70 SHIRE HORSES AT ISLINGTON 



most breeds. This is partly due to its constant associa- 

 tion with its carter in work other than mere monotonous 

 driving. The cleverness of the shire horses on the 

 railway is matter of common observation. But the 

 quiet wits of the contractors' horses are less well known. 

 An instance, noticed while a new reservoir was being 

 dug above the grounds of the Ranelagh Club, gives 

 some idea of the intelligence which ' informs ' these 

 colossal horses. Heavy loads of earth from an excava- 

 tion were being raised in a ' hopper ' and dropped into 

 a * tipping-cart.' This was run violently along some 

 rough rails, and at the last moment a pin was loosened, 

 and the earth shot over the end of the embankment. 

 Instead of being pushed by an engine, the cart was 

 pulled, at the highest speed that could be raised, by a 

 young shire horse. To * work the machine,' it had 

 first to start the cart full of earth, to rush it along at a 

 half-trot, half-canter, and at the last moment to jump 

 on one side off the line, to have its hauling-chain 

 detached by an automatic slip jerked by the driver, and 

 to let the one and a quarter tons of earth and the truck 

 rush past it and bang against the chocks at the end of 

 the rail, spilling the earth from the hopper. If he 

 failed to spring aside at the last moment, he would be 

 jammed between the trolly and the blocks, or thrown 

 over the slope of the embankment. The side-spring 

 had to be made when going fast and using great 



