horses often, and can manage to keep in my
saddle as a rule, but cannot boast that I am a good horseman."

"Oh, you'll do! besides, I can see you're willing to learn and has got
the grit to stick to things that might bother others of your sort.
You're to be my mate, and for a time, at any rate, we shall be on the
move. The gent who runs this business keeps five and six such vans as
this moving most of the year, besides the cages, of course, which
follow.

"You see, agents in furrin parts collects lions and every sort of animal
down to snakes, and sends them to England. No sooner does the ship come
alongside the river dock than some of us are there with cages, mounted
on wheels and drawn by horses. We unload the animals, slip 'em into the
cage, and bring them here. A day or two later, perhaps a week, or even
as long after as a month, someone wants one or other of them beasts, and
arranges to buy him from the guv'nor. Then in he goes into the
travelling-cage again, and off we take him to wherever he's been
ordered. Of course there's railroads nowadays; but they are risky
things at any time, and the wild beasts we deal in catch cold, and fall
sick so easy that it's been found cheaper and safer to take 'em by road.
And a very pleasant life it is, to be sure. With two of us on the
beat, and drawing our own house, we're as comfortable as chaps could
wish for. Every day there's something different to look at and ask
questions about, and every evening, when yer pull up on some wayside
piece of ground and start to water and feed the animals, there's new
scenery and new people around yer, the last always ready to be civil and
polite. Yes, it's a free, easy life, with plenty of change and movement
to make yer work come pleasant and light. You'll like it, lad. By the
way--what's yer name? Ah, Philip Western! Well, Phil, I've told yer
pretty nigh all I can think about. Timms and me start early to-morrow,
as I told yer, so turn in soon to-night. We'll teach yer all yer want
to know while on the road, and if yer only keeps yer eyes open you'll
soon get a hold on the work." Jim nodded pleasantly, and having invited
Phil to sit down for a short time and rest himself, he ran down the
steps of the van and went to complete his daily work.

"Of course all this is very different from office life," mused Phil,
looking round, and still finding many little things in the quaint
travelling house to interest and amuse him, "I can