DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61635#0228
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road, and had come kilometres out of our way,
but that all we could do was to go on to a place
called Lafayette. There we should find a high-
way that would eventually lead us into the Route
Nationale.—This was not encouraging. It was op-
pressively hot in the shadeless valley. The road
was bad, full of stones and ugly ruts and ridges,
and before long degenerated into a mere unused
cow-path, overgrown with grass, crossing the fields.
We tried to ride; we tried to walk, pushing the
machine. Both were equally hard work.
“ To a Frenchman any road's good so he don't
have to climb a hill,” said J , in a rage. “If
I only had that fellow here ! ”
—We were walking at the moment.-
“ Get on ! ” he cried, and I did.
—We bumped silently over the ruts.-
“Get off!” he ordered presently, and meekly
I obeyed, for indeed I was beginning to be
alarmed.
—He took the machine by the handle-bars and
shook it hard.—-—
“You’ll break it! ” cried I.
“ I don’t care if I do,” growled he, and he
gave it another shake.
—But at this crisis two women coming towards
us, he inquired of them, with as good grace as he
could
road, and had come kilometres out of our way,
but that all we could do was to go on to a place
called Lafayette. There we should find a high-
way that would eventually lead us into the Route
Nationale.—This was not encouraging. It was op-
pressively hot in the shadeless valley. The road
was bad, full of stones and ugly ruts and ridges,
and before long degenerated into a mere unused
cow-path, overgrown with grass, crossing the fields.
We tried to ride; we tried to walk, pushing the
machine. Both were equally hard work.
“ To a Frenchman any road's good so he don't
have to climb a hill,” said J , in a rage. “If
I only had that fellow here ! ”
—We were walking at the moment.-
“ Get on ! ” he cried, and I did.
—We bumped silently over the ruts.-
“Get off!” he ordered presently, and meekly
I obeyed, for indeed I was beginning to be
alarmed.
—He took the machine by the handle-bars and
shook it hard.—-—
“You’ll break it! ” cried I.
“ I don’t care if I do,” growled he, and he
gave it another shake.
—But at this crisis two women coming towards
us, he inquired of them, with as good grace as he
could