t the tail
is a true tail, and that the bull is not mine. I beg pardon for thinking
that he was.' 'Begging pardon,' says Tom, 'is all very well; but will
you buy the bull?' 'No,' said the farmer; 'I should be loth to buy a
bull with tail cut off close to the rump.' 'Ha,' says Tom; 'who made me
cut off the tail but yourself? Did you not force me to do so in order to
clear my character? Now as you made me cut off my bull's tail, I will
make you buy my bull without his tail.' 'Yes, yes,' cried the mob; 'as
he forced you to cut off the tail, do you now force him to buy the bull
without the tail.' Says the farmer, 'What do you ask for the bull?'
Says Tom: 'I ask for him ten pound.' Says the farmer, 'I will give you
eight.' 'No,' says Tom; 'you shall give me ten, or I will have you up
before the justice.' 'That is right,' cried the mob. 'If he won't pay
you ten pound, have him up before the justice.' Thereupon the farmer,
becoming frightened, pulled out the ten pounds and gave it for his own
bull to Tom Shone Catti, who wished him joy of his bargain. As the
farmer was driving the bull away he said to Tom: 'Won't you give me the
tail?' 'No,' said Tom; 'I shall keep it against the time I steal another
bull with a short tail;' and thereupon he runs off."

"A clever fellow," said I; "though it was rather cruel in him to cut off
the poor bull's tail. Now, perhaps, you will tell me how he came to
marry the rich lady?

"Oh yes; I will tell you. One day as he was wandering about, dressed
quite like a gentleman, he heard a cry, and found one very fine lady in
the hands of one highwayman, who would have robbed and murdered her. Tom
kills the highwayman and conducts the lady home to her house and her
husband, for she was a married lady. Out of gratitude to Tom for the
service he has done, the gentleman and lady invite him to stay with them.
The gentleman, who is a great gentleman, fond of his bottle and hunting,
takes mightily to Tom for his funny sayings and because Tom's a good hand
at a glass when at table, and a good hand at a leap when in field; the
lady also takes very much to Tom, because he one domm'd handsome fellow,
with plenty of wit and what they call boetry--for Tom, amongst other
things, was no bad boet, and could treat a lady to pennillion about her
face and her ancle, and the tip of her ear. At last Tom goes away upon
his wanderings, not, however, before he has got one promise from the
lady, that if