Shepherd and His Mate.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17786, 10 August 1929, Page 13 (Supplement)

Shepherd and His Mate.

Those who know the shepherd on a quiet summer’s evening and envy him his peaceful life seldom think of the hardships he endures during the winter months, especially in the lambing reason. IF your path ever takes you over the long stretches of the South Downs, or the remote Scottish Highlands, one picturesque and romantic figure will invariably catch your eye. At all seasons of the year, always alone except for his dog, the shepherd stands, as it were a sentry on du.ty, as he has done for countless generations, and maybe as he will for generations to come. He is, as a rule, a type of man born to the job. For centuries his forbears have kept their sheep, and this in itself distinguishes him from others of Ins countrymen who live by the soil. Being so mucli alone with his sheep and with nature he has gained a knowledge of nature itself far removed from the ordinary, a knowledge of the habits of birds and beasts, a knowledge of flowers and •of weather. • What an absorbingly interesting story he could tell, if it were possible to induce him to impart it. But his very solitude renders him chary of speech, and it is not often that one can get more than a monosyllabic reply to any question. The Lambing Season. Most of us are inclined to picture the shepherd under the pleasant conditions of an English summer's day, lying out on the hillside, smoking his pipe, and enjoying nature. But there is a reverse side to the picture. The early part of the year, which is very often the worst, is perhaps the time of the greatest anxiety and the longest hours for the shepherd, for on his vigilance alone depends the safety of the new-born lambs. Whether, therefore, his duty lies on the English hills and dales or the more remote and rugged mountains of Scotland and Wales, he often suffers the greatest hardships, and not infrequently lays down his life for his sheep. When the snow lies deep on the mountains, with drifts obscuring the passes and mountain paths, and when the blinding snowflakes wipe out each, footprint as it is made, most men, whatever their calling, are sitting in comfort by their firesides. Then it is that the shepherd is on his rounds, seeing that his flock is safe, and that the ewes and newly born lambs are in such shelter as can be provided in the bleak places. Generally this means driving the flock down from the hills to the valleys below, and it is easy to conceive the difficulties, in the great blizzards and storms which sometimes sweep the colder parts of Great Britain, of getting a large number of ewes together, and bringing them to safety when scarcely a yard of the path can be seen on account of the drifting snow. His Life for His Charges. Many a hill shepherd has perished in the noble attempt to save his sheep from being overwhelmed in a drift. James Hogg, the Ettrick shcDliarrl, has left it record

RELIC OF A BY-GONE AGE.

E. T. Brown, in Britannia,

that In one great storm over seventeen of his brother shepherds lost their lives after unavailing attempts tc. save their flocks. To most of us the sheep seems to be a singularly stupid animal. “As silly as a sheep," or “alike as a flock of sheep," are phrases one often hears. Yet to the shepherd each particular animal possesses an individuality of its own, and he knows the various characteristics of his charges. Some ewes, like human beings, possess highly strung temperaments, and have to be managed with great patience and care. Others show a boldness which leads thorn often to defy even the sheep dog. The Shepherd’s Mate. The proper care and management of sheep, especially during the winter months, would be impossible singlehanded. It is here that the sheep dog comes into the picture. He is almost as wonderful as his master in devotion to duty. Of his intelligence there is no question. Those of us who have witnessed some of the great sheep dog trials which take place every year cannot fail to be filled with admiration at the pitch of perfection to which their training has been brought. In penning and driving sheep, separating them into bunches, and driving each bunch into the appropriate fold or enclosure they display almost human intelligence. Worked by signs and by a whistle a highly trained dog is worth his weight In gold to his master. If there is one thing more than another which strikes one in a shepherd’s life it is the extraordinary affinity between the man and his dog. While most dogs regard their masters as the centre of their lives, they have other interests and a kindly welcome and wag of the tail for other human beings. To the sheep dog his master Is more than this. He is the one and only being in the universe. Seldom cam a stranger get even a glance from him. The Tinkle of the Bells. In years gone by the shepherd was a great authority on sheep-bells, for no flock was considered to be complete unless it possessed its bells. Now one can wander for miles over the Downs or mountain slopes and rarely hear that musical, haunting tinkle which was one of the chief pleasures of a walk through deserted country. When shepherds used to meet together much of their talk was of “clucks” and “canisters.” Ancient sets of bells were greatly treasured and were passed from father to son as heirlooms. Now, alas I too often have they been purchased by collectors and are used as gongs to summon the family to meals in a modern villa. As It Was Yesterday. The rush and stress of the present day has passed the shepherd by. New inventions and modern machinery in agriculture have affected him not at all, alone of all those who live on the land. So he remains, a relic of a bygone age, with just the characteristics of his forbears, slowness of thought and speech, promptness in time of need, and, through all, devotion to duty.