The Buller-Podington Compact

by Frank Stockton

　　"I tell you, William," said Thomas Buller to his friend Mr. Podington,"I am truly sorry about it, but I cannot arrange for it this year.Now, as to my invitation--that is very different.""Of course it is different," was the reply, "but I am obliged to say,as I said before, that I really cannot accept it."Remarks similar to these had been made by Thomas Buller and WilliamPodington at least once a year for some five years. They were oldfriends; they had been schoolboys together and had been associated inbusiness since they were young men. They had now reached a vigorousmiddle age; they were each married, and each had a house in thecountry in which he resided for a part of the year. They were warmlyattached to each other, and each was the best friend which the otherhad in this world. But during all these years neither of them hadvisited the other in his country home.The reason for this avoidance of each other at their respective ruralresidences may be briefly stated. Mr. Buller's country house wassituated by the sea, and he was very fond of the water. He had a goodcat-boat, which he sailed himself with much judgment and skill, and itwas his greatest pleasure to take his friends and visitors upon littleexcursions on the bay. But Mr. Podington was desperately afraid of thewater, and he was particularly afraid of any craft sailed by anamateur. If his friend Buller would have employed a professionalmariner, of years and experience, to steer and manage his boat,Podington might have been willing to take an occasional sail; but asBuller always insisted upon sailing his own boat, and took it ill ifany of his visitors doubted his ability to do so properly, Podingtondid not wish to wound the self-love of his friend, and he did not wishto be drowned. Consequently he could not bring himself to consent togo to Buller's house by the sea.To receive his good friend Buller at his own house in the beautifulupland region in which he lived would have been a great joy to Mr.Podington; but Buller could not be induced to visit him. Podington wasvery fond of horses and always drove himself, while Buller was moreafraid of horses than he was of elephants or lions. To one or morehorses driven by a coachman of years and experience he did not alwaysobject, but to a horse driven by Podington, who had much experienceand knowledge regarding mercantile affairs, but was merely an amateurhorseman, he most decidedly and strongly objected. He did not wish tohurt his friend's feelings by refusing to go out to drive with him,but he would not rack his own nervous system by accompanying him.Therefore it was that he had not yet visited the beautiful uplandcountry residence of Mr. Podington.At last this state of things grew awkward. Mrs. Buller and Mrs.Podington, often with their families, visited each other at theircountry houses, but the fact that on these occasions they were neveraccompanied by their husbands caused more and more gossip among theirneighbors both in the upland country and by the sea.One day in spring as the two sat in their city office, where Mr.Podington had just repeated his annual invitation, his friend repliedto him thus:"William, if I come to see you this summer, will you visit me? Thething is beginning to look a little ridiculous, and people are talkingabout it."Mr. Podington put his hand to his brow and for a few moments closedhis eyes. In his mind he saw a cat-boat upon its side, the sailsspread out over the water, and two men, almost entirely immersed inthe waves, making efforts to reach the side of the boat. One of thesewas getting on very well--that was Buller. The other seemed about tosink, his arms were uselessly waving in the air--that was himself. Buthe opened his eyes and looked bravely out of the window; it was timeto conquer all this; it was indeed growing ridiculous. Buller had beensailing many years and had never been upset."Yes," said he; "I will do it; I am ready any time you name."Mr. Buller rose and stretched out his hand."Good!" said he; "it is a compact!"Buller was the first to make the promised country visit. He had notmentioned the subject of horses to his friend, but he knew throughMrs. Buller that Podington still continued to be his own driver. Shehad informed him, however, that at present he was accustomed to drivea big black horse which, in her opinion, was as gentle and reliable asthese animals ever became, and she could not imagine how anybody couldbe afraid of him. So when, the next morning after his arrival, Mr.Buller was asked by his host if he would like to take a drive, hesuppressed a certain rising emotion and said that it would please himvery much.When the good black horse had jogged along a pleasant road for half anhour Mr. Buller began to feel that, perhaps, for all these years hehad been laboring under a misconception. It seemed to be possible thatthere were some horses to which surrounding circumstances in the shapeof sights and sounds were so irrelevant that they were to a certaindegree entirely safe, even when guided and controlled by an amateurhand. As they passed some meadow-land, somebody behind a hedge fired agun; Mr. Buller was frightened, but the horse was not."William," said Buller, looking cheerfully around him,"I had no idea that you lived in such a pretty country. In fact, Imight almost call it beautiful. You have not any wide stretch ofwater, such as I like so much, but here is a pretty river, thoserolling hills are very charming, and, beyond, you have the blue of themountains.""It is lovely," said his friend; "I never get tired of driving throughthis country. Of course the seaside is very fine, but here we havesuch a variety of scenery."Mr. Buller could not help thinking that sometimes the seaside was alittle monotonous, and that he had lost a great deal of pleasure bynot varying his summers by going up to spend a week or two withPodington."William," said he, "how long have you had this horse?""About two years," said Mr. Podington; "before I got him, I used todrive a pair.""Heavens!" thought Buller, "how lucky I was not to come two yearsago!" And his regrets for not sooner visiting his friend greatlydecreased.Now they came to a place where the stream, by which the road ran, hadbeen dammed for a mill and had widened into a beautiful pond."There now!" cried Mr. Buller. "That's what I like. William, you seemto have everything! This is really a very pretty sheet of water, andthe reflections of the trees over there make a charming picture; youcan't get that at the seaside, you know."Mr. Podington was delighted; his face glowed; he was rejoiced at thepleasure of his friend. "I tell you, Thomas," said he, "that----""William!" exclaimed Buller, with a sudden squirm in his seat, "whatis that I hear? Is that a train?""Yes," said Mr. Podington, "that is the ten-forty, up.""Does it come near here?" asked Mr. Buller, nervously. "Does it goover that bridge?""Yes," said Podington, "but it can't hurt us, for our road goes underthe bridge; we are perfectly safe; there is no risk of accident.""But your horse! Your horse!" exclaimed Buller, as the train camenearer and nearer. "What will he do?""Do?" said Podington; "he'll do what he is doing now; he doesn't mindtrains.""But look here, William," exclaimed Buller, "it will get there just aswe do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!"Podington laughed. "He would not mind it in the least," said he."Come, come now," cried Buller. "Really, I can't stand this! Just stopa minute, William, and let me get out. It sets all my nervesquivering."Mr. Podington smiled with a superior smile. "Oh, you needn't get out,"said he; "there's not the least danger in the world. But I don't wantto make you nervous, and I will turn around and drive the other way.""But you can't!" screamed Buller. "This road is not wide enough, andthat train is nearly here. Please stop!"The imputation that the road was not wide enough for him to turn wastoo much for Mr. Podington to bear. He was very proud of his abilityto turn a vehicle in a narrow place."Turn!" said he; "that's the easiest thing in the world. See; a littleto the right, then a back, then a sweep to the left and we will begoing the other way." And instantly he began the maneuver in which hewas such an adept."Oh, Thomas!" cried Buller, half rising in his seat, "that train isalmost here!""And we are almost----" Mr. Podington was about to say "turnedaround," but he stopped. Mr. Buller's exclamations had made him alittle nervous, and, in his anxiety to turn quickly, he had pulledupon his horse's bit with more energy than was actually necessary, andhis nervousness being communicated to the horse, that animal backedwith such extraordinary vigor that the hind wheels of the wagon wentover a bit of grass by the road and into the water. The sudden joltgave a new impetus to Mr. Buller's fears."You'll upset!" he cried, and not thinking of what he was about, helaid hold of his friend's arm. The horse, startled by this sudden jerkupon his bit, which, combined with the thundering of the train, whichwas now on the bridge, made him think that something extraordinary wasabout to happen, gave a sudden and forcible start backward, so thatnot only the hind wheels of the light wagon, but the fore wheels andhis own hind legs went into the water. As the bank at this spot slopedsteeply, the wagon continued to go backward, despite the efforts ofthe agitated horse to find a footing on the crumbling edge of thebank."Whoa!" cried Mr. Buller."Get up!" exclaimed Mr. Podington, applying his whip upon the plungingbeast.But exclamations and castigations had no effect upon the horse. Theoriginal bed of the stream ran close to the road, and the bank was sosteep and the earth so soft that it was impossible for the horse toadvance or even maintain his footing. Back, back he went, until thewhole equipage was in the water and the wagon was afloat.This vehicle was a road wagon, without a top, and the joints of itsbox-body were tight enough to prevent the water from immediatelyentering it; so, somewhat deeply sunken, it rested upon the water.There was a current in this part of the pond and it turned the wagondownstream. The horse was now entirely immersed in the water, with theexception of his head and the upper part of his neck, and, unable toreach the bottom with his feet, he made vigorous efforts to swim.Mr. Podington, the reins and whip in his hands, sat horrified andpale; the accident was so sudden, he was so startled and so frightenedthat, for a moment, he could not speak a word. Mr. Buller, on theother hand, was now lively and alert. The wagon had no sooner floatedaway from the shore than he felt himself at home. He was upon hisfavorite element; water had no fears for him. He saw that his friendwas nearly frightened out of his wits, and that, figurativelyspeaking, he must step to the helm and take charge of the vessel. Hestood up and gazed about him."Put her across stream!" he shouted; "she can't make headway againstthis current. Head her to that clump of trees on the other side; thebank is lower there, and we can beach her. Move a little the otherway, we must trim boat. Now then, pull on your starboard rein."Podington obeyed, and the horse slightly changed his direction."You see," said Buller, "it won't do to sail straight across, becausethe current would carry us down and land us below that spot."Mr. Podington said not a word; he expected every moment to see thehorse sink into a watery grave."It isn't so bad after all, is it, Podington? If we had a rudder and abit of a sail it would be a great help to the horse. This wagon is nota bad boat."The despairing Podington looked at his feet. "It's coming in," he saidin a husky voice. "Thomas, the water is over my shoes!""That is so," said Buller. "I am so used to water I didn't notice it.She leaks. Do you carry anything to bail her out with?""Bail!" cried Podington, now finding his voice. "Oh, Thomas, we aresinking!""That's so," said Buller; "she leaks like a sieve."The weight of the running-gear and of the two men was entirely toomuch for the buoyancy of the wagon body. The water rapidly rose towardthe top of its sides."We are going to drown!" cried Podington, suddenly rising."Lick him! Lick him!" exclaimed Buller. "Make him swim faster!""There's nothing to lick," cried Podington, vainly lashing at thewater, for he could not reach the horse's head. The poor man wasdreadfully frightened; he had never even imagined it possible that heshould be drowned in his own wagon."Whoop!" cried Buller, as the water rose over the sides. "Steadyyourself, old boy, or you'll go overboard!" And the next moment thewagon body sunk out of sight.But it did not go down very far. The deepest part of the channel ofthe stream had been passed, and with a bump the wheels struck thebottom."Heavens!" exclaimed Buller, "we are aground.""Aground!" exclaimed Podington, "Heaven be praised!"As the two men stood up in the submerged wagon the water was abovetheir knees, and when Podington looked out over the surface of thepond, now so near his face, it seemed like a sheet of water he hadnever seen before. It was something horrible, threatening to rise andenvelop him. He trembled so that he could scarcely keep his footing."William," said his companion, "you must sit down; if you don't,you'll tumble overboard and be drowned. There is nothing for you tohold to.""Sit down," said Podington, gazing blankly at the water around him, "Ican't do that!"At this moment the horse made a slight movement. Having touched bottomafter his efforts in swimming across the main bed of the stream, witha floating wagon in tow, he had stood for a few moments, his head andneck well above water, and his back barely visible beneath thesurface. Having recovered his breath, he now thought it was time tomove on.At the first step of the horse Mr. Podington began to totter.Instinctively he clutched Buller."Sit down!" cried the latter, "or you'll have us both overboard."There was no help for it; down sat Mr. Podington; and, as with a greatsplash he came heavily upon the seat, the water rose to his waist."Ough!" said he. "Thomas, shout for help.""No use doing that," replied Buller, still standing on his nauticallegs; "I don't see anybody, and I don't see any boat. We'll get outall right. Just you stick tight to the thwart.""The what?" feebly asked the other."Oh, the seat, I mean. We can get to the shore all right if you steerthe horse straight. Head him more across the pond.""I can't head him," cried Podington. "I have dropped the reins!""Good gracious!" cried Mr. Buller, "that's bad. Can't you steer him byshouting 'Gee' and 'Haw'?""No," said Podington, "he isn't an ox; but perhaps I can stop him."And with as much voice as he could summon, he called out: "Whoa!" andthe horse stopped."If you can't steer him any other way," said Buller, "we must get thereins. Lend me your whip.""I have dropped that too," said Podington; "there it floats.""Oh, dear," said Buller, "I guess I'll have to dive for them; if hewere to run away, we should be in an awful fix.""Don't get out! Don't get out!" exclaimed Podington. "You can reachover the dashboard.""As that's under water," said Buller, "it will be the same thing asdiving; but it's got to be done, and I'll try it. Don't you move now;I am more used to water than you are."Mr. Buller took off his hat and asked his friend to hold it. Hethought of his watch and other contents of his pockets, but there wasno place to put them, so he gave them no more consideration. Thenbravely getting on his knees in the water, he leaned over thedashboard, almost disappearing from sight. With his disengaged handMr. Podington grasped the submerged coat-tails of his friend.In a few seconds the upper part of Mr. Buller rose from the water. Hewas dripping and puffing, and Mr. Podington could not but think what adifference it made in the appearance of his friend to have his hairplastered close to his head."I got hold of one of them," said the sputtering Buller, "but it wasfast to something and I couldn't get it loose.""Was it thick and wide?" asked Podington."Yes," was the answer; "it did seem so.""Oh, that was a trace," said Podington; "I don't want that; the reinsare thinner and lighter.""Now I remember they are," said Buller. "I'll go down again."Again Mr. Buller leaned over the dashboard, and this time he remaineddown longer, and when he came up he puffed and sputtered more thanbefore."Is this it?" said he, holding up a strip of wet leather."Yes," said Podington, "you've got the reins.""Well, take them, and steer. I would have found them sooner if histail had not got into my eyes. That long tail's floating down thereand spreading itself out like a fan; it tangled itself all around myhead. It would have been much easier if he had been a bob-tailedhorse.""Now then," said Podington, "take your hat, Thomas, and I'll try todrive."Mr. Buller put on his hat, which was the only dry thing about him, andthe nervous Podington started the horse so suddenly that even thesea-legs of Buller were surprised, and he came very near goingbackward into the water; but recovering himself, he sat down."I don't wonder you did not like to do this, William," said he. "Wetas I am, it's ghastly!"Encouraged by his master's voice, and by the feeling of the familiarhand upon his bit, the horse moved bravely on.But the bottom was very rough and uneven. Sometimes the wheels strucka large stone, terrifying Mr. Buller, who thought they were going toupset; and sometimes they sank into soft mud, horrifying Mr.Podington, who thought they were going to drown.Thus proceeding, they presented a strange sight. At first Mr.Podington held his hands above the water as he drove, but he soonfound this awkward, and dropped them to their usual position, so thatnothing was visible above the water but the head and neck of a horseand the heads and shoulders of two men.Now the submarine equipage came to a low place in the bottom, and evenMr. Buller shuddered as the water rose to his chin. Podington gave ahowl of horror, and the horse, with high, uplifted head, was obligedto swim. At this moment a boy with a gun came strolling along theroad, and hearing Mr. Podington's cry, he cast his eyes over thewater. Instinctively he raised his weapon to his shoulder, and then,in an instant, perceiving that the objects he beheld were not aquaticbirds, he dropped his gun and ran yelling down the road toward themill.But the hollow in the bottom was a narrow one, and when it was passedthe depth of the water gradually decreased. The back of the horse cameinto view, the dashboard became visible, and the bodies and thespirits of the two men rapidly rose. Now there was vigorous splashingand tugging, and then a jet black horse, shining as if he had beennewly varnished, pulled a dripping wagon containing two well-soakedmen upon a shelving shore."Oh, I am chilled to the bones!" said Podington."I should think so," replied his friend; "if you have got to be wet,it is a great deal pleasanter under the water."There was a field-road on this side of the pond which Podington wellknew, and proceeding along this they came to the bridge and got intothe main road."Now we must get home as fast as we can," cried Podington, "or weshall both take cold. I wish I hadn't lost my whip. Hi now! Getalong!"Podington was now full of life and energy, his wheels were on the hardroad, and he was himself again.When he found his head was turned toward his home, the horse set offat a great rate."Hi there!" cried Podington. "I am so sorry I lost my whip.""Whip!" said Buller, holding fast to the side of the seat; "surely youdon't want him to go any faster than this. And look here, William," headded, "it seems to me we are much more likely to take cold in our wetclothes if we rush through the air in this way. Really, it seems to methat horse is running away.""Not a bit of it," cried Podington. "He wants to get home, and hewants his dinner. Isn't he a fine horse? Look how he steps out!""Steps out!" said Buller, "I think I'd like to step out myself. Don'tyou think it would be wiser for me to walk home, William? That willwarm me up.""It will take you an hour," said his friend. "Stay where you are, andI'll have you in a dry suit of clothes in less than fifteen minutes.""I tell you, William," said Mr. Buller, as the two sat smoking afterdinner, "what you ought to do; you should never go out driving withouta life-preserver and a pair of oars; I always take them. It would makeyou feel safer."Mr. Buller went home the next day, because Mr. Podington's clothes didnot fit him, and his own outdoor suit was so shrunken as to beuncomfortable. Besides, there was another reason, connected with thedesire of horses to reach their homes, which prompted his return. Buthe had not forgotten his compact with his friend, and in the course ofa week he wrote to Podington, inviting him to spend some days withhim. Mr. Podington was a man of honor, and in spite of his recentunfortunate water experience he would not break his word. He went toMr. Buller's seaside home at the time appointed.Early on the morning after his arrival, before the family were up, Mr.Podington went out and strolled down to the edge of the bay. He wentto look at Buller's boat. He was well aware that he would be asked totake a sail, and as Buller had driven with him, it would be impossiblefor him to decline sailing with Buller; but he must see the boat.There was a train for his home at a quarter past seven; if he were noton the premises he could not be asked to sail. If Buller's boat were alittle, flimsy thing, he would take that train--but he would wait andsee.There was only one small boat anchored near the beach, and aman--apparently a fisherman--informed Mr. Podington that it belongedto Mr. Buller. Podington looked at it eagerly; it was not very smalland not flimsy."Do you consider that a safe boat?" he asked the fisherman."Safe?" replied the man. "You could not upset her if you tried. Lookat her breadth of beam! You could go anywhere in that boat! Are youthinking of buying her?"The idea that he would think of buying a boat made Mr. Podingtonlaugh. The information that it would be impossible to upset the littlevessel had greatly cheered him, and he could laugh.Shortly after breakfast Mr. Buller, like a nurse with a dose ofmedicine, came to Mr. Podington with the expected invitation to take asail."Now, William," said his host, "I understand perfectly your feelingabout boats, and what I wish to prove to you is that it is a feelingwithout any foundation. I don't want to shock you or make you nervous,so I am not going to take you out today on the bay in my boat. You areas safe on the bay as you would be on land--a little safer, perhaps,under certain circumstances, to which we will not allude--but still itis sometimes a little rough, and this, at first, might cause you someuneasiness, and so I am going to let you begin your education in thesailing line on perfectly smooth water. About three miles back of usthere is a very pretty lake several miles long. It is part of thecanal system which connects the town with the railroad. I have sent myboat to the town, and we can walk up there and go by the canal to thelake; it is only about three miles."If he had to sail at all, this kind of sailing suited Mr. Podington. Acanal, a quiet lake, and a boat which could not be upset. When theyreached the town the boat was in the canal, ready for them."Now," said Mr. Buller, "you get in and make yourself comfortable. Myidea is to hitch on to a canal-boat and be towed to the lake. Theboats generally start about this time in the morning, and I will goand see about it."Mr. Podington, under the direction of his friend, took a seat in thestern of the sailboat, and then he remarked:"Thomas, have you a life-preserver on board? You know I am not used toany kind of vessel, and I am clumsy. Nothing might happen to the boat,but I might trip and fall overboard, and I can't swim.""All right," said Buller; "here's a life-preserver, and you can put iton. I want you to feel perfectly safe. Now I will go and see about thetow."But Mr. Buller found that the canal-boats would not start at theirusual time; the loading of one of them was not finished, and he wasinformed that he might have to wait for an hour or more. This did notsuit Mr. Buller at all, and he did not hesitate to show his annoyance."I tell you, sir, what you can do," said one of the men in charge ofthe boats; "if you don't want to wait till we are ready to start,we'll let you have a boy and a horse to tow you up to the lake. Thatwon't cost you much, and they'll be back before we want 'em."The bargain was made, and Mr. Buller joyfully returned to his boatwith the intelligence that they were not to wait for the canal-boats.A long rope, with a horse attached to the other end of it, wasspeedily made fast to the boat, and with a boy at the head of thehorse, they started up the canal."Now this is the kind of sailing I like," said Mr. Podington. "If Ilived near a canal I believe I would buy a boat and train my horse totow. I could have a long pair of rope-lines and drive him myself; thenwhen the roads were rough and bad the canal would always be smooth.""This is all very nice," replied Mr. Buller, who sat by the tiller tokeep the boat away from the bank, "and I am glad to see you in a boatunder any circumstances. Do you know, William, that although I did notplan it, there could not have been a better way to begin your sailingeducation. Here we glide along, slowly and gently, with no possiblethought of danger, for if the boat should suddenly spring a leak, asif it were the body of a wagon, all we would have to do would be tostep on shore, and by the time you get to the end of the canal youwill like this gentle motion so much that you will be perfectly readyto begin the second stage of your nautical education.""Yes," said Mr. Podington. "How long did you say this canal is?""About three miles," answered his friend. "Then we will go into thelock and in a few minutes we shall be on the lake.""So far as I am concerned," said Mr. Podington, "I wish the canal weretwelve miles long. I cannot imagine anything pleasanter than this. IfI lived anywhere near a canal--a long canal, I mean, this one is tooshort--I'd--""Come, come now," interrupted Buller. "Don't be content to stay in theprimary school just because it is easy. When we get on the lake I willshow you that in a boat, with a gentle breeze, such as we are likelyto have today, you will find the motion quite as pleasing, and ever somuch more inspiriting. I should not be a bit surprised, William, ifafter you have been two or three times on the lake you will askme--yes, positively ask me--to take you out on the bay!"Mr. Podington smiled, and leaning backward, he looked up at thebeautiful blue sky."You can't give me anything better than this, Thomas," said he; "butyou needn't think I am weakening; you drove with me, and I will sailwith you."The thought came into Buller's mind that he had done both of thesethings with Podington, but he did not wish to call up unpleasantmemories, and said nothing.About half a mile from the town there stood a small cottage wherehouse-cleaning was going on, and on a fence, not far from the canal,there hung a carpet gaily adorned with stripes and spots of red andyellow.When the drowsy tow-horse came abreast of the house, and the carpetcaught his eye, he suddenly stopped and gave a start toward the canal.Then, impressed with a horror of the glaring apparition, he gatheredhimself up, and with a bound dashed along the tow-path. The astoundedboy gave a shout, but was speedily left behind. The boat of Mr. Bullershot forward as if she had been struck by a squall.The terrified horse sped on as if a red and yellow demon were afterhim. The boat bounded, and plunged, and frequently struck the grassybank of the canal, as if it would break itself to pieces. Mr.Podington clutched the boom to keep himself from being thrown out,while Mr. Buller, both hands upon the tiller, frantically endeavoredto keep the boat from the bank."William!" he screamed, "he is running away with us; we shall bedashed to pieces! Can't you get forward and cast off that line?""What do you mean?" cried Podington, as the boom gave a great jerk asif it would break its fastenings and drag him overboard."I mean untie the tow-line. We'll be smashed if you don't! I can'tleave this tiller. Don't try to stand up; hold on to the boom andcreep forward. Steady now, or you'll be overboard!"Mr. Podington stumbled to the bow of the boat, his efforts greatlyimpeded by the big cork life-preserver tied under his arms, and themotion of the boat was so violent and erratic that he was obliged tohold on to the mast with one arm and to try to loosen the knot withthe other; but there was a great strain on the rope, and he could donothing with one hand."Cut it! Cut it!" cried Mr. Buller."I haven't a knife," replied Podington.Mr. Buller was terribly frightened; his boat was cutting through thewater as never vessel of her class had sped since sail-boats wereinvented, and bumping against the bank as if she were a billiard-ballrebounding from the edge of a table. He forgot he was in a boat; heonly knew that for the first time in his life he was in a runaway. Helet go the tiller. It was of no use to him."William," he cried, "let us jump out the next time we are near enoughto shore!""Don't do that! Don't do that!" replied Podington. "Don't jump out ina runaway; that is the way to get hurt. Stick to your seat, my boy; hecan't keep this up much longer. He'll lose his wind!"Mr. Podington was greatly excited, but he was not frightened, asBuller was. He had been in a runaway before, and he could not helpthinking how much better a wagon was than a boat in such a case."If he were hitched up shorter and I had a snaffle-bit and a stoutpair of reins," thought he, "I could soon bring him up."But Mr. Buller was rapidly losing his wits. The horse seemed to begoing faster than ever. The boat bumped harder against the bank, andat one time Buller thought they could turn over.Suddenly a thought struck him."William," he shouted, "tip that anchor over the side! Throw it in,any way!"Mr. Podington looked about him, and, almost under his feet, saw theanchor. He did not instantly comprehend why Buller wanted it thrownoverboard, but this was not a time to ask questions. The difficultiesimposed by the life-preserver, and the necessity of holding on withone hand, interfered very much with his getting at the anchor andthrowing it over the side, but at last he succeeded, and just as theboat threw up her bow as if she were about to jump on shore, theanchor went out and its line shot after it. There was an irregulartrembling of the boat as the anchor struggled along the bottom of thecanal; then there was a great shock; the boat ran into the bank andstopped; the tow-line was tightened like a guitar-string, and thehorse, jerked back with great violence, came tumbling in a heap uponthe ground.Instantly Mr. Podington was on the shore and running at the top of hisspeed toward the horse. The astounded animal had scarcely begun tostruggle to his feet when Podington rushed upon him, pressed his headback to the ground, and sat upon it."Hurrah!" he cried, waving his hat above his head. "Get out, Buller;he is all right now!"Presently Mr. Buller approached, very much shaken up."All right?" he said. "I don't call a horse flat in a road with a manon his head all right; but hold him down till we get him loose from myboat. That is the thing to do. William, cast him loose from the boatbefore you let him up! What will he do when he gets up?""Oh. he'll be quiet enough when he gets up," said Podington. "But ifyou've got a knife you can cut his traces---I mean that rope--but no,you needn't. Here comes the boy. We'll settle this business in veryshort order now."When the horse was on his feet, and all connection between the animaland the boat had been severed, Mr. Podington looked at his friend."Thomas," said he, "you seem to have had a hard time of it. You havelost your hat and you look as if you had been in a wrestling-match.""I have," replied the other; "I wrestled with that tiller and I wonderit didn't throw me out."Now approached the boy. "Shall I hitch him on again, sir?" said he."He's quiet enough now.""No," cried Mr. Buller; "I want no more sailing after a horse, and,besides, we can't go on the lake with that boat; she has been batteredabout so much that she must have opened a dozen seams. The best thingwe can do is to walk home."Mr. Podington agreed with his friend that walking home was the bestthing they could do. The boat was examined and found to be leaking,but not very badly, and when her mast had been unshipped andeverything had been made tight and right on board, she was pulled outof the way of tow-lines and boats, and made fast until she could besent for from the town.Mr. Buller and Mr. Podington walked back toward the town. They had notgone very far when they met a party of boys, who, upon seeing them,burst into unseemly laughter."Mister," cried one of them, "you needn't be afraid of tumbling intothe canal. Why don't you take off your life-preserver and let thatother man put it on his head?"The two friends looked at each other and could not help joining in thelaughter of the boys."By George! I forgot all about this," said Podington, as he unfastenedthe cork jacket. "It does look a little super-timid to wear alife-preserver just because one happens to be walking by the side of acanal."Mr. Buller tied a handkerchief on his head, and Mr. Podington rolledup his life-preserver and carried it under his arm. Thus they reachedthe town, where Buller bought a hat, Podington dispensed with hisbundle, and arrangements were made to bring back the boat."Runaway in a sailboat!" exclaimed one of the canal boatmen when hehad heard about the accident. "Upon my word! That beats anything thatcould happen to a man!""No, it doesn't," replied Mr. Buller, quietly. "I have gone to thebottom in a foundered road-wagon."The man looked at him fixedly."Was you ever struck in the mud in a balloon?" he asked."Not yet," replied Mr. Buller.It required ten days to put Mr. Buller's sailboat into propercondition, and for ten days Mr. Podington stayed with his friend, andenjoyed his visit very much. They strolled on the beach, they tooklong walks in the back country, they fished from the end of a pier,they smoked, they talked, and were happy and content."Thomas," said Mr. Podington, on the last evening of his stay, "I haveenjoyed myself very much since I have been down here, and now, Thomas,if I were to come down again next summer, would you mind--would youmind, not----""I would not mind it a bit," replied Buller, promptly. "I'll never somuch as mention it; so you can come along without a thought of it. Andsince you have alluded to the subject, William," he continued, "I'dlike very much to come and see you again; you know my visit was a veryshort one this year. That is a beautiful country you live in. Such avariety of scenery, such an opportunity for walks and rambles! But,William, if you could only make up your mind not to----""Oh, that is all right!" exclaimed Podington. "I do not need to makeup my mind. You come to my house and you will never so much as hear ofit. Here's my hand upon it!""And here's mine!" said Mr. Buller.And they shook hands over a new compact.