FARM ECHOES. 51 



it certainly was not. Though "due" there, I never 

 reached that point. It was an ordinary plow I had, yet 

 it acted in a most extraordinary way, going southeast, 

 then southwest. Indeed the oxen proved so stupid that 

 they could not be made to "head" as I ordered them. 

 "Hard a port " had no more effect upon them than " hard 

 a starboard," notwithstanding I shouted such commands 

 as loudly as was possible without the aid of a speaking 

 trumpet. 



At times they were bound N. N. W., then N. N. E., 

 though "due" south, and I began to suspect that I was 

 driving a more intelligent team than I had at first sup- 

 posed, and that the knowing creatures, aware of my fond- 

 ness for sailing, were "boxing the compass" for my 

 gratification. Their persistent disregard of all such 

 orders as " Port your helm," however, convinced me that 

 such was not the case, but that they were stupid or stub- 

 born. It must be taken for granted that the whole 

 difficulty was with them. 



It was not pleasant to feel that I had been imposed 

 upon in having such stupid brutes recommended to me, 

 and for which I had paid full price. How could any 

 farmer claiming to be respectable, thus defraud me ! 



Difficult as it may be to the reader to realize the fact, 

 it was necessary for me to drop all such explicit terms as 

 I had been using, could any be more explicit ? and 

 come down to "Haw," "Whoa," and "Gee." I soon 

 found an opportunity to leave the field, and handed the 

 plow to another, taking good care not to return to it. 



It was not through my hands coming in contact with 

 the plow that I was to gain the requisite knowledge, even 



