FOUR IN HAND. 139 



started from New York a few days previously for a 

 coacliing trijj through the country and were en route for 

 Saratoga. When two days on the road one of the leaders 

 dro]>ped dead, as the coachman expressed it, "through 

 doing all the work.-' They bought one from a farmer to 

 take his place, whicli turned out to be very lazy, and 

 would do no work, and in trying to hit him with the 

 whip, broke it. From that time out the lazy horse 

 would do no work and his mate commenced to get 

 tired, went off his feed and became sick. They 

 decided to stay over two or three days and rest the team. 

 A foAV (lays later they got ready to start and were har- 

 nessed up in the yard. Tlie wheelers were yerj evenly 

 matched, but the leaders, one was a thick-set mare 

 with no ambition, in fact, looked too slow for a 

 coal carf; the other a good-loking gray, fidl of 

 courage. I really felt for him. I could see the reins 

 were even and both bitted the same. The reins in the 

 cheek ring just suited the mare, but would not prevent 

 the gray from doing all the work, if he so desired, and 

 his looks betokened him a good one. I was hoping they 

 would give me a chance to speak to them so I could offer 

 a little assistance and advise them to buckle the gray 

 down and take up his reins a few holes. I did speak to 

 the coachman about it, but he did not seem to under- 

 stand, and a few moments later they started off, with 



