We had, all of us, already over-stayed our shore-leave by many hours.  We grouped together in informal consultation as to what should be done—­should we go back to the ship or not?

“We might run into a typhoon ... with all them crazy cattle on board!” voiced one....

* * * * *

Nevertheless, perhaps because it was, after all, the line of least resistance, because there regular meals awaited us, and a secure place of sleep, by twos and threes we drifted back, down the long, hot, dusty road, to where the South Sea King lay waiting for us ... the mate, the captain, and the cattle-boss furious at us for our over-stayed shore-leave....

* * * * *

The cattle had been there these many hours, bellowing and moving restlessly in their land-pens, the hot sun blazing down upon them.

* * * * *

Our cattle-boss, it seems, knew all about the handling of his animals on land.  But not on sea.  When, the following morning, we started early, trying to drive the cattle on board ship, they refused to walk up the runway.  In vain the boss strewed earth and sod along its course, to make it seem a natural passage for them ... they rushed around and around their pens, kicking up a vast, white, choking dust,—­snorting, bellowing, and throwing their rumps out gaily in sidelong gallopades ... all young Queensland steers; wild, but not vicious.  Still full of the life and strength of the open range....

Then we scattered bits of the broken bales of their prepared food, along the runway, to lure them ... a few were led aboard thus.  But the captain cried with oaths that they didn’t have time to make a coaxing-party of the job....

At last the donkey-engine was started, forward.  A small cable was run through a block, and, fastened by their halters around their horns, one after the other the steers, now bellowing in great terror, their eyes popping for fear—­were hoisted up in the air, poised on high, kicking, then swung down, and on deck.

You had to keep well from under each one as he descended, or suffer the befouling consequences of his fear ... we had great laughter over several men who came within the explosive radius ... till the mate hit on the device of tying each beast’s tail close before he was jerked up into the air.

What a pandemonium ... shouting ... swearing ... whistles blowing signals ... the chugging respiration of the labouring donkey-engine ... and then the attempted stampede of each trembling, fear-crazy animal as soon as he rose four-footed, on deck, after his ride through the sky....

* * * * *

The ship was crammed as full as Noah’s ark.  In the holds and on the main deck stood the steers, in long rows....

On the upper deck, exposed to all the weather, were housed the more tractable sheep, who had, without objection, bleated their way aboard docilely up the runway—­behind their black ram ... that the cattle-boss had to help on a bit, by pulling him the few first yards by his curly horns.