I arrived at the meadow, but the cattle had broken the fence and escaped.

It was my duty to carry home the earliest tidings of this accident, but the first suggestion was to examine the cause and manner of this escape.

The field was bounded by cedar railing.

Five of these rails were laid horizontally from post to post.

The upper one had been broken in the middle, but the rest had merely been drawn out of the holes on one side, and rested with their ends on the ground.