Let him gallop a couple of miles in this direction and the other,and discover that he has only been lessening the distance between himself and a group of cabbage-trees;let him feel the word "bullock"eating itself in indelible characters into his heart,and he will refrain from mercy to working bullocks as long as he lives.But as there are few positive pleasures equal in intensity to the negative one of release from pain,so it is when at last a group of six oblong objects,five dark and one white,appears in remote distance,distinct and unmistakable.Yes,they are our bullocks;a sigh of relief follows,and we drive them sharply home,gloating over their distended tongues and slobbering mouths.If there is one thing a bullock hates worse than another it is being driven too fast.His heavy lumbering carcase is mated with a no less lumbering soul.He is a good,slow,steady,patient slave if you let him take his own time about it;but don't hurry him.He has played a very important part in the advancement of civilisation and the development of the resources of the world,a part which the more fiery horse could not have played;let us then bear with his heavy trailing gait and uncouth movements;only next time we will keep him tight,even though he starve for it.If bullocks be invariably driven sharply back to the dray,whenever they have strayed from it,they will soon learn not to go far off,and will be cured even of the most inveterate vagrant habits.
第31章 CHAPTER VII(5)（1 / 3）