ted her patience for the
space of another half-hour, during which period, seeing no bridegroom
arrive, she was exceedingly alarmed; so that all the spectators could
easily perceive her perturbation, which manifested itself in frequent
palpitations, heart-heavings, and alterations of countenance, in spite
of the assistance of a smelling-bottle which she incessantly applied to
her nostrils.

Various were the conjectures of the company on this occasion: some
imagined he had mistaken the place of rendezvous, as he had never been
at church since he first settled in that parish; others believed he
had met with some accident, in consequence of which his attendants had
carried him back to his own house; and a third set, in which the bride
herself was thought to be comprehended, could not help suspecting
that the commodore had changed his mind. But all these suppositions,
ingenious as they were, happened to be wide of the true cause that
detained him, which was no other than this: the commodore and his crew
had, by dint of turning, almost weathered the parson's house that stood
to windward of the church, when the notes of a pack of hounds unluckily
reached the ears of the two hunters which Trunnion and the lieutenant
bestrode. These fleet animals no sooner heard the enlivening sound,
than, eager for the chase, they sprang away all of a sudden, and
strained every nerve to partake of the sport, flew across the fields
with incredible speed, overleaped hedges and ditches, and everything
in their way, without the least regard to their unfortunate riders. The
lieutenant, whose steed had got the heels of the other, finding it would
be great folly and presumption in him to pretend to keep the saddle with
his wooden leg, very wisely took the opportunity of throwing himself off
in his passage through a field of rich clover, among which he lay at his
ease; and seeing his captain advancing, at full gallop, hailed him with
the salutation of "What cheer? Ho!" The commodore, who was in infinite
distress, eyeing him askance as he passed, replied, with a faltering
voice, "O, d-- ye!--you are safe at an anchor. I wish to God I were as
fast moored."

Nevertheless, conscious of his disabled heel, he would not venture
to try the experiment which had succeeded so well with Hatchway but
resolved to stick as close as possible to his horse's back, until
Providence should interpose in his behalf. With this view he dropped his
whip, and with his right h