Rollo at Play; Or, Safe Amusements Part 14

"Well, Jonas," said uncle George, when he got back, "I do not see but that Old Trumpeter is strong enough to carry you yet."

"O yes, sir," said Jonas, "he is strong enough to carry half a dozen like me."

"O, uncle George," said Rollo, "let him carry me too with Jonas. I can ride behind."

"Very well; if you want to ride with him a little while, you may, if Jonas is willing."

Jonas was, and Rollo got out, and climbed up upon a stump, by the side of the road. Jonas drove up to the stump, and Rollo clambered up behind him, with a switch in his hand.

"Now, Jonas," said he, "whenever you want him to go any faster, you just speak to me, and I will touch him up with my switch."

Jonas said he would, and they jogged along behind the chaise. Lucy kneeled upon the cushion, and looked out behind, talking with Rollo.

DEVIATION.

They went on so very quietly for some time, until Jonas said there was a turn in the road on before them, where there was a foot-path that led across a ravine, by a nearer way than the chaise-road, and proposed that Rollo should ask leave for Jonas and himself to go across on horseback, and wait for the chaises, when they should come out on the main road.

So they rode up to the chaise, and Rollo put the question to his uncle George.

His reply was that he could not say any thing about it; Rollo must go and ask his father.

"Would you go?" said Jonas.

"Yes," said Rollo.

"Well, touch up Old Trumpeter then."

So Rollo applied his switch, and the horse trotted on fast. Rollo had hard work to hold on, but he clasped his arm tight around Jonas's waist, and succeeded in keeping his seat.

Rollo's father and mother were riding some distance before them, but they saw Jonas coming up, and rode slowly, that he might overtake them.

"Well, Rollo," said his father, "how do you like riding double?"

"Very much," said Rollo; "and we want you to let Jonas and I cut across by the horse-path through the valley, and wait for you at the mill."

"Is there a horse-path across here, Jonas?"

"Yes, sir," said Jonas.

"Is it a good path?"

"It is rather rough, sir, through the woods and bushes; but it is a pretty good road."

Rollo's father sat hesitating a moment, and then said--

"You may go, if you choose, but I advise you not to."

"Why do you advise us not to?" said Rollo.

"Why, you may get into some difficulty, and so we get separated."

"Yes, but," said Rollo, "it is not near so far across, and we shall have time to get through to the mill long before you come along."

"Very well, you may do as you please."

"Jonas, what would you do? Would you go, or not?"

"I think I would _not_ go, if your father thinks we had better not."

"I want to go very much," said Rollo.

"Very well," said his father; "you are willing to go with him, I suppose, Jonas, are you not?"

"O yes, sir," said Jonas.

"Well," said Rollo, "let us go. We will he very careful, father, not to get into any difficulty."

So the two chaises rode on, and Jonas and Rollo, in a few minutes, turned off by a narrow path that struck into the woods. Just as they were bending down their heads to pa.s.s under a great branch of a tree, Rollo looked along, and saw Lucy waving her handkerchief to him, as the chaise which she was in disappeared by a turn of the road.

Rollo at first felt a little uneasy to think that he had deserted his cousin, as it were. He thought that he should not have liked it exactly, if she had gone off, and left him alone so in the chaise. However, it was now too late to repent, and his attention was attracted by the wild and romantic scene around him. The path descended obliquely, by a rough, wet, and stony way, through a dark forest. He heard the sighing of the wind, in the tops of the tall trees, and the mellow notes of forest birds, far off, and high, which came rich and sweet to his ear with a peculiar expression of solitude and loneliness.

The boys rode on, and the path became more and more slippery, stony, and steep Rollo clung tight to Jonas, and begun to be somewhat afraid.

He would have proposed to go back, but he was ashamed to do it. After a little time, he asked Jonas whether the path was as bad as that all the way.

"As bad as this!" said Jonas; "we call this very good. I will show you the bad road pretty soon."

Rollo looked frightened, but said nothing.

"The road seems more wet than common to-day," said Jonas, "I suppose on account of the rain yesterday; and I declare," said he, "I am afraid we shall find the brook up."

"The brook up!" said Rollo.

"Yes--why did not I think of that before? However, we must go on now."

"Why?" said Rollo. "Why cannot we go back?"

"O, because we should be too late; besides, there is no danger, only we may have to wade a little."

As they went on, the mud in the road grew deeper and deeper, and presently Old Trumpeter's legs sunk far down among roots and mire.

Rollo began to feel more and more alarmed, and heartily wished that he had taken his father's advice.

Soon alter they came to a place where the path, for some distance before them, was full of water, deep and miry. Jonas said he thought that they had better go out upon one side; so he made the horse step over a log and go in among the trees and bushes. The branches brushed and scratched Rollo unmercifully, though he bent down, and leaned over to this side and that, continually, to escape them. He asked Jonas why this path had not dried, as well as the main road, where the chaises had gone; and Jonas told him that the sun and the wind were the great means of drying the open road, but that this narrow and secluded path was shaded from the sun, and sheltered from the wind, and that the water consequently remained a long time among the moss, and roots, and mire.

After a time, they got back into the path again, and, going on a little farther, they came down to the margin of the brook. They found that it _was_ "up," as Jonas had feared. At the place where the path went down and crossed the brook, a deep cut had been worn in the two opposite banks, and this was filled with water, and above and below the stream rushed on in a torrent. Jonas hesitated a moment, and then asked Rollo if he thought he could hold on, while they we're riding through. Rollo said he was afraid it was so deep as to drown them. Jonas then said that he might get off and stand upon a rock by the side of the path, while he rode through, first, to see how it was, and that then he would come back for him.

So Rollo got off, in fear and trembling, and stood on the rock, while Jonas urged his horse into the water. Old Trumpeter did not much like this kind of travelling, but Jonas half persuaded and half compelled him to go through. When he was in the middle, the water came up so high, that Jonas was obliged to lift up his feet to keep them from being wet.