Russia in 1839 -Empire of the Czar: A Journey Through Eternal Russia

escorted the puissant cause of this peril, seeing our critical situation, had the prudence to avoid following us, for fear of further exciting our horses: I, without even thinking of springing from the carriage, had com-mendedmy soul to God, when, suddenly, Antonio disappeared. I thought he was killed: the head and leather curtains of the calòche concealed the scene from me; but at the same moment I felt the horses stop. " We are saved," cried Antonio. This ice touched me, for he himself was beyond all danger, after having succeeded in getting out of the calèche without accident. His rare presence of mind had indicated to him the moment favourable to springing out with the least risk : afterwards, with that agility which strong emotions impart, but which they cannot explain, he found himself, without knowing how, upon the top of the bank, at the heads of the two horses who had scaled it, and whose desperate efforts threatened to destroy us all. The carriage was just about to overturn when the horses were stopped; but Antonio's activity gave time to the others to follow his example; the coachman was in a moment at the heads of the two other horses, while the courier propped up the coach. At the same moment the cossack-guard of the elephant, who had put their horses to a gallop, arrived to our assistance; they made me alight, and helped my people to hold the still trembling horses. Never was an accident more nearly being disastrous, and never was one repaired at less cost. Not a screw of the coach was disturbed, and scarcely a strap of harness. broken.

At the expiration of a quarter of an hour, Antonio was seated quietly by my side in the calèche; in