Old Sporting Prints

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 Excerpt: ...in price, their attractive colouring and the spirited execution of a number of them, causing them to be in considerable request. Stage coach journeys were naturally more prone to give rise to incident, and even sometimes to adventure, than the prosaic railway travelling which has now become part of civilised life. A coloured print after Pollard, of some value, portrays a disconcerting occurrence which much startled the passengers by the Exeter Mail. This is entitled Lioness attacking the Exeter Coach. The Exeter Mail Coach on its way to London, was, one Sunday night attacked at Winterslow Hut, seven miles from Salisbury, in a most extraordinary manner. At the moment when the coachman pulled up to deliver his bags, one of the leaders was suddenly seized by a ferocious animal. This produced a great confusion and alarm; two passengers who were inside the mail got out, ran into the house and locked themselves up in a room above stairs; the horses kicked and plunged violently, and it was with difficulty the coachman could prevent the carriage from being overturned. With considerable consternation, the coachman and guard eventually perceived by the light of the lamps, that the animal which had seized the horse, was a huge lioness. As luck would have it, however, it was just at that moment a large mastiff dog came up and attacked her fiercely, on which she quitted the horse and turned upon him. The dog fled, but was pursued and killed by the lioness within about forty yards of the place. The beast, it was afterwards discovered, had escaped from a caravan that was standing on the roadside, belonging to a menagerie on its way to Salisbury fair. An alarm being given, the keepers pursued and hunted the lioness into a hovel under a granary, which served for keeping agr...