when they think they've gave theirselves enough law, they'll call a halt and right-about-face. Back they'll come prancing and pawing as if they meant to charge. Then they'll halt again, and down will go their heads with the horns stuck out-prepare to receive cavalry' like, you know-and then off they'll set again. It's queer to see 'em capering about when they're pleased-just for all the world as calves scamper about in a meadow when a railway train goes by. Yes, I've shot them, but it's precious hard to take them alive. The governor bought ours from a dealer. It's a sulky beast, and savage too, when it's riled. 'Ta'nt unlike old Grisly." I do not know whether old Grisly overheard this speech, and little Jollyman laughing at it; but, at any rate, he made use of the brindled gnu to wreak his spite on the little boy. The gnu was in a very bad temper one daystamping its feet and rattling its horns against the bars and sides of its stable-when old Grisly went to give it its hay. It made a butt at him as he put in the bundle. Little Jollyman was standing at the open door, and as old Grisly stepped back he pretended to stumble against his little rival, but really intentionally pushed him into the cage. The angry gnu bruised and crushed our young friend very badly before Jollyman, who happened to come up just in the nick of time, pulled him out. Jollyman had brought down the loaded butt-end of his cart-whip on the muzzle of the gnu, and, naturally enough, losing his temper at the thought of old Grisly's cowardly malice, he made the heavy whip-corded lash writhe round old Grisly's legs and arms and shoulders, until he howled for mercy. Jollyman could not have sworn, perhaps, in a court of law that old Grisly had intentionally pushed little Jollyman into the cage; but he had guessed, accurately enough as it proved, how things had happened; and so, on the spur of the moment, he gave old Grisly a hearty horsewhipping, and at once bundled him out of his service. |