OBSERVATIONS. 23 



an indispensible part of the qualification to become 

 one, and when in difficulty a fine hand, strong nerve, a 

 quick eye and presence of mind are all necessary to ex- 

 tricate him from it. Here the coachman shows him- 

 self, and here the dummy universally fails. The latter 

 sees the effect plain enough, but knows nothing What- 

 ever of the causes, consequently he either sits still and 

 does nothing, or if he does anything, in all probability 

 does the very thing that increases both the difficulty and 

 the danger. 



In proof of what presence of mind and knowing what 

 to do in an emergency will result in, I may mention a 

 circumstance that occurred whilst driving, in fact, 

 breaking a well bred pair of horses to harness. 

 They had both become perfectly handy and were good- 

 tempered, but from youth, high blood and high con- 

 dition, ready to avail themselves of any excuse for a 

 lar]?. I hii.l (li'iven them all about town perfectly 

 \N ell and all right, until coming down a hilly street up 

 went the pole nearly to their ears, my toeboard nearly 

 coming on tiie hind (juarters. I now found something was 

 all wrong, and guessed the cause. I immediately struck 

 them both sharply with the whip. Off they went like 

 two startled deers down the hill at about eighteen miles 

 an hour, featlier edging everything we passed, I expect- 

 ing however, to give something an "insider," but escaped. 



