The sound of horses trotting up to the imaginary road outside the
imaginary house of stage-land is easily produced. The man whose business
it is to produce this sound has a couple of wooden blocks, each fitted
with a short band of webbing, into which he slips his hands. The blocks
are knocked on a board placed on the floor of the stage, and when the
horses are supposed to be very near the scene the board is discarded and
the wooden blocks are knocked on a slab of slate or marble.
Some men prefer to use cocoanut shells instead of the blocks of wood;
the shells, which must be cut or ground flat, give a better ring to the
sound. The illustration will show how the blocks or shells are handled.