262 STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DAYS OF YORE 



Coaclimen, althougli not tlie servants of the 

 Post Office, were fined heavily for heing late, and 

 for stopping at unauthorised places, and the guards 

 were fined as well for allowing them to do so. To 

 one guard, who had been severely rejirimanded for 

 not keejiiiig time, and excused himself by saying 

 he could not get the passengers away from their 

 dinner, Hasker said, " Stick to your time-bill, and 

 never mind what passengers say respecting waiting 

 over-time. Is it not the fault of the landlord to 

 keep them so long ? Some day, when you have 

 waited a considerable time (suppose five or eight 

 minutes longer than is allowed by the bill) drive 

 away and leave them l)ehind. Only, take care 

 you have witness that you called them out two 

 or three times. Then let them get forward how 

 they can." 



Beyond his weekly half-guinea, an annual suit 

 of clothes, and a superannuation allowance of 

 seven shillings a week, a mail-guard had no official 

 prospects. It is true he might rise to become 

 a travelling inspector of mails, when he would 

 receive up to £100 a year, with 15s. a day 

 travelling expenses. But inspectorships were 

 naturally few, and in any case it is not conceivable 

 that a guard on a " good mail " would ever have 

 exchanged places with an inspector, who certainly 

 drew the higher salary but acquired no tips. 



It has already been shown that guards did very 

 well indeed on the mainroad mails, and could very 

 well have afforded to take the situation Avithout 

 any salary at all, or even, like waiters at modern 



