BY SEVERN, TAFF, AND TOWY 1 57 



and I will give you all I haf got,' and at the same 

 time prepared to pass over the bags. 



'Put,' said the postboy, 'I wiss you would fire a 

 pullet through my hat to help me to satisfy my master 

 that I haf been robbed.' Bang ! and through the 

 hat w^ent the bullet. 'Theer,' said he, holding his 

 hat at arm's length. ' Yes, yes, that will do ; it will 

 make pelief that the pullet went almost through my 

 head. Now, do you mind firing another through the 

 preast of my coat ?' With this, he opened his coat, 

 and the thief fired a second time. ' That iss very 

 goot,' said the postboy, ' and they will be satisfied 

 that I had a fery narrow^ escape from a pullet through 

 the heart.' 



But as the thief was walking away with the booty, 

 the postboy seized him by the collar, and presented 

 his own loaded pistol point blank at him, crying out, 

 ' Giff me pack my mails, you rasskel, and your empty 

 pist-ols, or I will plow your prains out ! Yes, yes, for 

 sure !' And so the tables were turned. It must be 

 admitted that the robber had a simple, not to say 

 ingenuous and trusting nature. 



There is not a single Welsh postwoman remaining — 

 at any rate, not in South Wales — who still wears the 

 tall hat. That adornment seems to be extinct. The 

 strong shoes, short petticoat, linsey dress, crossover, 

 and even the frilled cap, flourish yet ; but the tall hat 

 went out with the trim old orange-woman whom 

 travellers may remember at Carmarthen Junction, on 

 the South Wales line. Her husband was a working 



