vehicles, and cattle, and even through other flocks,
without suffering one to lag behind or to wander?
Mr. Hogg himself communicated the following
anecdote to Mr. Jesse. "During the time in
which Lambs are weaned, the Ettrick Shepherd had seven hundred of them under his care. As is sometimes the case, especially at that time, they broke away in the middle of the night, and scampered off in three different parties across the hills, in spite of all the shepherd and his assistant could do to keep them together. 'Sirrah,' cried: the
shepherd, in great affliction, (addressing his dog,) ‘Sirrah, my man, they’re a’ awa.' The night was so dark that he did not see the dog, but the faithful animal had heard his master’s words, and without more ado he silently set off in quest of the
flock. Meanwhile, the shepherd and his companion spent the night in scouring the hills for miles round, but could see nothing of the flock or
the dog. On their way home in the morning, they discovered a body of lambs at the bottom of a deep ravine called the Flesh Cleuch, and the dog standing in front of them, looking all around for
some relief, but still standing true to his charge. Not one lamb of the whole flock was wanting."[1]
In the transport of flocks from distant parts of the country to market, the sagacity and memory of this dog is invaluable. "A shepherd employed to bring up some mountain-sheep from Westmoreland, took with him a young sheep-dog, who had never made the journey before, and, from his assistant being ignorant of the ground, the man experienced great difficulty in having the flock stopped at the various roads and lanes. Next
- ↑ Gleanings, p. 152.
