690 TRAVEL IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. [1879, 



for a day. (Good souls the Cowles!) But when we 

 had got on six miles, met a wagon from Marion, the 

 men in which proposed an exchange, which we (for 

 the Cowles's sake) gladly consented to. Were to cross 

 the Iron Mountain that day, if time held out (which it 

 did), and stop at a McCarthy's at the foot, twelve 

 miles from Marion. Reaching the place just at dusk, 

 the driver insisted that this nice house was not the 

 place, but a mile or two farther on. So we tired 

 people drove on by moonlight, three miles further, to 

 find he was mistaken, and no lodgings to be had, ex- 

 cept possibly a mile further. Came to a house, 

 routed a man and wife out of bed, found a great fire 

 still on the hearth, no decent chance to sleep. Con- 

 cluded the only way then was to push on the eight 

 miles more, so as to get the train the next morning at 

 6.35. Got with difficulty a little corn for the horses, 

 brought out Mrs. Gray's tea-kettle, made tea, ate the 

 remains of our dinner, and thus refreshed, jogged on; 

 reached Marion at one A. M., slept till half past five, 

 rose, took train at 6.50. And Mrs. Gray still lives ! 

 Were waiting hungrily for our breakfast at Wyeth- 

 ville, when, three miles from it, a slight double thud, 

 a down-brake signal, the last breath of the engine, a 

 stop. To our vast surprise, on looking out, engine, 

 and three cars, and first section of high bridge were 

 missing, and were debris in the abyss. No such acci- 

 dent could have been managed with less shock to the 

 nerves. And as to the result, had it been after break- 

 fast and passengers smoking in the second-class car, 

 there would have been a greater fatality (glad to say, 

 I don't smoke). . . . 



There were weak ladies and hungry and sick chil- 

 dren on board. I clambered down the embankment 



