observer they would have seemed to be none the worse
for their fling at running away. But on closer scrutiny they would again
have revealed the unmistakable signs of nervous tension. Their ears
moved jerkily on the slightest provocation. Still, the road was good and
clear, and I had no apprehensions.

Then came the sudden end of the trail. It was right in front of a farm
yard. Clearly, the farmer had broken the last part of the road over
which I had come. The trail widened out to a large, circus-shaped flat
in the drifts. The snow had the ruffled appearance of being thoroughly
tramped down by a herd of cattle. On both sides there were trees--wild
trees--a-plenty. Brush lined the narrow road gap ahead; but the snow had
piled in level with its tops. This had always been rather a bad spot,
though the last time I had seen it the snow had settled down to about
half the height of the shrubs. I stopped and hesitated for a moment. I
knew just where the trail had been. It was about twenty-five feet from
the fence of the field to the east. It was now covered under three to
four feet of freshly drifted-in snow. The drift seemed to be higher
towards the west, where the brush stood higher, too. So I decided to
stay as nearly as I could above the old trail. There, even though we
might break through the new snow the older drifts underneath were likely
to be firm enough.

We went ahead. The drift held, and slowly we climbed to its summit. It
is a strange coincidence that just then I should have glanced up at the
sky. I saw a huge, black cloud-mass elbowing its way, as it were, in
front of those islands of light, the promise of peace. And so much was
I by this time imbued with the moods of the skies that the disappearance
of this mild glimmer sent a regret through my very body. And
simultaneously with this thrill of regret there came--I remember this
as distinctly as if it had been an hour ago--the certainty of impending
disaster. The very next moment chaos reigned. The horses broke in, not
badly at all; but as a consequence of their nervous condition they flew
into a panic. I held them tight as they started to plunge. But there
was no guiding them; they were bound to have things their own way
altogether. It seemed as if they had lost their road-sense, too, for
instead of plunging at least straight ahead, out on the level trail,
they made, with irresistible bounds and without paying the slightest
attention to the pull of the lines, to