ht, and the sound of the bells is a kind of
companionship, and may do something towards warning off evil spirits.

When a number of bells are tinkling at the same time they are
naturally not always in tune with one another, and discordant
combinations may result, especially when the bells of two bullocks
yoked together are much out of tune. But if you listen critically to
each bell, when a row of carts is passing, you will every now and then
hear one of a peculiarly rich and mellow sound. I once tried to
persuade a man to sell a melodious bell which I heard by chance as he
drove by, but he would not entertain the idea for a moment. Perhaps he
thought that it would be unlucky to part with it.

That the bullocks themselves get to look upon the bell as a necessary
accompaniment to work, has been often noticed. An Englishman
travelling by night in a bullock-cart found that the ceaseless
jingling of the bells kept him awake, and he ordered them to be
removed. But when the sound ceased the beasts took it as an indication
that work was over, and promptly lay down, and no further progress was
made till the bells had been restored. An Indian bullock is for the
most part a docile and long-suffering creature. But he makes up for
his usual good behaviour when he happens to get annoyed. He is not
unlike his Indian master in this respect. If a bullock lies down and
refuses to do his work, no amount of persuasion will induce him to
change his mind. Natives even go so far as to light straw under him
when all other efforts to make him budge fail. More often, when blows
and energetic tail-twistings have no effect on him, the beast has to
be humoured in some way. His mind is often restored to its normal
equilibrium by inducing him to change places with his yoke-fellow, or
with a bullock in another cart.

The eventualities of road traffic do not usually disturb the placidity
of the bullock, but if he once gets frightened and loses his head, he
gives way to unmitigated panic. The first appearance of the motor-car,
which is now almost as common in parts of India as it is in England,
reduced many bullocks to a state of abject terror. Fortunately most
mishaps with bullock-carts are not very serious in their results. The
cart is not easily broken, and is quickly righted. But having occasion
to travel in a public motor-car through a country district where the
car was then a novelty, it was alarming to see the state of chaos
which we were cons