FLOCKS AND HERDS IN PROVENCE. 283 



they avoid the sun as long as it has any heat. At 

 daybreak the shepherd appears on the ridge of the 

 hill, outlined against the sky. He has chosen a spot 

 where it is possible to descend. A narrow track 

 winds down the cliff. Soon the grey line of sheep 

 is hurrying along the face of the mountain. A con- 

 stant rattling is heard as the stones slide and fall 

 which are set in motion by the feet of the animals. 

 Here and there, where a dangerous leap has to be 

 taken, the shepherd has built up a kind of rude cause- 

 way to make it easier for the weaker ones. But the 

 goats scorn any such assistance : they go bounding 

 down the face of the rock, paying little attention to 

 the path. It may happen that the head of the file 

 has reached the valley before the last stragglers have 

 left the mountain top, for there are often hundreds in 

 a single flock. Galloping along the level ground, they 

 make for the fold and disappear. The shepherd also 

 goes to sleep. In the evening he leads them out 

 again to spend the night upon the mountain. 



Goats are mingled with the sheep. For some 

 reason or other the shepherds in these parts desire 

 to keep as many as possible of these destructive 

 animals. I suppose that they are more profitable than 

 sheep. But the law allows only a certain proportion : 

 I think it is half-a-dozen goats to a hundred sheep. 

 This law is not strictly obeyed. The peasants say 

 that sheep will not graze by themselves on the moun- 

 tains. If there are no goats to lead them on, they 

 huddle together and refuse to move. This is why 

 a given number of goats must be mixed with each 

 flock of sheep. In Switzerland also the sheep are led 

 to and from the pastures by goats ; and in South 



