THE LAST OF THE POUNDMASTER. 39 



A boat came alongside the ship ; in its stern-sheets 

 was a young, good-looking, well-dressed man, with 

 the inevitable crop in his hand. On reaching the 

 deck the stranger met many old friends, and he was 

 affably conversing among a group of them, when his 

 eyes lit on the Poundmaster. In a moment his coun- 

 tenance changed ; rage, indignation, and hatred were all 

 expressed, and with a most forcible objurgation, he 

 called out, " By jingo, if that is not the Poundmaster of 

 Bedford," and with the spring of a tiger-cat rushed at 

 his prey. But the other was too quick ; in a shot he 

 doubled round the companion-ladder, in and out among 

 bales of goods, ultimately seeking shelter in the hold. 

 The race was not in this instance to the swift, for the 

 pursuer was too heavily handicapped by at least three 

 friends hanging to the skirts of his coat. Naturally, 

 this episode created no little curiosity, and an explana- 

 tion was asked and granted. Nor afterwards could we 

 wonder at the anger displayed by the new arrival ; nor 

 will the reader, when he learns that the Poundmaster 

 was detected driving in this gentleman's work- oxen 

 from their own pasture, to incarcerate them in the 

 pound. Yerily, they do strange things in the frontier- 

 towns of South Africa. 



The last we heard of the Poundmaster was that 

 Holly gave him a kick to accelerate his movements 

 as he went over the gangway. We thought this a 

 summary proceeding ; but when it was explained that he 

 passed himself off on the worthy Holly as a wealthy 

 farmer and merchant, and thus induced him and persons 

 to associate with him who would not be seen in his 

 society even at a bear-bait, we could scarcely resist 

 believing that he only got what he merited. 



