His horses apparently liked the cold as little
as himself. They had been moving about restlessly for some time
before the doctor made his appearance. The moment he got in and
shut the door, one of them reared, while the other began to haul on
his traces, eager for a gallop. Something about the chain gave way,
the pole swerved round under the rearing horse, and great confusion
and danger would have ensued, had not Shargar rushed from his coign
of vantage, sprung at the bit of the rearing horse, and dragged him
off the pole, over which he was just casting his near leg. As soon
as his feet touched the ground he too pulled, and away went the
chariot and down went Shargar. But in a moment more several men had
laid hold of the horses' heads, and stopped them.
'Oh Lord!' cried Shargar, as he rose with his arm dangling by his
side, 'what will Donal' Joss say? I'm like to swarf (faint). Haud
awa' frae that basket, ye wuddyfous (withy-fowls, gallows-birds),'
he cried, darting towards the hamper he had left in the entry of a
court, round which a few ragged urchins had gathered; but just as he
reached it he staggered and fell. Nor did he know anything more
till he found the carriage stopping with himself and the hamper
inside it.
As soon as the coachman had got his harness put to rights, the
doctor had driven back to see how the lad had fared, for he had felt
the carriage go over something. They had found him lying beside his
hamper, had secured both, and as a preliminary measure were
proceeding to deliver the latter.
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