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The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
39
The
following
exciting
and
unpleasant
adventure
happened
to
the
passengers
by
the
Enniskillen
mail-coach
on
its
way
to
Dublin
on
the
morning
of
the
4th
January
1813.
The
coach
had
safely
made
its
journey
to
a
point
within
two
miles
of
a
place
called
Dunshaughlin,
the
time
being
about
3
A.M.,
when
the
mail-guard,
watchful
as
his
duty
required,
espied
a
number
of
men
suspiciously
lying
on
each
side
of
the
road
in
advance
of
him.
The
night
must
have
been
clear,
and
probably
there
was
bright
moonlight;
as
otherwise,
at
that
early
hour
in
the
month
of
January,
the
men
lying
in
wait
could
not
have
been
observed.
There
being
little
doubt
that
an
attack
upon
the
mail
was
contemplated,
the
carriage
was
at
once
drawn
up,
and
the
alarm
given.
The
drowsy
or
benumbed
travellers,
thus
rudely
aroused
and
brought
to
a
sense
of
their
danger,
hastily
jumped
to
the
ground,
and
demanded
the
spare
arms
which
were
carried
for
use
on
like
emergencies.
These
were
immediately
served
out
to
the
passengers,
who,
if
not
animated
by
true
Irish
spirit
at
so
early
an
hour,
to
fight
for
fighting's
sake,
were
at
any
rate
determined
to
defend
their
lives
and
property.
At
the
head
of
the
coach-party
in
this
lonely
and
trying
situation
was
a
clergyman
of
the
County
Cavan
named
King,
who,
like
Father
Tom
in
the
play,
had
not
forgotten
the
accomplishments
of
his
youth,
and
who
was
prepared
to
carry
the
message
of
peace
and
goodwill
with
the
blunderbuss
at
the
ready,
this
being
the
weapon
with
which
he
had
armed
himself.
The
robbers,
perceiving
that
they
were
to
encounter
a
determined
opposition,
thought
it
wise
to
retreat;
and
while
the
guards
stood
by
their
charge--the
mail-coach--the
men
were
pursued
over
a
field
by
Mr
King,
on
whom
they
fired,
without,
however,
doing
any
damage.
The
parson,
deeming
a
return
necessary,
replied
with
the
gaping
blunderbuss--and
to
some
purpose
it
was
thought,
for
three
of
the
men
were
within
twenty
yards
of
him
when
he
fired.
The
would-be
robbers
being
now
driven
off,
the
passengers
had
time
to
realise
their
fright;
and
gathering
themselves
again
into
the
coach,
the
journey
was
continued,
though
it
is
hardly
likely
that
sleep
resumed
its
sway
over
the
terrified
passengers
for
the
remaining
hours
of
that
particular
night.
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