his mind. He evidently knew this world well and despised it;
nothing in it could excite his feelings any more.

Halfway up the Water Road I met Bill Mills, a carrier. He stopped
his team and looked at mine.

"Have you bought that horse, Mister?" he said.

"Not yet; I am only trying him," I replied. "Do you know him?"

"Know him? I should think I did. That's old Punch. I broke him
into harness when he was three off. He nearly killed me; ran away
with me and my dog-cart among the scrub at the racecourse swamp, and
smashed it against a honeysuckle."

"Is that long ago?" I enquired.

"Long ago? Let me see. That horse is twenty year old if he's a day.
He'll not run away with you now; no fear; he's quite safe. Good-day,
Mister. Come on, Star;" and Bill touched his leader with his whip.

When I arrived at the court-house, I made a search in the cause list
book, and found that Johnny-come-lately had been sent to gaol just
sixteen years before for stealing Old Punch, so I restored that
venerable trotter to its owner.

I had soon more horses offered to me for trial, every old screw
within twenty miles being brought to me for inspection. The next
animal I harnessed belonged to Andrew Jackson, and was brought by
Andrew Jackson, junior, who said his father could let me have it for
a month on trial. Jackson, junior, was anxious to go away without
the horse, but I told him to wait a bit while I put on the harness.
The animal was of a mouse colour, very tall, something like a
giraffe; and by the time I got him between the shafts, I could see
that he was possessed by a devil of some kind. It might be a winged
one who would fly away with me; so, in order to have a clear course,
I led him through the gateway into the middle of the road, and while
Jackson, junior, held his head, I mounted carefully into the trap. I
held the lines ready for a start, and after some hesitation the
giraffe did start, but he went tail foremost. I tried to reverse the
engine, but it would only work in one direction. He backed me into
the ditch, and then across it on to the side path, then against the
fence, bucking at it, and trying to go through and put me in the
Tarra. I told Andrew, junior, to take the giraffe home to his
parent, and relate what he had seen.

My next horse was a black one from Sale, and he also was possessed of
a devil, but one of a different species. He was named Gilpin, and
the very name ought to have been a w