So, having more than fulfilled The Expectations of those who imported them And who, after having transferred them to Cyprus, Found themselves considerably embarrassed What next to do with them, They were re-shipped, quietly and unobtrusively, To the general mystification of Europe For the Land of their Birth; Whence, Though they have merited the Admiration of Some And the Respect of Many, And have left behind them An Election Cry to All, It is to be hoped that they will never again visit The Western Dominions of their Imperial Mistress Who, through the mouth of _Punch_ Gladly bids them _Adieu_! Not _Au Revoir_. _Heu vatum ignarae mentes!_ But _Punch_, who printed this acid _jeu d'esprit_ on August 3, 1878, could hardly be expected to foresee the need of August 4, 1914. The year 1878 marked the zenith of Lord Beaconsfield's prestige, for it was the year of the Berlin Congress--from which he claimed to have brought back "Peace with Honour"--and of the annexation of Cyprus. _Punch_, however, was always suspicious of Dizzy's phrases and preferred to symbolize the results of the Congress in a _Pas de Deux_ by Lord Beaconsfield and Lord Salisbury, both Gartered, and in a rhymed dialogue complacently referring to their egg-dance. The Afghan trouble was assuming a menacing aspect, finely typified in Charles Keene's cartoon, "The Shadow on the Hills." _Punch_ applauded vigilance, but distrusted the Government's intentions, deprecated the spirited policy which involved "a vague and boundless adventure of annexation," and showed Lord Beaconsfield leading John Bull by the nose in search of a "scientific frontier"--another Disraelian phrase--and the Ameer of Afghanistan, between the Bear and the Lion, exclaiming, "Save me from my friends." [Illustration: THE SHADOW ON THE HILLS] The Transvaal had been annexed by Sir Theophilus Shepstone in the previous year, but _Punch_ had received Lord Carnarvon's announcement with acquiescence rather than enthusiasm. [Sidenote: _Bismarck's Creed_] On the other hand, the visit of the Australian cricket team in 1878 furnished him with an occasion for paying tribute to the progress and enlightenment of the Colonies and acknowledging England's debt to their loyalty.