THE COUNTRY How TO GET THERE. 83 



the track. On this road the engine had, in those 

 early days of its unperfected existence, the habit of 

 running with one end foremost while going, and with 

 the other end foremost when returning ; so that, as it 

 unfortunately is not provided with a cow-catcher at 

 both extremities, it occasionally met with difficulties. 

 On this particular occasion, during the return trip, 

 a stupid ox had planted himself in the way, entirely 

 forgetting that the cow-catcher was not there for him, 

 and absolutely succeeded in discommoding and an 

 noying at least five hundred people, besides killing 

 himself a piece of stupidity on his part only worthy 

 of an ox. 



The trains had become very variable ; during the 

 first week of my residence in Flushing, out of the six 

 trips four were failures, and in the first month I had 

 completed the round of experiences. The boat had 

 missed the train, and the train had missed the boat ; 

 the boat had blown or burnt up I never knew which 

 and the train had gone off the track. Several men 

 who were not experienced in dodging had been kill 

 ed ; fuel had given out, and water dried up ; engines 

 had grown wheezy, and bridges become rickety ; the 

 pilot had run down the dock entirely, and the engine 

 reduced its speed to six miles an hour. Once the 

 train started before the time, but the outsiders be- 



