328 WILD SPORTS IN THE FAR WEST. 



sliowed that several of the debaters were already 

 assembled. A bright fire burned in the chimney, 

 the room ■was nearly full, and ahiiost everybody "vvas 

 talking. At length order was established, and the 

 company proceeded to the business of the evening. 

 Two judges and two leaders were selected. The judges 

 took their places in the centre, while the leaders 

 stationed themselves on opposite sides, each taking it 

 in turns to choose a follower from the persons present. 

 The question to be decided was this : " In a thickly 

 inhabited district, where much cattle was reared, there 

 was only one parish bull. The district was on the 

 bank of a broad river, and the inhabitants were obliged 

 to cross it very often, as all the mills and tanneries 

 were on the other side — but there was only one ferry- 

 boat, passed to and fro by a single rope. The bull got 

 down to the ferry, and on board the boat, and gnawed 

 the rope in two ; the boat floated down the river with 

 the bull, and boat and bull were never seen again." 

 These were the facts, now comes the question, "• Who 

 is to pay the damage for the loss ? The owner of the 

 boat for carrying off the bull, or the owner of the 

 bull, because, from some malicious though undis- 

 covered intention, he stole the boat ? " 



It was highly amusing to see one after another 

 stand np, and seriously defend the cause of the bull, 

 or the boat ; others again talked all sorts of nonsense 

 for a quarter of an hour, and then sat down with the 

 remark that it was unnecessary to say more, as the 

 case was so clear that the judges could not do other- 

 wise than give a decision in their favor. After all 

 had been heard, myself included, the judges consulted 



