As They Paused, I Will
Take The Opportunity To Digress And Describe The Process Of Putting
Sheep Across A River.
The first thing is to carefully secure a spot fitted for the purpose,
for which the principal requisites are:
First, that the current set for
the opposite bank, so that the sheep will be carried towards it. Sheep
cannot swim against a strong current, and if the stream be flowing
evenly down mid-channel, they will be carried down a long way before
they land; if, however, it sets at all towards the side from which they
started, they will probably be landed by the stream on that same side.
Therefore the current should flow towards the opposite bank. Secondly,
there must be a good landing-place for the sheep. A spot must not be
selected where the current sweeps underneath a hollow bank of gravel or
a perpendicular wall of shingle; the bank on to which the sheep are to
land must shelve, no matter how steeply, provided it does not rise
perpendicularly out of the water. Thirdly, a good place must be chosen
for putting them in; the water must not become deep all at once, or the
sheep won't face it. It must be shallow at the commencement, so that
they may have got too far to recede before they find their mistake.
Fourthly, there should be no tutu in the immediate vicinity of either
the place where the sheep are put into the river or that on to which
they are to come out; for, in spite of your most frantic endeavours, you
will be very liable to get some sheep tuted. These requisites being
secured, the depth of the water is, of course, a matter of no moment;
the narrowness of the stream being a point of far greater importance.
These rivers abound in places combining every requisite.
The sheep being mobbed up together near the spot where they are intended
to enter the water, the best plan is to split off a small number, say a
hundred or hundred and fifty (a larger mob would be less easily
managed), dog them, bark at them yourself furiously, beat them, spread
out arms and legs to prevent their escaping, and raise all the
unpleasant din about their ears that you possibly can. In spite of all
that you can do they will very likely break through you and make back;
if so, persevere as before, and in about ten minutes a single sheep will
be seen eyeing the opposite bank, and evidently meditating an attempt to
gain it. Pause a moment that you interrupt not a consummation so
devoutly to be wished; the sheep bounds forward with three or four jumps
into midstream, is carried down, and thence on to the opposite bank;
immediately that one sheep has entered, let one man get into the river
below them, and splash water up at them to keep them from working lower
and lower down the stream and getting into a bad place; let another be
bringing up the remainder of the mob, so that they may have come up
before the whole of the leading body are over; if this be done they will
cross in a string of their own accord, and there will be no more trouble
from the moment when the first sheep entered the water.
If the sheep are obstinate and will not take the water, it is a good
plan to haul one or two over first, pulling them through by the near
hind leg; these will often entice the others, or a few lambs will
encourage their mothers to come over to them, unless indeed they
immediately swim back to their mothers: the first was the plan we
adopted.
As I said, our sheep were got across the first two streams without much
difficulty; then they became completely silly. The awful wind, so high
that we could scarcely hear ourselves talk, the blinding sand, the cold
glacier water, rendered more chilling by the strong wind, which,
contrary to custom, was very cold, all combined to make them quite
stupid; the little lambs stuck up their backs and shut their eyes and
looked very shaky on their legs, while the bigger ones and the ewes
would do nothing but turn round and stare at us. Our dogs knocked-up
completely, and we ourselves were somewhat tired and hungry, partly from
night-watching and partly from having fasted since early dawn, whereas
it was now four o'clock. Still we must get the sheep over somehow, for
a heavy fresh was evidently about to come down; the river was yet low,
and could we get them over before dark they would be at home. I rode
home to fetch assistance and food; these arriving, by our united efforts
we got them over every stream, save the last, before eight o'clock, and
then it became quite dark, and we left them. The wind changed from very
cold to very hot - it literally blew hot and cold in the same breath.
Rain came down in torrents, six claps of thunder (thunder is very rare
here) followed in succession about midnight, and very uneasy we all
were. Next morning, before daybreak, we were by the river side; the
fresh had come down, and we crossed over to the sheep with difficulty,
finding them up to their bellies in water huddled up in a mob together.
We shifted them on to one of the numerous islands, where they were
secure, and had plenty of feed, and with great difficulty recrossed, the
river having greatly risen since we had got upon its bed. In two days'
time it had gone down sufficiently to allow of our getting the sheep
over, and we did so without the loss of a single one.
I hardly know why I have introduced this into an account of a trip with
a bullock dray; it is, however, a colonial incident, such as might
happen any day.
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