ACCIDENTS 197 



the Inside of the coach. All reached land eventually, 

 but one of the horses was drowned, and the mare who 

 had caused the accident so badly injured that she had 

 to be shot. The guard's leg was hurt, but that did not 

 prevent him going forward with his mails, riding one of 

 the surviving horses to Appleby, six and a half miles 

 distant. There he hired a chaise and experienced fresh 

 adversity, for before he had gone any distance one of 

 the wheels came off and he was thrown out on to the 

 road. 



Water in any form was the particular terror of all 

 inside passengers, for when the floods were out, the 

 water frequently came into the coach, and obliged the 

 unhappy "insides" to stand on the seats in a cramped 

 position necessitated by the lowness of the roof, where 

 they grievously bewailed their unhappy situation and 

 expected every moment to be drowned. 



A great number of accidents were caused by parts 

 of the coach being defedlive, or rotten harness unequal 

 to any sudden strain. One of the wheels of the Rocking- 

 ham coach came off with a suddenness that precipitated 

 both coachman and guard on to the road. The horses 

 took fright and went off at full speed, passing several 

 waggons, and through the toll-gates without any 

 collision, though the coach was sometimes sustained by 

 its three remaining wheels, and sometimes by the axle- 

 tree. The coach was eventually stopped by a gentleman 

 who jumped from his gig, and seized the leaders as they 

 were going uphill at a somewhat less devastating pace. 

 There were seven outside passengers when the accident 



