A Farmer’s Life 
a wallet holding a few spare shoes—flat pieces of 
iron about the length and breadth of two fingers— 
and a supply of short nails “‘in a piece of fat 
bacon.” ‘The nails were so kept to prevent rust, 
so that, if one of them did chance to pierce the 
hoof, the flesh ‘‘ shouldn’t ganger.” (This word 
was pronounced to rhyme to “anger.’’) And if 
any beast showed sign of being footsore, straight- 
way it was hustled apart, driven over cunningly 
laid rope that caught its legs, lassoed, and thrown 
over. And so, with pincers and hammer the 
shoeing was got through. 
It was “the Cattle Plague” (not the foot and 
mouth disease, but the rinderpest) that finally 
broke down this custom. For then travelling by 
road was forbidden and the cattle were sent to 
their destination by rail. 
Earlier in the year—in the autumn—sheep 
from Wales travelled the same route—‘‘ From 
the Mountains to the Marshes,” as John Smith 
said. They were in flocks of about fifteen 
hundred up to two thousand, and they came to 
Blackwater across the commons by way of 
Reading. A little farther on they were “ dis- 
persed of,” to go on, presumably, towards Rye; 
““down to the marshes.” ‘ Wild as rabbits ” 
they were; but there were two or three dogs 
with the men, and “ the dogs did all the work.” 
(See Note A, Appendix.) 
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