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76 UNCLE TOM’S CABIN; OR,

positions, up, down and crosswise, with divers chasms and ruts of
black mud intervening. “

Over such a road as this our senator went stumbling along,
making moral reflections as continuously as under the circum-
stances could be expected, the carriage proceeding along much as
follows: bump! bump! bump! slush! down in the mud !—the
senator, woman and child, reversing their positions so suddenly as
to come, without any very accurate adjustment, against the win-
dows of the down-hill side. Carriage sticks fast, while Cudjoe on
the outside is heard making a great muster among the horses.
After various ineffectual pullings and twitchings, just as the sena-
tor is losing all patience, the carriage suddenly rights itself with
a bounce, two front wheels go down into another abyss, and sena-
tor, woman, and child all tumble promiscuously on the front seat ;
senator's hat is jammed over his eyes and nose quite uncere-
moniously, and he considers himself fairly extinguished ; child
cries, and Cudjoe on the outside delivers animated addresses to
the horses, who are kicking, and floundering, and straining under
repeated cracks of the whip. Carriage springs up with another
bounce—down go the hind wheels—senator, woman, and child fly
over on to the back seat, his elbows encountering her bonnet, and
both her feet being jammed into his hat,. which flies off in the
concussion. After a few moments the “slough” is passed, and
the horses stop, panting; the senator finds his hat, the woman
straightens her bonnet and hushes her child, and they brace them-
selves firmly for what is yet to come.

For a while, only the continuous bump! bump! intermingled,
just by way of variety, with divers side plunges and compound
shakes ; and they begin to flatter themselves that they are not so
badly off, after all. At last, with a square plunge, which puts all
on to their feet and then down into their seats with incredible
quickness, the carriage stops, and, after much outside commotion,
Cudjoe appears at the door. i

‘* Please, sir, it’s powerful bad spot this yer. I don’t know how
we’s to get clar out. I’m a thinkin’ we’ll have to be a gettin’
rails ”

The senator despairingly steps out, picking gingerly for some
firm foothold. Down goes one foot an immeasurable depth; he
tries to pull it up, loses his balance, and tumbles over into the
mud, and is fished out, in a very despairing condition, by Cudjoe.

But we forbear, out of sympathy to our readers’ bones. Western
travellers, who have beguiled the midnight hour in the interesting
process ef pulling down rail fences to pry their carriages out of
mud holes, will have a respectful and mournful sympathy with our
unfortunate hero. We beg them to drop a silent tear, and pass
on.

It was full late in the night when the carriage emerged,
dripping and bespattered, out of the creek, and stood at the door