chap. v. * MODE OF EMBARKING CATTLE. 123 
quires, one hundred or one hundred and fifty, more or less, 
and having 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 
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, by which it is hoisted into the ship. 
In this manner a hundred and fifty bullocks will sometimes 
