Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-04-13
DRIVER AND DROSKY.
RESERVATIONS OF RIDING IN ST. Pc
TERSBURG,S FAVORITE VEHICLE.

FASClNATtONS OF RIDING I'm 81. re-
TERSBURG'S FAVORITE VEHICLE.
whir1ing Round a Street Corner Like
Mad-The Ishvoshtnik and His Horse.
Sleeping Between Drives-Peculiar ~
ness-The Right of Way.
The drosky is an institution that ought to
be introduced into the states. There is one
in Washington, owned and used by Mr.. Alex.
Greger, the secretary of the Russian legation,
and it is great curiosity; but they would be
very useful and popular in all our cities, par
ticularly if they could be drawn by Russian
horses. There is as much fascination in rid
ing in a drosky as in gondola in Venice,
and it is the first thing the traveller wants to
do when he arrives in Petersburg. He will
send his bags by the omnibus, and go to the
hotel in a drosky. 1t is low vehicle, the
floor being scarcely more than foot from
the ground, on four wheels not much larger
than those of a wheelbarrow-a sort of a
miniature victoria. The ishvoshtnik or dri-
yer, sits on high perch far above the heads
of the passengers, who have a low, narrow,
backless seat over the hind wheels. 1t is not
uncomfortable, but the sensation at first is
alarming, particularly when you are whiz-
zing around a corner, for the drivers always
go like mad, and you wish there was some
thing to hold on to. You fasten your hand
on the seat with good grip, and cling to
your fellow passenger, if you have one.
The horse that draws you, and the driver
who holds the reins are both Russian institu-
tions, and you won't find their like elsewhere
One can find poor horses in Russia suppose,
but very few in Petersburg or the other large
cities They are tall, long legged animals,
with slender bodies and limbs, long silken
names and tails, the latter nearly always
reaching to the ground, small heads, small
feet, large, intelligent eyes, and necks arched
like the chargers one sees in pictures of the
Bedouins in the desert. l always thought
that such horses were the creation of the art
lists, but Russia is full of them. The ish-
voshtnik is always proud of his horse, if he
has good one, and treats him much better
than he does his wife Nearly all the time
he is disengaged the ishvoshtnik is either
petting or rubbing his horse, and at inter-
walls he brings out little nose bag from
under the seat, to feed him oats or meal.
Not one in ten of these characters has
home, and not one in ten of these splendid
horses knows the inside of stable. They
live in the harness, in the open air summer
and winter, being always on duty, eating
when opportunity offers, and sleeping in
their droskies between drives. Every hour
or two the driver takes a nose bag full of
oats from under his seat to feed his animals,
and in the streets of the cities convenient az
rangements have been made for the accom-
mediation of this important class of the popu-
lation. Water troughs are erected at inter-
walls, small packages of hay, oats and meal
are sold at the shops along the way side, and
the ishvoshtnik gets his coffee and his meat
at the same places, feeding as he lives, with
his horse Both horses and masters seem
never to tire, both are always on the alert.
The drivers are always cheerful and good
natured, and the horses always ready to
start off like a whirlwind as soon as they get
the word Neither seem to care for the cold
or rain, and the one is about as much an
animal as the other.
The harness of the horse is as light as
leather can be made, none of the straps be-
ing more than half an inch in width, and
most of them are round not larger than a
lead pencil There is no breechen because
there are no grades in Petersburg; the coun-
try is perfectly level. There are no binders
on the bride, for the horse fears nothing; he
will walk up to a locomotive with as much
Indifference as his master. He never SHES,
never gets ratified, never runs away, but is
perfectly obedient to the voice Of his master
There are no traces, as the vehicle is drawn
by the thills, which are made fast to the heavy
collar with high hoop over the horses neck
The collar is a part of the droslzy, not of the
harness. for when the horse is taken away
from the vehicle the collar goes with the
latter.
The hoop over the horses neck, which con-
meets the ends of the thills and looks like an
exaggerated, badly formed horseshoe, is
called the ''duga," and underneath the apex,
on equipages in the country, is fastened a
big bell-sometimes two or three bells
which jangle SO loudly that they may be
heard a half mile away. The purpose of the
bell is to announce the coming of the horse
man, to brighten away the wolves thatinfest
the country roads, and to warn other travel
ers upon narrow and dangerous highways
against collisions The droskies in the cities
were formerly decorated with bells, but they
made such din that the government issued
an edict to abolish them. Now, when the We
hicleis approaching a corner at q high rate of
speed, and it never goes slowly, the driver
announces his coming by a shout-a peculiar,
prolonged tone like the gondoliers use at
Venice. In the winter bells are necessary,
for their sledges are noiseless and the ordi-
nary speed is great
did not see whip during my entire stay
In Petersburg, but the ishvoshtnik keeps up
a continual one sided conversation with his
fleet footed partner, now encouraging him
with tender, earessing epithets; now singing
him with sarcasm and taunts of scorn, and
again hurting at the horse profane explosives.
The effective of the drivers voice is peculiar
and powerful, and an observant rider will be
interested in studying this odd relationship.
Now the stallion, and only stations are used,
sis precious to the soul" of the ishvoshtnik,
OF is his ''tender dove;'' few moments later
he is accused of being something entirely
different, in terms that cannot be printed
here. and the horse seems to understand every
word
When the reins are frightened the horse
goes; when they are relaxed he stops. The
drivers also use queer sound made by roll
ing the tongue, sort of troll-ll-ll-ll-ll-ll
which means business. When the horse
hears that he straightens himself out and
goes for all he is worth. They never go
slowly, but in the most reckless fashion, the
drivers jeering and shouting at each other
as they pass, with good humored banter,
while the pedestrian takes the best care of
himself he can. People seldom cross the
street at walk, unless it is deserted. They
give a look in one direction, then in the
other, and gathering their skirts around
them, run for their lives. Vehicles always
have the right of way, and it is a popular
tradition that the hospitals are established
solely for the treatment of unfortunates who
have been run over.-William Eleroy Curtis
in Chicago News.
! An Awful Scare.