ment. We forgot that our fuel would soon be
expended; that the position we occupied would be a very unpleasant one
on which to pass a cold and perhaps rainy night; and that our friends
would become really alarmed should we not make our appearance at the
boat. These considerations did not begin to weigh with us till we had
finished our dinner. When, however, we had time for reflection, we were
not quite so well contented with ourselves.

"This is very good fun," I remarked, "but I should like to know how we
are to get away unless these beasts of bulls choose to raise the siege."

"They'll not do that in a hurry," answered Jerry. "We must wait till
night-time, when they can't see us, and then make a run for it."

"But how are we to find our way to the boat in the dark?" I asked. "I
scarcely know whereabouts she lies."

"To the westward, then, I think," said he. "If the sky is clear we may
steer by the stars, and we shall manage to find our way."

I cannot say that I felt as hopeful as my friend professed to do, still
there appeared to be no other means of escaping the bulls, and getting
back to the boat. Should we wait till the morning the brutes would
probably espy us, and run a tilt at us as before. We had provisions to
last us for many days, but we had no liquid, with the exception of a
little rum and water, which, although we had carefully husbanded it, was
very low in the flask. A breeze had sprung up from the east, and it was
already rather cold on the top of the rock; so, making up our fire, we
sat down by it. We were amused at the way in which the bulls
occasionally came and had a look at us; as much as, Jerry said, to ask,
"Well, when are you coming down to let us give you a toss? We don't
intend to go away till we've tried it on. We are at home here, you
know, so we are in no hurry." Provoked, as he declared, at their
impudence, he at last seized a bundle of burning grass which, he had
twisted into a torch, and when a bull came near he hove it at his head.
The flaming mass caught on his horns, and certainly had the effect of
making him turn tail, and rush bellowing off from the rock; but it had
another effect, and a most disastrous one, on which we had not
calculated. Galloping on, the animal very soon freed himself from his
burning head-dress by sending it into the middle of a large clump of
tussac grass.

"Hurrah! the brute has made a famous bonfire!" exclaimed Jerry, clapping
his hands as