a

‘headlong into it.

 

 

 

 

 

an application of the ‘stinger, or whether the slip-

pery condition of the road was the cause of his fall, -
or whether, as he himself afterwards asserted, a blow _

from an unseen hand smote him to the ground, no
one can tell. Anyhow he was found lying in the
road about a hundred yards from the public-house,
groaning in chorus with the donkey, the one be-
moaning his bruises and the other his broken leg.
He was lifted into his cart, and conveyed as quickly
as possible to his own cottage, where a surgeon was
soon in attendance upon him.
been set he fell asleep, and dreamed the following
dream :—

He was on his way to Oldbury with a heavy load
of firewood, and in the act of smiting his donkey,
because he stopped to take breath halfway up a’ steep
hill, when the animal-raised his nose towards the
sky and brayed three times. Thereupon two hideous
gorillas, one red and the other black, stood before
him. John was terror-stricken at the strange crea-
tures, for he saw by their looks that they meant

mischief, and that flight or resistance would be im-’

possible: so he began to shout ‘Murder!’ with all
his might. Regardless of his cries, however, the
black gorilla snatched the stick from his hand, and
gave his back a bitter taste of the ‘stinger,’ whilst
the red monster unharnessed the donkey. Then
tying one end of the halter round John’s neck, and
holding the other in his hand, he set off at a swinging
trot. The black gorilla followed close behind, now
and then quickening John’s pace by a prod with the
point of the ‘stinger’ and behind all came the
donkey, capering with delight, and now and then, at
the sight of his master’s contortions, giving a whinny
which sounded very like a titter, The road which
they took led them into a forest, which grew thicker
and darker as they advanced; but they held on a
straight course through it regardless of all obstruc-

‘tions, and whenever John relaxed his pace in dashing

through a swamp or a thicket, the black gorilla used
the ‘stinger’ with a wonderfully stimulating effect.
After a run of four hours they reached a wide

‘river, and without a moment’s hesitation plunged
Poor John, who had never in his ©
‘life attempted to swim, thought his end was now cer-
‘tainly come, and howled with fright; but his leader

kept firm hold of the halter, and dragged him safely
across to the opposite bank.
dogs, and donkeys, galloped up to meet them, and, to
John’s consternation, he found that they were all
gifted with the power of spcech, whilst he himself
had become dumb. Even his own ass, once so
patient and silent, could talk as glibly as the rest;
and the topic of his discourse was anything but
pleasant to John, fer he desevibed how, from the
time when he was a little helpless foal, he had had
nothing but excessive work, scanty food, kicks, and
curses; and, moreover, he called attention to the
iron-pointed stick which had been the instrument
of his daily torture, and to the scars which covered
his body.. This produced such a sensation among the
assembled animals, that the pathetic narrative was
stopped by a murmur of indignation. So great was
the rage of the dogs, that they made a rush towards
John, and would have torn him to pieces if the
gorillas had not interfered.

After his leg had -

A number of horses, .

 

When his companions had rested and refreshed
themselves, the rapid march began anew, and the
crowd of animals went with them; some to show
their sympathy for the injured donkey, and others
to exuls over the sufferings of his contemptible master,
From the remarks which John overheard, he fancied
he was being led to the gallows, and that his donkey
was to be the executioner. It was a great relief,
therefore, when they stopped at the entrance-gate of
a spacious court, and the attendant crowd fell back,
and John saw no preparations for any such doom as
he had been expecting. An-enormous white elephant
was pacing to and fro on a grass-plot in the centre
of the court; and when the gate was thrown open
the gorillas advanced with their captive to the edge
of the grass-plot, and the elephant came forward to
receive them,

‘We have brought a human brute from the other
side of the river,’ exclaimed the red gorilla, ‘that
your majesty may pass sentence upon him for
cruelty to animals. He has shamefully maltreated
a faithful servant, who is here to give evidence
against him.’

‘Let the servant state his complaint,’ said the
elephant. Thereupon the donkey again told his tale
of woe, exhibited his bruises, and bade the gorilla
hold up the terriblé weapon which had caused them.

Then the elephant, lifting his trunk erect in the
air to signify his anger, thus addressed the wretched
prisoner :~-

‘Thou, to whom lordship has been given over all
the beasts of the field, hast shown thyself utterly
unworthy of the power entrusted to thee. Thou hast
made the life of this animal, who served thee faith.
fully, a dreary bondege of slavery and suffering.
The same Divine Being who created thee created
him also, and gave him feelings and affections as
tender as thine own. He is as much a member of
God’s family, and an object of God’s care, as thou
art; and the sun shines and the grass grows as much
for him as for thee. He had as much right as thou
to the pleasures of existence ; but thou hast deprived
him of all enjoyment. Thou hast treated him as
though he had no place nor nortion assigned to him

.by Providence, except to do thy bidding. Moreover

thou hast compelled him to minister to thy selfish
gains beyond his strength, and instead of kind-
ness thou hast given him in return for his labour
stinted provender and savage blows. Wherefore my
sentence is, that henceforth he shall be thy master
and thou shalt be his slave. He shall have the
power to command, and thou shalt be compelled in
silence to obey. So shalt thou be punished for thy
wickedness, and be taught by actual experience that
dumb animals suffer from unkindness, hunger, and
cold, just as these do who haye the power of
specch.’

Then turning to the gorillas, he bade them lead
their prisoner to an adjoining field, and there compel
him, with his own weapon, to obey the commands of
his former servant.

Away started the monsters again, grinning with
delight,—the one dragging and the other driving
their victim ; and on their arrival at the field, Joha
shuddered more than he had yet done at the prospect
of his misery—for there were hundreds of his fellow-