is future movements.

"They'll be setting the wires to work, I expect," he thought, soberly.
"What a comfortable old world this must have been before they invented
steam and telegraph. I'll go a little bit farther, and then tie it up to
a tree."

He made what he considered an endearing noise with his mouth, and the
startled animal at once bounded forward with the intention of getting
out of hearing. A gentle incline favoured the pace, which was now so
considerable that the skipper, seeing another craft approaching him,
waved his hand towards it warningly.

"I wonder who ought to get out of the way?" he said, thoughtfullly; "I
s'pose the horse knows."

He left it to that able quadruped, after giving it a little bang on the
flank with the butt end of the whip to keep its faculties fresh. There
was a frenzied shout from the other vehicle, a sudden violent stoppage,
with the crashing of wood, and Flower, crawling out of the ditch,
watched with some admiration the strenuous efforts of his noble beast to
take the carriage along on three wheels.

"Look what you've done!" roared the driver of the other vehicle, foaming
with passion, as he jumped out and held his plunging horse by the head.
"Look at my gig, sir! Look at it!"

Flower looked, and then returned the courtesy.

"Look at mine," he said, impressively; "mine's much the worst."

"You were on the wrong side of the road," shouted the other.

"I was there first," said Flower; "it wouldn't have happened if you
hadn't tried to get out of my way. The course I was on I should have
passed you easily."

He looked up the road. His horse, trembling violently, was standing
still, with the wreck of the carriage behind it. He stooped
mechanically, and picking up the whip which was lying in the road said
that he would go off for assistance.

"You stay here, sir," said the other man with an oath.

"I won't," said the skipper.

His adversary made no reply, but, having by this time soothed his
frightened horse, took his whip out of its socket and strode towards
him with the butt raised over his head. Flower arranged his own whip the
same way, and both men being new to the weapon, circled round each other
two or three times waiting for a little instruction. Then the owner
of the gig, whose temper was rising every second, ran in and dealt the
skipper a heavy blow on the head.

The blow dispelled an idea which was slowly forming there of asking the
extent of the damage, and