good, not
being rifled, and we had no ball cartridge. Dandy Jack performed
prodigies of valour with an old harpoon; and O'Gaygun used his axe with
great success. Altogether, the excitement was great and the sport good.
One bull overturned a boat, as it rowed alongside him; but the Fiend,
who was in it, adroitly clambered on to the animal's back as it swam,
and, with great difficulty, managed to open its throat with his knife.
Seven or eight were killed in the water. Even the despised new-chums'
pistols were brought into use, and in this emergency they proved really
valuable. The beasts that effected the crossing were slaughtered on the
beach; and altogether we killed some eighteen or twenty. We prevented
them thus from getting into our bush, so saving our own herd from
contamination. This has been our only experience of the kind in this
district, luckily.

There was an incident that happened once, in connection with cattle, of
rather an unusual sort. So much so, in fact, that most people to whom we
have at times spoken of it have doubted our veracity. I suppose it will
add but little weight to the story if I premise it with the assertion
that it is simple truth. Nevertheless, it _is_ actual fact, believe it
or not who list.

There was a grand assemblage at the station of a friend and neighbour of
ours, on one of the Kaipara rivers. He had been running a large herd,
over a thousand head of cattle, and was now going to dispose of the
greater number. This was because the feed for them was getting short in
his immediate neighbourhood; and because his land was now becoming ready
for sheep and the plough.

Nearly all the men in the district had been asked to come and assist at
the mustering, drafting, and so on, of the herd. It was a gathering of
the kind known in America as a "bee." And as a bee usually winds up with
festivity, feasting, dancing, and the like, such femininities as the
district possessed were brought over by their respective husbands or
male relatives. While we busied ourselves with the cattle in the yard
and on the run, the ladies were occupied with industries peculiar to
themselves indoors, giving the mistress of the house the benefit of a
sewing, scandal, and cooking bee, probably.

We had been all day hard at work, and had pretty well got through all
there was to do. Most of the cattle had been drafted into yards, had
been branded or handled as required, and the work was nearly complete.
Towards sund