nch idiom would have it, devoured the ground at a fine pace;
when, in an instant, the ground appeared to rise up to meet me, and I
found myself dragged along on the extreme point of my right shoulder,
still grasping both reins and whip. I was almost under the feet of the
other horse, and I saw Helen's heels describing frantic circles in the
air. F---- shouted to me to let go, which it had never occurred to me to
do previously. I did so, and jumped up instantly, feeling quite unhurt,
and rather relieved to find that a fall was not so dreadful after all.
I then saw the cause of the accident: the handle of a little
travelling-bag which had been hung over the pommel of my saddle had
slipped over the slight projection, and as it was still further secured
by a strap through the girth, it was dangling under poor Helen, whose
frantic bounds and leaps only increased the liveliness of her tormentor.
I never saw such bucks and jumps high into the air as she performed
receiving a severe blow from the bag at each; it was impossible to help
laughing, though I did not see how it was all to end. She would not
allow F---- to approach her, and was perfectly mad with terror. At
last the girths gave way, and the saddle came off, with the bag still
fastened to it; the moment she found herself free, she trotted up to me
in the most engaging manner, and stood rubbing her nose against my arm,
though she was still trembling all over, and covered with foam.

By this time I had made the discovery that I could not raise my right
arm; but still a careful investigation did not tell me it was broken,
for it gave me no pain to touch anywhere, except a very little just on
the point of the shoulder. F---- now went to pick up the saddle and
the reins; it was difficult to find these latter in the fast gathering
darkness and I held his horse for him. To my horror I found after
standing for a moment or two, that I was going to faint; I could not
utter a word; I knew that if my fast-relaxing fingers let go their hold
of the bridle the horse would set off towards home at a gallop, Helen
would assuredly follow him, and we should be left eight miles from the
nearest shelter to find our way to it, with a deep creek to cross.
F---- was fifty yards off, with his back to me, searching for some
indispensable buckle; so there was no help to be got from him at the
moment. I exerted every atom of my remaining strength to slip the bridle
over my left arm, which I pressed