As the vehicle turned about, the crunching of the wheels started a great gray prairie owl, which rose almost beneath the horses' noses and flapped slowly off.

The apparition set the wild black horse into a sudden simulation of terror, as though he had never before seen an owl upon the prairies.
Rearing and plunging, he tore loose the hook of one of the single-trees, and in a flash stood half free, at right angles now to the vehicle instead of at its front, and struggling to break loose from the neck-yoke.

At the moment they were crossing just along the head of one of the _coulees_, and the struggles of the horse, which was upon the side next to the gully, rapidly dragged his mate down also.

In a flash Franklin saw that he could not get the team back upon the rim, and knew that he was confronted with an ugly accident.

He chose the only possible course, but handled the situation in the best possible way.