304 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



Scrambling out of the cart, I did my best to get her 

 out of her uncomfortable scrape. I could not get at all 

 the buckles to release her, and had to cut some of the 

 harness ; but at length her struggles, and my tuggings 

 and pullings, got her out of the hole, and she walked to 

 the side of the road unhurt, I was glad to see, and began 

 to nibble such leaves and herbage as she could get at, 

 quite indifferent to my predicament and the efforts I was 

 making to get the cart up. In vain I unloaded it of all 

 my effects and strove with all my might : it was firmly 

 wedged in between the logs, and I could not stir it an 

 inch. 



I was in despair. It would take me quite two hours 

 to walk back to the hamlet ; and though the forest was 

 so solitary that I supposed there was not a human being 

 nearer than eight miles away, I did not like to leave the 

 horse and my goods, especially as it would probably be 

 dark before I could get back; for I had wasted three 

 hours in trying to move the cart. 



While I was pondering on what would be my wisest 

 course, I heard voices approaching, roaring out a song of 

 anything but delicate sentiment, and presently three very 

 scabby-looking scamps came up. Of course they were 

 armed with the inevitable six-shooter, which takes the 

 place of the walking-stick in this country ; and I marvelled 

 how much, for brightness and size, two of these weapons 

 resembled those of the redoubtable Cornelius K. Shadley, 

 whilom major in the United States army. These men, 

 however, though undoubtedly tramps, were better dressed 

 than the major, and appeared better fed. As they came up, 

 one of them exclaimed, " What the have we here ? " 



I explained what had happened and begged their 

 help in getting the cart out of the hole. They laughed, 

 and were in no hurry to help me ; and one of them 

 facetiously offered me a thousand dollars for the mare, 

 saying that he had been looking for a bit of blood for 

 breeding purposes for a long time. This bit of pleasantry 



