Project Gutenberg's Three Elephant Power, by Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson

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Title: Three Elephant Power

Author: Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson

Release Date: June 29, 2008 [EBook #307]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THREE ELEPHANT POWER ***

Produced by A. Light and L. Bowser

THREE ELEPHANT POWER AND OTHER STORIES

by Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson and by Knott Gold

[Australian Poet, Reporter--1864-1941.]

1917 Edition

[Note on text: These stories appeared originally in several
Australian journals.]

CONTENTS

Three Elephant Power
The Oracle
The Cast-iron Canvasser
The Merino Sheep
The Bullock
White-when-he's-wanted
The Downfall of Mulligan's
The Amateur Gardener
Thirsty Island
Dan Fitzgerald Explains
The Cat
Sitting in Judgment
The Dog
The Dog--as a Sportsman
Concerning a Steeplechase Rider
Victor Second
Concerning a Dog-fight
His Masterpiece

Done for the Double by Knott Gold

THREE ELEPHANT POWER

"Them 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 won't say with enthusiasm, for
Alfred's 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 for belief 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