Endowed with more than common strength, he managed, though not without difficulty, to master the horses.
The storm now raged with redoubled fury.

A perfect avalanche of stones and trunks of trees began to roll down the slope above them.
"We cannot stop here," said Michael.
"We cannot stop anywhere," returned the iemschik, all his energies apparently overcome by terror.

"The storm will soon send us to the bottom of the mountain, and that by the shortest way." "Take you that horse, coward," returned Michael, "I'll look after this one." A fresh burst of the storm interrupted him.

The driver and he were obliged to crouch upon the ground to avoid being blown down.

The carriage, notwithstanding their efforts and those of the horses, was gradually blown back, and had it not been stopped by the trunk of a tree, it would have gone over the edge of the precipice.
"Do not be afraid, Nadia!" cried Michael Strogoff.
"I'm not afraid," replied the young Livonian, her voice not betraying the slightest emotion.
The rumbling of the thunder ceased for an instant, the terrible blast had swept past into the gorge below.
"Will you go back ?" said the iemschik.
"No, we must go on! Once past this turning, we shall have the shelter of the slope." "But the horses won't move!" "Do as I do, and drag them on." "The storm will come back!" "Do you mean to obey ?" "Do you order it ?" "The Father orders it!" answered Michael, for the first time invoking the all-powerful name of the Emperor.
"Forward, my swallows!" cried the iemschik, seizing one horse, while Michael did the same to the other.
Thus urged, the horses began to struggle onward.