ii5 HIGHWAYS AND HORSES. 



a veritable arsenal of itself when loaded to the 

 muzzle. 



The plan for stopping the coaches was a very simple 

 and yet a most successful one; it was by placing a rope 

 across the road from side to side, this sufficed to throw 

 dowm the leading horses All then was in confusion ; 

 the guard jumped down to render assistance, whilst 

 a highwayman, more nimble or with greater presence 

 of mind, hurried to the back of the coach and secured 

 his terrible weapon ; consequently resistance on the 

 part of the guard was frequently met by the muzzle of 

 his own blunderbuss being pointed towards him. 

 Whilst this was going on, another highwayman has 

 cut the traces, uncoupled the horses, and secured the 

 coachman, after which, the mails and whatever valu- 

 ables chanced to be on the coach fell a prey to the 

 robbers. If the coach was loaded with passengers 

 it was rarely attacked ; but if it was then attacked, the 

 number of highwaymen were so increased as to render 

 resistance unsuccessful. 



But to turn to other matters. A qrreat deal of care 

 was required in putting horses to ; the fresh teams 

 when brought out had to be placed behind the spot 

 where the coach pulled up so that they might walk 

 straight into their places without being turned round. 

 For these quick changes, which, on all occasions, 

 occupied less than five minutes, it was necessary for 

 the coachman and horse-keeper to make close and care- 

 ful observation of every atom of harness, and this had 

 to be done very quickly and yet with great precision, 

 as a very trifling omission might give rise afterwards 

 to great delay, if not to a serious accident, and this 

 was more essential in the dark than in the li^ht ; 

 consequently the reflection from a bull's-eye lantern 



