t had often since
been seen flitting about the house and grounds on moonlight nights.
This gave an aristocratic distinction to the property, which was very
pleasing, as it is well known that ghosts never haunted any mansions
or castles except such as have belonged to ancient families of noble
race. I bought the estate on very reasonable terms, no special
charge being made for the ghost.

The paddock had been without a tenant for some time, but I found it
was not unoccupied. A friendly neighbour had introduced his flock of
sheep into it, and he was fattening them cheaply. I said, "Tityre,
tu patulae recubans sub tegmine fayi, be good enough to round up your
sheep and travel." Tityrus said that would be all right; he would
take them away as soon as they were ready for the butcher. It would
be no inconvenience to me, as my horse would not be able to eat all
the grass. The idea of paying anything did not occur to him; he was
doing me a favour. He was one of the simple natives. As I did not
like to take favours from an entire stranger, the sheep and the
shepherd sought other pastures beyond the winding Tarra.

The dense tea-tree which bordered the banks of the river was the home
of wild hogs, which spent the nights in rooting up the soil and
destroying the grass. I therefore armed myself with a gun charged
with buckshot, and went to meet the animals by moonlight. I lay in
ambush among the tussocks. One shot was enough for each hog; after
receiving it he retired hastily into the tea-tree and never came out
again.

After I had cleared my land from sheep and pigs, the grass began to
grow in abundance; and passing travellers, looking pensively over the
fence, were full of pity for me because I had not stock enough to
eat the grass. One man had a team of bullocks which he was willing
to put in; another had six calves ready to be weaned; and a third
friend had a horse which he could spare for a spell. All these were
willing to put in their stock, and they would not charge me anything.
They were three more of the simple natives.

I would rather buy forty cows than one horse, because, even allowing
for the cow's horns, the horse has so many more points. I wanted a
good cow, a quiet milker, and a farmer named Ruffy offered to sell me
one. He was very rough indeed, both in words and work. He showed me
the cow, and put her in the bail with a big stick; said she was as
quiet as a lamb, and would stand to be milked a