406 DOUBLE-THONG CH. XVII 



loose. It should be grasped by the whole hand 

 with all the fingers underneath ; to extend the 

 forefinger up the stick, results in an objectionable 

 stiffness. 



The knack of catching the thong dextrously, or 

 even at all, can be acquired only by practice, and 

 while sometimes a lucky man will hit upon it very 

 soon, another will try without success for months, 

 when it will suddenly come to him. 



After the double-thong is caught, the right hand 

 must be moved to such a position that the bight of 

 the thong will come under the thumb of the left 

 hand ; the lower turns can then be pulled out by 

 raising the right hand (for the left hand, with the 

 reins, must not be moved), and the thong having 

 been pulled down tight from the lowest of the 

 upper turns, must be held against the stick by the 

 thumb (Fig. 166, B). Some men take two or three 

 turns of the end of the thong round the whip handle 

 before placing the thumb upon it, but it is better to 

 acquire the habit of keeping it straight, since the 

 operation just described takes some time, and it is 

 not advisable to prolong it. 



If the lower turns are not pulled out, the thong 

 will come unwound too readily. 



If there are knots close to the end of the wrap- 

 ping of the quill, the thong, if it is soft and clinging, 

 ought to remain in its place, but it is likely to slip 

 down, and this can be prevented by putting two or 

 three more turns on the stick by a motion of the 



