I70 COACHING IN CEYLON 



while the driver, a man of resource, handed 

 me the reins, and, taking- one of the rolls of 

 coir rope, got down. In a couple of minutes 

 he had extemporised two stout side reins. 

 These prevented the brutes from seeing or 

 biting each other, and they finished the stage 

 well enough. The stages were short ones ; 

 about seven miles Is the average. 



After the greys had been taken out, the 

 near horse was harnessed, but there seemed 

 to be some delay about the other. At last 

 he appeared. Directly he saw the coach he 

 stopped, and nothing, as far as I could see, 

 would Induce him to move. I was not then 

 acquainted with the resources of Ceylon 

 horse-keepers. First a twitch went on his 

 nose, then one on each ear. A rope was 

 even passed round his fetlock. These In- 

 ducements, together with a volley of kicks 



