CH. XV GALLOPING 355 



the coachman ; for no man can stop four good 

 horses on a level road, if once they get beyond 

 his control. At the slightest indication that this is 

 about to happen, they must be pulled down to a 

 slower pace, without a moment's hesitation. What 

 these indications are it is difficult to describe, but 

 the experienced coachman recognises them by a 

 kind of instinct ; to the inexperienced man they 

 frequently come too late. 



Should the horses get away, on a road which has 

 no traffic on it, and which can be seen for some 

 distance ahead, there is one remedy which sounds 

 somewhat desperate, but which, in good hands, is 

 the proper one : this is, not only to let them go, but 

 to urge them on, all the energy of the driver being 

 concentrated on guiding them ; pulling on them will 

 only exhaust him, and with no result. Horses, un- 

 less they are frightened, and therefore crazy, will 

 not run far at the top of their speed, pulling a coach 

 with the brake on, but they must be made to go at 

 the very top of their speed, or they will not tire 

 soon enough. If the coachman, when he finds that 

 they are beginning to slacken their speed, has the 

 good fortune still to have a piece of unobstructed 

 road ahead of him, he may give them a little of the 

 whip all round, when the pace will soon take out 

 of them all desire to run further, and they can be 

 stopped with the impression on their minds, that 

 they have been made to do something disagreeable 

 and fatiguing, which was not by any means fun. 



