3i8 THE COACHING AGE. 



this means lie had the advantage of .two sets of 

 passengers, generally Bristol or Liverpool merchants 

 and business men, who tipped pretty freely. As 

 he said, at Hereford, when he opened the coach door 

 and announced that it was the end of his journey, 

 there were always foiH" half-crowns ready for him. 

 This, with the three or four outsides, must have 

 made it a pretty good service, as the mail loaded 

 well, and ran every night, including Sundays, 



The road between Chepstow and Monmouth, at 

 a place called Eedbrook, where it joins the road 

 running through the coal district in the Forest of 

 Dean, on the right-hand side coming from Chepstow, 

 is bounded by a steep hill, thickly wooded, which 

 shades the road, and somewhat darkens it at night ; 

 added to which the coal dropped on the road, and 

 black refuse from the coal-pits scattered about, make 

 it almost black for a considerable distance. 



The road is not very broad, but affords plenty 

 of room for two vehicles to pass without difficulty by 

 daylight. In this part of the road is a small bridge 

 across the brook which gives the name to the locality, 

 but being of brick^rendered rather dark in colour 

 from the accumulation of coal-dust on it — atid on 

 the level of the road, without a rise or fall on 

 either side, it is not a very conspicuous object on 

 a dark night. In order to give some protection to 



