ignominious manner, and one which was as original as it was amusing.

The big tortoises that inhabited the island used to come backwards and
forwards past the beach on their passage up to the hills, utterly
regardless of the ship and the men working, especially towards the
evening, as now; and just as the fracas happened, one of these huge
creatures waddled by the trench, making for its usual course inland.

"Hullo, mates!" sung out the leading wag of the crew, "let's give our
friend a ride for to dry hisself; here's a cock hoss handy!"

This was thought a capital lark; and, the suggestion being acted upon
immediately, the tortoise was summarily arrested in its onward career
and Mr Flinders lashed across its shelly back, like Mazeppa was
strapped upon the desert steed--the hands all roaring with laughter, Jim
said, while the mate struggled in vain with his captors and the giant
tortoise hissed its objections at the liberty taken with it in thus
converting it into a beast of burden without leave or license!

It must have been a comical sight according to Jim Chowder's account.

Even Jan Steenbock, he said, could not help grinning; for, although Mr
Flinders screamed and yelled as if he were being murdered, Jan saw that
the men were not really hurting him, and he thought there was no call
for his interference, especially after the manner in which the mate had
acted towards him previously--indeed, all along, arrant bully that he
was.

Consequently, he let matters take their course, his smile breaking into
the general laugh that arose presently when, one of the men giving the
tortoise a dig with his boot as soon as the mate was securely mounted,
the unwieldy reptile waddled off into the bush with Mr Flinders,
bawling, spread-eagled on its back and brandishing his arms and legs
about, trying to free himself from his lashings.

"Durn ye all for a pack o' cowards, ten ag'in one!" screamed out the
mate as he was lost to sight in the cactus grove, the prickles from
which no doubt tore his legs, thus heightening the unpleasantness of his
situation. "I'll pay ye out for this, ye scallywags, I will, by
thunder, when I get loose."

"All right," shouted back the men between their bursts of laughter as he
disappeared from view, howling and shrieking and swearing away to the
end; the tortoise plodding on regardless of his struggles, which,
indeed, accelerated its pace onwards to its retreat in the hills. "You
can carry on, o