4 THE STBIKE AT SHANKS, 



der the wheel as a lever to lift it a little out of the 

 ''chuck hole "where it Jiad stopped. Those who are 

 familiar with the ungravelled roads of Indiana in 

 former years need not be told what a "chuck hole" is ; 

 but to those not experienced in such matters it might 

 be explained that heavy hauling over these roads will 

 wear deep holes with sharp edges, and when the wheel 

 of a loaded wagon drops into one of these holes it is 

 very difficult to pull it out. Thanks to an increased 

 population, such roads are not so numerous as they 

 were in former years, and teaming is not necessarily 

 such a horse-killing business as it used to be. 



"Now, will ye give 'em another pull?" said Mike, 

 who had his " bit of a pry" under the wheel, and was 

 dangling on the end of it doing his best to lift the 

 wheel a little. 



"Give 'em a sclimall taste of the whip, to encourage 

 'em a little," he cried. 



Again the whip was unsparingly used by Tom, and 

 the two horses exerted all their powers, but only suc- 

 ceeded in moving the wagon enough to let Mike's pry 

 slip out, and he came sprawling down in the mud. 

 But more serious results had followed. Old Dobbin was 

 down, and Tom, in his anger, was cutting him with his 

 whip to make him get up. 



"Hould on there, bye," shouted Mike, coming for- 

 ward, covered with mud. "Ye wouldn't sthrike a man 

 whin he's down ; thin why don't ye show the same 

 dacency to a dumb brute ! Unhitch the chains there ; 

 don't you see the ould horse is chokin' ? " 



