The journey down to the village was long slow with his two old horses pulling their heavy load over snow and ice underfoot. By the time he had unloaded the wood and managed to buy the glue it was already late afternoon. On the way back the rain began again turning to ice as it fell on the snow and making the road even more glassy and dangerous. Once or twice Ethan heard sleigh-bells and turned round afraid that Jotham and Zeena were coming up behind him. But for most of the journey he just looked grimly into the falling rain, as his tried horses made their way up the hill