120 PEAIEIE AND FOREST. 



doleful beast to look at ; no amount of food seemed to do 

 him any good ; he always looked in the last stage of 

 consumption, although his capacity of stowage of forage 

 was immense ; nor did he ever lose a chance to get a cow 

 kick at the unwary, or make his teeth meet in the flesh of 

 the too confiding. Broomstick, from having lately had an 

 easier time than my other mount, was selected for the day's 

 work, and with expressions of grief that would break the 

 heart of the most obdurate, he submitted to be saddled, I 

 returning every few minutes to take an extra pull upon the 

 girths, for the villain would expand himself on such 

 occasions like a powter pigeon, so that when you imagined 

 you had got safely seated, and ready to start, by a succession 

 of the most mulish and awkward buck-jumps, the saddle 

 would get forward beyond where his withers ought to have 

 been, and nought but wonderful skill in the laws of equi- 

 tation or fortune would prevent the rider from kissing 

 mother-earth. Now Broomstick could go if you knew how 

 to take it out of him, and that was accomplished by 

 commencing with a high hand from the start, and giving 

 him " the brumagems " every pace or two, and twice as 

 often if you felt his back getting up (which lie used to 

 roach after the manner of a half-starved sow), or at any 

 attempt to put his head down. 



After a few ineffectual efforts which my steed made 

 showing an inclination to differ from me in opinion, we 

 jogged on comfortably for several miles along the edge 

 of prairie and timber, the usual markings of watercourses. 

 The sun was near mid-day, and still no game was to be 

 seen. In quiet, retired situations like this, such is an 



