162 Fishing in North Carolina. 



ought easily fast a month or so in this enforced 

 summer — ^this extra life. 



I went ahead with his mental education with- 

 out any great concern about developing or direct- 

 ing his physical powers ; and I had the satisfac- 

 tion in a short while of believing that he under- 

 stood a thing or two — something, at least, about 

 sign language, volupuk, or Carnegie, perhaps. 

 Bull was a very apt pupil and learned without 

 coercion or reward. 



Quite accidentally, I struck upon a method 

 of teaching him how to count, and I will tell 

 about that in the next chapter. 



But truly, I soon taught him to count up to 

 twenty, without ever muddling the job. You 

 have heard of the educated flea ? He is a jumper, 

 too. I could have made Bull count more than 

 twenty, but I saw no reason for him to strain his 

 voice, and besides, one does not pay anything 

 extra for encores. 



I would stow Bull away in my coat pocket 

 and carry him to the Yarborough House, all the 

 drug stores, and one or two liquor saloons, and 

 take pleasure upon myself in giving free exhi- 



