“Yes.”
“Mony’s the toime.”
“And could you walk straight ahead?”
“Divil the straight. I wint around in a big circle all the toime, an’ jist when I thought I wur coming out all right, what would I do but fetch up slap jist where I started from.”
“Exactly,” said Frank. “And don’t you know the reason?”
“Divil the wan do I knaw.”
“Well, sir,” said the genius, “it is because one leg is always weaker than the other with everybody, and if you shut your eyes so that you can’t see where you’re going you’ll travel right or left according to which leg is weaker, for the strong one is sure to swing around towards it in consequence of taking a longer and stronger step. Now, I have divided my power so that I can put it on one side, and therefore by pulling a little harder on the left rein than on the other I go to the right, thus having to steer reversedly.”
“I see,” said Barney; “an’ ye got that nate idea from yer own legs?”
“Exactly,” said Frank. “Now, just take a peep at my wagon.”
The vehicle was a very solidly constructed affair, much heavier than a live horse would have cared to travel before, but the limbs of the Steam Horse were powerful and tireless.