riders came up--great, splendid Shorthorns, the aristocracy of their
kind, their roan sides sleek, their coats in perfect condition, and a
sprinkling of smaller bullocks whose inferiority in size was
compensated by their amazing fatness. It was evident that this week
there would be no difficulty in making up the draft for the Melbourne
market.

The cattle were mustered into one herd; no racing or hastening now, but
with the gentle consideration one should extend to the dignified and
portly. They moved lazily, as if conscious of their own value. Cecil,
hurrying a red-and-white bullock across a little flat, was met by a
glare from Murty O'Toole, and a muttered injunction to "go aisy wid
'em," followed by a remark that "clo'es like thim was only fit to go
mustherin' turkeykins in!" Luckily the latter part of the outbreak was
unheard by Cecil, who was quite sufficiently injured at the first, and
favoured Murty with a lofty stare that had the effect of throwing the
Irishman and black Billy into secret convulsions of mirth.

Norah rode not far from her father as they brought the cattle out into
the open and to the cutting-out camp--a spot where the beaten ground
showed that very often before such scenes had been enacted. The
bullocks knew it, and huddled there contentedly enough in a compact
body, while slowly Mr. Linton and Murty rode about them, singling out
the primest. Once marked down, O'Toole would slip between the bullock
and his mates and edge him away, where Billy took charge of him,
preventing his returning to the mob. With the first two or three this
was not quite easy: but once a few were together they gave little
trouble, feeding about calmly: and generally a bullock cut out from the
main body would trot quite readily across to the others.