THE DAILY LIFE OF OUH FARM. 43 



I must go out for a stroll, to clear my brain and cheer 

 thought. 



Curious is it that I may not yet forget the river, for 

 up comes the bailiff with an "If you please, sir, I didn't 

 like to disturb you ; but it's all right." " Why, now 

 what's all right ?" And I have recorded with becoming 

 gi-avity an accident that befell my pet colts last evening 

 — the darkling thorough-bred Welsh Galloways, too, 

 that are to make my fortune. It was an accident 

 that might have been serious. Having been sent from 

 one farni to another for change, they became too jubi- 

 lant, and when driven to water, not appreciating the 

 different aspect of the current from what they had 

 been used to, they plunged out of their depth, and 

 were swept at once into the middle of the swollen and 

 icy flood, to the horror of the lookers-on, one of whom 

 fortunately had presence of mind to run along the 

 bank, keeping them off as they attempted to approach 

 the too precipitous sides, while another galloped a pair 

 of half-bred cart-horses to a ford several hundred yards 

 below. It was terrible, I understand, to see the three 

 being swept along, with hardly their heads above water, 

 and in the fear of each moment being their last. They 

 fortunately drew to the horses at the ford, and so w^ere 

 saved. " Please, sir, you'd never have seen David, or 

 Morton, or Welsh, again." " Why, what's the matter?" 

 " Oh ! if the fillies had been drowned, they had made 

 their minds up to be off over the mountain." " Well, 

 as they weren't drowned, and I want to think, just go 

 and wet your whistle in the servants' hall, and then 

 meet me on the meadow there. But first, have they 

 taken cold?" "Oh! no, sir; they dried and clothed 

 them before they came to me." "Lucky for me," I 



