254 Among Men and Horses. 



the number of their patrons. This suicidal policy has had 

 the effect of preventing the Africanders from forfeiting their 

 claim to be considered the most stay-at-home people in the 

 world. 



The coaching in South Africa is of a primitive kind, and 

 would not commend itself to old Charlie Ward, or even to 

 his son Frank. Yet for all that it admirably accomplishes 

 its purpose. There are no roads either to speak of, or to see. 

 After saying that the country is an open one and not fenced 

 in, I have praised the 'going' as far as I may truthfully 

 venture. The coach is of the old American backwoods sort, 

 is hung on leather springs, and is capable of holding twelve 

 closely-packed inside passengers, with a few less hampered 

 ones outside. Having to be very strong to resist the terrible 

 jolts it receives on its cross-country travels, it is heavy, 

 and as the cattle are either weedy ponies, or small mules, 

 their individual deficiency in pulling power has to be made 

 up by an increase in their numbers. Consequently, a team 

 of ten or a dozen has to do the work of four or six ordinary 

 horses. These animals are harnessed two by two, with one 

 pair of reins for the leaders, and another for the wheelers. 

 The intermediate pairs follow the leaders and do not require 

 any special guidance. The man who holds the reins is an 

 unconsidered cypher. The driver, who is the ornamental 

 man of the show, amuses himself with a light fifteen foot 

 pole, from the end of which hangs a long thong, finished 

 off with a lash of gemsbok raw hide. This sportsman prides 

 himself on the dexterity with which he can manipulate this 

 funny-looking whip, and has more tricky ways of ' catching ' 

 and ' double thonging ' than ever entered into the mind of 

 even poor Jim Selby. With this flail he can reach either the 

 near or off leader, and can, if he likes, cut ' chunks ' out of 

 any of his team. He is, however, supposed to show his 

 skill less by punishment, than by describing figures in the 

 air with the thong, and by shrieking in a peculiarly terrifying 

 manner at his horses. Besides the fifteen-footer, he carries 



