culties mastered, no gentle surprises, no 

 long, smooth, broad, and level stretches 

 with plenty of room to pull a rein and 

 see what would happen. I had to 

 spring into the situation with know- 

 ledge, as Minerva did into life, full 

 grown. It was no kindergarten way of 

 learning to drive four-in-hand. 



I grabbed the reins in both hands. 

 There were yards of them, rods of them, 

 miles of them they belonged to a six 

 or sixteen horse set. I do not know 

 which. I sat on them. They writhed 

 in my lap, wrapped around my feet, and 

 around the gun against my knee, in a 

 hopeless and dangerous muddle. Of 

 course the reins were twisted. I did 

 not know one from the other. I gave 

 a desperate jerk which sent the leaders 

 plunging to the right, where fortunately 

 they brought up against the rock wall. 



