The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-02-20

=
of Mt. Nichols. We found some canvas
sacks on which to sleep, when not
listening to curious noises during the
dark hours of the night. We found
later from some shearers that the house
was haunted, since woman had been
murdered there few years before.
We might have concluded the noises
we heard to be manipulations of the
phantom tribe, had it not been that
the little four-legged animals were seen
about the kitchen before extinguishing
the candle.
Starting at daybreak, by eight o'clock
the next morning the lake was reached.
Established here, at the mouth of the
Won river is a large sheep ranch and
station. Men were busy shearing.
Eighteen thousand sheep were to pass
through the hands of these eight men
at "tu-pence per head" as wages. Hav-
ing donned clothing suitable for rough
ing it, as the scotchman remarked, we
did not look the most "canny". Besides
had worn the soles of my boots en-
tirely through and had a blister on the
bottom of each foot. The lake boat did
not call here until the following day,
and we were welcomed. "When does
the boat arrive?' eleven o'clock to-
morrer" came reply. "Can we walk
around the end of the lake to Queens
town." Probably in a fortnight, by
keepin at it" The blisters on our feet
protested vigorously. "Have you
place for US until the boat comes?"
Fright said the chief. "Jes' go in the
cook house therein git some tucker
t'eat', assuming we had not been to
breakfast. We welcomed. That word
word is metaphorically over the doors of
most New Zealand homes unless you
are Mormon. To be polite and hospit-
able is characteristic of which the
Britisher wherever found on the globe,
is Justly proud. The day was spent in
learning the sheep business.
to be trade, practice alone making
proficient. We aided materially at
the eating board. These men eat seven
times day. Bread and tea at getting
up time; breakfast at eight; "scones and
tea at ten-thirty; dinner at twelve; af-
ternoon tea at three consisting of tea
\ and co-ike(cake); tea at six; and supper
at eight or nine o'clock. This virtue(?)
is not limited to shearers, but prevails
throughout the colony.
A good man sheares about one hun
dred sheep day. A certain Australian
is known to shear three hundred day.
Had continued steadily for eight hours,
l would have been able to put about
two through the mill. We spent the
day securing wool, dipping sheep, and
asking questions.
, All stations have "sheep dips" con-
sisting of deep troughs set in the
; ground filled with an antiseptic liquid,
| into which the sheep are plunged. 1t
J clenses the skin, kills lice and ticks.
: heals wounds, and renovates generally.
OF course on the continents Of Europe
and America, all modern methods are
in operation, as rule, in the care of
/ sheep. but | mention these things in
passing, to show that in this little coun-
try, but spot on the map, and remote
, from the main current of the world s
industry, is nevertheless, not behind in
, modern appliances. The very fact New
| Zealand goes further; the government
8 compels the derilect. A colonial law
5 requires the dipping of all sheep once a
. year. 1t requires the careful inspec-
tion of all meats at the slaughter pens
r The mutton to be exported is frozen, sc
8 that the New Zealand mutton commands
? the highest market price in the London
: market.
asked typical New Zealand sheer
herder if there were many sheer
3 stations in these mountains. "Quite 9
. lct-a-like-a-ye-kneow-all round the lake
q country. These d-m mountains re
!, good for nothin' else. ye know, but fol
q bl-dy sheep.
"What about caring for them during
Q the cold snowy winters?" asked.
). "We loose about ten to fifteen pei
= cent year. We figure on this..ye
: know. We geo up in the mountains
gorges with tn dogs when it looks like
!, a bad day is comm n drive them deown
q so ye en- take it from me, we hardly
3 ever loose more'n twelve per cent. We
!, lost about two thousand on this station
9 last year.. Thus out on these rough
n and in the winter, bleak, mountain
y walls is the working out of one of thu
9 chief industries of the south seas, fur
n nishing the main export of the colony
q "Do you see that bare, oval shapee
IS rock precipice away on yonder noun
g tain" said the manager, pointing to thu
n west" My brother with his three
p dogs was killed there last winter. TIL
e deep snow gave way. He fell down tn
IS steep gully and an avalanche of hun
8 dreds of tons of snow, following, burie'
9, him and his dogs. Such is a DANCE
80 present to the mountain shepherd i
"a the winter months.
y ! Dinner! The cooking shed is nea
= the shearing barn and wool house
10 About the tables scrambled the me