136 Sallie Russell 



the' poor creature. Too inebriated to rise, he lay in 

 a heavy stupor, while the darkness of night, combined 

 with the thick poisonous vapors of the marsh, drew 

 a pitying curtain over the unhappy scene. 



Sallie's thin body had been covered with perspira- 

 tion when her mate fell to the ground. The damp 

 chill of the coming night now caused her to tremble 

 with cold. The weight of the harness held down 

 by the fallen animal made every moment an agony ; 

 and yet something seemed to tell her that if she once 

 yielded to the temptation to lie down she would 

 never arise. Then came the pangs cf thirst and 

 hunger; and so the weary and starless night wore 

 away. Toward morning the driver awoke from his 

 drunken stupor. He had been lying upon the wet 

 ground, and had sunk into the miry soil until a small 

 pool of slimy water had collected around him. The 

 germs of fever had made swift progress in his system, 

 and he awoke not to consciousness but to delirium. 

 And then what ravings ! He cursed his horses, each 

 time jarring Sallie's tender nerves and increasing the 

 trembling which the cold had first caused. All the 

 rest of the night he groaned and raved ; and when 



