ANALOGY BETWEEN HORSE AND WHEEL SANDALS. 331 



are intended to give greater security to the lodgment of 

 the wheel, though, for that matter, with a smaller wheel, one 

 central clip on each side, as in the first-class sandal, would 

 suffice, especially if the sole diminished in width, as it does 

 in that, towards the hook, which would wedge the wheel 

 in more tightly. The longitudinal aperture at the upper 

 end of each of the posterior clips is intended for the ad- 

 mission of a leather strap, which, passing across the wheel 

 as it lies in the skid, prevents its jumping out when 

 traversing broken ground. The hooks on each side of 

 the first and second class sandals reveal a similar intention, 

 and the union of the lateral clips in the third class may 

 be also attributed to an attempt at simplicity in this 

 direction. The analogy between the Roman sandal found 

 at Dalheim (fig. 114) and this modern specimen is very 

 marked ; so much so, indeed, that their being intended 

 for the sam.e purpose can scarcely be doubted ; one thing 

 is certain, that no horse could journey a yard with the 

 Military-Train specimen ; and we have yet to learn that 

 the horses of Gaul, Germany, or Britain, during the Ro- 

 man period, could travel in any other fashion than the 

 horses of our own days. I have tried the two articles 

 found at Springhead on several horses, but out of the 

 number of many-sized hoofs experimented on, I could 

 not find one to fit either of the hippo-sandals. The re- 

 semblance of the larger specimen to a skid struck several 

 casual observers, who were not at all aware of their history 

 or the functions imputed to them. Among others, I may 

 mention Col. Tilley, of the Royal Engineers, who ex- 

 claimed, the first glance he got of it in my hand, ' Hilloa ! 

 what have you got there ? An old skid ? ' 



