112 RIDING, DRIVING AND KINDRED SPORTS 



As a rule, however, I drove with the 

 ordinary lono- traces. This works well enough 

 with a fairly good or willing horse, but with an 

 awkward leader they add greatly to the diffi- 

 culties of driving, for if the leader hangs back 

 obstinately the wheeler may get its leg over 

 the traces. Of course, when drivino- fresh- 

 caught Indian country-breds of various sorts, an 

 awkward leader was not uncommon, and many 

 very good travellers were a bit nasty at starting, 

 especially until they got used to it. I may 

 say truly that I have had my leader in every 

 possible and impossible position in relation to 

 the cart. I have had him riding on the step, 

 of course, but that is a commonplace of tandem- 

 drivine. I have had him with his head under 

 the shafts behind the wheeler's tail. I have 

 had him on his back under the cart ; I have 

 had him rolled up into a kind of tangle so that 

 he had to be cut out of his harness, but I 

 always got to my journey's end. Yet much of 

 my trouble might have been saved me if I had 

 begun as I ended, by driving with bars. To 

 my mind these have simplified tandem-driving 

 immensely, have reduced the danger, if there 

 ever was any, and added greatly to the 

 pleasure. With long traces a certain space 

 was always required to turn in, but with bars 

 a tandem can easily be turned in its own 



