THE WAV THAI AMERICANS GO DOWN HILL. 305 



iu the climatf ni mu favored country, we unexpectedly 

 found ourselves travelling over a road that. was covered 

 with a frozen sleet, for cold as the season was, there was 

 no snow ; the horses' shoes consequently had no corks on 

 them worth noticing, and the iron-bound wheels, on this 

 change in the surface of the earth, seemed to have so 

 little hold upon the road that we almost expected they 

 would make an effort to leave it, and break our nocks as 

 a reward for their aspirations. On we went, however, 

 and as night came on, the darkness enveloped us in a 

 kind of cloud, — the ice-glazed surface of the ground re- 

 flecting upwards a dull, mysterious light. 



Our whereabouts never troubled us ; all places be- 

 tween the one we were anxious to reach, and where we 

 were, made no impression upon us ; and perhaps we 

 would never have known a single particular place, but 

 for the incident about to be detailed. 



I think that all my companions, as well as myself, 

 were asleep, when I was awaked by that peculiar sawing 

 motion which a stage body makes upon its springs when 

 suddenly stopped. 



"What's the matter now : was the general excla- 

 mation of the "insides" to the driver; who was dis- 

 covered through the glass window on the ground, beat- 

 iwr his arms around his body with a vehemence that 

 almost raised him into the air. 



" Matter ! " he exclaimed, sticking his nose above 

 a woollen blanket that was tied around his face, which 



