GUARDS. 369 



winter, near West Wycombe, must have opened people's 

 eyes a little on this subject. Had the guard of the 

 ' Champion ' been provided with a blunderbuss, there 

 might have been by this time one villain less on the 

 earth. It is but justice, however, to conclude this part 

 of my subject by observing, that among guards to light 

 coaches, as well as to mails, are to be found many men 

 of great integrity, who are entrusted with bankers' parcels 

 and other valuables to a large amount, and who well 

 understand the duties of their situation ; and there are 

 others who scarcely know how to open a coach door. 

 There are scabby sheep, however, in all flocks. 



An active guard to a coach is certainly a security to 

 passengers, and I will mention an instance or two. I 

 was once driving a mail by lamplight, when I saw a man 

 running just before the leaders' heads. Fearful of run- 

 ning over him, I pulled up and hailed him. It proved to 

 be the guard. He told me that the night before they 

 had like to have had a serious accident (the leaders were 

 knocked down) by two donkeys being in that part of the 

 road with their legs tied, and consequently could not get 

 out of the way of the coach. I was driving another mail 

 in the night for a coachman who was ill. I came upon a 

 waesron in the middle of the road, and no driver to be 

 seen. I pulled up my coach, and called to the guard to 

 blow his horn ; but before the words were out of my 

 mouth he was in the waggon, and, taking the whip out of 

 the waggoner's hand, awoke him from his sleep with an 

 unmerciful hiding, and then jumped upon his coach, whip 

 and all. This example was wanting, for the same thing 



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