WINTER AS IT WAS 191 



ute, more or less, with nothing between its 

 occupants and sudden death except the 

 strength and skill of the amateur steersman, 

 who must keep his own seat and steer the 

 heavy load behind him. So it is. A man 

 goes into battle with a cheer, but turns pale 

 at finding himself number thirteen at the 

 dinner-table. 



Sliding down-hill was such sport as no 

 language can begin to describe ; but skating 

 was unspeakably better. Those first skates ! 

 I wish I had them still, though I would 

 show them with caution, lest the irreverent 

 should laugh. They would be a spectacle. 

 How voluminously the irons curled up in 

 front ! And how gracefully as well ! A 

 piece of true artistry. And how comforta- 

 bly they were cut off short behind, so that 

 you could stop " in short metre," no matter 

 what speed you had on, by digging your 

 heels into the ice. And what a complicated 

 harness of straps was required to keep them 

 in place. Those straps had much to answer 

 for in the way of cold feet, to say nothing of 

 the passion we were thrown into when one 

 of them broke ; and we a mile or two from 



