1 84 THE COACHING AGE. 



What tlie precise nature of the dispute was, or how- 

 it was eventually settled, I don't know, except that 

 Sherman so far won the day as to secure the coach, 

 which ran regularly from the Bull ,and Mouth till 

 knocked off the road by the railways. 



Having now given an instance in which there were 

 not any horses provided in the regular way to take 

 on a coach, and another in which there was an excess 

 of horses for the purpose, I will say a word or two 

 about the coachman, and what would be the conse- 

 quence of any. unexpected difficulty with him. 



In towns of any size, on the main roads where 

 coaches did not merely run through, after stopping to 

 change, but either stopped for meals, or because they 

 were at the end of the journey, there generally might 

 be found a spare coachman, some man who was out of 

 employment, who had brought his coach down and had 

 not to go out again until the. next day or night, or some 

 one about the inn possessing the capability of driving 

 a coach, and only too glad, perhaps, if any opportunity 

 occurred, of putting his abilities to the test. In the 

 daytime there were generally some persons standing 

 about a large coaching inn at the time of arrival or 

 departure of a coach, but in the night there were not 

 any spectators to witness this event. 



Coaches have been stopped in the course of their 

 journeys from various causes, such as highwaymen. 



