The Indianapolis journal., 1899-12-10

them, and Sir Gaspard had them well in
hand. But as the descent became sleeper
the pace became faster and faster. till at
length / ventured to ask the baronet if
anything was wrong.
"I think something must be wrong with
the brake,'' he muttered between his teeth,
can't make it bite"
Tnen, from the sudden jump they gave,
1t seemed to me that something had
startled the horses. At any rate away they
went down the hill at terrific speed, quite
beyond control.
II must send the devils along" shouted
the baronet to me, land ease them down
going up the other side. It's our only
chance. You had better slip off behind
while you can
The advice was good, and I proceeded to
profit by it. Clambering over the low back
of the seat perched myself on the back
seat of the dogcart, which was now swaying
as If every moment it would overturn.
1 was in the act Of feeling for the step
with my foot when a sensation Of cold
clammy cold-came over me, exactly as
though we had driven into thick fog. 1
looked round, and TO my amazement saw
that another man was sitting beside Sir
Gaspard, in the seat had just left. / was
duly wondering whether he had come to
help the baronet to pull in the runaway
horses, when noticed that the thick over
coat he wore was soaking wet.
Ny God what cryl 1t came from Sir
Gaspard. Till that moment, believe my
companions attention had been so riveted
upon his horses, that he did not know that
someone was by his side. i looked at him.
His round fleshy face was flabby and white
as chalk. He sat huddled up together in
corner of the seat, shrinking with deadly
terror. In another moment /, too, had
seen it--had seen the dead face Of Jermyn
Hawke.
There is no comparison between the fear
of man, of wild beast, of fire, or water, or
anything natural, and the fear that now
froze the very blood in my arteries. I
knew that / could neither speak nor move
it was as if, all unprepared, 1 had en-
tered in behind the veil. L could only sit
and gaze and tremble.
1 cannot remember any expression in the
face except that it was like the face of
a man who had been drowned-white and
sodden through being long in the water.
The horses were now going like mad
things. And then L saw the stranger put out
his hand and lay hold of the reins. drawing
them TO the left, and thus heading the
horses to the low wall which now formed
the>barrier between the road and the river.
Even then could not move. 1 was simply
like a man paralyzed.
There was few seconds of sickening
suspense-then a bound and a crash The
| heavy carriage had been lifted clean over
the low wall, and had plunged into the
river eight feet below. I was thrown out
bodily, and fell against the wall.
The screaming and plunging OF the horses
did not last long, f0r the current soon
swept carriage and horses far away. Half
stunned by my fall l staggered TO my feet
and peered over the wall through the dark
ness. And there in the gloom, beneath my
feet, l saw a small, thin form crouching
the steep-sloping, Shiny bank of the
stream, bending over the inky black water,
and holding something down-something
that moved!
When next L opened my eyes there was
nothing to be seen but the water rushing
furiously on between the piers of the
| bridge and the black sky above me- But
for the sound of the moving water there
was silence.