MASTER BILLY. 199 



awake, but use soon caused me to disregard it, and 

 therefore sleep soundly throughout the most festive 

 assemblies. Furthermore, if the traveller be not of 

 an irascible disposition, I would advise him by all 

 means to encourage these social gatherings, for they 

 tend to make his followers happy and contented, as 

 well as doing much to prevent the onslaughts of 

 wild animals, as the smaller skulking fraternity yes ! 

 and even the larger are aware that there are too 

 many wakeful persons about for them successfully to 

 carry on their avocation when the musical mania is 

 in full swing. 



When travelling up country a few years ago, I 

 made a considerable proportion of my journey in the 

 society of one of the oldest, best known, and most 

 popular traders of the interior. He had a pet goat 

 which had been his constant companion for ten 

 years on these dangerous expeditions. Experiences 

 such as had been gained by this animal had made 

 it wonderfully wide awake to the- dangers that sur- 

 rounded it on every hand, particularly after dark. 

 Thus, after the sun had gone down, nothing on earth 

 would have tempted Billy from his master's side, or 

 the immediate vicinity of the wagons, on the forebox 



