were wild as deer. One day, when a soft snow was falling, and melt- ing nearly as fast as it fell, making the ground very muddy, this neighbour went to put the stirks in the byte. He chased them around the field several times. Sometimes he had them near the door but they broke away and raced off to the field. This was very exasperat- ing, especially to a bad temper. After many disappointing trials he got one in, and ran to the door to prevent it coming out. He stood at the door with his feet spread so as to leave no space at either side. He thought he had the door blocked up sufficiently to keep the stirk in, but he overlooked the space between his legs. Had he shut the door he might have secured one of the stirks and made it easier to get

the others in, but he could not refrain from swearing. He stood there for a few minutes swearing furiously. The stirk in wild terror made

a rush for the door and passed out between the man’s legs, and carried him off on its back. It went at a mad race with its rider facing back- wards, as one sits on a train with one’s back toward the engine. Soon the stirk bucked and over went its rider on his back into a dirty pud- dle. The stirk jumped over him and away it went with the others, all kicking up their heels and with their tails in the air. The man rolled over and got up with his clothes and bushy whiskers soaking wet with dirty water; he was hurt and enraged. He looked after the cattle and poured out a stream of oaths at them. After telling them where they could go to keep warm all winter, he went into the house and got some dry clothes on and nursed his bruises, and let his rage calm down. Swearing. is a silly wicked habit that is ill becoming any person; and to lose one’s temper or self-control is a sign of mental and moral weakness. My brothers and I kept a close watch on those we knew were likely to make a show of themselves with little provo-

cation.

A Jump that Ended in Midstream

In a preceding chapter I told you about the mills we had near us for grinding the grain. They were run by water power. The water came through a flume and dashed over a great wooden wheel and turned it. This had great power and drove all the machinery of the mill. A high dam kept a great pond of water back of the mill. Some-

times when great rains came the dam would break in places and the

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