He shies from the road with a leap, the man falls backwards into the wagon, and the reins drop.

The horse dashes from the road into the open, and rushes on to the ravine.

What good now to stop the fifes and drums-follow me?
What can we, an armed force, bandoleered, knapsacked, sworded, rifled, impetuous, brave, what can we do before this tragedy?
The man in the wagon senseless, the flying horse, the ravine, death! How futile the power of man--'stand what I mean ?" "Why didn't your battalion shoot the horse ?" said the Seigneur drily, taking a pinch of snuff.

"Monsieur," said the Colonel, "see the irony, the implacable irony of fate--we had only blank cartridge! But see you, here was this one despised man with an eye-glass, a tailor--takes nine tailors to make a man!--between the ravine and the galloping tragedy.
His spirit arrayed itself like an army with banners, prepared to wrestle with death as Jacob wrestled with his shadow all the night 'sieur le Cure!" The Cure bowed; the Notary shook back his oiled locks in excitement.
"Awoke a whole man--nine-ninths, as in Adam--in the obscure soul of the tailor, and, rushing forward, he seized the mottled horse by the bridle as he galloped upon the chasm: The horse dragged him on--dragged him on--on--on.

We, an army, so to speak, stood and watched the Tailor and the Tragedy! All seemed lost, but, by the decree of fate--" "The will of God," said the Cure softly.
"By the great decree, the man was able to stop the horse, not a half-dozen feet from the ravine.