own we came to be most of us assembled about one of the
yards.

This was a stockyard, or paddock, of about two acres in extent, and
within it an obstinate young bull remained solus, holding his own
against us. It was necessary, for purposes which need not be specified,
that the beast should be thrown and tied down. We usually accomplish the
overthrow of big beasts by noosing their legs, and so tripping them up;
but this bull was far too wary to let any one get near him, and was wild
and vicious, moreover. Several of us had been fruitlessly trying, for an
hour or more, to do something with him, and our host was now saying the
beast had better be shot out of hand; but we had spent so much time over
him already that we did not like to give in, and resolved we would throw
him anyhow. None of us could stay inside the fence, so fierce were the
rushes of the bull, and he was too cunning to let himself be caught by
coming near the rails.

As man after man concluded his other tasks, and came up to assist, our
perplexity seemed to increase. Various plans were discussed, and put in
operation, but the bull baffled them all. There was beginning to be a
good deal of ill-temper and swearing among us.

And now Dandy Jack appeared on the scene. He had not been with us during
the day, having just rowed over from somewhere else. Of course he had
gravitated towards the house when he arrived, and had been sunning
himself in the ladies' smiles. Now he was strolling out to have a pipe,
and to see what we were about.

Tired, ill-tempered, and covered with muck as we all were, there was a
tendency among us to resent this late arrival of Master Dandy Jack's;
and this feeling, you may be sure, was not lessened by a contemplation
of the extravagant cleanliness and daintiness of apparel that, as usual,
pervaded this spruce lady-killer's outward man.

He was hailed with a volley of sarcasm and personalities, amid which he
stood, hands in pockets and pipe in mouth, placidly surveying us and the
situation. At length, when a pause in the tempest of words gave him an
opportunity of speaking, he said, in his softest and most delicate
tones--

"I see before me a number of gentlemen with whom I have the honour to be
more or less acquainted. They are all hot, dirty, and disagreeable. I
also see a stockyard, and within it four quarters of fresh beef,
likewise hot, dirty, and disagreeable. There would seem to be a
difficulty somewhere. Can I assist in