' ON THE BOX} 219 



parrot in a cage and several parcels, all of which she placed 

 on the floor, so that one's legs could not be moved. No ! 

 it was better outside, even on the coldest night, and neither 

 by day nor by night was any of the fun of the road to be had 

 inside, though adventures occasionally befell inside passengers ; 

 indeed, I have heard of a marriage being brought about on 

 one occasion by the accident of a young lady and a young 

 gentleman, previously strangers, making a journey alone together 

 in a mail and that was not an entirely exceptional case. 



To the outside passenger there was always the excitement 

 before starting of guessing what sort of a man the coachman 

 would turn out to be. Some few were very bad coachmen and 

 surly individuals ; but the bulk of them were cheery jovial fellows, 

 full of anecdotes of adventures and accidents either to them- 

 selves or others, careful of the comforts of their passengers, 

 and masters of the art of driving. As you changed horses there 

 was much interest as to what kind of team the fresh one would 

 prove on acquaintance. Then there was the hasty rrnvinto the 

 inn bar for a mouthful of bread and cheese and a glass of 

 home-brewed beer far better for circulating the blood and 

 warming the feet than any amount of spirituous liquor ; or the 

 twenty minutes' stop for breakfast and dinner. Not much time 

 to feed, and generally more profitable to the provider of the 

 repast than to him who partook of it ! Well do I remember as a 

 boy, going to school on a bitterly cold January afternoon, order- 

 ing a glass of hot port-wine negus. Hot ! there was no doubt 

 about its being hot ; it was quite undrinkable in the time we had 

 to do it in. I had the satisfaction, having paid first and run 

 out to avoid being left behind (which would have caused the 

 schoolmaster next day to have warmed his tardy pupil in a less 

 agreeable manner), to see, through the window of the inn parlour, 

 the waiter scraping off the nutmeg with a spoon and proceeding 

 to sip the beverage. A few had less pleasant experiences in 

 the shape of accidents, some of which, all authentic, it may be 

 interesting here to narrate, as instances of what used occasion- 

 ally to happen on the old coaches. 



