but this being so, it needed all the more intelligence 

 and training to get him to understand just where to 

 draw the line. Jim made it worse ; he made the 

 already difficult task practically impossible by egging 

 Jock on ; and what finally made it quite impossible 

 was the extremely funny turn it took, which caused 

 such general amusement that every one joined in the 

 conspiracy and backed up Jock. 



Every one knows how laughable it is to see a person 

 dancing about like a mad dervish, with legs and arms 

 going in all directions, dodging the rushes of a dog, es- 

 pecially if the spectator knows that the dog will not 

 do any real harm and is more intent on scaring his 

 victim, just for the fun of the thing, than on hunting 

 him. Well, that is how it began. 



As far as I know the first incident arose out of the 

 intrusion of a strange kaffir at one of the outspans. 

 Jock objected, and he was forcing a scared boy 

 back step by step doing the same feinting rushes 

 that he practised with game until the boy tripped 

 over a camp stool and sat plump down on the three- 

 legged pot of porridge cooking at the camp fire. I 

 did not see it ; for Jock was, as usual, quite silent 

 a feature which always had a most terrifying effect 

 on? his victims : it was a roar like a lion's from Jim 

 that roused me. Jock was standing off with his feet 

 on the move forwards and backwards, his head on 

 one side and his face full of interest, as if he would 

 dearly love another romp in; and the waggon-boys 

 were reeling and rolling about the grass, helpless with 



laughter. 



210 



