Mr. John Pacheco, a gardener at Tulo Valley Nursery who also lives on the property, awoke about 1 a.m. when his German Shepherd Sheba began barking.

"It was inside my yard,'' Mr. Pacheco said of the large black and white bull.

Worried the bull would trample plants in the nursery, the gardener grabbed a stick and gave chase, even striking the bull a few times "in his privates''.

The bull retreated, only to return about a half hour later. Mr. Pacheco again entered the ring, while Sheba cowered in her doghouse. "My wife said, `I guess this is not your night','' Mr. Pacheco said yesterday.

Area residents reported the bull ran through other yards in the Cox's Hill area and blocked traffic on St. John's Road at about 1.30 a.m. before Police corralled the animal.

There was no damage reported, and Police "didn't have any problems'' tying it up outside a home on Cox's Lane.

But the tale took a twist yesterday, and the bull's whereabouts were again unknown.

Despite a public appeal, Police had still not heard from the bull's owner by 3.30 p.m. yesterday. At that time, the resident who allowed Police to restrain the bull on her property reported it had disappeared.

She did not know whether it got loose, or someone had retrieved it, Police spokesman Sgt. Roseanda Jones said.

Mr. Pacheco said he knew where the bull belonged, on the grounds of a nearby property. But it was not there, either.

Mr. John Pacheco.