I'm reading Dracula by Bram Stoker.
There is this passage in the first chapter which I can't wholly understand:
'... for I was minded to jump from the caleche and run, whilst they reared again and plunged madly so that the driver had to use all his great strength to keep them from bolting.'
General sense it's quite OK but particularly I can't find the meaning of the verb to plunge, as an action referred to horses. And I don't even understand if to rear means to move a few step back or if it means to stay on the rear paws. In ky italian translation it seems like they used a construction to give the translation a sense but it is not sufficiently clear the significance of the single words. If someone could explain clearly what these two verbs stand for here it would be great.