96 STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DAYS OF YORE 



carry outsides as well as to shelter the august 

 occupants of the interior. We may he allowed 

 to imagine the arrival of the coach that first 

 carried these freakish persons on that dangerous 

 eminence, and to picture the joy of the proprietor, 

 who thereupon determined that, as these pioneers 

 for the fun of it had arrived safely, there must 

 he a commercial value in places on the roof. The 

 thing was done. Three outsides sat on the front 

 part, with their feet on the hack of the driving- 

 hox, while one had a place on the hox-seat with 

 the driver, and room was left for three more on 

 the hind, and most inconvenient, part of the roof, 

 where, like Noah's dove, they found no rest for 

 the soles of their feet, and had the greatest diffi- 

 culty in maintaining their position. 



If the " outsides " on Fowler's Shrewsbury 

 stage of 1753 were not carried on the roof, they 

 must have been carried in " the basket " ; but as 

 stage-coaches provided with this species of accom- 

 modation were generally stated in their advertise- 

 ments to have " a conveniency behind," and the 

 advertisement of this makes no such claim, Ave are 

 free to assume that the roof was their portion. 

 The " basket " was, however, already a well- 

 established affair. It Avas a great Avicker-Avork 

 structure, hung on the back of the coach betAveen 

 the hind wheels by stout leather straps, and 

 rested on the axle-tree. Originally intended to 

 convey the luggage, it was found capable of 

 holding passengers, Avho suffered much in it in 

 order to ride cheaply. In the racy, descriptive 



