THE WAY THAT AMERICANS GO DOWN HILL. ait 
full of life, settled back upon the traces a dead weight, 
dragging the poor animals in one confused heap down- 
wards, until, shaking violently on its springs, it stood 
still. 
‘A pretty severe tug,” said one of the insiders to 
the driver, as he stretched himself, with a yawn. 
“Well, I rather think it was,” said Jehu, with a 
smile of ineffable disdain. ‘‘ I’ve driv on this road 

fifteen years, but I never was so near as to-night. 
If I was on t’other side of ‘ Ball Mountain,’ and my 
wife on this (only three days married, recollect), I would 
not drive that stage down ‘ Ball Mountain,’ as I have 
to-night, to keep her from running away with a darkey.”’ 
“ Why, you don’t think there was any real danger, 
do you?” inquired another ‘ insider,’ thrusting his 
head into the cold air. 
‘“‘T calculate I do,” said the driver contemptuously. 
“Tf the off fore-leader, when I reached the ‘ devil’s 
rut,’”’ he continned, “had fallen, as he intended, your 
body would now be as flat as either back-seat cushion 
in that stage.” 
“Lord, bless us, is it possible!” sighed another 
‘insider ;’ “ but it is all very well we have escaped, and 
we must run a little risk rather than be delayed in our 
journey.” 
Appreciating more than my fellow-travellers, the 
terrible ordeal through which we had just passed, I 
have often in my dreams fancied myself on a stage- 
