VI ANOTHER RUNAWAY SMASH 71 
savagely sent him flying as far as I could into the 
darkness. 
I was in such a fever of heat that rest was impos- 
sible, so I sat on the doorstep for the remainder of the 
time, waiting for the first streaks of daylight to appear, 
which seemed hours in coming. Then a horseman rode 
up, hung up his bridle, and walked unceremoniously 
into the ''best parlour," and I had to make myself 
scarce. What odd types of humanity you come across 
here — all sorts and conditions of men. It was a delight 
to hear the sound of an educated voice again in this 
rough mining district, for he turned out to be an old 
brother-officer of yours in the 43rd, who was on his 
way to a station 'not far from the Croyden gold-fields. 
He had many a long, weary mile to ride before he 
reached that delightful place of abode. 
At five next morning when we started from Watson- 
ville the horses were fresh from their day's rest, and the 
leader would try to turn round and look at us. When 
our driver, another Joe, persuaded him gently with the 
whip he started kicking and got one leg over the trace, 
which set him off. Up went his heels ; the two 
wheelers resented this, and in less than no time we had 
a nice smash-up. Joe was as cool as a cucumber, and, 
as the boys would say, " never turned a hair." I was 
so intent on watching the horses that I had forgotten 
all about Mrs. S., and turning round I saw her portly 
figure in the distance surve3ring us. How she slipped 
out I don't know, as on other occasions she required the 
help generally of two people. I jumped out over the 
wheel and landed in the dust on my knees ; several 
men ran up from the hotel and helped to get the horses 
out, but the harness was broken, the pole smashed, and 
it was impossible to go on until it was mended. Here 
was another delay. 
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