THE CARRIAGE OF ANIMALS 205 



' dray-horses of the desert/ of which several were 

 taken with the Khalifa, and served by relays in the 

 capacity of ' rickshaw ' bearers to the black rhinoceros 

 calves. 



Before the days of railways, English animals, from 

 geese to cattle, nearly always travelled on their own 

 feet. Until they reached the towns this method was 

 very agreeable to them, and they lost very little in 

 condition. Before the Great Western Railway was 

 made, there was a large trade in driving cattle from the 

 Western counties to London. They were assembled at 

 Bath, and as soon as possible were driven up on to the 

 Downs, where they travelled along the < green roads ' 

 until close to London. Horses are the only creatures 

 for which decent accommodation is provided on our 

 railways. In fifty years the railways have never yet 

 risen to the occasion of providing even reasonably 

 convenient transport for any other animals ; of in- 

 telligent design, or appreciation of the difficulties in 

 the way of accommodating creatures whose whole 

 experience is foreign to the necessities of close packing 

 or maintaining their balance when the surface on which 

 they stand is in motion, there is no trace. That they 

 may want food or water on a long journey, or even 

 protection from the cold, did not apparently enter the 

 minds of the early designers of ' cattle-trucks/ The 

 abominable discomfort of the old third-class carriage 



