Madeline Leslie

“ Lee said, [55] —
“I have often thought of that beautiful passage in which our Saviour describes the Jewish shepherd: ‘The sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out; and he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.’”
“It is astonishing,” remarked the visitor, “what power a humane shepherd has over his flock, when he has once acquired [56] their confidence. This method of giving names to the sheep, as well as to the leaders, is very important. They soon learn the name given them, and will readily come at the familiar call. ”

“ This dear boy, like Minnie, had many pets, and could fully [154] sympathize with her in her love for animals and for the beauties of nature.
Harry had a pony named Cherokee; he had also pretty birds, that he delighted to watch, as they hung in their cage.
But the pet which Harry loved more than all others was a lamb, which he had named Hatty. This little creature had been given him but a short time before Minnie’s visit; but it had [155] learned to know his voice, to run to meet him, and to eat grass from his hand. ”

“ Grandfather had five hundred ewes. He was a rich man, and every body thought well of him. When the lambs began to come, there were some of the ewes that would not own them.”
“I know about that, Anne,” said Minnie; “mamma told me. [34] ”
“Well, when there are two, this is often the case; or sometimes the shepherd finds the mother has not milk enough for two, even if she would like them. Did your mamma tell you that some kinds of sheep are much better nurses than others?” ”

“ In vain the little girl called out, in her softest tones, “Nannie, Nannie! come, pretty Nannie, and drink your milk. [18] ”
At last, the child went into the stable to see what was the matter with her pet, and there her father and mother presently found her, stooping down on the hay by the side of Star, with the lamb’s head in her lap.
“Minnie! Minnie! come out, quick! The horse will kick you,” exclaimed her mother, greatly alarmed; but Mr. Lee only laughed, as he said,—
“No, indeed; Star loves his [19] young mistress too much for that. Let the child be; she is doing well enough.” ”

“ Star put down his head to his favorite, when the lamb frisked and gambolled about him, occasionally nibbling at his nose, when he would start back, and, thinking this fine fun, would begin to dance again. ”

“ The only trouble with the [145] sheep-dog is, that when they are young, they like to play with the sheep, and sometimes run them unmercifully; but when they are older, they seem fully to understand their duty, and walk up and down continually on the outer side of the flock, ever watchful for the approach of danger. ”

“ Sullivan, “which makes it difficult to keep them in order. That is, their habit of imitation. On my [65] farm, the boundary one side is a stone wall, and it seems almost impossible to keep them from going over it. There is no better feed in my neighbor’s pasture; but for some reason the leader runs over, and then the whole flock follow. They know better, and they seldom attempt it when Moses, the dog, is in sight; for sheep soon learn the exact boundaries of their enclosure: from being driven back [66] so often, they find how far they can roam, and remain in peace. ”

“ I have heard, too, that an English shepherd knows every sheep in his flock. By feeding the lambs from the hand, and [58] other kind treatment, he accustoms them to come at his call, and gradually to understand and follow his directions, when the rest of the flock will immediately follow.
“In France, the shepherd selects certain sheep from the flock, gives them names, and teaches them to come by offering them a piece of bread. When he wishes to lead his flock through a defile, or to make them change [59] the direction in which they are proceeding, he calls one of these selected sheep. ”

“ The sheep, too, is one of the most useful animals, its fleece or wool being used as a covering to man, and its flesh for food. It was only yesterday I read the [41] well-established fact that, from one pound of sheep’s wool a thread was spun so fine that it reached to the almost incredible distance of ninety-five miles, while one of ordinary fineness reached twenty-six miles. This covering grows so thick in winter that it enables them to bear cold which would be fatal to other animals. ”

“ When the lamb was approached, she would run under the pony for protection, when she would gaze around with looks of conscious security. At night, the lamb always repaired to the stable, and reposed under the manger, where it felt the pony’s breath.
[51] “When separate, which only happened as it was effected by force, the little creature would raise the most plaintive bleatings, and the pony a responsive neighing.
“On one occasion, they both strayed into an adjoining field, in which was a flock of sheep. The lamb joined the flock at a short distance from the pony ”

“ Did you ever know, Minnie, that the Italian wolf dog has short wool under his hair? This is the case, the wool resembling the Leicester and Lincoln breeds.
“One of these faithful, noble animals takes charge of a thousand sheep, going out with them in the morning, and bringing them all back at night.
“If one of the sheep strays from its companions, the dog [144] follows it, even into a strange flock, takes it carefully by the ear, and leads it back. ”

“ Sullivan, “of the flocks in the Island of Cyrnon, which, on the landing of a stranger, always flee away into the interior of the country; but as soon as the shepherd blows his horn, they scamper around him, and forget every fear.
“But all this time I am quite unmindful of my young friend, who has not yet asked one question.”
“I want to know whether i [64] t’s easy to be a shepherdess,” said Minnie, blushing; “because I should like to be one; only I should want the kind of sheep that would own their lambs, and love them.” ”

“ Those that are nearest follow immediately, and the others are not very far behind; and so, by degrees, the whole flock is disposed to obey the call of the shepherd.”
“Since you were here last,” rejoined Mr. Lee, “I have been reading Youatt’s admirable treatise on sheep. He has an instance very similar concerning [60] the flock of Messrs. Nowlan, Kilkenny. In 1820, they had six hundred pure Merinos, all under the charge of one man. Not even a dog was permitted; the whole care devolved on the shepherd. ”

“ But as a sheep considers the dog an enemy, and is more afraid of him than of almost any other animal it meets, it is necessary, in the first place, to get these animals acquainted, that they may feel friendly.
“In order to do this, when one [141] of the ewes has a lamb, the shepherd takes it from her, and puts a young puppy in its place.
“After being held two or three times while the puppy suckles her, the ewe will generally adopt the little creature, and love it as well as if it was her own lamb.
“All this time, the puppy has a bed of wool to lie on, to accustom him to the smell of the animal ”

“ Not even the voice of his master can entice him out of sight of the flock. No hunger and thirst can do it. There he remains, constant and true to his charge, ready even to lay down his life for them, while they regard him not only as a dearly loved friend, but as a protector and guide, [143] whom it is their duty to obey. ”

“ To my fancy, she’s the prettiest one of the flock. Minnie, Minnie, come and get your corn.”
“Can lambs eat corn, sir? [118] ”
“No; but their mothers can, and they get the good of it.”
Minnie’s mother came and ate the corn greedily from his hand, while the lamb danced about, first on one side and then on the other, much to the amusement of the child.
“Do they stay out in the field all night, sir?”
“O, no! we always shelter them. At this season, we allow them to feed till late; the sun [119] being so hot in the middle of the day, they all crowd under the shade of the hill.” ”

“ An interesting provision of nature with regard to these animals is, that the more inhospitable the land on which they [94] feed, the greater will be their kindness and affection to their young.
“‘I once herded,’ says the Ettrick Shepherd, ‘two years on a wild and bare farm, called Willenslee, on the border of Mid Lothian; and of all the sheep I ever saw, these were the kindest and most affectionate to their lambs. ”

“ The horse would playfully nibble [107] the neck of the sheep, and, without hurting it, would lift it into the manger of a neighboring shed belonging to the field, as much as to say, ‘Though you are not able to reach it, I will help you to the banquet.’ Besides this, the horse would, on all occasions, protect his new friend, and would suffer no one to interfere with him. ”

“ Sullivan, who comes here sometimes with your father. He [25] is what is called a practical shepherd; that is, he knows all about the habits of sheep, from having been brought up with them. He understands the different breeds, and knows which are the best for wool ”

“ Sullivan, glancing at the clock; and then, seeing the look of merriment on the faces of his visitors, he burst into a hearty laugh.
“I believe you’ll have to ex [126] cuse me,” he said, rising hastily. “Isaac will never be able to get them into the fold alone.”
“I want to go, too,” whispered Minnie.
She was rather frightened at first at the loud bleating of the ewes, and the responsive cries of the lambs; but keeping close to the shepherd, had the satisfaction of feeling that she was of great assistance in driving them into the enclosure. ”

“ Lee sat with her sewing in the back parlor, the little girl ran into the room, and taking a cricket, pulled it toward her mother, saying,—
“I want you to tell me all you know about sheep and lambs. Can they do such wonderful things, as dogs, and horses, and cats can?” ”

“ Sullivan, which he could not get from [26] books. I think he will visit us again before long; and I advise you to save all your difficult questions for him to answer.”
“If father buys a flock, will he keep them on his farm?” asked the child.
“O, no, dear! Sheep like to roam over the hills, and browse on the bushes and moss. They can find a very good living where a cow would suffer from hunger.”
At this moment, Anne ap [27] peared at the door, to ask her mistress a question, and Minnie took the opportunity to tell her that she wanted to hear about raising little lambs. ”

“ It illustrates their habit of imitation. It is often exceedingly difficult to drive a flock of sheep through a narrow passage to which they are unaccustomed; but if one of them can be got through, the rest follow without the slightest trouble. ”

“ Sullivan will tell you some stories about that. [76] ”
“I should be very glad to hear them, and about the little lambs.”
“A great deal can be said upon that,” returned the shepherd, cheerfully. “So strong is their attachment to the place where they have been bred, that I have heard of their returning to the Highlands of Scotland from a distance of three hundred miles. When a few sheep accidentally get away from their [77] acquaintance in the flock, they always return home with great eagerness and perseverance. ”

“ I was almost glad when they died off, as they generally did. I find it’s the universal opinion now that merinos make poor nurses.”
The shepherd turned smilingly to Minnie: “Have you any more questions to ask, Miss?”
“O, a great many! But as [122] we are going to stay all night, I shall have time.”
“Then, my dear, I will go in,” said her mother, laughing. “I think you have catechised Mr. Sullivan quite enough for the present.” ”