Three Centuries Of Scottish Literature. Volume Ii

Contents THREE ELEPHANT POWER .. . . . . . . .. 1 THE ORACLE .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 THE CAST-IRON CANVASSER .. . . . . . . .. 20 THE MERINO SHEEP . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 THE BULLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 WHITE-WHEN-HES-WANTED . . . . . . . . . . 49 THE DOWNFALL OF MULLIGANS .. . . . . . . 59 THE AMATEUR GARDENER .. . . . . . . . . 65 THIRSTY ISLAND .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 DAN FITZGERALD EXPLAINS . . . . . . . . 78 THE CAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 SITTING IN JUDGMENT .. . . . . . . . . . . 89 THE DOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 THE DOG-AS A SPORTSMAN .. . . . . . . . 102 CONCERNING A STEEPLECHASE RIDER . . . . . . 106 VICTOR SECOND .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 CONCERNING A DOG-FIGHT . . . . . . . . . . 117 HIS MASTERPIECE .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 DONE FOR THE DOUBLE . . . . . . . . . . 121 Three Elephant Power T HEM things, said Alfred the chauffeur, tapping the speed indicator with his fingers, them things are all right for the police. But, Lord, you can fix em up if you want to. Did you ever hear about Henery, that used to drive for old John Bull-about Henery and the elephant Alfred was chauffeur to a friend of mine who owned a very powerful car. Alfred was part of that car. Weirdly intelligent, of poor physique, he might have been any age from fifteen to eighty. His education had been somewhat hurried, but there was no doubt as to his mechanical ability. He took to a car like a young duck to water. He talked motor, thought motor and would have accepted-I wont say with enthusia. sm, for Alfreds motto was Nil admirari - but without hesitation, an offer to drive in the greatest race in the world. He could drive really well, too as forbelief in himself, after six months apprenticeship in a garage he was prepared to vivisect a six-cylinder engine with the confidence of a diplomaed bachelor of engineering. Barring a tendency to flash driving, and a delight in persccuting slow cars by driving just in front of them and letting them come up and enjoy his dust, and then shooting awav again, he was a respectable member of society. When his boss was in the car he cloaked the natural ferocity of his instincts but this day, with only myself on board, and a clear - I Three Elephant Power run of a hundred and twenty miles up to the station before him, he let her loose, confident that if any trouble occurred I would be held morally responsible. As we flew past a somnolent bush pub, Alfred, whistling softly, leant forward and turned on a little more oil. You never heard about Henery and the elephant he said. It was dead funny. Henery was a bushwacker, but clean mad on motorin. He was wood and water joey at some squatters place until he seen a motor-car go past one day, the first that ever they had in the districk. l Thats my game, says Henery no more wood and water joey for me. So he comes to town and gets a job off Miles that had that garage at the back of Allisons. An old cove that they called John Bull-I dont know his right name, he was a fat old cove-he used to come there to hire cars, and Henery used to drive him.,4nd this old John Bull he had lots of stuff, so at last he reckons hes going to get a car for himself, and he promises Henery a job to drive it. A queer cove this Henery was-half mad, I think, but the best hand with a car ever I see...