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CHAP. V. MODE OF EMBAEKING CATTLE. 123 quires, one hundred or one hundred and fifty, more or less, and haying approved of a lot, ten or twenty more than he requires are brought together, from the whole of which he drives out the worst, and having reduced the herd to the required number, these are driven into a sort of yard or fold of strong posts and rails, situated near the sea, where the cattle remain ready for embarkation. The getting them on board is rather a noisy and bustling affair, and when the weather is at all rough, it is impracticable without loss. If the sea is tolerably calm, the vessels approach as near the shore as possible, perhaps within two hundred yards, and a strong rope is passed from the ship to the shore. Two large canoes are then fastened together by having strong bars or poles tied across them, and projecting over the sides. The cattle, which have perhaps never been tied up before, are caught in the fold by having a rope passed round their horns, by which they are tied one by one to a strong post in the fold. To the rope round each animal’s head two other ropes are fastened, viz. one on each side, and extending in opposite directions along the sea beach. Each of these ropes is held by eight or ten men standing on the sand, or in the water. When all is ready the animal is driven out of the fold, and generally runs at the men on one side, but is held back by those on the other side, and both parties of men keep advanc ing towards deep water, still pulling with the ropes, until the bullock is beyond his depth. He is then drawn as he swims to the side of the canoe, where the long ropes are taken off, and he is fastened by the horns to the cross-bars projecting over the sides of the canoe. When about ten oxen are thus fastened, the canoes are drawn by means of a rope previously fixed to the ship, the bullocks being swung on both sides; a sort of canvas sling is then passed under the body of each animal, and they are hoisted into the ship. In this manner a hundred and fifty bullocks will sometimes