Pretty soon the beast struck into a gallop; and now he reached the lane that led into Mrs. Wealthy's farm. The pony knew the lane as well as his master, and the barn better. The said lane led by the barn-yard and out-buildings, the house being beyond. The barn-yard bars were down, and the pony made for the opening, in a clean gallop, over the fallen bars, right in amongst the cattle, the sheep, and the swine. A big ox gave a bellow at the sudden arrival, and, with tail and head in air, ran to the opposite side of the yard, intruding upon the comfort of a big old sow, that was dozing in the mud. With a loud snort, the discomfited porker rushed from the mire just in time to meet the horse, and in attempting to pass on both sides at once, she went between the short fore legs of the pony, and brought up with a loud squeal, and a shock that sent the rider over the horse's head, down astride the hog. The pony reared, wheeled, and ran out of the yard at one pair of bars, and the sow went pell-mell out of the other, bearing the doctor and saddle-bags swiftly along towards the house. The hired man witnessed the sudden change of steeds, and gave the alarm. The widow--not so very sick--was just graciously showing her two unwelcome lady callers out, after being worried nearly an hour by their company; and taking an anxious look towards the lane, she saw the doctor coming on a clean--no, dirty--gallop, on her old sow. She lost no time in giving a loud scream. What else should she do? "O, goodness gracious! What is that?" "O Lord, save and defend us! What is it?" exclaimed the two ladies, in chorus. "A man on a hog!" "The doctor on a sow!" again in chorus. Now the pony and the swine met, the doctor still clinging to the sow's ear with one hand, and to the tail with the other; of course, having turned a clean summersault from the pony, facing towards the sow's hind quarters. The swine, beset on all sides, sheered off, and made directly through a large duck-pond in the field, scattering the geese and ducks every way, which, crying out, "Quack, quack!" made off as fast as feet and wings could carry them. Half way across the pond the doctor lost his balance, and, with his saddle-bags, fell splashing into the water. Another scream from the ladies,--only two of them. The widow, like a sensible woman, when she saw the doctor's danger, ran for the well-pole. "Here, John, here! Take this well-hook, and fish him out quick, before he drowns." John obeyed, and in an instant the doctor was safely landed. The doctor was sobered. The widow, seeing no further danger, like a true woman, fainted. [Illustration: THE DOCTOR ON A SOW.] [Illustration: RESCUE OF THE DOCTOR.]