﻿148 PICTORIAL MISCELLANY. 



on my mule. Go along ! " and James touched the horse with the 

 whip. " Go along ! " and horse and mule began to trot. 



" Gently, gently, " cried Adolphus. 



" No, no," said James; "you are a good horseman; go along! 

 Jon't you see, this is the way the Cossacks ride ? " 



" Gently, I tell you ; I shall fall off ! " 



" No, hold on by the mane. Go along ! " 



James, mounted on his mule, switch in hand, without saddle, with- 

 out stirrup, galloped and held on firmly ; while poor Adolphus, lying 

 on his horse, with both arms around its neck, and the mane in his 

 mouth, was swaying to the right and left, like an awkward coward. 

 He would have been glad to have dismounted, but dared not say so. 

 When they had reached the village, and all the peasants were 

 coming to their doors to see this curious cavalcade, James said to 

 Adolphus, so as to be heard by everybody, " Well, Sir Cavalier, 

 since you cannot keep on the horse, you shall take my mule ; get 

 off and change animals." 



Adolphus was humbled ; nevertheless, as he feared a fall, he did 

 not wait to be urged, and descended, or rather slipped off upon the 

 ground. He mounted the mule, James took the horse, gave him a 

 blow with the switch, and the latter started off at full speed, leaving 

 far behind him the mule and its rider in the midst of the peasants, 

 who were ready to burst with laughter. This time Adolphus man- 

 aged to stay on ; but the beast would not stir an inch. Adolphus 

 kicked, struck her with his fists, pulled her ears, cried Go along, and 

 Gee up ; he could not make her go one step. At last James took 

 pity on his companion ; he returned on the gallop, and, without 

 descending from his horse, seized the ass by the bridle and com- 

 pelled it to trot by the side of liis horse. Adolphus felt his depend- 

 ence, and bit his lips in silence. At last they left the village and 

 found themselves in the fields ; the mule walked along on the edge 

 of the road, and his cavalier, fearing that he would throw him into 

 the ditch, turned him toward a patch of verdure. 



" Let us go over this grass," said he. 



" Yes, that grass is wheat." 



" How, wheat ? " 



" Yes, wheat in the flower. It seems that you have not seen 

 much at Paris ! but take care, your mule is browsing." 



