26 THE COACHING ERA 



As these things happened every day, they had but little 

 hope of escaping all of them, and had every reason to be 

 thankful if they arrived at their destination within two 

 or three days of the time so glibly promised by the 

 proprietors, without broken limbs, and with little money 

 left in their pockets. 



They set out armed with fire-arms, and no doubt 

 with a grim determination to use them on the person of 

 the first highwayman who appeared at the coach door 

 with an impolite request for the travellers' purses and 

 valuables. As a matter of faft, they very rarely made use 

 of their weapons, but meekly parted with their goods. 



There were occasional exceptions to this amiable 

 compliance with unjust demands, for when the Leeds 

 coach was attacked in 1769 the Oxford Journal tells how 

 a bold and intrepid passenger drew out his blunderbuss 

 and fired at the robber. Whether the highwayman was 

 wounded or merely astounded at meeting with resist- 

 ance is uncertain, but at any rate he hurriedly dis- 

 mounted and took to his heels. The passengers, still 

 rather dazed at the utterly unexpe61:ed turn of events, 

 got out of the coach and sought wildly for the highway- 

 man in the darkness. Being unable to see, but deter- 

 mined to have a captive highwayman as proof positive 

 of their doughty deed, they seized one of their com- 

 panions and, paying not the slightest heed to his struggles, 

 bound him securely, and consigned him ignominiously to 

 the Basket. They then resumed their places, and talked 

 vaingloriously, and thought deliciously of the reward 

 that was paid for the capture of a highwayman. At 



