. Dan started
to roll over; Peter slipped off to the right. That brought rebellion
into Dan, for now the neck yoke was cruelly twisting his head. I saw
Dan's feet emerging out of the snow, pawing the air: he was on his back.
Everything seemed convulsed. Then Peter plunged and reared, pulling Dan
half-ways up; that motion of his released the neck yoke from the pole.
The next moment both horses were on their feet, head by head now, but
facing each other, apparently trying to pull apart; but the martingales
held. Then both jumped clear of the cutter and the pole; and they
plunged out, to the rear, past the cutter, to solid ground.

I do not remember how I got out; but after a minute or so I stood at
their heads, holding them by the bridles. The knees of both horses
shook, their nostrils trembled; Peter's eye looked as if he were going
to bolt. We were only a hundred yards or so from a farm. A man and a
boy came running with lanterns. I snapped the halter ropes into the bit
rings and handed the horses over to the boy to be led to and fro at a
walk so as to prevent a chill; and I went with the man to inspect the
cutter. Apparently no damage was done beyond the snapping of the lines.
The man, who knew me, offered to lend me another pair, which I promptly
accepted. We pulled the cutter out backwards, straightened the harness,
and hitched the horses up again. It was clear that, though they did not
seem to be injured, their nerves were on edge.

The farmer meanwhile enlightened me. I mentioned the name of the man
who had recommended the road. Yes, the road was good enough from town to
town. This was the only bad drift. Yes, my adviser had passed here the
day before; but he had turned off the road, going down to the river
below, which was full of holes, it is true, made by the ice-harvesters,
but otherwise safe enough. The boy would go along with his lantern to
guide me to the other side of the drift. I am afraid I thought some
rather uncharitable things about my adviser for having omitted to
caution me against this drift. What I minded most, was, of course, the
delay.

The drift was partly hollow, it appeared; the crust had thawed and
frozen again; the huge mass of snow underneath had settled down. The
crust had formed a vault, amply strong enough to carry a man, but not to
carry horse and cutter.

When in the dying light and by the gleam of the lantern we went through
the dense brush, down the steep bank, and on to the rive