The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-05-20
ssUrus AND HIS SUCCESSORS.

of sheep, and though l should hesitate
to give in full my experience as sheep
farmer, vet there are few episodes
in that experience which may probably
amuse and interest the boy readers of
the Companion. One occurred the
second week after getting my first flock
home.
l had bought "Brutus, very large
South Down buck, about as handsome
an animal as L ever saw. He would
have weighed, alive, at least 200 pounds,
and was as portly as a lord 1t did me
good to look at his fleece; it was magnifi-
cent
did not know when / bought him,
that Brutus had n very sinister reputa-
ton. This 1 afterwards learned. He
was dangerous "butter," and had
shortly before killed two bucks, and had
nearly broken mans legs. Yet one
would never have thought it, on seeing
the beast; for Brutus had no horns and
had most amiable expression. / led
him home myself. He seemed very do
Gle.
The same week also drought Caesar. "
He was a young Cotswold, valued at
twenty dollars. He had asuperb cream
white fleece, very long and thick. His
former owner assured me that the wod
IN Cesar was ten inches in length, or
rather depth.
Though not yet fully grown, his horns
were large and finely curved. He was
not so big and portly as Brutus; but
liked him better IN many respects.
Brutus / kept chained IN one of the
barns; while Ceser dwelt in a pen, in
another barn, but had liberty to come
out into the barnyard, which was sur
rounded by strong board fence, eight
or ten feet in height.
l knew they would fight if they were
10 meet; but l thought they were Sc
curely confined. The barns were distant
from each other hundred feet or more.
One morning / had let out my flock
into the fields, and was leisurely return
ing, salt dish in hand, to the house, when
= was startled by an ominous crash OF
boards up at the barns. set off in
haste to ascertain the cause, when an
other violent crash warned me to hurry.
/ reached the yard Just in time to see
young Caesar knocked headlong through
the board fence, at the lower end of it
He lay partly in the gap and quivered.
/ thought ut first that he was stunned
merely. But he was dead. History
had repeated itself there in my sheep
yard; Brutus had slain Caesar; and, still
war-like, he stood inside the hole and
dared me to come in.
1t took both Mr.. Bean (the hired man
and myself to capture him. We found
that he had broken his chain, OF
wrenched the staple from the post, and
got into the barn-yard by butting q
broad hole through the board fence.
The next day, or the next day but one,
he hunted down the useful Mr.. Bean
who had led him out to water-and
bruised his leg rather badly. But,
though knocked flat, Bean had seized
the buck by one of his hind legs and
held fast, and in moment or two had
regained his feet.
In that plight the two went over the
yard and had lively tussel for the mas
terry. At length Bean got hold of the
other hind leg and let go the chain.
Some minutes later he came down to
the house wheeling Brutus before him;
that is, he had both tine rams hind legs
IN his hands, and so forced the animal
to walk laboredly before him like a
wheelbarrow; or, as the boys at school
used to say, ''walk Spanish. The chain
was dragging after.
Here's your cretter-'sarn him!" he
exclaimed. HE like ter broke my
laig-'sarn him. Wy! a mans in danger
of his lifel''
Mrs. Bean came out and said the
same; she declared she was in danger of
her life when she went to feed the hens
and hunt eggs.
was obliged to dispose of Brutus.
In place of these two fallen heroes, L
next bought John Gilpin," a prompt.
straightforward South Down. with a
black face and smut legs. His name.
hike that of his predecessors, came to me
on him. His former owner told me that
he knew his name as well as any boy.
and perhaps he did; for he really would
run to You when You said John Gilpin-
and shook the salt dish.
AS stock animal he was ranked HIGH
and paid correspondingly high price.
| may as well tell you what became of
HIM. For year he was monarch of NV
flock, avery proud and arrogant one
lie had grown. L valued him highly.
Every one who saw him admired him.
But queer fatality hung over my stock
animals
One day in October, the next fall,
after we had turned the sheep into the
fields, Mr.. Bean came running to the
house.
There's trouble, sir, up in the upper
field" he exclaimed. There's strange
cretter come"
Trouble, indeedl On reaching the up-
per field, there lay John Gilpin with all
four of his black legs In the air and his
neck crooked under him, while over his
PROSTATE body stood another great, bony,
hut nl-conditioned ram with norns nke
an argali's.
Without exception, this was the most
ruffianly-looking brute / ever saw-a
flesh and less Wool. Nevertheiess. TINS
Ishmaelite had killed the well-bred John
Gilpin the very first ''pass" he had made
ut him.
We reconnoitred the beast Mt respect
full distance "I declared" said Bean.
Hes pill Whar dye s'pose he come
from?'
That was an open question. The ami
NAL had what looked to be a towstring
tied round his neck, with the end drag
ging. Presumably, he had been hitched
somewhere, by somebody.
We drove the entire flock down to the
barn-yard, and at length got the truculent
stranger into pen in the barn, where L
meant to keep him till I could ascertain
who owned him, and recover damages.
But we had not got many steps from
eho oaiH De1oIc We nearu crash, ana,
turning. saw the newcomer just walking
out. He had knocked the barn door
down. Evidently we did not know him
yet.
''Sarn himw exclaimed the astonisheo
Mr.. Bean. why, he's q regular old
Peelygarlic"
We headed him of, stoned him back
into the barn, and then chained him to a
post with two ox-chains.
Next day Mrs. Bean came to tell me
that there was man below who wanted
to speak with me. Going to the house
found the Rev. Mr.. Paul, 'ssuperan-
nuated" and retired Clergyman of the
Methodist Church, who lived some two
miles distant, and who was trying hard,
IN his way, to get living from a small
farm. knew him for q fair man and q
good citizen.