COACHMEN. 321 



difference or ill-feeling arose between them, there was 

 a difficulty in setting matters straight, owing to the 

 circumstance of the men being servants of different 

 masters, although having to continue working to- 

 gether. On the coaches it was otherwise, where 

 the coachman and guard were both under the 

 same body of proprietors, who had the power of 

 dismissing the guard if he was in fault ; but they 

 had no control over the mail-guard, the servant 

 of the Postmaster-General, who, if the guard dis- 

 charged his official duties properly, would not pay 

 any attention to differences between him and the 

 coachmen. 



I think the guard had rather the command of 

 the position, and could make himself more objection- 

 able both to the coachmen and proprietors than they 

 could by retaliating upon him in any way. He 

 could refuse to allow the coachman to stop at any 

 place not down on the way-bill for the purpose, 

 and report him to the Post Office if he did so ; while 

 when they were on good terms there was generally 

 some little public-house where they used to pull up 

 just for a minute or two. 



The guard might also report the state of the 

 harness or horses if the condition of either led to 

 any loss of time ; and although it formed part of 

 his duty to assist in changing horses when not 



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