he road, preferring to take this course even at the risk of
a collision; which, however, would inevitably have given a dramatic
termination to the lives of the whole party. In this effort he was
successful, but still he could do nothing to check the furious pace. He
looked up, and in the far distance fancied that he saw moving
objects--more and still more--drawing nearer and still nearer towards
them. On they came--the whole road seemed blocked with them. The
distance between them lessened rapidly, and Mansana realised that what
they were approaching was one of those interminable droves of cattle,
making their way, as usual in the autumn, towards the sea. He jumped up
from his seat and threw the reins in front of him. A sharp cry from
behind rang through the air, followed by a still more piercing shriek
as Mansana took a mighty leap, alighting on the back of the off horse,
while he firmly grasped the bridle of the other. The horse he rode gave
a wild leap into the air, and the other, thus violently thrown off his
balance fell, was then dragged along for a space upon the outer shaft,
till this snapped under the heavy strain, when finally the yoke strap
which joined the two together also broke. Mansana's grasp of the bridle
of the other horse helped him to save himself, and helped also,
together with the dead weight of the fallen animal, to bring the whole
cortege to a standstill. But the prostrate brute, feeling the carriage
close upon him, struggled to free himself; his companion reared, the
near shaft broke, a splinter pierced Mansana in the side; but thrusting
himself in front of, or rather underneath the rearing animal, Mansana
gripped him fiercely by the quivering nostrils, and in a moment reduced
him to a state of lamblike and trembling submission. The struggle was
over, and he was now able to go to the assistance of the other helpless
creature, which had meanwhile been making frantic and dangerous efforts
to get free.

And now--smothered with dust, bleeding from his wound, his clothes all
torn, his head uncovered--Mansana at last could venture to look round.
He saw Theresa standing in the carriage, beside the open door. Possibly
she may have intended to throw herself out, and have fallen backwards
in the violent jolting of the carriage, and then subsequently have
recovered her balance; something of the sort may have happened to her,
she herself knew not what. But one thing she did quickly realise; she
saw that he