"Hum! But it must have resembled something, I suppose?"
"Certainly, papa; but I do not know with what to compare it."
"And you, little wench, cannot you make a guess?"
"I fancy I know."
"Ah! Well, then, tell us at once, instead of leaving us in the dark."
"I will, Excellency. This morning, taking advantage of my lady's sleeping, I went down very gently to try and discover the cause of the noise that kept us awake all night."
"And you found it?"
"I think I did."
"Very good: go on."
"It seems that hunters arrived here yesterday with a large herd of novillos, toros, &c., which they are taking, I believe, to California. It was these animals which, by stamping and roaring, prevented us sleeping, for their corral adjoins this house."