112 CAROLINE.

 

Mr. Woodman escapes. The horse and dog escape.

 

the course which the current took in drifting Mr. Wood-
man and the horse and dog down the stream, carried
them over the point of this shoal, at a place where
Mr. Woedman himself could just touch bottom. The
horse himself could not touch bottom yet; for a man,
being taller than a horse, though in other respects not
so large, can stand in the deepest water. It happened
thus, that Mr. Woodman succeeded. in stopping, himself,
while Jasper and the horse were carried on.

Mr. Woodman, glad to escape with his life, waded up
along the shoal until he got back to the island. Here he
sat down upon a rock to let the water drain out of his
clothes, and to get breath. He looked down the stream,
and there, as far as he could see, he could just discern
the two heads-——the horse’s and the dog’s—like dark dots
upon the surface of the river. They seemed to be mak-
ing toward the shore on the side that Mr. Woodman had
come from. Mr. Woodman watched them, of course,
very intently. At length he had the satisfaction of per-
ceiving that they were drawing nigh to the shore. Soon
after this he could see the form of the horse gradually
rising into view, as the animal came up out of the water.
Jasper kept hold of the bridle, and when the horse got
to the land, Mr. Woodman could see Jasper leading him
along in the edge of the water to find a place where they
could get up the bank. At length, he seemed to find a
place ; and Jasper leading the way with the bridle in his
mouth, the horse scrambled up to a level spot, high and
dry among the trees.

“ Of course, the place where Jasper landed was on the
same side of the river that Mr. Woodman’s farm was
upon, but it was down at a considerable distance below