She lost no time in giving a loud scream. What else should she do?
“O, goodness gracious! What is that?”
“O Lord, save and defend us! What is it?” exclaimed the two ladies, in chorus.
“A man on a hog!”
“The doctor on a sow!” again in chorus.
Now the pony and the swine met, the doctor still clinging to the sow’s ear with one hand, and to the tail with the other; of course, having turned a clean summersault from the pony, facing towards the sow’s hind quarters. The swine, beset on all sides, sheered off, and made directly through a large duck-pond in the field, scattering the geese and ducks every way, which, crying out, “Quack, quack!” made off as fast as feet and wings could carry them. Half way across the pond the doctor lost his balance, and, with his saddle-bags, fell splashing into the water.
Another scream from the ladies,—only two of them.
The widow, like a sensible woman, when she saw the doctor’s danger, ran for the well-pole. “Here, John, here! Take this well-hook, and fish him out quick, before he drowns.”
John obeyed, and in an instant the doctor was safely landed.
The doctor was sobered.