POONAH'S PRANKS. 165 



in the after narrative I will describe his personal 

 appearance. His head would have done justice to 

 any prize bull, the horns hung down ; in colour he was 

 black, with a compact, powerful body, standing on short 

 legs ; so now you have the darling's photo. I always 

 liked him ; his very roguishness and trickery made me 

 laugh often, and it is a pleasant thing sometimes to 

 laugh dulce est desipere in loco. 



He was a wise beast too, very willing when once in 

 the yoke. Even when pulling his best, if I happened 

 to be on the box of the wagon, and shouted his name, 

 " Ay, Poonah, treck Poonah ! " he would begin to trot 

 like a horse. He was always hungry and always fat, 

 and ever ready to be ringleader in mischief. The other 

 oxen were very fond of him ; he would rush into their 

 ranks when yoked or bunched, and no hostile horn 

 would be turned against him. 



But Poonah had an enemy ; it was Morris. " There 

 goes that brute Poonah again ! " when shouts would 

 indicate that a chevy was taking place, and right he was 

 almost certain to be. Again, he would say, " I hope to 

 goodness a lion will jump that beast when we get up 

 country." To this I could not agree. 



Well, my friend had been tempted from the interior 

 of the tent to have a cup of cocoa after our first halt. 

 Umganey had brought his stool and placed it for him 

 against the dissel-boom, and cup in hand he was waiting 

 for the liquid to cool I wish the reader could tell me 

 what keeps its heat so long as cocoa when Poonah, 

 who had broken away from his comrades, sought to 

 make the wagon a dodging-place to avoid the per- 

 severing Kaffirs it was a common trick of his, to 

 play hide-and-seek round the wagon. However, the 



