One of them now, seeing the work to which Susannah had set herself, interfered.

He was about sixty years of age, coarse in appearance, an elder whose wife and family Susannah knew by reputation.
He and his fellows called a halt, looking for some man who might push the cart, but there was none within sight who was not already overburdened, nor was there a waggon that was not already overfilled with the sick and exhausted.

The elder, whose name happened to be Darling, found in this particular instance reason to swerve from his position of guard.

He left the post in charge of his fellow and pushed the cart.

It was a habit with many of these leaders to seek to lighten the way by jocularities, and Susannah had before observed that, whether the jests arose with ease or effort from the heavy hearts of those who made them, a large proportion of the people were evidently cheered thereby.