DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70301#0169
ELIZABETH WOODCOCK.
147
the ways impassable, but still enough to retard and impede the
traveller. The horse, upon his starting, ran backward, and
approached the brink of a ditch, which the poor woman
recollected, and, fearing lest the animal in his fright should
plunge into it, very prudently dismounted with all expedition.
Her intention was to walk, and lead the horse home; but he
started again, and broke from her. She repeated her attempt
to take hold of the bridle; when the horse, still under the im-
pression of fear, turned suddenly out of the road, and direct-
ed his steps to the right, over the common field. She fol-
lowed, in hopes of quickly overtaking him, but, unfor-
tunately, lost one of her shoes in the snow. She was al-
ready wearied with the. exertion she had made, and besides,
had a heavy basket on her arm, containing several articles of
domestic consumption, which she had brought from market.
By these means her pursuit of the horse was greatly impeded;
she however persisted, and followed him through an opening
in a hedge, a little beyond which she overtook him (about a
quarter of a mile from the place where she alighted,) and,
taking hold of the bridle, made another attempt to lead him
home. But she had not retraced her steps farther than a
thicket, which lies contiguous to the said hedge, when she
found herself so much fatigued and exhausted, and her hands
and feet, particularly her left foot, which was without a shoe, so
very much benumbed, that she was unable to proceed farther.
Sitting down then upon the ground in this state, and letting
go the bridle, “ Tinker,” she said, calling the horse by his
name, “ I am too much tired to go any farther, you must go
home without me!” The ground on which she sat was upon
a level with the common field, close under the thicket on the
south west. She well knew the situation of it, and what was
its distance from and bearing with respect to her own house.
There was then but a small quantity of snow drifted near her;
but it was beginning to accumulate, and did actually accumu-
late so rapidly, that, when Chesterton bell rang at eight
u 2
147
the ways impassable, but still enough to retard and impede the
traveller. The horse, upon his starting, ran backward, and
approached the brink of a ditch, which the poor woman
recollected, and, fearing lest the animal in his fright should
plunge into it, very prudently dismounted with all expedition.
Her intention was to walk, and lead the horse home; but he
started again, and broke from her. She repeated her attempt
to take hold of the bridle; when the horse, still under the im-
pression of fear, turned suddenly out of the road, and direct-
ed his steps to the right, over the common field. She fol-
lowed, in hopes of quickly overtaking him, but, unfor-
tunately, lost one of her shoes in the snow. She was al-
ready wearied with the. exertion she had made, and besides,
had a heavy basket on her arm, containing several articles of
domestic consumption, which she had brought from market.
By these means her pursuit of the horse was greatly impeded;
she however persisted, and followed him through an opening
in a hedge, a little beyond which she overtook him (about a
quarter of a mile from the place where she alighted,) and,
taking hold of the bridle, made another attempt to lead him
home. But she had not retraced her steps farther than a
thicket, which lies contiguous to the said hedge, when she
found herself so much fatigued and exhausted, and her hands
and feet, particularly her left foot, which was without a shoe, so
very much benumbed, that she was unable to proceed farther.
Sitting down then upon the ground in this state, and letting
go the bridle, “ Tinker,” she said, calling the horse by his
name, “ I am too much tired to go any farther, you must go
home without me!” The ground on which she sat was upon
a level with the common field, close under the thicket on the
south west. She well knew the situation of it, and what was
its distance from and bearing with respect to her own house.
There was then but a small quantity of snow drifted near her;
but it was beginning to accumulate, and did actually accumu-
late so rapidly, that, when Chesterton bell rang at eight
u 2