"'Take that damn circus out of the road,' he shouted. If he'd had
any sense he'd have seen how helpless I was. I could hear his
cattle plunging about; they are like that, horses--if they see one
fool, then they all want to be fools.
"'Take it home, and tie it up to its organ,' shouted the guard.
"Then an old woman went into hysterics, and began laughing like an
hyena. That started the pony off again, and, as far as I could
calculate by watching the clouds, we did about another four miles at
the gallop. Then he thought he'd try to jump a gate, and finding, I
suppose, that the cart hampered him, he started kicking it to
pieces. I'd never have thought a cart could have been separated
into so many pieces, if I hadn't seen it done. When he had got rid
of everything but half a wheel and the splashboard he bolted again.
I remained behind with the other ruins, and glad I was to get a
little rest. He came back later in the afternoon, and I was pleased
to sell him the next week for a five-pound-note: it cost me about
another ten to repair myself.
"To this day I am chaffed about that pony, and the local temperance
society made a lecture out of me. That's what comes of following
advice.
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