"Get back, back on the seat," he ordered. "Now then," addressing the horse, "we'll see who's what! Whoa! Whoa! Steady! Come into that channel, you old idiot! Come on!"
The Foam Flake was pretty nearly ready to come by this time. And Kendrick's not too gentle coaxing helped. The buggy settled into the ruts with a series of bumps. The horse's gallop became a trot, then a walk; then he stopped and stood still.
The captain subsided on the seat beside his passenger. He relaxed his tension upon the reins and the situation.
"Whew!" he exclaimed. "That was sweet while it lasted. All right, are you?"
She answered, still rather breathlessly, "Yes, I am all right," she declared. "But you? Aren't you hurt?"
"Me? Not a bit."
"You're sure? I was so afraid. Your—your legs, you know."
"My legs are all serene." They weren't, by any means, and were at that moment proclaiming the fact, but he did not mean she should know. "They're first-rate.... Well, I'm much obliged."
"Obliged for what?"
"For that rein. But you shouldn't have climbed out that way. You might have broken your neck. 'Twas an awful risk."