HEATHER BURNING. 



headlong through the hottest flame, and to recover 

 from beneath the choking night in former position? 

 There goes a hat a cap a bonnet! They have 

 taken up their positions in the pathway of the devour- 

 ing flood of fire and who so brave, so daring, as to 

 extricate his own property from instant destruction? 

 Hurrah ! hurrah ! from a score of throats, mixes with 

 the thunder, the crackle, the roll all is power, novelty, 

 ecstasy; bare heads and bare feet dance and show 

 conspicuously upon the still smoking turf. Here an 

 adder is seen writhing and twisting in the agonies of 

 death. There a half-burned hat evinces the fun and 

 the folly of its owner. But, oh ! horrible, what is that 

 in the dim and hazy distance ? It comes forward bound- 

 ing, tearing and bellowing, fearful and paralysing; it 

 is the bull himself escaped from his fold, and mad- 

 dened by the smoke and blazing atmosphere. He 

 comes down upon the charge, tail erect, and head 

 down, tossing all that is solid under his feet, and 

 looking through the scattered earth with eyes glaring 

 as well as reflecting fire. Achilles, Hector, Agamem- 

 non, Wallace, Wellington, never entered a field of 

 battle with such a terrific presence. He seems as if 

 he had just escaped from a human or Spanish arena. 

 He is desperately infuriated, and woe is to him who 

 shall be overtaken by this muscular tornado in his 

 weakness and fears. We are off! diffugimtts. We 

 are nowhere to be found. One has made for a distant 

 wall surounding the Heather park, and is in the act 

 of climbing it. The bull is in full chase, armed with 

 two ghast, but powerful horns. The fugitive has 

 just laid hold of an upper stone to assist his ascent; 

 116 



