BOUND FOR THE BORDER 225 



rider turned to put on his top-coat. When he faced 

 about, the mail was gone ! 



In 1826 there was another commotion. Fletcher, 

 the Surveyor at York, put out a public notice : 



' "WTiereas On the Night of Sunday the 5th mst., Between the 

 hours of Ten and Eleven o'clock Three Men attempted to stop 

 the Armed Horse Post Eider near Spofforth, as he was conveying 

 the Mail Bags fi'om Wetherbj' to Harrogate. 



' The Eider escaped with the Bags in safety. The following is 

 a Description of the Men who made this attempt. One a Tall 

 Man, about 5 feet 11 inches in height, wearing a long straight- 

 Cut Drab Coat, Trowsers same colour, Complexion dark, about 

 40 years of age. Two others about 5 feet 6 inches, one in a 

 short blue single-breasted Coat, light- coloured Stockings, and 

 Neckcloth and Breeches, the other in a drab smgle-breasted Coat, 

 Breeches, and hght Stockings, both Fair Complexioned Men, and 

 about 30 3'ears of age. 



' The same Men are supposed to have made a similar attempt 

 on the Armed Post Eider from York, on the pre\T.ous Sunday 

 night, near Bilton church.' 



It speaks volumes for the coolness and observation 

 of the mail-rider that, in the hurry and excitement of 

 the assault and escape, he yet had leisure to measure 

 with his eye the height of the three highwaymen, 

 take note of their complexion, and the tint of their 

 stockings. 



To be sure, the habit of the time, which prescribed 

 knee-breeches for all classes, helped him in this latter 

 respect not a little. Not long ago, I heard one lady 

 remark of another that the latter had ' five shades of 

 colour in her bonnet ' ; but I doubt if she would have 

 been self-possessed enough to observe, on being the 

 subject of a highway robbery, that ' one of the men 



15 



