728 MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY. 



Well as I knew him, he often astonished me ; for, when 

 hard pressed in accomplishing the task that he was put to, 

 he had expedients of the moment that bespoke a great share 

 of the reasoning faculty/' 



Amongst other remarkable exploits of Sirrah's, as illus- 

 trative of his sagacity, Mr. Hogg relates, that, upon one oc- 

 casion, about seven hundred lambs, which were under his 

 care at weaning-time, broke up at midnight, and scampered 

 off in three divisions, across the neighbouring hills, in spite 

 of all that he and an assistant could do to keep them to- 

 gether ; " Sirrah," cried the shepherd, in great affliction, 

 " my man, they're a' awa'/' The night was so dark that he 

 could not see Sirrah ; but the faithful animal heard and 

 knew the import of his master's words, — words such as, of 

 all others, were sure to set him on the alert ; and without 

 more ado, he silently set off in quest of the recreant flock. 

 Meanwhile the shepherd and his companion did not fail to 

 do all in their power to recover their lost charge ; they 

 spent the whole night in scouring the hills for miles round, 

 but of neither the lambs nor Sirrah could they obtain the 

 slightest trace. It was the most extraordinary circumstance 

 that had ever occurred in the annals of pastoral life. They 

 had nothing for it, day having dawned, but to return to their 

 master, and inform him that they had lost his whole flock 

 of lambs, and knew not what was become of them. " On 

 our way home, however," says Hogg, " we discovered a lot of 

 lambs at the bottom of a deep ravine, called the * Flesh 

 Clench,' and the indefatigable Sirrah standing in front of 

 them, looking round for some relief, but still true to his 

 charge. The sun was then up, and when we first came in 

 view, we concluded it was one of the divisions which Sirrah 

 had been unable to manage, until he came to that command- 

 ing situation. But what was our astonishment, when we 



