ble to explain; for my part, I walked the greater part of it, for
the bones of my body seemed as if they were very likely, after a short
trial, to part company with each other.

At length, after jolting, jumping, complaining, and comforting, we
came to a bridge near Myer's Mills. Our _conducteur_, my young friend
aforesaid, who was more used to the road, saw at a glance that
something had gone wrong with the said bridge; for it exhibited a very
disorderly, drunken sort of devil-may-care aspect.

He was too far advanced upon it to retreat, when he discovered that a
beam or two had departed into the lively current below. With true
backwoodsman's energy, he pulled his horses up sharp, reined them well
up, and then, with a tremendous shout, applied the whip, and actually
leaped horses, waggon, and passengers over the chasm, the remainder of
the bridge groaning, and saying most plainly, "I will not bear this
any longer." Next morning, we heard that the whole structure had
fallen in and disappeared.

I have been in some danger in the course of my life; but a visit
afterwards to this spot convinced me that one's existence is often a
sort of size-ace throw; and whether the six or the one comes up or
goes down, is a miracle. I never had a nearer leap for clearing Styx
than this, excepting one shortly afterwards upon the timber-slides of
the Trent, at Healy's Falls.

A vast timber canal or way had been constructed here by the Board of
Works, to convey timber down a rapid without danger, the slide being
alongside of that rapid. It was an interesting work; and, with my
young friend and two naval officers, settled in Seymour, I went to
examine it. At the sluice-way, or timber-dam, was a sort of bridge,
composed of parallel pieces of heavy square joists and a platform; we
walked along this Mahomet's railway, where Azrael seemed to have
established pretty much the same sentry as Cerberus, having two or
three mouths ready to devour the adventurous passenger.

The parallel pieces were about two feet distant from each other; I
walked on one, and my companions on the other, until a good view of
the whole work and the splendid rapids was attained. Under our feet,
at some distance, was the water of the slide running on an inclined
plane of woodwork, at a great angle, and with enormous power and
velocity into a pitch or cauldron far below.

The day was bright, and the shadow of the parallel logs left between
the space no view of the w