72 THE COACHING ERA 



of his, he had to attend to the far more important matter 

 of the mails, which must arrive true to time whatever 

 happened. For their safe conveyance the guard might 

 take one or two horses as he chose and, leaving the 

 coachman and passengers to get out of the difficulty as 

 best they could, ride forward to the next change. There 

 was no statute to the effeft that he might not send 

 some one to help the coach, but if the next inn stables 

 contained only two horses, and the guard wanted them, 

 he would most undoubtedly take them. He was, in fa6l, 

 expedled to go on to London as though nothing had 

 happened, to take the mails either by chaise or horse- 

 back, to change at the appointed stages, and push forward 

 at all hazards. 



That the guards were loyally true to their trust is 

 evident from the heroic efforts they made to get forward 

 with the mails under the most adverse circumstances, 

 and against overwhelming difficulties. Joseph James 

 Nobbs, one of the old mail-guards, has left an account of 

 his experiences during the terrific snow-storm of 1836. 

 Several times his coach stuck in the drifts, and was 

 unable to proceed, when Nobbs according to his in- 

 struftions mounted one of the horses and set off with the 

 mails, making his way as best he could through the snow- 

 covered country. Once he was two nights and days with- 

 out rest, battling all the while with a raging snow- 

 storm, and nearly frozen with the intense cold. By way 

 of reward for his strenuous exertion Nobbs received a 

 letter of thanks from the Postmaster General, who 

 thereby put an exalted value on his autograph according 



