ARRACK. 103 



greasy beast whom I have previously described, 

 ordered him to fetch the wagon lantern, and, with 

 him, proceeded to release the captive. At the best 

 of times Arrack was not an easy beast to manage, 

 but with this attachment to his leg he certainly did 

 look a fiend incarnate. Master " Cookey," under the 

 pretence of assisting me to release the dog, danced 

 about all over the place, without being of any service 

 whatever. At length, however, I secured the dog's 

 head between my legs, imprecating in no very 

 measured terms this swarthy son of Ham for not 

 pressing down the springs to enable the jaws of the 

 trap to be opened, when, to my amazement I may 

 almost say amusement the unfortunate darkie thrust 

 his left foot into another trap, whose existence I had 

 temporarily forgotten, and commenced forthwith to 

 bellow with all the powers he possessed, making, 

 between him and Arrack, a pandemonium easier to 

 be imagined than described. This I will say, that, 

 under circumstances which were exactly similar, the 

 poor dog behaved very much better than did the 

 man. Fortunately I succeeded in placing my foot 

 upon the spring of the trap, and so effected the 

 release of the former, who acknowledged my kindness 



