POSITION ON THE BOX AND DRIVING. 503 



respect is more than offset by the fact that he is in the worst 

 possible position to cope with any emergency. This ridicu- 

 lous position and the habit some servants have of holding 

 the reins in imitation of a counter jumper measuring off a 

 yard of ribbon are more the product of fashion than of 

 sense. 



The coachman's body and head should be erect, the 

 shoulders square, and the elbows close to the sides. When 

 the coachman has taken his seat he should loop the end 

 of the hand-pieces at the buckle over the little finger of 

 the left hand, with the buckle facing toward the horses; 

 the use of a string or leather loop is not considered " the 

 proper thing " ; the reins are then transferred back to the 

 left hand in the position described above. The left forearm 

 should be held in a horizontal position, the wrist bent 

 slightly inward near the body so that the fingers, from the 

 knuckles to the first joint, are parallel with the body. The 

 right arm should be held in a similar position; the right 

 hand is held an inch or so away and slightly above the left 

 one, and the thumb is bent downward so that the whip, when 

 held at the top ferrule, will be at an angle of about thirty 

 degrees. 



As soon as the coachman is ready to start he may indi- 

 cate the fact by bringing his whip up to a perpendicular 

 position, and nodding to the other servant that the doors 

 are to be thrown open. In starting it is advisable to touch 

 the horses lightly with the whip, as they are less likely to 

 make unexpected starts by mistaking some noise for the 

 customary click of the tongue. When applying the whip 

 the servant should draw the lash or thong across the horse's 

 quarters from the outside, or if necessary apply the lash so 



