ay from the spot where we had originally gone wrong; with the
result that, aided by the gentleman of the scythe, we recovered the road,
and reached Todtmoos four hours later than we had calculated to reach it,
with an appetite that took forty-five minutes' steady work in silence to
abate.

From Todtmoos we had intended to walk down to the Rhine; but having
regard to our extra exertions of the morning, we decided to promenade in
a carriage, as the French would say: and for this purpose hired a
picturesque-looking vehicle, drawn by a horse that I should have called
barrel-bodied but for contrast with his driver, in comparison with whom
he was angular. In Germany every vehicle is arranged for a pair of
horses, but drawn generally by one. This gives to the equipage a lop-
sided appearance, according to our notions, but it is held here to
indicate style. The idea to be conveyed is that you usually drive a pair
of horses, but that for the moment you have mislaid the other one. The
German driver is not what we should call a first-class whip. He is at
his best when he is asleep. Then, at all events, he is harmless; and the
horse being, generally speaking, intelligent and experienced, progress
under these conditions is comparatively safe. If in Germany they could
only train the horse to collect the money at the end of the journey,
there would be no need for a coachman at all. This would be a distinct
relief to the passenger, for when the German coachman is awake and not
cracking his whip he is generally occupied in getting himself into
trouble or out of it. He is better at the former. Once I recollect
driving down a steep Black Forest hill with a couple of ladies. It was
one of those roads winding corkscrew-wise down the slope. The hill rose
at an angle of seventy-five on the off-side, and fell away at an angle of
seventy-five on the near-side. We were proceeding very comfortably, the
driver, we were happy to notice, with his eyes shut, when suddenly
something, a bad dream or indigestion, awoke him. He seized the reins,
and, by an adroit movement, pulled the near-side horse over the edge,
where it clung, half supported by the traces. Our driver did not appear
in the least annoyed or surprised; both horses, I also, noticed, seemed
equally used to the situation. We got out, and he got down. He took
from under the seat a huge clasp-knife, evidently kept there for the
purpose, and deftly cut the traces. The horse, t