ithout doing it any injury. He would leap over it, or go around
it, as he would if it were a stone. This is one reason why, in so many
cases, persons are run over without being hurt. The driver and the
sailor, however, fell rather behind the horses' heels, and escaped
them in that way, and they came down so exactly into the middle of the
road, that they were out of the way of the track of the wheels, and
thus they escaped serious injury.

The misfortunes of the evening, however, did not end here. The road
was rather rough, and there were many ruts and joltings; and one or
two of the passengers seemed to feel some fear lest the stage should
upset. One, who sat near the door, put his arm out at the window over
the door, so as to get his hand upon the handle of the catch, in
order, as he said, to be ready to open the door and spring out, at a
moment's warning. The gentleman on the back seat advised him not to do
it.

"If you have your arm out," said he, "the coach may fall over upon
it, and break it. That's the way people get hurt by the upsetting of
coaches, by thrusting out their legs and arms in all directions, when
they find they are going over, and thus get them broken. You ought to
fold your arms and draw in your feet, and when you find that we are
going over, go in an easy attitude, with all the muscles relaxed, as
if your body was a bag of corn."

The passenger laughed and took his arm in; and all the other
passengers, seeing that the advice of the gentleman was reasonable,
concluded to follow it if they should have occasion. And they did have
occasion sooner than they had expected. For, just after dark, as they
were going down a long hill at a pretty rapid rate, with a wagon a
short distance before them, one of the horses of the wagon stumbled
and fell, which brought the wagon to a sudden stand just before the
coach. The driver perceived in an instant that there was not time to
stop his horses, and that the only chance was to turn out of the road
and drive by. The ground at the road-side was so much inclined, that
he was almost afraid to venture this expedient, but he had no time for
thought. He wheeled his horses out,--just escaped the hind wheel of
the wagon--ran along by the road-side a short distance, with the
wheels on one side, down very near the gutter,--and then, just as he
was coming back safely into the road again, the forward wheel nearest
the middle of the road, struck a small stone, and threw the c