THE SAGUENAY. 177 



portune fares ; intelligible words are wanting to express their 

 inducements and demands. But, blocking up the pier with 

 a jam of mute appeals as practically effective as a Broadway 

 blockade, they have no difficulty in securing a load. Then 

 the Frenchman finds ready use for his native politeness, 

 which he exercises in holding the horse while the ladies 

 tumble over the thills and dashboard into the vehicle. They 

 haven't an instant to contemplate the novelty of the situa- 

 tion, or calculate the strength of the caleche or the chances 

 of the road ; nay, not even to give a little preliminary shriek 

 of apprehension ; for, quick as a monkey, the driver has 

 sprung to his seat on the edge of the dashboard, and is off 

 ■ like a shot, with the pony's tail in his lap ! He hasn't time 

 even to gather up the reins or set his feet squarely upon the 

 whififle-tree bar — "which the same" is important. You have 

 seen an old-fashioned country chaise go over a " thank-you- 

 ma'am"? A " thank-you-ma'am " is a little ridge made 

 across the road to turn off the rain-fall. Well, the springs 

 of the caleche are stiff, and the uniformity of the Ha Ha 

 road is interrupted by occasional stones, ridges, and little 

 gullies. At the first start the caleche strikes a stone ; in a 

 jiffy the right wheel dips into a rut ; then the left jumps a 

 hummock ; then both together surge into a puddle. Never- 

 theless the speed increases, the jolts multiply, and the mud 

 flies. The driver is used to it, and raises himself at each jerk 

 on his wire-spring legs like a circus-rider. But imagine the 

 effect behind ! At the very start the ladies are jerked out of 

 their seats like skipjacks ; the next instant they are all in a 

 heap on the bottom, and helpless. Faster goes the nag! Dex- 

 ter could hardly beat such time. It is useless for the ladies 

 to shriek — the driver wouldn't believe there was anything 

 serious the matter until he saw them spilled out and man- 

 gled. He only turns and laughs simply. It is rather an en- 

 couraging smile he wears, as if he thought they were merely 

 having a little fun of their own, and he actually mistakes 

 their hysterics for downright jollity ! On they go, passing all 

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