The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-08-05


promptly sent TO his master. who came to
town al once, and she'd some bitter tears
over his cOmrade, tried and true; and
when rallied on ''crying over dog re-
piled Ohough he probably had never heard
of ByroD'S pOem) that 1t was his best
friend that was gone and he was not
ashamed Of his tears. Then, with the
prom tness at repartee for which he was
noted, he volunteered the remark that just
for nickel and that with hole 10 1t he
would play on the ground for awhile with
the carcass of the man who had nothing
better 10 do than make fun In the pres
ence of his dead dog.
The funny man hat but little sympathy
with the shee oherder's ointment but con-
siderable respect for his muscle and re-
tired rather hastily, and Jim hired horse
and buggy, put his old friend in wool
sack ana started for the country. About
six miles from the town is lofty Mill on
which another herder had built mOnu-
ment of stones. 1t marks the highest
point around. and il so happened that it
was at the base OF this hill that Spot,
when puppy, had been gwen 10 jim.
After driving as near as he could he left
his horse ana buggy, took his dog IN his
arms and climbed the steep hill to the
monument
AT its base he laid SPOT and built over
him a tomb of stones. Hes worked these
hills manV's The time with me and may be
he won't be so lonesome here" said Jim,
when he returned TO his buggy.
He had been obliged to cross a river or
the way To the place chosen for his dog
resting place and though the tears were
running down his cheeks ana there was
CULVER in his voice he tried 10 smile, as on
his return he made the characteristic re-
mark to a bystander: IT'S said we've all
got one more river TO cross and I've just
seen Spot over his"
Sheepherders occasionally show a fer
tility of resource in emergencies that is
surprising. Once upon time man who
had but little knowledge Of the vicissi-
tudeS of camp life and none too much ap-
petite for what he did know was takeni to
what is known as a dry camp. This
means that water must be brought in
barrels for camp use, and that the sheep
must be driven every second or third day
to water. The surroundings were desc
late, and he did not like his quarters.
After some thought be came to the con-
clusiOn that If be destroyed the bung of
the water-cask it would be necessary to
move him, for, as the fOrest-trees around
him were c4rcely more than an inch in
diameter, there was nothing accessible
tlat he could see of which to make
another.
BE acted on his idea, and when his
camptender came. told him some thing had
happened TO the water barrel, and left
camn, firm in the conviction that the man
would manage to bring him a canteen of
wafer somehow and move him to more con-
genial surroundings, as trip to the near
est town for another barre! meant consid-
cradle delay. As events proved he did not
know his man, who was an old herdeT.
and was surprised as we'll as chagrined on
reaching camp TO discover the barrel full
of water. 1t was nearly dark, and though
both tired and hungry, be was prompted
by curiosity to find out how his camp
tender had overcome the difficulty about
the bung. He knelt ard proceeded to feel
for the explanation. A long slender tail
slid through his fingers. Striking match
he found that the man had killed large
gopher and used him as plug by crowd
ing him into the hole head first.
The natural relationship between en-
ployer and employe seems to be reversed
in sheep camp. The boss receives in
responds to suggestions, takes
orders and seems to fall in with the
herder'S idea that he is monarch of all that
he surveys, il way that is amusing 10
the onlooker. This relatiOnsh ships founded
upon the simple and forcible idea that
might is right, and it is the employers ac-
of this principle that causes him
to treat his herder with hearty good will
and kindly consideration that would as
s..
LII return he is served with faithfulness
and cnnscientiousness to be found among
no other class of men in the same walk in
life. But, II the employer feels the force
of this argument and acknowledges it by
recognizing the herder's powers of eng
very nasty in letting sheep stray, failing
to keep off "cats" and coyotes, and such
other ways as may occur 10 his rather con-
mind, the herder no less recOg-
niZes the fact that owing to the same prin-
ciple, man thirty. forty or perhaps fifty
miles from anywhere does not number
among his privileges that of quit
ting his employer at an hours
notice. If he thinks he does,
his employer, who In nine cases out of ten
has been herder of large and varied ex-
perlence, generally convlnces him of his
for the sheep-owners can be
ruined in about two days or
less should the herder quit in this waV, as
it means band of sheep given over to the
mercies of eats, coyotes and sheepmen,
and of these evils the last is by no means
the least. The herder may be convinced
by the bluffing process. beating or per-
hapS winglng. These are the simple argu-
ments in favor of the principle that might
is right in the sheep camp. The more
fOrcible ones which serve as examples are
not matters of record and their value can
only be judged by results. However, re-
suits would seem TO be rather conclusive
evidence of their efficacy, for there was a
case where it was rumored that a herder
had been exceedingly hard to convince,
but no doubt was at last-at least what
was left of him-for he was found near
what had been his campfire with rem
nant OF his bedding under him and too
we'll baked to make even silent protest.
But to return to the man of the dry
camp. Like many another he had to make
the best of circumstances, and thirst and
reflection proved to him that gophers were
clean animals, and that there was such a
thing as being entirely too sQueamish, and
a daily contemplation of the gopher iD-
creased his respect vastly for its plugging
capabilities, for it grew in size rapidly,
and the larger it grew the better plug it
made.
The means by which a eve is made to
claim lamb not her own shows this quail
ity IN fertility in resource 10 marked de-
gree. The herder does this by taking adj
vantage of the fact that she always recog-
niZes her lamb by scent In sheep-camps
in lambing-time the one object always
kept in view is to compel every eve that
drops lamb TO raise one. The older ewes
frequently have twins, and these are not
considered desirable on account of
their less rapid growth. The young
ewes rarely have more than one, and
frequently lose ii. When this happens
the mother is picketed and the skin taken
off her dead lamb by cutting around the
neck and the legs near the body and split
ting down the abdomen. One of twins is
then put inside the skin, lis legs passing
naturally through the holes where the
dead lambs had passed. After being al
lowed TO suck once or twice it is turned
loose with the eve and. generally, the
cheated mother adopts it eagerly. This
10 Iad Ia