SLOWTRAP'S ADVENTURE AVITH THE COW. 285 



already been said that S. wore a shabby old coat, 

 Avliereof the tails hung low outside the fence. In 

 the morning he had been walking about the hills, 

 and had been very hot; and his pocket-handkerchief, 

 moist with perspiration, was in one of his pockets. It is 

 well known that cows are fond of salt and saline sub- 

 stances, and they had probably divined that something 

 of the sort was in one of those pockets. One, rather 

 bolder than the rest, had quietly approached, taken 

 the flap in her mouth, and was contentedly chewing 

 it. I had observed the whole proceeding with great 

 amusement ; but fearing that his coat was in danger of 

 being reduced to a state of pulp, I called out to liim 

 to look behind. He looked round, beheld the cow 

 chewing his coat-tails with the greatest placidity, and 

 raised one of his long arms to drive her away. The 

 cow, frightened at the long arm, made a retreat ; but 

 unluckily one of the buttons caught between her teeth, 

 and she gave a sudden wrench to poor Slowtrap, w^ho 

 w^as nicely balanced at the top of the fence; in a 

 moment his legs rose in the air, like the two chimneys 

 of a steamer, and then his body tumbled to the 

 ground. What happened afterwards, no one could 

 tell, as we all followed his example, in a convulsion 

 of laughter. 



On the 28th December my old companion mounted 

 his steed, and shaking hands with his relations and 

 me, was soon out of sight in the forest. I prepared 

 for the mountains, and Conwell said he would willingly 

 go with me, but that he had business for some days ; 

 I answered, that I would go first, not to be a burden to 

 him, at which he was much vexed, and requested me 



