d night he broke through and
jumped over Reid's fences, and destroyed about an acre of grape-vines
and adulterated Reid's stock, besides interfering with certain heifers
which were not of a marriageable age. There was a L5 penalty on a stray
bull. Reid impounded the bull and claimed heavy damages. Ryan, a small
selector of little account, was always pulling some neighbour to court
when he wasn't being "pulled" himself, so he went to court over this
case.

Now, it appears that the bull, on his holiday, had spent a part of
the first night in Carey's lower paddock, and Uncle Abel (who was out
mooching about the bush at all hours, "havin' a look at some timber" or
some "indercations" [of gold], or on some mysterious business or fad,
the mystery of which was of his own making)--Uncle Abel saw the bull
in the paddock at daylight and turned it out the sliprails, and talked
about it afterwards, referring to the sliprails as "Buckolts' Gate," of
course, and spoke mysteriously of the case, and put on an appearance of
great importance, and allowed people to get an idea that he knew a lot
if he only liked to speak; and finally he got himself "brought up" as a
witness for Ryan.

He had a lot of beer in town before he went to the courthouse. All he
knew would have been of no use to either party, but he swore that he
had seen Ryan's bull inside Buckolts' Gate at daylight (on the day which
wasn't in question) and had turned him out. Uncle Abel mixed up the
court a good deal, and roared like the bull, and became more obstinate
the more he was cross-examined, and narrowly escaped being committed for
contempt of court.

Ryan, who had a high opinion of the breed of his bull, got an idea
that the Buckolts had enticed or driven the bull into their paddock for
stock-raising purposes, instead of borrowing it honestly or offering to
pay for the use of it. Then Ryan wanted to know why Abel had driven
his bull out of Buckolts' Gate, and the Buckolts wanted to know what
business Abel Albury had to drive Ryan's bull out of their paddock, if
the bull had really ever been there. And so it went on till Rocky Rises
was ripe for a tragedy.

The breach between the Careys and the Buckolts was widened, the quarrel
between Ryan and Reid intensified. Ryan got a down on the Careys because
he reckoned that Uncle Abel had deliberately spoilt his case with his
evidence; and the Reids and Careys were no longer on speaking terms,
because nothing would convinc