Chapter 4 The Motorcar's Spell Once the horse was harnessed, they set off, all talking at once.
It was a golden afternoon.
The smell of the dust they kicked up was rich and satisfying.
Out of thick orchards onto either side of them, birds whistled to them cheerily and rabbits sitting at the front doors in the bushes held up their forepaws and said Oh my, oh my, oh my.
Late in the evening, tired and happy, they drew up to a remote field, turned the horse loose to graze and ate their simple supper sitting on the grass.
Toad talked about all he was going to do in the days to come, while stars grew fuller and larger all around them.
A yellow moon appearing suddenly and silently from nowhere, in particular came to keep them company and listen to their talk.
At last, they turned into their little bunks in the cart.
After so much open air and excitement, the toad slept very soundly and no amount of shaking could rouse him out of bed the next morning.
So the rat saw to the horse and lit a fire, while the mole trudged off to the nearest village for milk and eggs, which the toad had, of course, forgotten.
The hard work had all been done and the two animals were resting by the time.
Toad appeared on the scene fresh and relaxed.
He remarked what a pleasant, easy life it was.
They were all leading now after leaving the cares and worries and fatigues of housekeeping at home.
They had a pleasant ramble that day.
It was not until afternoon that they came out on the high road, and there disaster sprang on them.
They were strolling along easily.
The mole was by the horse's head talking to him, since the horse had complained that he was being frightfully left out of it.
The toad and the water rat were walking behind the cart and talking together when, far behind them, they heard a Faint warning, hung like the drone of a distant bee.
Glancing back, they saw a cloud of dust with a dark center of energy.
It was advancing on them at incredible speed, while from the dust a faint boop-boop sound wailed like an uneasy animal in pain.
In an instant the peaceful scene was changed.
Sound rang with a brazen shout in their ears.
They had a moment's glimpse of a piece of glittering plate glass and a magnificent motor-car.
Its driver, tense and hugging his wheel, blinded them with a cloud of dust and then dwindled to a speck in the far distance.
The old grey horse, dreaming as he plodded along, simply abandoned himself to his natural emotions.
Rearing and plunging backing steadily, he drove the cart backward toward the deep ditch at the side of the road.
There was a terrible crash, and the canary-colored cart lay on its side in the ditch.
The rat danced up and down in the road in anger.
You villains, he shouted, shaking both fists.
You scoundrels, you road hogs.
I'll have the law after you.
I'll report you.
I'll take you through the courts.
Toad sat straight down in the middle of the dusty road, his legs stretched out before him and stared in the direction of the disappearing motorcar.
His breath was short, his face wore a satisfied expression, and at intervals he fainted.
The mole was busy trying to quiet the horse, which he succeeded in doing after a time.
Then he went to look at the cart, on its side in the ditch.
It was indeed a sorry sight.
Windows smashed, axles hopelessly bent, one wheel off, and sardine tins scattered.
The rat came to help him, but even together they could not lift up the cart.
"'He towed!' they cried.
"'Come and lend a hand!'
The toad didn't answer or budge from his seat in the road.
Rat and Mole found him in a sort of trance.
A happy smile on his face, his eyes still fixed on the dusty trail of their destroyer.
He was still heard to whisper, Poop, poop.
What are we to do with him? asked the Mole of the Water Rat.
Nothing at all, replied the rat firmly.
He has got a new craze, and it always takes him this way in its first stage.
He'll continue like that for days now, like an animal walking in a happy dream.
He will be quite useless for practical purposes, never mind him.
The rat nodded the horse's reins over his back and took him by the head, carrying the birdcage that had fallen from the cart in his other hand.
"'Come on,' he said grimly to the mole.
"'It's five or six miles till the nearest town and we shall just have to walk.'
They had not gone very far on their way however, when there was a pattering of feet behind them and Toad caught up and thrust a paw inside the elbow of each of them.
Now.
Look here, Toad, said the rat sharply.
As soon as we get to the town, you'll have to go to the police station and lodge a complaint against it.
And then you'll have to arrange for the cart to be picked up and fixed.
Police station?
Complaint, murmured Toad dreamily.
Me?
Complain of that?
Beautiful, that heavenly vision.
Fix the card.
I'm done with cards forever.
Oh, Ratty, you can't think how thankful I am for you coming on this trip.
I wouldn't have gone without you and I might never have seen that swan, that sunbeam, that thunderbolt.
The rat turned from him in despair.
See, he said to the mole, addressing him across Toad's head, he's quite hopeless.
I give it.
When we get to town we'll go to the railway station and with any luck we may pick up a train that will get us back to Riverbank tonight.
And if you ever catch me going along with this crazy animal again, he snorted.
The following evening, Mole was sitting on the bank fishing when the rat came strolling along to find him.
Heard the news, he said.
There's nothing else being talked about.
All along the riverbank, Toad went up to town on an early train this morning.
He has ordered a very large and very expensive motorcar.
