Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-07

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and the wind beat savagely upon Us
and the prospect on either side is
dreary enough. Now, steadily down
the shedding ground with a tight rein
and q careful lookout for loose stones;
for this is a deep descent, and one false
step pay take twenty pounds off the
little mares value. The banks are
high, at all events, so there is some
shelter, and down at the bottom there
are trees on either hand.
1t was pitch dark in this hollow, but
l let the a out at the bottom of the
hill and gave her her head. Suddenly,
with a loud snort, she swerved Violent
~, ran the wheel of the trap on to a
heap of wayside stones, put there to
mend the road; and in q second we
were over.
L went out, of course, and the driving
box, the saddle and a debris of miscel-
laneous articles after me. I landed
partly on my shoulder, partly on my
head, and was up again in a moment,
although a bit dazed. The moment 1
gained my feet 1 was seized by the
collar, and a harsh voice exclaimed
not to me, but to some one else:
"Hold his head down-hold his head
down."
A dusky form sprang to the mares
head and kept her from attempting to
rise. A third form knelt on the trap.
"By jove!' exclaimed this lastfellow,
in an aggry tone, ''we'ye got the wrong
''What?" said he who had hold Of
my, collar. "Do you mean to sayit
With a volley of oaths the other re-
piled in the negative. The man who
had hold of me released me and Joined
the other. They whispered together for
a few seconds. Then the first one came
back to me and said, with a fine pre-
tense Of Indifference:
"Nasty accident, sir! But it might
have been worse. It's lucky we were
at hand to help you"
81 don't know about that" Ireplied,
with no small acrimony, sfor my horse
SHE'D at one of you. She never did tin
her life before. You'll oblige me by
helping to get her out"
In a twinkling we had the harness
undone, and the mare, with a founder
and a s%tagger, was on her feet, and
shook herself in a disguised fashion.
The men said nothing but obeyed
my directions. Luckily, nothing was
broken. The mare had rubbed a little
hair off her, as we'll as I could tell, but
her knees were all right. In seven or
eight minutes from the time we went
over, so quickly did it all happen, I was
in my seat again, ready to start. I,
NV oceoi1antc 0r occ;ok,~%, xra.sol
ever they were, made no opposition,
and seemed only anxious to get rid of
me; they dispatched me without a
word, and l went a mile on my road
before 1 fully realized what had hap
pened. As is always the case in an
accident, 1 could only recall what took
place Immediately before and imme-
diately after, and for that very reason
the words uttered by the men were
more wildly impressed on my memory.
What did they mean?
1t flashed into my mind like a revela-
ton. They had been misled by the
shape of my trap; which, as 1 have
said, was square behind, and looked
like a mail-cart, while the darkness
was too great in their place of ,ambus.
cade for them to see the color. The
time of my arrival was about that Of
the mail, had not Jack Plover been
obliged to turn back; and the careful
pace at which I had come down the
hill accorded very well with the steady
movement of Jacks nag.
And the voice? I had heard it some
where lately-the man in the Angel
bar, who asked, too, the time when the
mail left. There was no doubt of the
mems purpose
How to prevent itP How to warn
Jack in time? There was no road back
but the one by which I had come, I'M
less I made a detour of several miles.
Neither was there a house near whence
to get assistance. I pulled up and
thought it out. A bruise on my right
arm Suggested something. Ihad fallen
on my left side, and this bruise was
caused by the saddle tumbling after me.
I made up my mind at once.
Turning in through the, first gate 1
came to, l drove owe the turf to a cor
ner of the field where was a group of
trees. Here I took the mare out; put
the trap under the elms and turned the
cushions; took off all the harness but
the bride, and saddled her. Luckily
the bride had no blinkers. Iwound the
long reins round and round my arm,
mounted, and, thanking Providence for
my knowledge of the country, rode at
the nearest fence. There was a faint
moonlight to help us, but it was terri
bly, dark. My heart was in my mouth
as we went at the fence, which was a
big outstanding one, but I knew there
was no ditch on the taking-off side,
and I gave the little mare the word at
the right moment. She jumped clean
from under me, and landed me on the
crupper. 1 never shall forget that leap!
If there had been any n to see it 1
could have sold her almost for her
weight in gold. -,
We were half way across the next
field before l had regained my seat
properly, and then the mad exhilara-
ton of the thing took possession of both
of us. There wa a fight of hurdles next
which we took in our stride. Then q
bank and a close-cropped hedge that
stood up, black as Erebus, against the
gray of the night; which we jumped as
though it were twice it's height. Then
q flock of frightened sheep went scurry-