occurrence. 



Although there are rules for passing and meeting 

 other carriages on the road, yet there are times when 

 they need not be strictly adhered to, and a little 

 mutual civility and accommodation between coachmen is 

 pleasing. Thus, if I have the hill in my favour — that is 

 to say, if I am going down, and a loaded coach is coming 

 up it at the same time — I ought, if I can do it with safety, 

 to give the hardest side of the road to the other coach. 

 Nothing can be lost by a little civility when it costs 

 nothing. 



Before a coachman gets upon the box, he should walk 

 round his horses' heads and see that his curb chains and 

 coupling reins are right, and, above all things, that the 

 tongues of his billet buckles are secure in their holes. 

 Many bad accidents have arisen from the want of this 

 precaution ; and I set down no man as a scientific or 

 even a safe coachman who does not see to these things. 



A graceful and at the same time a firm seat on his box 

 is a great set-off to a coachman. He should sit quite 

 straight towards his horses, with his legs well before him 



