The horses were all mixed
up with the instruments, and the female driver was thrown into the air
and came down in a sitting position right into the bass drum. She went
right through the sheepskin, so her head and hands and feet were all of
her that remained outside the drum.
[Illustration: Her Cart, Team and All Were Thrown Right Against the
Band.]
She yelled for help and the circus hands rolled the drum, with her in
it, into the dressing-room, where they had to cut the sides of the drum
with an ax, to get her out, while others caught her horses and pulled
the chariot out of the band, and the music stopped; but pa went on
forever.
He went around six times yelling like an Indian at a green corn dance,
and when he thought it was time to let up, because he had missed the
other chariot, he pulled so hard he broke the lines on the two inside
horses and then it was a runaway for sure, and the audience stood up on
the seats and yelled, and women fainted.
Finally the circus hands grabbed some hurdles, and threw them across the
track, near the main entrance, and when we came around the last time,
two of the horses jumped the hurdles all right, but two fumbled and fell
down, and there was a crash, and I didn't know anything until I felt
cold water on my face that tasted sour, and colored my shirt red, and I
found the lemonade butcher was bringing me to by pouring a tray of
lemonade over me.
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