268 



Farming of Ciimherland. 



exertion, and dug out. An untutored sheep-dog, not quite a 

 year old, was one of the party, with three or four older dogs of 

 the same kind. The older dogs took little notice of what was 

 going on, but the young one began to be very curious about the 

 proceedings, and, amid his gambols among the snow, would every 

 now and then return to the working party to peep into and snufF 

 about the holes they made v/ith the poles. In a little time he 

 seemed to take still greater interest in the work, and went from 

 hole to hole, examining and smelling at them as the poles were 

 drawn out. He was purposely unnoticed, to see what the result 

 would be, and to avoid diverting his attention. He remained 

 looking intently into one of the holes after the men had gone to 

 some distance ; and all at once a new light seemed to break in 

 upon him, and he began to scratch in the snow with all his might. 

 This was just what was desired ; and when he was seen to be in 

 earnest, the men returned and dug down through the drift for 7 

 or 8 feet, encouraging the anxious whelp, and, deeper than their 

 poles would reach, they found a cluster of five or six sheep hud- 

 dled close together. When these were released, the dog barked 

 and howled with delight ; and no doubt the owner and his assist- 

 ants felt that the sagacious animal was in a fair way to lighten 

 their labours, as well as to save much property which was in 

 imminent risk. From that moment the dog was the principal, 

 and by far the most valuable actor. For a while he would insist 

 on helping to scratch out the half suffocated sheep ; but as he got 

 to better understand the matter, he merely indicated by a few 

 scratches the locality of the buried sheep, no matter how deep 

 they were, and on he went to others, with all the importance of an 

 old hand. 



The dog being so anxious, and the peril of delay so great, na 

 cessation of labour was indulged in till evening, when all were 

 obliged to leave the exciting duty from sheer exhaustion and cold. 

 The result of this, the first day's labour, was the releasing of over 

 two hundred sheep living, and likely to live, and about a score 

 smothered. The following day, by the exertions of the same young 

 dog, several more were dug out, some living, but many dead ; and 

 few indeed were passed over without being marked by the young 

 creature, whilst the older dogs stood listlessly by, though infinitely 

 more accustomed to sheep, and trained to almost perfection in 

 other duties. Day after day added to the numbers of both living 

 and dead, till finally all were found ; but the loss amounted in 

 this lot, and on the rest of the farm, to nearly two hundred sheep. 

 The last living sheep discovered was on new year's day. It had 

 taken shelter in a hollow under a whin,* and had remained in the 

 small space of a 5 feet cave from the 18th of November, with 



* Furze -bush. 



