He had evidently been someone’s pet before he had been sold for live meat, to be shipped to China.

When we took him on board by the horns he showed no fear as he rode in the air.  And, once on his feet again, and loose on deck, he showed us hell’s own fight—­out of sheer indignation—­back there in Brisbane.  He flashed after us, with the rapid motions of a bullfight in the movies.  Most of us climbed every available thing to get out of his reach.  He smashed here and there through wooden supports as if they were of cardboard.

The agile little ex-jockey kept running in front of him, hitting him on the nose and nimbly escaping—­in spite of his wing-like, wasted arm, quicker than his pursuer ... that smashed through, while he ducked and turned....

“I’ll be God-damned,” yelled the captain from the safe vantage of the bridge, “fetch me my pistol,” to the cabin boy, “I’ll have to shoot the beast!”

All this while the big black Jamaica cook had been calmly looking on, leaning fearlessly out over the half-door of the galley ... while the infuriated animal rushed back and forth.

The cook said nothing.  He disappeared, and reappeared with a bunch of carrots which he held out toward “The Black Devil."...

In immediate transformation, the little beast stopped, forgot his anger, stretched forth his moist, black nuzzle, sniffing ... and walked up to the cook, accepting the carrots.  The cook began to stroke the animal’s nose....

“You little black devil,” he said, in a soft voice, “you’re all right ... they don’t understand you ... but we’re going to be pals—­us two—­aren’t we?”

Then he came out at the door to where the steer stood, took “The Black Devil,” as we henceforth called him, gently by the under-jaw,—­and led him into a standing-place right across from the galley.

* * * * *

As we struck further north under vast nights of stars, and days of furnace-hot sunshine, the heat, confinement, and dry, baled food told hideously on the animals ... the sheep seemed to endure better, partly because they were not halted stationary in one spot and could move about a little on the top deck....  But they suffered hardships that came of changing weather.

* * * * *

Especially the cattle in the lower hold suffered, grew weak and emaciated....  We were ever on the watch to keep them from going down ... there was danger of their sprawling over each other and breaking legs in the scramble.  So when one tried to lie down, his tail was twisted till the suffering made him rise to his feet ... sometimes a steer would be too weak to regain his feet ... in such a case, in a vain effort to make the beast rise, I have seen the Irish foreman twist the tail nearly off, while the animal at first bellowed, then moaned weakly, with anguish ... a final boot at the victim in angry frustration....