COACHING 



to them as their harness. In fair play to him, 

 however, he was not solely answerable for this ; 

 the spirit of his cattle was broken by the task they 

 were called to perform — for in those days twenty- 

 mile stages were in fashion — and what was the 

 consequence? Why, the four-horse whip and the 

 Nottingham whipcord were of no avail over the 

 latter part of the ground, and something like a 

 cat-o*-nine-tails was produced out of the boot, which 

 was jocularly called the "apprentice"; and a shrewd 

 apprentice it was to the art of torturing which was 

 inflicted on the wheelers without stint or measure, 

 but without which the coach might have been often 

 left on the road. One circumstance alone saved 

 these horses from destruction ; this was the frequency 

 of ale-houses on the road, not one of which could 

 then be passed without a call. 



* Still, our old-fashioned coachman was a scientific 

 man in his calling — more so, perhaps, than by far 

 the greater part of his brethren of the present 

 day, inasmuch as his energies and skill were more 

 frequently put to the test. He had heavy loads, 

 bad roads, and weary horses to deal with, neither 

 was any part of his harness to be depended on, upon 



