Five miles beyond Ala they would be on Venetian soil, and already they saw the lights of the village twinkling like so many golden candles.

But the berlin, which had drawn them so stoutly over these rugged mountain-roads, failed them at the last.

One of the hind wheels jolted violently upon a great stone, there was a sudden cracking of wood, and the carriage lurched over, throwing its occupants one against the other.
Wogan disentangled himself, opened the door, and sprang out.

He sprang out into a pool of water.

One glance at the carriage, dark though the night was, told him surely what had happened.