The wind, which instantly attacked them as they reached
the level, seemed to make the driver's theory plausible, and for half a
mile the roadbed was swept clean, and frozen hard. Further on a tongue
of snow, extending from a boulder to the right, reached across their
path to the height of two or three feet. But Yuba Bill dashed through a
part of it, and by skillful maneuvering circumvented the rest. But even
as the obstacle was passed, the coach dropped with an ominous lurch on
one side, and the off fore wheel flew off in the darkness. Bill threw
the horses back on their haunches; but, before their momentum could be
checked, the near hind wheel slipped away, the vehicle rocked violently,
plunged backwards and forwards, and stopped.
Yuba Bill was on the road in an instant with his lantern. Then followed
an outbreak of profanity which I regret, for artistic purposes, exceeds
that generous limit which a sympathizing public has already extended to
me in the explication of character. Let me state, therefore, that in
a very few moments he succeeded in disparaging the characters of his
employers, their male and female relatives, the coach builder, the
station keeper, the road on which he travelled, and the travellers
themselves, with occasional broad expletives addressed to himself and
his own relatives.
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