OLD COACHING DAYS. 189 



My own luck in this respect was great, personally. During all 

 the years that I drove, I never witnessed any accident, but I 

 will try to describe some of which I have heard, as such 

 description may serve to teach the young coachman what to do 

 and to avoid doing. 



The Edinburgh Mail on leaving London one foggy night 

 was driven by an old man named Penny ; he became nervous, 

 and asked Jack Webb the guard (a first-rate man, and very 

 active) to come over the roof and drive for him, which he did ; 

 but the fog was so dense that in a few minutes he turned the 

 Mail over, and poor old Penny was killed. Webb saved one 

 or two mails from accidents by letting himself down from the 

 foot buard, either on to the pole or on to one of the wheel- 

 horses, and collecting the reins which had been accidentally 

 dropped, and was thus enabled to stop the horses ; this feat 

 required great nerve and activity, and I am pleased to add that 

 he was liberally rewarded. 



A coachman named Bollin, in Northamptonshire,, was 

 driving down a steep hill when the near leader's rein broke. 

 Of course he could not stop, but he had the presence of mind 

 to do the only thing possible to get out of the scrape ; he gave 

 his off leader a smack under the bar, put them all into a 

 gallop, over the bridge at the bottom of the hill, and managed 

 to stop them going up the next hill, which was fortunately steep. 

 The passengers were so delighted that they all clubbed to- 

 gether and made him a very handsome present, as they quite 

 expected to be killed, and no wonder ; for I must admit that 

 it requires some nerve, nor is it all pleasure, to sit still on a 

 four-horse coach with a Christmas load when galloping down- 

 hill, with a bridge at the bottom, and only three reins to the 

 four horses ; but all's well that ends well, as this gallop 

 did. 



Sydney Robinson, who drove from London to Basingstoke, 

 had his leg broken in a most unfortunate manner, he being a 

 steady man and a good coachman ; he left Bagshot with only 

 one passenger who- was on the box-seat. After passing the 



