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. 
ETE 
AOOMMMTZ A ZHEOS > 
