The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1881-06-08
BRUTUS AND MS SUCCESSORS


Of sheep, and though | should hesitate
TO give in full my experience as n sheep
farmer yet there are few episodes
in that experience which may probably
amuse aud interest the boy readers Of
tho Companion. One occurred tho
second week after getting my first flock
home
had bought "Brutus, very large
South Down buck, about as handsome
an animal as / ever saw He would
have weighed, alive, atlcast 300 pounds,
md was as portly as lord. 1t did me
good 10 look at his fleece; it was magnlii-
cent
[ did not know when I bought him,
that Brutus had very sinister rcputa-
ton. This / afterwards learned. Ho
was dangerous CLUTTER" and had
shortly before killed two bucks, and had
nearly broken n 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 week 7 alsobought "Cmsar."
Ho was n young Cotswold, valued at
twenty dollars. He had asuperb cream
white fleece, very long and thick, His
former owner assured me that the wool
on Caesar was ten inches in length, or
rather depth.
Though not yet fully grown, his horns
were largo and finely curved. He was
not so big and portly rs Brutus; but |
liked him better in many respects.
Butus ! kept chained in one Of the
barns: while Crscr dwclt in pen, in
another barn, but had liberty 10 como
ont into tho bauyard, which was sur
rounded byh strong board fence, eight
or ten feet in height
| knew they would fight if they wero
10 meet; but / thought they were So
Curcly confined. The barns were distant
from each other n hundred feet or more.
One morning had let out my flock
into the fields, and was lcsuwly return
ing, salt dish in hand, to the house, when
! was startled by an OminOus crash Of
boards up mt tho barns. | set off in
haste to ascertain tho cause when an
other violent crash warned me to hurry.
L ronchcd the yard Just in time TO SEQ
young Caesar knocked headlon8 through
the board fence, at tho lower end Of it.
He lay partly in the gap and quivcrcd
] Thought ut first that he was stunned
merely. But he was dead. History
had repeated itself there in my sheep
yard; Brutus had slain Cesar; and, still
war-like, no stood inside tho hole and
dared mo to como in.
IT took both Mr. Bean dho hired many
md myself TO capture him. We found
tLat he had broken his chain, or
wrenchod the staple from the post, and
got into the harn-yard by butting
broad hole through the board fence
The next day, or the next day but one,
he hunted down tho useful Mr.. Bean
who had led him ont TO watcr-and
bruised his leg rather badly. But
though knocked fiat, Bean had seized
the buck by one Of his hind legs and
held fast, and in moment or two had
rcgaincd his feet
in that plight the two went over the
yard and had lively russell for the mas
terry. At length Bean got hold of the
other hind leg aud let go the chain.
Some minutes later he came down 10
the house wheeling Brutus before him;
that 49, he had both the rams hind legs
~ hls hands, and SO forced tho animal
10 walk laborcdly before him like II
wheclbaTow; or, MS the boys mt school
used TO say, "walk Spanish The chain
was dragging after
Heres your crottcr 'sarn him. he
exclaimed "Ilo like ter broke my
laig-son him! Wyl n mans in danger
nfhis lifo!"
Mrs. Bean came out and said the
same she declared she was in danger of
her life when sho went to feed the hens },
and hunt eggs.
! was obliged to dispose Of Brutus.
In place Of these two fallen heroes. | |
next bought "Johu Gilpin," prompt,
straight limbed South Down. with n |
black face and smut legs. His name,
like that Of his predecessors, came to me
on HIM. His former owner told me that
he knew his name rs well rs any boy,
and perhaps he did for he really would
run to you whom you said John Gilpin -
and shook the salt dish.
As n stock animal he was ranked high,
md | paid corrcspondinRly high price.
J may AS well tell yOu what became Of
him. For "a year he was monarch II my
flock, avery proud and arrogant one
He had grown. | 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 tho sheep into tho
fields, Mr.. Bean came running to the
house
There's trouble, sir, up in the upper
iicldl' he exclaimed "Therc's n strange
crctter come"
Trouble, indeed! On reaching the up.
per field. there Law John Gilpin with all
fonr Of his black legs in the air and his
neck crooked under him, while over his
PROSTATE body stood another great, bouy,
but Unconditional ram with horns like
nm argali's.
Without exception. this was the most
ruilianly -looking brute | ever saw-a
creature all bone and horns, with little
flesh and less wool. Nevertheless, this
Tshmaelite had killed the well-bred John
fIpin the very first pass" he had made
At him.
We reconnoitred the beast at a respect
mi distance. II declare" said Bean.
He's pill. Whar dye s'pose he come
rom?'
That was an open question. The ami
nal had what looked to be a towstring
led round his neck, with the end drag
ring. Presumably, he had been hitched J
by somebody.
We drove the entire flock down to the
,arn-yard. and at length got the truculent 5
tranger into pen in the barn, where I l.,
meant to keep him till L could ascertain
Tho owned him, and recover damages.
But we had not got many steps from .