96   DRIVING FOR PLEASURE.

wheelers, and "they are off." The guard immediately takes his place, and in a town or city remains standing, sounding his horn as he sees the necessity for it. Once out of town, the guard may take his seat, standing, however, when it is necessary to sound the horn. On quiet country roads one may sometimes drive for miles without needing the horn except to sound the relay.

Arriving at the change, we find the team ready, as in Plate XII, and pull up some feet beyond it. One of the grooms holds the fresh horses while the other jumps to unhook the off lead trace ; he on one side and the guard on the other quickly unhook the lead traces, tuck the reins (which were unbuckled before arriving) through the terrets and bridle, and pull the leaders out of the way. They then unhook the pole chains, leaving the hook in the kidney link ring until they have unfastened the traces, tucked the wheel reins, unfastened the couplings, whereupon they pull the wheelers out of the way. A groom then takes the fresh near wheeler, the guard the off, and slips each into his place, putting them to as quickly as possible (described in Chapter VIII). Meanwhile the other groom has put the leaders in place and, if they are sufficiently quiet, has passed the lead reins and hooked the near lead trace ; the first groom then hooks both inside and off lead traces.