Australian Tales - Setis

say I could drive a horse. Something must be done at once. Whoa, horse!
whoa! whoa, I say; confound the animal! he doesn't mind a bit what I say
to him. Just hoist up his tail with the hooky end of your unbrella, Joey;
he can't kick you if you're careful. Try, Joey, pray do, there's a good
fellow.”
“Ods bodkins! I'm afraid I can't do it; his tail fits so close; but I'll try,”
whined Joey, trembling with terror, as he wriggled his umbrella through
a rent in the dashboard, and, by a powerful lunge, succeeded in forcing
the hooked handle under Jerry's tail, which had the immediate effect of
making him dreadfully indignant, and to kick and plunge twice as hard as
before, threatening the entire demolition of everything within reach of
his iron heels.
“O lawk a mercy! that won't do, Joey — that won't do! pull your
umbrella away again; pull it away, quick, quick!”
“I can't, I can't! He won't let it go; it's under his tail as tight as if it grew
there. Hoo lud! now it's gone altogether,” roared Goosgog, with despair
stamped on his turnip-coloured countenance. In his nervous efforts to
release the umbrella he had let it slip from his grasp; when falling down
behind Jerry's legs, and opening out wide, it so thoroughly roused and
scared him that he started off at a run-away pace, for the first time in his
life.
“Stop him! Stop him! Boo-o-o!” bellowed the terrified friends. But as
there was no person within hearing to stop him if it had been practicable,
they thought they had better try to do it themselves; so they seized the
left rein, and pulled together like sailors at the main-tack, till Jerry's head
was exactly square with his tail; the natural result of which was that the
chaise inclined to the left side of the road. Presently it came in contact
with a thick bush, and the next instant it was lying on its side, with one
wheel spinning round horizontally, and the pony lying on his side too,
while Goosgog and Spindles were sprawling in the dust, like gigantic
frogs, rather out of their element, surrounded by knives and forks, cold
sausages, raw potatoes, and the whole contents of the market-basket.
Their Chinese hats were rolling briskly down the hill before a fair wind,
and the sugar melon was rolling down the hill too, closely followed by
the basket itself.
“Oh, dear me!” gasped Jasper, who was the first on his legs, and
looked as if he had been peppered all over with Scotch snuff. “How are
you, Joey? Are you hurt, my friend?”
“I'm afraid I am,” replied Goosgog, in a dismal tone, “I fear so, but I'm
not quite sure. What shall we do now, Jasper? I'm a good mind to kill
that pony now he's down, for he certainly tried to kill us, confound him!
What shall we do now? that's the first consideration.”
Jasper would have been totally unable to tell his friend what to do
under the circumstances, but fortunately for them, just at that moment,