284 I GO A -FISHING. 



" To ride close behind them was worse than useless in 

 such a case. It would but serve to increase their speed; 

 so I fell back a dozen rods and followed, watching the 

 end. 



" At the foot of the mountain the river ran, broad and 

 deep, spanned by the bridge at the narrowest point. To 

 reach the bridge, the road took a short turn up stream, 

 directly on the bank. 



" On swept the gray and the black horse, side by side, 

 down the hill-side, not fifty leaps along the level ground, 

 and then came the turn. 



" She was on the off-side. At the sharp turn she 

 pressed ahead a half-length and reined her horse across 

 the gray's shoulder, if possible to turn him up toward 

 the bridge. 



" It was all over in an instant. The gray was the 

 heavier horse. He pressed her close; the black horse 

 yielded, gave way toward the fence, stumbled, and the 

 fence, a light rail, broke with a crash, and they went over, 

 all together into the deep black stream. 



" Still, still the sound of that crash and plunge is in 

 my ears. Still I can see them go headlong down that 

 bank together into the black water ! 



" I never knew exactly what I did then. When I was 

 conscious I found myself swimming around in a circle, 

 diving occasionally to find them, but in vain. The gray 

 horse swam ashore and stood on the bank by my black, 

 with distended nostrils and trembling limbs, shaking from 

 head to foot with terror. The other black horse was 

 floating down the surface of the stream, drowned. His 

 mistress was nowhere visible, and Tom was gone also. 

 " I found her at last. 

 " Yes, she was dead ! 



