Johannes's good nature and honesty are not in doubt, he mused, and then he suddenly noticed a cloud of dust raised by a horse-drawn cart speeding toward the intersection ahead of them. The pace of events left no time for thoughts or doubts. Without pausing, Dr. Bowman pulled the rope belt from his jacket pocket and wrapped it tightly around both of his hands. So he jumped on Johannes, wrapping the rope around his neck and tightening it tightly. The carriage reins fell from Johannes' hands. Dr. Bowman's chokehold threatened Lemto, and he began fluttering. Paul jumped from his seat and quickly took control of the abandoned reins, but the fit of convulsions in which Johannes was subjected and the snoring that rose from his throat troubled him and his grip on the reins loosened until they fell from his hands. The horses, sensing the commotion, began to thrash wildly and diverted the carriage from its path of travel. Shards of wood and pieces of metal scattered everywhere with a loud crashing sound. The horse-drawn carriage that galloped to the crossroads collided with force with the passenger carriage that deviated from its path. One side of the passenger carriage was crushed and crashed. The force of the collision threw Dr. Bowman out of the carriage and hit the side of the road. He was lying motionless on the ground. A thin trickle of blood trickled from the corners of his mouth and he slowly sank into a bottomless dark abyss.