was said and
done. What he cost us all round it would be hard indeed to cipher up.

Anyhow, there was a great laugh at Starlight's easy way of taking
it. First one and then another of the squatters that was going in for
breeding began to bid, thinking he'd go cheap, until they got warm, and
the bull went up to a price that we never dreamed he'd fetch. Everything
seemed to turn out lucky that day. One would have thought they'd never
seen an imported bull before. The young squatters got running one
another, as I said before, and he went up to 270 Pounds! Then the
auctioneer squared off the accounts as sharp as he could; an' it took
him all his time, what with the German and the small farmers, who took
their time about it, paying in greasy notes and silver and copper,
out of canvas bags, and the squatters, who were too busy chaffing and
talking among themselves to pay at all. It was dark before everything
was settled up, and all the lots of cattle delivered. Starlight told the
auctioneer he'd see him at his office, in a deuced high and mighty kind
of way, and rode off with his new friend.

All of us went back to our camp. Our work was over, but we had to settle
up among ourselves and divide shares. I could hardly believe my eyes
when I saw the cattle all sold and gone, and nothing left at the camp
but the horses and the swags.

When we got there that night it was late enough. After tea father and I
and Jim had a long yarn, settling over what we should do and wondering
whether we were going to get clean away with our share of the money
after all.

'By George!' says Jim, 'it's a big touch, and no mistake. To think of
our getting over all right, and selling out so easy, just as if they was
our own cattle. Won't there be a jolly row when it's all out, and the
Momberah people miss their cattle?' (more than half 'em was theirs).
'And when they muster they can't be off seein' they're some hundreds
short.'

'That's what's botherin' me,' says father. 'I wish Starlight hadn't been
so thundering flash with it all. It'll draw more notice on us, and every
one 'll be gassin' about this big sale, and all that, till people's set
on to ask where the cattle come from, and what not.'

'I don't see as it makes any difference,' I said. 'Somebody was bound
to buy 'em, and we'd have had to give the brands and receipts just the
same. Only if we'd sold to any one that thought there was a cross look
about it, we'd have had to take half money