; has up Warrigal and shows him off to the company. 'Most
intelligent lad.' Warrigal grinned and showed his white teeth. It was as
good as a play.

Then everybody goes to lunch--swells and selectors, Germans and Paddies,
natives and immigrants, a good many of them, too, and there was
eating and drinking and speechifying till all was blue. By and by the
auctioneer looks at his watch. He'd had a pretty good tuck-in himself,
and they must get to business.

Father opened his eyes at the price the first pen brought, all prime
young bullocks, half fat most of them. Then they all went off like
wildfire; the big men and the little men bidding, quite jealous,
sometimes one getting the lot, sometimes another. One chap made a remark
about there being such a lot of different brands; but Starlight said
they'd come from a sort of depot station of his, and were the odds and
ends of all the mobs of store cattle that he'd purchased the last four
years. That satisfied 'em, particularly as he said it in a careless,
fierce way which he could put on, as if it was like a man's----impudence
to ask him anything. It made the people laugh; I could see that.

By and by we comes to the imported bull. He was in a pen by himself,
looking first-rate. His brand had been faked, and the hair had grown
pretty well. It would have took a sharp hand to know him again.

'Well, gentlemen,' says the auctioneer, 'here is the imported bull "Duke
of Brunswick". It ain't often an animal of his quality comes in with a
mob of store cattle; but I am informed by Mr. Carisforth that he left
orders for the whole of the cattle to be cleared off the run, and this
valuable animal was brought away in mistake. He was to return by sea;
but as he happens to be here to-day, why, sooner than disappoint any
intending buyer, Mr. Carisforth has given me instructions to put him up,
and if he realises anything near his value he will be sold.'

'Yes!' drawls Starlight, as if a dozen imported bulls, more or less,
made no odds to him, 'put him up, by all means, Mr. Runnimall. Expectin'
rather large shipment of Bates's "Duchess" tribe next month. Rather
prefer them on the whole. The "Duke" here is full of Booth blood, so
he may just as well go with the others. I shall never get what he cost,
though; I know that. He's been a most expensive animal to me.'

Many a true word spoken in jest. He had good call to know him, as well
as the rest of us, for a most expensive animal, before all