On examination they found it to be an old disused drift or ford. Wash-aways of one foot to a foot and a half crossed the steep road, going down into the river. And in the river itself large round stones three feet high lay piled up one against the other on the only place where a cart might have passed. What were they to do now? No other drift seemed near. Stay there they could not, and darkness was settling down on the land.
They stood looking in dismay at this drift. The opposite side was not crossed by wash-aways, but seemed to be almost one large precipice in itself. But still, with good horses, once there, they might be able to mount it. But how to get there?
‘Well, I do not see the use of standing talking here; we cannot stay here—cross we must—let us act!’ said Steve.
‘But we cannot cross here,’ cried Harrison. ‘The cart would be smashed! So how can we act?’
‘I for one won’t drive through here; my life is not insured,’ said Steve’s cousin.
‘And I would not remain on the cart if you did,’ said Keith.
‘Well, undo the leaders and lead them across. I shall drive the cart over, but with the wheelers only. They seem to be steady and reliable, and fairly lively yet,’ said Steve.
The others stared at him, but he remained cool and calm, as all great natures do in the time of peril. He started undoing the leaders, as the others seemed in doubt whether to take him at his word or not, led them on one side, and handed them to Theron, who seemed the most collected of the others.
He got on the cart, spoke firmly but kindly to the horses, took the reins well and strongly in hand, as short as possible, and started down the precipitous road. When he got to the first drop or wash-away in the road, he made the horses climb down first, stopped them, then moved them forward step by step, holding them hard in the mouth, until the cart came on the edge of the drop. When the cart came to the edge, it dropped down, but gently, as the horses at this moment, pulled back firmly by Steve, pressed the wheels firmly against the side of the little precipice, and thus broke the fall, bringing the cart down with only a slight bump, without injuring it in the least.
In this way he climbed down all the dangerous drops, until he came to the river itself.