270 STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DA YS OF YORE 



Because he had made up his mind to go hy train, 

 and so save somethini^ in time and jiocket. This 

 time our traveller rather liked it; and thus the 

 "Swallow," and many another coach not already 

 withdrawn, was doomed. 



Let us follow the career of such a coach, to 

 its last days. 



Deprived of its hest passengers, the exchequer 

 of our typical " Swallow " l)egan to decline. The 

 stalwarts, whose love for the road was superior to 

 economy of time and money, were faithful, hut 

 they were not numerous enough, and did not 

 travel sufficiently often, for the old style of that 

 fast i^ost-coacli to be maintained, so it was reduced 

 from four horses to three. In coaching parlance, 

 it ran " pickaxe," or " unicorn." No connoisseur 

 in coaching matters Avould condescend to travel as 

 a regular thing hy a three-horse coach, and so 

 those supporters were alienated, and, against their 

 Avill, driven to the railway; and the " Swallow," 

 hadly winged, carried only frightened old women 

 A\'ho looked ujion steam-engines as Avild beasts. 

 As they died away, no one took their places, and 

 the old concern became a jiair-horse coach. The 

 coachman had seen the change coming, and 

 declared he Avould never be l)rought so low as 

 to drive tAvo horses. He had said the same 

 tiling Avhen it was proj)osed to have three. "Drive 

 miicorn ! "he had said : " never ! " But he did, 

 and he drove pair-horse as Avell, when the time 

 came. It was better to do so than to lose liis place 

 and face starvation. 



