possesses a first-rate "South African museum," two cathedrals, many
churches, a castle, fort, barracks, and other buildings too numerous to
mention. Also a splendid breakwater, patent slip, and docks.

From the sublime to the ridiculous is well-known to be but a step. From
mines of knowledge to matter-of-fact mules may seem a rather long step.
If it is, the blame of my taking it must rest on the force of
association. From the library you can walk in a few minutes to the
docks, and docks has brought me to mules. I saw a ship-load of mules
there, and it was a sight not to be forgotten.

Have you ever seen a fair stand-up fight between men and mules? It is
not easy to say which of the two combatants is the more mulish. I went
one day to the docks and chanced to witness a conflict. They were
discharging the mules--the men were--from the hold of the small vessel
which had brought them over sea from South America. "Victory or death"
was undoubtedly the motto of each. Of course man prevailed because of
superior power,--not obstinacy.

Many days, ay weeks, had these mules spent on the heaving deep; no doubt
they had all been sea-sick, certainly they had been half killed, but
when I went down into the hold of that ship, where there must have been
at least fifty animals, the hundred ears of all of them lay quite flat,
pinned to their necks as a desperate pirate might nail his colours to
the mast, while deep unutterable hate and dogged resolution gleamed from
every eye.

They were ranged along the sides of the ship in two rows. The rows had
been full all the voyage, but when I saw them, half the animals had been
got on shore, so that there was plenty of room for the remnant to career
about and kick defiance at their human persecutors. What charmed me
most was not the triumph of intelligence over brute force, but the
application of brute force on both sides, with just sufficient
mechanical addition on the part of the men to render their power
irresistible.

When I entered the hold, the stench of which was almost overpowering, I
could see nothing in the dim light, but I could hear the wild clattering
of hoofs on wooden floors, the little shrieks of irrepressible fury, and
the deep firmly uttered command--such as:--

"Now, then, Dick, look out!"

"Grab 'im!"

"Dig into 'im!"

"Twist 'is tail!"

"That's it!"

"Hup!"

My eyes soon becoming accustomed to the dim light, I saw a trembling
mule in the embrace of