But you may
fire at any suspicious body or thing, after due challenge, if the answer
is not satisfactory. That's the rule of the road.'
"After that I began to peer about in the gloom, rather anxiously trying
to see if I could discover any suspicious body or thing, but I could
make out nothing on account of the gloom, made more complete by the
surrounding trees. Besides, we were going down hill very fast; we were,
in fact, descending the steep bank of the first creek; then there was a
bit of level in the wooded valley, then another stream, the South Fork
it was called, then another steep climb, and we would once more be on
the high and open prairie.
"'Now, then, hold on tight!' said my brother-in-law, as he clutched the
reins in both hands, braced his feet against the dashboard, and leaned
far back in his seat. The horses seemed literally to disappear beneath
our feet; the wagon went down head foremost with a lunge, there was a
sudden jerk and great splashing and snorting, followed by a complete
cessation of noise from the wheels, and a gentle swaying to and fro of
the wagon. We were crossing the ford with the water breast high on the
horses.
"'I'm always glad when that ford is behind me,' said Louis to me, when
we were again driving on quietly through the valley.
"'Why?' said I; 'for there's another ford in front of us still.'
"'Oh, the South Fork is nothing, but the Big Sugar is treacherous.
Pages:
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349