TO DRIVING. 



almost, if not quite, in the centre of the body, touching 

 his body with the backs of his fingers, and his knuckles 

 straight to the front ; he will find that his wrist makes a natural 

 dumb-jockey, because the wrist will work backwards and 

 forwards like a spring, whereas if he sits with his forearm 

 straight to the front none of the hinges which nature has given 

 him in his elbow and his wrist will act on the horses' mouths. 



The gentleman, being already placed, must recollect never, 

 under any circumstances, to omit calling out in a loud voice, 

 ' Sit fast ! ' Fearful accidents have happened when coachmen 

 have started without the necessary precaution of such a warn- 

 ing. It is a long way from the roof of a coach to the ground, 

 and many men have been pitched off and seriously injured 

 through the carelessness or ignorance of coachmen in setting 

 off without a caution. Having thus warned his passengers, 

 he must then give the hint to his horses to start ; and that 

 is done by very slightly drawing the reins so as to touch 

 every horse's mouth ; then, with a nod to the man at the 

 wheelers' heads, or with a cry of ' Stand away ! ' off he will find 

 all the horses go together. 



An unworkmanlike trick, which the coachman cannot be 

 too careful to avoid, is that of suddenly slacking his reins and 

 pushing out his hands before him when he wants to start ; a 

 trick, however, which is much affected by many men who find 

 themselves on a driving seat which they do not adorn. The 

 result of this proceeding is that the horses, not knowing what 

 -is wanted and, being sensible animals, it is not to be expected 

 that they can know stick their heads up and stand still. 

 Some one of the team, finding himself suddenly released, 

 perhaps a wheel-horse, starts off and rams the bars under the 

 leaders' tails an occurrence which they naturally resent ; in 

 their excitement and alarm the chances are that they will at 

 once begin kicking, and a considerable amount of confusion 

 and difficulty, if not of danger, is likely to arise before things are 

 set straight again : so easily do accidents happen, and by such 

 simple precautions may they be avoided. 



