disregard
of hummocks or the laws of equilibrium. In or near the back seat hovered
a tiny Japanese boy to whom the General occasionally issued short,
sharp, military comments or commands.

Then came Mrs. Kitty and the ponies with Carrie beside her. Immediately
astern of the pony cart followed a three-seated carry-all with assorted
guests. This was flanked by the Captain and Charley as outriders. The
rear was closed by the Invigorator rilled with dachshunds. Their pointed
noses poked busily through the slats of the cage, and sniffed up over
the edge of the wagon box.

The rear, did I say? I had forgotten Mithradates Antikamia Briggs. The
latter polysyllabic person was a despised, apologetic, rangy,
black-and-white mongrel hound said to have belonged somewhere to a man
named Briggs. I think the rest of his name was intended as an insult.
Ordinarily Mithradates hung around the men's quarters where he was
liked. Never had he dared seek either solace or sympathy at the doors of
the great house; and never, never had he remotely dreamed of following
any of the numerous hunting expeditions. That would have been
lese-majesty, high treason, sublime impudence, and intolerable nuisance
to be punished by banishment or death. Mithradates realized this
perfectly; and never did he presume to raise his eyes to such high and
shining affairs.

But to-day he followed. Nobody was subsequently able to explain why
Mithradates Antikamia should on this one occasion so have plucked up
heart. My private opinion is that he saw the dachshunds being taken,
and, in his uncultivated manner, communed with himself as follows:

"Well, will you gaze on that! I don't pretend to be in the same class
with Old Ben or Young Ben, or even of the fox terriers; but if I'm not
more of a dog than that lot of splay-footed freaks, I'll go bite myself!
If they're _that_ hard up for dogs, I'll be cornswizzled if I don't go
myself!"

Which he did. We did not want him; this was distinctly the dachshunds'
party, and we did not care to have any one messing in. The Captain tried
to drive him back. Mithradates Antikamia would not go. The Captain
dismounted and tried force. Mithradates shut both eyes, crouched to the
ground, and immediately weighed a half ton. When punished he rolled over
and held all four paws in the air. The minute the Captain turned his
back, after stern admonitions to "go home!" and "down, charge!" and the
like, Mithradates crawled slowly forward to