Riding and Driving

CHAPTER XV

THE TANDEM

One horse driven in front of the other gave a University wag the opportunity to nickname two horses so driven a "tandem," from the Latin word meaning "at length," as applied to time. This joke has crystallized into a familiar English word, and many tandem drivers to-day include all the Latin in their vocabulary in this form of exercise.

The fundamental principles of tandem driving are much the same as four-in-hand driving, except that the horses turn more quickly, and with less pressure on the reins, especially in the case of the leader. The reins, too, are closer together in the hand, making the fingering more difficult, and the handling of a spirited leader is perhaps as difficult and nice a task as any form of driving affords.

Although the chief authority for this chapter, T. Suffern Tailer, Esq., late the president of the New York Tandem Club, decries the use of anything but traces for the leader,—traces fastened to the traces of the wheeler,—it is fair to the reader to describe another method of harnessing.

This method consists of having two swingle-bars, one 2 feet 6 inches in length, the other about 2 feet in length. The first has a hook in front and a chain at the back, about 1 foot in length. This chain is hooked to a ring at the bottom of the wheeler's hames, and at the end are two short traces fastening to the wheeler's traces by two rings, or loops, under the trace-buckles. The second bar is attached by an eyelet to the hook of the first bar; to this, of course, are attached the leader's traces in the usual manner.

Advocates of this way of harnessing claim that by this method the leader's traces may be made almost as short as those of the wheeler, and that there is far less danger—none, indeed—of a leader getting his legs over a trace.

In tandem harness there should be as little harness as possible, even breeching omitted, except in a very hilly country. One of the advantages of this form of driving sport is that, even with a small stable and few horses, one may drive tandem without any great extra outlay. The wheeler's harness may be an ordinary set of single harness, with double terrets in the pad, and terrets above the blinkers, to carry the leader's reins. The leader's harness may be the same, with a very light pad, since the pad in the leader's case only carries the traces. The traces of the leader have spring-hooks which are fastened to the brass rings, or loops, under the wheeler's trace-buckles. On the leader's pad are two leather loops to carry the traces, and over the leader's loins, a bearing strap, just long enough to keep the traces level. The reins should be light, strong, and of the same size, and suited to the size of the coachman's hands. It is hardly necessary to say that to fasten the leader's traces to the ends of the shafts is suicidally dangerous; but as it is sometimes done the warning is needed.

The writer's own experience in driving tandem has been confined mostly to a pony tandem, a form of amusement strongly recommended by Lady Gorgiana Curzon in the Badminton volume on Driving.

Two ponies, a stocky, short-legged pony 14.2 in the wheel, and a breedier specimen of the same height in the lead, make a pair that bowl along at a good rate, are light in hand, and give younger members of the family capital practice in the handling of four reins in one hand. If you have a Phidippides in the family, by all means put him to work at tandem driving. It is good for his courage, and may be good for his conceit (Plate XXXIII.).

Every one who has driven tandem much, and almost every one who has not driven tandem at all, agree: the first that tandem driving is excellent sport, and not dangerous; the latter that it is a foolish waste of equine energy, and very dangerous.

565a

565b

All forms of driving are dangerous, from piloting Dobbin in a farm-wagon, to driving a drag to a race meeting, if the coachman is ignorant, careless, and nervous. Even Dobbin may go down on his knees, or shy, and run away, if he is not looked after. But tandem driving is no more dangerous than other forms of driving, if harness, cart, and horses are suited to the sport, and the coachman is forever vigilant. There is no doubt but that most horses enjoy going this way, and the change is good for them, and it is excellent practice; none better, indeed, for their owner.

In putting two horses together in this fashion the traces of the leader may be as short as possible, say three feet from the nose of the wheeler to the croup of the leader, when the traces are taut. The leader, if a breedy-looking animal, with good neck and shoulders, may wear to advantage a breast collar, instead of a neck collar. He may, indeed, be with propriety as lightly harnessed as possible.

The origin of the tandem was a convenient way of taking a hunter to cover by putting him in the lead of a dog-cart, with his saddle and bridle carried along in the cart. Even to this day this pedigree of the tandem marks out the proper proportions and proper qualities for both wheeler and leader. The leader may thus be driven appropriately in a ring snaffle, although probably the best bits are the Liverpool or Elbow bits with the not-to-be-forgotten proviso that the wheeler's bit should have a bar across the bottom of it to prevent the wheeler catching the leader's rein under the end of the cheek-piece of his bit—a trick one of the writer's ponies soon learned, and was much mystified for days to find that the trick would not come off, after a bar had been added to the bottom of her bit. If the wheeler indulges in much shaking about of his head, he should have both a light bearing-rein and a martingale. The leader ought to be the type of horse which needs neither of these fixtures.

The whip may be lighter than the coach-whip, and 5 feet long for the stick, and 8 feet 6 inches for the lash, if you are driving ponies; 2 feet longer in the lash if driving full-sized horses.

Before attempting a tandem with any horses you happen to have in the stable, it is well to do a little training of the one you propose to use as leader. With a pair of long reins you should drive him with nothing behind him, so that he may become accustomed to moving along with no weight on his collar. Let the reins touch his quarters so that he may become accustomed to the loose traces in which he will go later. Some horses take to this way of going like ducks to water, and make no objections and few mistakes from the beginning; but it is best, in any case, to do a little training before they are put together in what must be a novel way to them. As the pressure should be less, and the loops taken smaller, in tandem driving, much of the turning may be done by the turn of the wrist and the moving of the hand from left to right, as described in the chapter on driving one horse. In turning, the points to right and left should be small, and care taken to keep your wheeler from rushing his corners, as he may so easily do with a two-wheeled trap behind him. If your leader is going off to the left too much and your wheeler to the right, push your two centre reins back a little, and this will straighten them out; or if the contrary is the case, and your leader is going to the right and your wheeler to the left, pull the two centre reins out a bit. The two centre reins are, the upper one, your off lead-rein, the lower one, your near wheel-rein.

It is more than ever necessary that the left hand should be kept in its place, and the reins held firmly in their place, otherwise your team will never be straight for long at a time. The left hand should be held as in driving four. When the right hand is used on all the reins, the little and third fingers go over the two off side reins, the middle finger over the near wheel-rein, and the first finger over the near lead-rein, thus giving the right hand control over each and all of the reins. The two off side reins may be kept together, for in tandem driving it is only necessary to make "points" when turning practically at right angles. The horses should follow one another without making a break between your leader and wheeler by having the leader at right angles to the wheeler when making a turn. Too large a loop taken with only one rein is very apt to bring your leader around too fast and too far.

Never under any circumstances have your lead traces taut when making a turn, as you may thus pull your wheeler off his feet, and in any case, when the lead traces are taut, it is your leader, and not you, who is in control. Though driving tandem is similar in the manipulation of the reins to driving four, it is on a miniature scale. Everything must be done more gently, more quietly, more quickly, and all loops or points need only be of the smallest. The wheeler should start and stop the cart, and once they are going, the wheeler should follow directly behind the leader. The reins in a tandem come into the hand much closer together than in the case of a four, where the horses, being spread out, the reins are accordingly apart. This makes the handling of tandem reins quickly, difficult. When wishing to use the right hand, if the left be pushed forward slightly it gives the right hand a chance to place itself correctly on the reins, as the reins are thus pushed slightly apart. In tandem driving it is of supreme importance to be ready in advance. Whether stopping, starting, turning, increasing, or slacking your pace, your right hand should not be fumbling to get itself on the right reins, but should be there, and ready, before it is required. A quick, nervous leader can turn, stop, start, and back like a flash. If you are not ready for him before he gets going, no mortal is quick enough to catch him afterwards. The damage is done, and your horses in a tangle while you are still groping with your right hand for the proper reins. In passing other vehicles, or any object that you think may cause your leader to shy, always have a small loop of that side rein under your thumb, and your right hand ready to put on the brakes on whichever rein requires it, instantly, before either horse can make much of a détour. A horse met at once with a rebuke is half persuaded already to come to terms. The cart, if ponies are driven, should not be too light nor too low. With wheels 4 feet 9 or 10 inches in diameter, the coachman's seat will be about 5 feet 4 from the ground. The wider the cart, up to 6 feet wide inside, the better, both for the comfort of the passengers, and because a broad track lessens the danger of upsetting. The body of the cart should be set as low on the axles as possible.

A cart with bent shafts pivoted on the front part of the cart, and adjustable behind, with wheels five feet high, and track five feet wide, will accommodate anything, from 14.2 to 16 hands, and makes, if lightly built, a good all-round two-wheel cart for all sorts of purposes. A slant of from three to four inches for the driving cushion makes a comfortable angle for the seat. If necessary, have a movable foot-rest, but on no account a rail for your feet. See, on this subject, remarks in the chapter on driving one horse. These descriptions and requirements do not purport to guide one in setting up a tandem for show purposes. This branch of the subject is dealt with completely, and with experienced competency, by Mr. Tailer in the next chapter. But tandem driving is too good a sport to be confined to the show ring. Any enterprising horse owner may put to a tandem out of his own stable without adding much to the expense of his stable, while adding greatly to the variety of sport to be got out of his establishment.

CHAPTER XVI

DRIVING TANDEM, BY T. SUFFERN TAILER, ESQ.

"Not every path extends the same,
But various are the roads to fame;
With different eye the same pursuits we view,
Nor all one wish with equal zeal pursue."

It is arranged, no doubt wisely, that happiness, which is the universal aim of mankind, may be pursued by numerous roads, and that they who seek it on wheels may choose from a variety of conveyances.

Some press forward to the goal astride the bicycle, or in the automobile, for which vehicles it may be claimed that at any rate they don't cost much to feed; others drive furiously in a coffin-shaped box within four "spider" wheels; and yet others prefer,—

"To dash along with four-in-hand, while others drive at random,
In whiskey, buggy, gig or dog-cart, curricle or tandem."

According the "right of way" to this procession, I at length claim the privilege to take my pleasure in driving a tandem.

One of the first requisites of this is nerve,—an indispensable requisite, in fact. It is the very spice of danger that makes this form of driving exciting; but for a man who has nerve, and acquires the proper amount of skill, there is no more danger in driving a tandem than any other equipage in vogue. Fewer accidents befall experienced tandem drivers than those who drive any local style of turnout.

For example, a man in a road wagon of the conventional style, with four wheels confining him in a narrow box, when his horse bolts has no means whatsoever of saving himself; whereas, in a dog-cart, although when the wheeler goes down he may get a "father and mother of a fall," he does not part company with the vehicle.

It seems to be established that the most competent authority on a subject is one who has much theoretical, and little practical, knowledge of it.

For a tandem set up on theories alone, the horses must be a pair perfectly matched in figure, height, color, and action; either, therefore, fit to change places with, and to do the work of, the other. Experienced tandem drivers whose opinions are entitled to consideration dissent decidedly from this view. They maintain that if the wheeler, that holds the entire weight on descending, and performs nearly all the work, on level ground, for which great strength and straight action are necessary, is the standard of the pair, a leader patterned on this type will be too stout and too coarse. If the leader, on the other hand, in quality, figure, and action is of the perfect type, he will be too light, and otherwise unsuited for the wheeler's place.

For tandem carts of standard weight, the wheeler, which is the chief factor or mainstay of the tandem, should be 15.3 hands high, with a well-cut head, deep, sloping shoulders, broad chest, short, straight back, wide hips, and strong quarters on short, strong legs. To prevent angles in, and to afford direct draught of the driving-reins, the head should be carried straight and naturally,—neither with nose poked out in front, nor pointed high like a "star-gazer's," nor yet drawn in to the chest,—and he should be a fast and straight goer, wasting none of his force in extravagant action.

"A roadster good, not straddling high,
Nor shuffling low, I find thee;
But stepping straight and cheerily
Thou leav'st the miles behind thee."

The leader, whose duties seem to be ornamental chiefly, he having nothing to carry but his harness, little work to do except on heavy or hilly roads, and nothing to hold down hill, need have none of the qualities mentioned as indispensable requisites in the wheeler.

With a wheeler, as before described, 15.3 in height, I should choose a leader 15.2 or 15.2½; a half or three-quarters thoroughbred, but with plenty of substance and bone. He should have high style and high action all round; rakish and gamy in form, spirit, and action; the head lean and thoroughbred looking; long, clean neck, with good crest; head well up and nose a little out; ears small, sensitive, and pointing to the front; deep, sloping shoulders, high on the withers; short, straight back; strong, muscular loins; straight hips; strong in the hind quarters, with muscles running well down. To this should be added a light mouth, well bitted, responding with the whole body to the lightest touch of the rein; the manners and grace of a gentleman; good sense and coolness in tight places, choosing often his own way with courage and confidence,—a rare and lovable thing in God's creation, but such there be or may be made (Plate XXXVII.).

Of tandem carts there are various patterns, but with the New York Tandem Club, the members of which have been regarded as the best exponents, in this country at least, of the proper way of appointing a tandem, as well as of driving it, the Whitechapel, and the dog-cart represented in Henderson's admirable picture entitled "Going to Cover," are the two designs in favor at the present time.

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577b

Hitherto the former has been the most popular, doubtless owing to its being the pattern adopted by builders, but it has since yielded place in the estimation of tandem drivers to the dog-cart described (Plate XXXIV.); though both are, and will continue to be, regarded as the highest types of their respective kinds.

The Whitechapel cart derives its name from a locality in the East End of London, not nearly as aristocratic as Belgravia, and was originally intended for some practical purpose, such as hawking vegetables or milk, for example. It is rude in character, and, like the hansom cab, not susceptible of much refinement, and its primitive style is by no means improved by rails, lamps, and fittings of shafts, in bright metals.

Well horsed, with appropriate harness, aprons, and a smart servant, and driven by an accomplished whip, made up in sympathy, a Whitechapel tandem is a most audacious "varmint" turnout.

The shafts of a Whitechapel being straight, in keeping with its sharp, rakish lines, and its wheels being of proper height, a certain amount of open space between the body and carriage is unavoidable; but that objectionable feature may be in some degree obviated, by painting the latter in dark colors, with black striping, although primrose and vermilion on the under-carriage are colors very effective and pleasing.

A dog-cart of the design in the familiar print referred to, as its name and the blinds in its panels imply, was invented for the conveyance of dogs inside, and is quite different in character, as it is also superior in point of comfort, to a Whitechapel.

A slight bend in the shafts near their points is favorable to closer relations of the body and carriage parts than would be possible with straight shafts, a desirable effect in carriage building termed "shutting up the daylight."

The most effective colors for this cart are: for the panels, which are carved in imitation of basket, a straw or cream, and for the shafts, wheels, etc., brightest vermilion striped with black.

Cushions of dark colors seem most appropriate for a cart painted as described, as they are in agreeable contrast; but, as they are affected by exposure to dust, rain, and the sun, drab Bedford cord is the material to be preferred.

The superior comfort of this dog-cart is attributable to the construction of its body, which is practically a box, open only at its ends on which, the rails being bent outwards, the greatest seating capacity is secured, and to the facility for getting on and off, which is of importance on long journeys, when the duties of the groom, who has been sent forward in advance, are performed by the passenger occupying the hind seat. The bright vermilion and clean straw colors of this cart are especially effective in competitions on the tan-bark by gaslight, where dark colors show to less advantage.

The cocking-cart (Plate XXXV.) is another style, which from its very smartness and dangerous height seems especially adapted to tandem driving, and is best described as the front boot of a coach on two wheels. A local tandem driver informs me that he once proposed giving his London builder an order for a cart of this kind, but though the builder declared his readiness to undertake its construction on the lines familiar to him through his ancestors who built that sort of breakneck vehicle, the customer was advised "not to trust his life on such a tower upon wheels."

The cocking-cart was used for conveying game fowls to the cock-pit, on arriving at which destination they were thought to be, from the shaking up they had received on the journey, in prime condition and temper for the coming battle.

Except to be used exclusively for fancy tandem work, I would not advise the purchase of a cocking-cart, as, for driving a single horse, it is not to be compared with either a Whitechapel or a dog-cart.

There are still other patterns of carts, some of which are very good, but I have described those I think best suited to tandem driving. Which of the many kinds of draughts for carts is most practical is a question giving rise to much discussion. It must be admitted that, whichever is used, while it may be placed a little below the level of the hames-draughts, it should never be fixed above that line.

An old tandem driver, to whose judgment I defer, informs me that, having tried all sorts of draughts, he prefers that from hooks fixed to the cross-bar, which he used many years without a galled shoulder, but which would be unsuited to carts with very high wheels and high, straight shafts. If a horse in a well-fitting collar is properly put to a cart by his harness, with saddle firmly fixed in its place, and back-band loose to allow the shafts to play in their tugs, he will work from fixed draughts without being injured. Ring hames-draughts, of old style, which are most practical of all, will contribute more to a horse's comfort than all the new fads in drawing-hooks and bars.

The most practical tandem harness, and the most effective on all horses, with all carts, and in all places, was suggested by, and in character is similar to, the four-horse harness of mail and stage-coach days, when everything useful and nothing superfluous, was the rule. Some of its salient features are its collars with angular or pointed throats, for preventing choking from pressure on the windpipe; ringed hames-draughts—least rigid, most yielding to shoulders, and most durable ever designed, and like every two metal parts working on each other (as leader's spring trace-hooks and tandem eyes of wheeler's trace-buckles), polished to avoid mutilation by friction; leader's pad, or saddle, shaped to suit the back, however sharp; strapping (as cruppers, loin-strap, etc.) unlined and unstitched, in keeping with the broad, stout traces of single thickness, of which the wheeler's, furnished with chains at the ends, are adaptable to the draughts, however long or short, of all carts without moving the points of traces or disfiguring them with three-cornered holes made by a jack-knife. The harness above described, while specially in keeping with the Whitechapel cart, is very appropriate for the more showy, highly painted dog-cart; as the more costly lined and much-sewn harness is not out of place in both these traps.

The chief objection, and almost the sole one, to the harness of my choice, is its reasonable cost—none whatever to its appearance or effect can be offered, a set each of brown and black leather costing, together, little more than the value of one set of the other kind of harness.

The tandem of Mr. G. F. McCandless (Plate XXXVI.), an honorary member of the New York Tandem Club, will be remembered by those who saw it in the competitions at the first horse show; for effective association of colors of horses and cart, as well as for other appointments, it stood at that time unrivalled, whether seen on the road, in the park, or on the tan-bark of Madison Square Garden. The illustration is by Gray-Parker. It is only a sketch, and in it there are defects which did not exist in the original. For example, Mr. McCandless's position on the box is too rigid and straight; the wheeler is too far away from his work. Nevertheless, the drawing is very smart. This is a good example of the "going-to-cover" cart described above. Mr. McCandless, whose taste in such matters will not be questioned, has in use the harness recommended in this article.

Inquiries are sometimes made as to the correctness of using either the leader's loin-strap, or wheeler's kicking-strap alone, that is, either without the other. Both are practical appliances, and either or both may be dispensed with, though the loin-strap seems to be necessary for sustaining the very considerable length of the lead traces; while the kicking-strap, except for finish, is necessary only when a kicker in the shafts is to be restrained. A breeching for the wheeler, entirely useless on the level, is indispensable for journeys through a hilly country.

Views differ as to the length of lead traces. It is admitted that to place a draught-horse as near his work as possible is preferable, but it is claimed that the rule does not apply to a tandem leader, who works only on heavy or hilly ground, his office being chiefly ornamental; indeed, as a friend of mine used to say, the duty of the leader was to deceive the wheeler, who would cheerfully do all the work in tandem, when he seemed to understand that he was being pulled along, though he was dull in single harness.

A longish tandem is good in outline, and for horses 15.3 hands I prefer lead traces 10 feet to 10 feet 6 inches in length. Short traces, requiring the leader at all times to be in his collar to keep clear of the wheeler, are especially adapted to the use of drivers whose leaders are always at work up hill, down hill, and on level ground; while longer ones are the sort for skilful performers whose lead traces are gently swinging when, on smooth roads, the cart seems to run of itself.

Within a few years there has been invented a contrivance for attaching lead traces to the wheeler's harness by two bars, or "whiffletrees," of different lengths, suspended by a chain from the wheeler's hames-chain. For the use of ladies who drive tandem, or occasional experimental drivers of the other sex, such safety arrangement must be invaluable, but tandem drivers of the old school would hardly utilize such substitutes for skill, or, to use an English slang term, they "wouldn't be found dead with 'em," lest they be denied a decent burial.

The driving seat, which is called "the box," is made up of a hollow wooden box, with top sloping, from the required height at the back, to its front edge of, say, two or more inches in thickness, the four sides being covered with the same material as that of the cushion, which is scooped or hollowed on its upper surface, sloped on its side edges, tufted throughout its breadth and depth for firmness, and should be fitted to the driver. For adapting it to the use of all drivers, of whatever length of leg, there is a cushion of no fixed dimensions; but it is found that one comfortable for a man of, say, 5 feet 10 inches, and average weight, with a correct seat and slightly bent knees and feet drawn together, will suit nearly all, the shorter man sitting a little forward and the taller one a little back upon the cushion. A box-cushion so thick in its front edge as to chafe the under side of the legs of a driver with a good seat and feet resting naturally against the sloping foot-board, will cause much discomfort.

A score or more of years ago in England was conceived the fad of plain, unshaped box-cushions for coaches, so high at the back and with a pitch so steep that the dragsman could not sit in and could only lean against them, nearly this entire weight being sustained by the foot-board; an example of which may be seen in Barrand's picture entitled, "The London Season," published in 1870. This absurd fashion was short-lived.

If such a cushion is unsuited to a coach, it is even more unfit for a two-wheeled cart, because when the off-side wheel drops suddenly into a hole, or strikes the ground after passing over a considerable obstacle, the driver from his leaning position, his legs being straight and rigid, is liable to be shot out of his seat into the road, or deposited on the wing over the wheel, from which latter place a friend of mine informs me he was often so fortunate, when using the objectionable sort of cushion described, as to be able to scramble back into his place without "pulling up."

Sitting in, not leaning against, a shaped cushion, with body erect and knees slightly bent, and yielding to the motion of the cart, the danger mentioned will be materially lessened, and if forewarned of a wheeler's falling, the driver may save himself from being landed beyond the horse's head, even if he fails to retain his seat in the cart.

It must have been to this conforming to the movement of the vehicle on the importance of which, as affecting safety, so much stress is laid, that the celebrated Jack Mytton owed his preservation when, running his gig-wheel up a bank, he afforded his passenger a new sensation by pitching him out like a sack of meal, and when, also, as was his custom, he charged a gate with his tandem, for he survived those and other similar exploits. In my limited experience in driving tandems I have never had a leader, however vicious, part company with the wheeler and bolt with his harness dangling about him; but if that event is yet to occur, and the twenty-three feet of lead-reins run clear, leaving my wheeler's bridle intact and in place, I shall attribute such good fortune to unbuckled hand-parts, and to the freedom of action of the swivels in my wheel throat-latch, so very practical, and so much to be preferred to the fixtures attaching to the rosettes at the wheeler's ears.

The whip, like every other appointment of the tandem, is English, and is a very different affair from the flail-like instrument used by our ancestors. Of a tandem-whip, the stick should be 5 feet and the thong 12 feet 6 inches long. Some authorities fix the length of the thong at 10 feet or even less, to which, though seemingly impracticable, certain tandem drivers conform involuntarily by cutting off with their wheel a yard or so of point and leaving it in the road. The convenient disposal of this thong of such considerable length severely tries the patience and tests the skill of the beginner.

Holding the stick in the right hand at about the upper mounting for balance, and the point of the thong between the stick and the fingers, by a dexterous motion, proceeding entirely from the wrist, pitch the thong over to the right of, and away from, the stick, which, being suddenly stopped, the thong returns upon and is wound round it about four times, producing the long, depending, open loop, which is called the "double thong." The coils are followed down the stick by a small loop, and yet other coils of the point of the thong, but in the opposite direction to the first ones. Taking the small lower loop between the thumb and forefinger of the rein-hand (which should in no case be disturbed or diverted from its purpose when driving), by a movement of the stick with the right, disengage the point of the thong and lay it along the stick to the hand. A turn or two of the double thong round the stick to the right, or off side, will effect the figure 8, which some authorities condemn, but which is practical, as it holds the thong on the stick when double thonging a wheeler, or when driving in a high wind; and many old coaching prints attest its correctness, although it has often been suggested that the methods of the men working a coach a hundred miles a day, when coaching was a trade as well as an art, have been improved upon since it became a pastime.

The catching of two double thongs at the same time, with as many whips held one in each hand, is an altogether useless performance, and is suggestive of the practice of legerdemain rather than coaching. Men who drive, or who have driven their own teams, would hardly devote their time to such a purposeless occupation.

The thongs of new tandem whips are always wiry, and it is difficult to make them hold to the stick. The scheme recommended for making them pliable is the following: loan your whip to a persevering beginner and tell him, "Shut yourself up in your room and learn to catch your whip there and in private," as advised by the author of "Down the Road."

If he really is ambitious, and has the necessary application, and particularly if he persists in following his own methods, by the time he has acquired the simple little trick your thong will have become quite supple; but if you are likely to want your whip within a reasonable time, you had better not concede to him the privilege of keeping it until he has attained to proficiency, as you may not get it back during his natural life.

Beginners are much given to concerning themselves about the cost and ornamentation of their whips rather than the proper mode of using them. A whip with extravagant mountings in unskilful hands renders its owner ridiculous. The most important quality of any whip is its feeling or balance, which is utterly sacrificed to the silversmith when he is allowed to affix to its butt a foot of his metal of mediæval style. It is better to buy other examples of his skill, and preserve your whip in its original serviceable form.

The yew is the only whip of which I find mention in old coaching days:—

"For, sure, the coachman hands are few,
That wield in style the polished yew,"

and barring the fault peculiar to it of warping, the yew is a capital stick. Holly is now in almost universal use for whips of English style, and of all whips and sticks is undoubtedly to be preferred. Some thorns are also used, but it is rare to find that sort of stick with the taper and feeling or life of hollies, they being mostly of nearly uniform substance from butt-end to point.

Since the publication of the coaching book, entitled "Down the Road," in which is an illustration of the dog-legged four-horse whip presented to the author by the professional coachman, Tom Hennessy, no dragsman's or tandem driver's collection of whips is considered complete without at least one whip with a single crook in the stick.

Driving aprons are important in the equipment of a tandem, and should be in keeping with its character. Bedford cords, box cloths, and other materials of drab color are most durable, and for sporting traps, most effective in appearance, and their care involves comparatively little expenditure of time and labor.

Aprons of plain dark colors furnish an agreeable contrast to the driver's top-coat and the servant's livery greatcoat when those garments are of drab; but the work of keeping them clean is slavish, and continual, and they quickly fade and lose their freshness, on account of which objections to them, drab ones, being free from the faults named, are preferred.

A turnout, with a simple apron for the front seat, and none for the shivering groom on the hind seat, has an unfinished look, suggestive of insufficient means or want of thoughtfulness for the comfort of the servant.

Devotees of the art of tandem driving, who have not enjoyed the treat of a perusal of that charming book entitled "Frank Fairleigh," by Mr. Smedley, may be entertained by the author's description of the turnout of the Honorable George Lawless, as follows:—

"Perched high in mid-air, upon some mysterious species of dog-cart, bearing a striking resemblance to the box to a mail-coach, which had contrived by some private theory of development of its own, to dispense with its body, while it had enlarged its wheels to an almost incredible circumference; perched on top of this remarkable machine, and enveloped in a white greatcoat undermined in every direction by strange and unexpected pockets, was none other than the Hon. George Lawless.

"The turnout was drawn by a pair of thoroughbreds, driven tandem, which were now, their irascible tempers being disturbed by delay, relieving their feelings by executing a kind of hornpipe upon their hind legs."

The top-coat recognized as the standard for driving at the present day is called a "driving-cape," doubtless from its resemblance in the matter of amplitude of skirts to a sleeved cape; and when properly constructed as to its lines, balance, and the position of its pockets is a very "down-the-road" looking garment—a refinement of the "Upper-Benjamin" of stage-coach days. Made of stout cloth of drab color, not white; furnished with a velvet collar which hangs off from the neck to allow room inside it for a coaching muffler with a bit of spot; the leather-lined pockets, with flaps of liberal size, placed low in the skirts for convenience of access; the outward seams strapped and stoutly sewn, and lined with an effective plaid of woollen, when hung at proper balance on the shoulders, which sustain its whole weight, and whence, in a downward direction, its circumference increases until, at the bottom of the skirts, which reach the knees, it stands out from the wearer all around as if hooped inside, it is very comfortable and of workmanlike appearance whether worn or laid down on the box-cushion of a coach or tandem cart.

Having described the properly appointed tandem, we will suppose it has been brought round to the door by the groom, who, having got down and hung the reins on the wheeler's off-side terret, or looped them through the corner of the dasher, takes his place at the wheeler's head, where he remains until his master picks up the ribbons, when he goes to the head of the leader. Inserting the middle finger of the right hand between the wheeler's reins, and the forefinger between the leader's, always keeping the near-side rein of each on top, you have the near lead-rein over the forefinger, the off lead and near wheel reins in the order mentioned between the fore and middle fingers, and the off wheel-rein between the middle and second fingers. Having assorted and placed the reins as directed, and adjusted them as to length, still holding them together with the whip in your right hand, laying hold of the seat rail, with your left you climb into the cart, and transferring your reins, without change of their relations, to the corresponding fingers of the left hand, you drop into your seat.

Some carts, from their peculiar construction and arrangement of seat, rail, and steps, not being adapted to the pulling yourself up by the rail with the left hand alone, as on a coach, it may be necessary to take hold of the rail or the corner of the dasher with the right, when care should be taken not to disturb the wheeler with the whip, which, with the reins, you have in that hand.

Your passenger should have gotten up in the box-seat at the same time as, or after, the driver, but not before.

Having satisfied yourself that everything is shipshape, gently feeling the horses' mouths by their reins,—those of the leader, who should not be in the collar at the start, should be a little less slack than his traces,—you start your horses by an "all right," or a "let 'em go," or a double click, or by some other signal, but in no event using the improper "pull up" in vogue, of meaning directly opposed to your purpose.

Having seen the leader started, the servant, not moving from his position, salutes his master as the tandem passes, and when the tail of the cart reaches him he climbs up, taking his place in the middle of the hind seat and sitting quite erect with folded arms, instead of slouching about "all over the shop." A servant should have pride enough to do his part in maintaining the character of the turnout which he renders ridiculous when sprawling in his seat and gaping about as though waiting to recognize passing acquaintances. He should look intently into space, and affect to see nothing. A tandem is dependent very much for its effect upon the groom, who should be "all alive," and when he feels the pace slackening, should concern himself as to the purpose, and, getting to the ground quickly, find his way to the leader's head by the time the team is pulled up.

A dapper, trim-built groom, of light weight and medium height, is most in keeping with the character of a tandem, for which a very tall or a very stout servant is unsuited.

When no passenger occupies it, the groom's place is in the box-seat by the side of his master, the tailboard of the cart being shut up. Lord Tomnoddy's—

"Tiger Tim,
Was clean of limb,
His boots were polished, his jacket was trim!
With a very smart tie in his smart cravat,
And a smart cockade on the top of his hat;
Tallest of boys, or shortest of men,
He stood in his stockings just four feet ten!"

The equipage of the Honorable George Lawless, whose cart and top-coat I have already described, and whose taste in all matters appertaining to the appointment of a tandem was unquestioned, "was completed by a tiger so small, that, beyond a vague sensation of top-boots, and a livery hat, one's senses failed to realize him."

Rules for driving that have been made by the proper authorities should be carefully observed. Occasion may arise when it is necessary to take liberties with prescribed forms. In tandem driving, which should be done with one hand as much as possible, there is one rule, the observance of which is essential to safety, and that is never to lose your horses' mouths by getting your hands so close up to your chest that you have no space to spare for pulling up. You may see some drivers with their hands nearly up to their chins and looking supremely happy in their ignorance of the risk they incur. The proper position of the left or rein hand is a few inches forward of the body, with the elbow adown the side and close to but not pressing against it. Nothing is more awkward than the elbows at an angle showing daylight between them and the body.

The draught on the reins from the elbows to the horses' mouths should be as nearly as possible on a straight line.

I would strongly advise beginners to avail themselves of the instructions of any recognized professional dragsman of whatever pretensions. If you find one incompetent to teach you, you are confirmed in your own skill, which is worth all you have paid for the information. It would be strange if any man who had practised the calling for any considerable length of time had not picked up some wrinkles or dodges worth knowing that had escaped the learner hitherto. An accomplished instructor having been found, pupils should take a full course of lessons, as, however apt scholars, they will hardly have absorbed in a limited number all the knowledge acquired by one who has devoted a lifetime to the pursuit. Nearly all beginners are too anxious to exhibit their self-reliance, and declare too early their independence of the mentor.

Acquire the correct methods, or aim to do so, of doing all things connected with tandem driving, and be satisfied with nothing else; there can be no compromise with what is called "form," a word, it may be remarked, so significant as to admit of no qualifications; a thing is "form" or is not "form," and the terms "good" and "bad" prefixed to it are as superfluous as if applied to perfection (compare p. 314). And when adopting the customs peculiar to another country, one should make sure he can reach an accepted standard before attempting to improve upon it or surpass it. Ambitious parties who always aim to exceed recognized standards, essay to drive a tandem of three or four horses, which they style "trandom" and "random"—a straining after effect in name as well as performance. As any number of single horses, not less than two, harnessed in a single line, are properly described as a tandem, such aspirants for fame, having a name provided for their turnout, may be concerned solely lest they find themselves with too many horses and too few hands for driving them. In my lexicons of coaching and driving, no application of either "trandom" or "random" is found, and, unless the parties have a dictionary of their own, I do not believe there is any authority for such use of the words. A tandem of two horses, of which the leader turns round and faces the cart, may be said to be driven at random.

I wish, in closing, to express my obligation and acknowledgment to Mr. Burton Mansfield, the accepted authority in this country for many years upon tandems and tandem driving, for the valuable assistance he has given me in preparing this article.