noon
To drive through such drifts was , of course , impossible ; so they had to make long detours through the surrounding fields . At such places the horses , of course , had to be driven with extra care , for no one wanted the sleigh to land in some hole or be overturned . Occasionally , when the turnout was on a dangerous slant , the girls would shriek and the boys would hold their breath ; but each time Washington Bones was equal to the occasion and brought them through safely . By noon they had covered five miles , and then they stopped to rest at a village where all procured a good hot dinner . Then they went forward once again , this time through a long patch of timber . `` If we gits through dat , we 'll be all right , '' declared the colored driver . The snow lay deep in the woods , but the horses proved equal to the occasion , and at last the timber was left behind and they came out on a ridge road where the snow was only a few inches in depth .