to L4, and, to use an
Aberdeen expression, turning them heels over heads. But I never could
make a shilling of profit out of large cattle. At Hallow Fair Mr Thom
and I had unfortunately sixty very large cattle left over unsold from
the Michaelmas, many of which had cost L13 and L14 in Aberdeenshire. Mr
Thom had the selling of them. He had just one offer in the shape of
three gentlemen--one from East Lothian, one from Fife, and one from
Perth, who likewise joined. They were sold the next day at L12, 5s.
a-head. After the bargain was struck, the gentlemen requested Mr Thom
to divide them. His answer was, with a sarcastic look to his customers,
"Well, gentlemen, you have been good and great friends for two days, it
would be a great pity for me to make you quarrel now." Mr Thom, who was
thoroughly "awake," turned upon his heel and went away. I divided the
beasts for the gentlemen; and to divide a lot of beasts equally is not
such an easy matter as some might suppose.

I have often been puzzled in dividing, say, forty beasts into four tens
(I had often to divide lots of cattle for my customers when I was in
the lean-cattle trade). The cattle are first cut through as equally as
possible; the two divisions are then cut through again, and you have
thus four tens. They are then examined, and a good beast is exchanged
for a bad from the best to the worst side, and so on alternately until
you bring them as equal as it is possible to make them. But with all my
experience, I have often been unable to satisfy myself of the equality
of the four tens; and when this was the case, I had to decide what was
the difference and tell the buyers. If you draw, say, No. 1, being the
most valuable lot, you must pay to the gentleman drawing No. 2, an
inferior lot, the sum of L2, L3, or L5, as the case may be, &c. This
may seem strange to a good judge of cattle, but let him be called on
himself to decide in such a case. He may naturally think a change of a
beast will make all right, but he will find that in some cases no
exchange will rectify the matter to his satisfaction. In connection
with this let me offer my friends a piece of advice:--if they buy a cut
of cattle from a dealer, say twenty out of sixty, a neutral party and a
good judge ought to divide the cattle: it should not be the buyer, and
much less ought it to be the dealer, because the seller knows the
beasts individually; and however well you drive sixty cattle round the
circle, there w