He was keenly on the alert, however, and it seemed to me that the stroke of the clock and the thong of his whip fell together--not in a blow, but in a sharp snap over the leader, which sent us flying with a jingle and a rattle upon our fifty miles' journey.
Il me sembla que le coup de cloche et le coup de fouet fussent partis en même temps, non point en sallongeant, mais en cinglant vivement le cheval de tête qui nous lança à une allure furieuse, à grand bruit, sur notre parcours de cinquante milles. J'entendis un grondement derrière nous.