188 ACCIDENT. 



what might be anticipated at the termina- 

 tion of her frolic, I stuck fast. Now, it 

 was full three miles through the forest 

 to my father's house, and I faintly hoped 

 she would become exhausted before reach- 

 the village ; but, as it happened, there 

 were some men repairing a gulley, that 

 conveyed the water under the road, just 

 by the nine milestone. They had made 

 an excavation not quite the width of the 

 road, leaving, indeed, a way on each side. 

 It was fruitless to pull her either to the 

 right or left. On she went at the top 

 of her speed I shouting to the men when 

 coming to the pit and not being able 

 to cover it, she jumped right in. The 

 mare kept her legs, and I kept my seat; 

 but, in jumping out of the pit, her head 

 came in fearful collision with mine, and 

 the concussion almost took away my senses. 

 The excavators came to my assistance and 

 held the mare till I had somewhat recovered 

 myself; when, finding she was too much 



