134 ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



from Taunton to Falmouth, a distance of a hundred 

 and twenty-three miles, by mail-coach. He left the 

 former town with his parents in a specially-hired 

 coach at ten-thirty a.m. on one day, and, changing 

 vehicles, probably at Pople's New London Hotel at 

 Exeter, got into Falmouth by the mail at half-past 

 four the next morning. 



Being a lover of salt water to the core, he stole 

 away betimes, as soon as he could shift for himself, 

 and found his sea-legs by roughing it all over the 

 world. Mr. Cox, it is true, has not sailed the Arctic 

 or the Antarctic Oceans, but certainly the North 

 and South Atlantic, South Indian and North and 

 South Pacific Oceans, the China Seas, and the Bay of 

 Bengal were in due course traversed by the adven- 

 turous youth from Falmouth. The experience thus 

 gained — unique in the case of a postmaster — stood 

 him in good stead, when, in 1856 and later, his duty 

 required him to be beating about in Falmouth roads, 

 or outside, in the open Channel, waiting for the in- 

 coming or out-going mail-packets. 



When I last saw Mr. Cox afloat, he was alone in his 

 boat, running before the wdnd, and apparently en- 

 deavouring to measure its fitful force by laying the 

 mast of his craft as nearly as possible parallel with 

 the surface of the sea. He had taken me over to 

 inspect official arrangements at St. Mawe's, and w^e 

 were returning — he in a cockle-shell, I, less courageous, 

 in a broad-backed steam ferry-boat. 



I have borrowed the rough note-book of this inde- 



