hatever the hour of the departure, if there
happen to be a moon that night, the return is sure not to take
place before it has made its appearance.

_A JOURNEY BY SLEIGH_

_FRED BURNABY_

"Bring out another sleigh," said my friend. "How the wind cuts!
does it not?" he continued, as the breeze, whistling against our
bodies, made itself felt in spite of all the precautions we had
taken. The vehicle now brought was broader and more commodious than
the previous one, which, somewhat in the shape of a coffin, seemed
especially designed so as to torture the occupants, particularly if,
like my companion and self, they should happen to be endowed by
nature with that curse during a sleigh journey--however desirable
appendages they may be when in a crowd--long legs. Three horses
abreast, their coats white with pendent icicles and hoar-frost,
were harnessed to the sleigh; the centre animal was in the shafts
and had his head fastened to a huge wooden head-collar, bright with
various colors. From the summit of the head-collar was suspended
a bell, while the two outside horses were harnessed by cord traces
to splinter-bars attached to the sides of the sleigh. The object
of all this is to make the animal in the middle trot at a brisk
pace, while his two companions gallop, their necks arched round in
a direction opposite to the horse in the centre, this poor beast's
head being tightly reined up to the head-collar.

A well-turned-out _troika_ with three really good horses, which get
over the ground at the rate of twelve miles an hour, is a pretty
sight to witness, particularly if the team has been properly trained,
and the outside animals never attempt to break into a trot, while
the one in the shafts steps forward with high action; but the
constrained position in which the horses are kept must be highly
uncomfortable to them, and one not calculated to enable a driver
to get as much pace out of his animals as they could give him if
harnessed in another manner.

Off we went at a brisk pace, the bell dangling from our horse's
head-collar, and jingling merrily at every stride of the team.

The sun rose high in the heavens: it was a bright and glorious
morning in spite of the intense cold, and the amount of oxygen we
inhaled was enough to elevate the spirits of the most dyspeptic of
mankind. Presently, after descending a slight declivity, our Jehu
turned sharply to the right; then came a scramble and a succession of
jolts and