se ever mastered the intricacies of the automatic halter
release? It was Silver, too, that picked from the Captain's hip-pocket a
neatly folded paper and chewed the same with malicious enthusiasm. The
folded paper happened to be the Company's annual report, in the writing
of which the Captain had spent many weary hours.

Other things besides mischief however, had Silver learned. Chief of
these was to start with the jigger. Sleeping or waking, lying or
standing, the summons that stirred the men from snoring ease to tense,
rapid action, never failed to find Silver alert. As the halter shank
slipped through the bit-ring that same instant found Silver gathered
for the rush through the long narrow lane leading from his open stall to
the poles, above which, like great couchant spiders, waited the
harnesses pendant on the hanger-rods. It was unwise to be in Silver's
way when that little brazen voice was summoning him to duty. More than
one man of Gray Horse Truck found that out.

Once under the harness Silver was like a carved statue until the
trip-strap had been pulled, the collar fastened and the reins snapped
in. Then he wanted to poke the poles through the doors, so eager was he
to be off. It was no fault of Silver's that his team could not make a
two-second hitch.

With the first strain at the traces his impatience died out. A
sixty-foot truck starts with more or less reluctance. Besides, Silver
knew that before anything like speed could be made it was necessary
either to mount the grade to Broadway or to ease the machine down to
Greenwich Street. It was traces or backing-straps for all that was in
you, and at the end a sharp turn which never could have been made had
not the tiller-man done his part with the rear wheels.

But when once the tires caught the car-tracks Silver knew what to
expect. At the turn he and his team mates could feel Lannigan gathering
in the reins as though for a full stop. Next came the whistle of the
whip. It swept across their flanks so quickly that it was practically
one stroke for them all. At the same moment Lannigan leaned far forward
and shot out his driving arm. The reins went loose, their heads went
forward and, as if moving on a pivot, the three leaped as one horse.
Again the reins tightened for a second, again they were loosened. When
the bits were pulled back up came three heads, up came three pairs of
shoulders and up came three pairs of forelegs; for at the other end of
the lines,