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Soon he understood why . On a small hill , he saw the stranger’s shape against the sky . The rider was huge and wrapped in a cloak . And he had no head ! Ichabod was horrified . But then he saw something even worse . The head was not on the rider’s shoulders . It was on the front of his saddle ! Now Ichabod’s fear turned to panic . He rained kicks and blows on Gunpowder . But the ghost started at the same moment . Away they flew , with stones flying and sparks flashing from the horses ’ feet . Ichabod stretched his long body far over his horse’s head . They reached the road to Sleepy Hollow . But Gunpowder seemed to have a devil in it . It turned the other way and rushed down the hill , towards the church and its bridge . Halfway there , the belt under the saddle broke . Ichabod felt the saddle slipping away under him . He only just had time to throw his arms round the old horse’s neck . The saddle fell to the ground , and he heard the ghost’s horse trample it . For a moment he thought of Hans Van Ripper’s anger , because it was his Sunday saddle . But this was no time for small worries . The ghost was right behind him ! And Ichabod was not a good rider . He slipped to one side , then to the other . Sometimes he bumped so hard on the horse’s sharp back that it almost cut him in two . Then he saw an opening in the trees . A star shone in the water of the stream . Beyond it stood the white walls of the church . The bridge was near ! He remembered the place where Brom’s ghostly rival disappeared . “ If I can only reach that bridge , ” thought Ichabod , “ I will be safe . ” Just then he heard the black horse behind him , breathing hard . He even thought he felt its hot breath . One more wild kick , and old Gunpowder jumped on to the bridge . It thundered over the wooden boards and reached the other side . Now Ichabod looked back . In all the stories , the ghost disappeared here in a flash of fire . But instead he saw the rider rise up in his stirrups . He was throwing his head at Ichabod ! Ichabod tried to duck , but it was too late . The head hit him with a terrible crash , and he fell head first into the dust . Gunpowder , the black horse and the ghostly rider all passed by like a whirlwind . IX . The Morning After The next morning the old horse was standing at Hans Van Ripper’s gate . It had no saddle , and it was calmly eating the grass . Ichabod did not come to breakfast . Dinner time came , but there was still no Ichabod . The boys came to the schoolhouse , but there was no schoolmaster . Hans Van Ripper began to worry about poor Ichabod , and about his saddle . People began to search , and soon they found signs . On the road to the church lay the saddle in the dirt . Deep marks of horses ’ feet went all the way to the bridge . Beyond it , where the stream was deep and black , lay Ichabod’s hat . Close beside it lay a broken pumpkin .
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