412 
THE BlllTISH OX. 
the servants of the Caflre, and assist him in attending his flocks, 
and guarding them against every invader. While the sheep are 
grazing, the faithful backely , as this kind of oxen is called, 
stands and grazes beside them. Still attentive, however, to the 
looks of its master, the backely flies round the field, obliges the 
herds of sheep that are straying to keep within proper limits, 
and shews no mercy to robbers, nor even to strangers who attempt 
to plunder: but it is not the plunderers of the flock alone, but 
even the enemies of the nation, that these backelies are taught 
to combat. Every army of Hottentots is furnished with a proper 
herd of these creatures, which are let loose against the enemy. 
Being thus sent forward, they overturn all before them ; they 
strike down with their horns and trample with their feet every 
one who attempts to oppose them, and thus often procure their 
masters an easy victory, before they have begun to strike a blow. 
An animal so serviceable, is, as may be supposed, not without 
its reward. The backely lives in the same cottage with its mas¬ 
ter, and by long habit gains an affection for him ; for, in propor¬ 
tion as the man approaches to the brute, so the brute seems to 
attain even to the same share of human sagacity. The Hotten¬ 
tot and his backely thus mutually assist each other; and when 
the latter happens to die, a new one is chosen to succeed him, by 
a council of the old men of the village. The new backely is 
then joined with one of the veterans of his own kind, from whom 
he learns his art, becomes social and diligent, and is taken for 
life into human friendship and protection.”— Illustrations of Na¬ 
tural History , p. 88. 
There is a well-authenticated story of a Scotch bull, which 
shews similar, but not equal sagacity. “ A gentleman in Scot¬ 
land, near Laggan, had a bull which grazed with the cows 
in the open meadows. As fences are scarcely known in that 
part, a boy was kept to watch, lest the cattle should trespass 
on the neighbouring fields, and destroy the corn. The boy was 
fat and drowsy, and was often found asleep; he was, of course, 
chastised whenever the cattle trespassed. Warned by this, he 
kept a long switch, and with it revenged himself with an un¬ 
sparing hand if they exceeded their boundary. The bull seemed 
to have observed with concern this consequence of their trans- 
