by Nathan Jones
Alvin nearly danced with excitement as his father spoke. “Dad thinks a few might be pregnant, too!” he said. “That means the herd is really a bit bigger than it looks, right? Or it will be soon?”
All of that was good news, since it meant every one of the sheep was potentially useful for growing the herd. The Normans had been raising them for wool, which would be their best use, but if need be they could also provide meat in an emergency. Maybe even milk, although ewes weren't supposed to be great producers unless they'd been selectively bred for it.
Lewis wondered how the Mayor would feel about rewarding them with the pregnant ewes. That would be an unexpected boon, especially since ideally at least one of them would need to take one of the rams as their reward if they wanted to start their own herd.
Of course, it was probably not the best idea to count their eggs before they hatched. They still had to get the herd back to Aspen Hill, with only Tom's limited experience with goats to go on. At least the older man had assured them that sheep were for the most part more docile than goats and would tend to stick together.
“What's their mood?” Lewis asked. At Matt's confused look he motioned to the generous distance between them and the nearest animals. “Have you tried getting closer?”
“Not yet,” Matt admitted. He glanced at Tom. “We agreed that since it's so close to nightfall we'd set up camp now and start moving the herd back to town in the morning.”
Lewis could get behind that idea. The idea of trying to figure out shepherding during the twilight hours sounded just awful, and they wouldn't get the herd very far before they'd have to stop anyway. There was also the fact that the sheep seemed to be settling down for the night themselves, clumping together for warmth with the few lambs stubbornly frolicking away then returning to the group until they, too, settled down.
“Why don't we set up camp next to the herd?” Jane suggested. “If we're careful we can give the sheep an opportunity to get used to us being around without spooking them, which should make things easier in the morning.”
Lewis glanced at Tom, noticing the others doing the same. The older man shrugged. “Worth a shot. We can at least see how close they'll let us get and set up there. Get that water heating up under the frog before we bring it to a boil.”
Decided, they slowly approached the sheep, calling out friendly and inane greetings in low, calm tones. Whenever one of the animals spooked, usually by scrambling to its feet and standing there with ears pricked ready to bolt, they'd stop where they were and keep talking to each other in the same calm tones.
The Normans had done a good job caring for their animals, and while the sheep were skittish at first they didn't seem overly frightened of humans. The bolder of the lambs, the young ram, even came over to nose at them as they reached what they decided was a reasonable distance. The little guy scampered back to his mom as they began lowering their bikes and getting out their tents, but soon he was back nosing at the cloth and nibbling on the tent poles.
Jane soon had the lamb nuzzling her hand as she petted it, and Alvin and Pete managed to keep it in place long enough to pet it as well. That was a reassuring sight to see, and gave Lewis some hope that getting the sheep back to Aspen Hill the next day wouldn't be too hard after all.
After a quick meal they all agreed to turn in early, tired from the ride, and split off to their tents for the night. Lewis fell asleep to the soft rustle of animals moving nearby and the occasional baa. They were some of the sweetest sounds he'd ever heard.
Chapter Four
Herding
Lewis's group started early the next morning, wakened by the noise of sheep grazing around their tents. The animals still didn't seem bothered by the presence of humans as everyone ate breakfast and broke camp, and once they were ready and holding their bikes they all looked at each other in silent question.
Finally Tom snorted, wheeled his bike around to the side of the herd opposite the direction of Aspen Hill, and began slowly and calmly walking towards the animals.
At first the sheep didn't seem to care, but after the older man whistled a few times they finally started drifting away from him towards the road, baaing to each other in mild complaint. A few started drifting off to one side to continue grazing, and Alvin wheeled his bike around to usher them back towards the herd.
Once the sheep reached the road they started to cross it, and Lewis pedaled over to try to steer them back towards the road. Unfortunately he moved too quickly and too close and spooked the animals, so before he could get where he wanted to be they began trotting off at a diagonal from him and the road both.
Jane, observing from farther up the road, circled far around to get in front and to the side of the oncoming animals and with some whistling managed to get them headed towards the road again, where Pete and Alvin waited to hem them in and keep them from crossing back to the original meadow. It took a bit of finagling, but finally they managed to get the herd moving down the road the direction they wanted at a decent pace.
Herding sheep wasn't exactly rocket science, but that didn't make it easy, either. They had to be in constant motion around the edges of the small herd, keeping the strays from breaking away and bolting off, which at best meant the stray had to be rounded up, and at worst could lead to more of the sheep making a break after the stray to keep together.
Jane proved to have the temperament for that sort of task, keeping cool and calm even when the animals balked, and more importantly keeping her tone soothing as she talked to the sheep. Lewis wasn't able to stay quite that levelheaded, but at least he managed to keep his temper bottled in so he wouldn't spook the herd.
Matt . . . not so much. The first time a stray got past their friend he made the mistake of chasing it rather than trying to circle around and head it off back towards the rest of the herd. Which caused the sheep to bolt in fright, leading him on a merry chase for several minutes as he shouted after it angrily.
Even on his bike he had trouble keeping up with the running animal, and whenever he closed the distance the stray would veer away in an unexpected direction. He'd have to brake hard, unable to skid on the grass, and then pedal even harder to catch up again. From what Lewis could see Matt's efforts weren't doing any good, and probably quite a bit of harm as the fleeing sheep got more and more frightened and exhausted.
Finally the animal rejoined the herd on its own. Once Matt realized it he hopped off his bike and pushed it back towards them, stomping and muttering angrily about whether it was even worth it to bring in all of them. Their friend's bad mood was so apparent that even the sheep noticed it, and he couldn't get to within twice the distance of the rest of them before the herd started shying away nervously. Which led to other strays breaking away and even more hassle.
Finally Lewis pulled his friend aside. “Someone needs to ride ahead and let Aspen Hill know we're bringing the herd in. They'll need a fenced in area, fodder, that sort of thing.”
Matt glared at him. “Are you just trying to get rid of me because I'm making a mess of this?”
“A bit of both,” Lewis admitted, trying not to smile.
His friend didn't share his amusement. “One of these ewes is going to be mine, and we'll probably keep our own herd together. I need to learn how to handle them so I can help you.”
“There's plenty of time to learn. For the moment you should probably give them some space until you can earn their trust again.” Lewis leaned far off his bike and clapped him on the shoulder. “It is important that the town gets a place ready for them. And if you've got any spare time you could maybe see about getting your family and Jane's group busy building an enclosure for our animals when they arrive.”
Matt sighed. “I guess you're right. To be honest riding ahead sounds pretty tempting, so I don't really mind admitting defeat this time. I'll see you guys back at home. Tomorrow or the day after at the latest, right?”
Lewis nodded, then watched as his friend circled cautiously around the herd, keeping well away to a
void further spooking them, and took off down the road. The combination of hard pedaling and a downhill slope got him to an almost dangerous pace within a few hundred feet, and Matt was soon out of sight around the next bend.
“Where's he off to?” Pete called from near the front of the herd.
With a start Lewis stepped up onto his pedals and rode back to his place, just in time to turn back a few opportunistic strays. “He's going ahead to let Aspen Hill know we're coming.”
“Probably a good thing,” Alvin said from the other side of the road. “When it comes to being a shepherd he was pretty baad.”
“Ugh no, we're not doing that,” Pete said, glaring over his shoulder.
“Doing what?” Alvin asked innocently. “When it comes to bad puns I never feel sheepish.”
Lewis shook his head. “Sheep puns are too easy to even be funny.”
The young man shrugged. “Sorry. They're just something I herd.”
Jane snickered and Tom guffawed loudly. Lewis couldn't help his own smile. Pete glanced backwards again, still glaring. “I should've gone with Matt,” he muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.
Herding the sheep they had to go much slower than they had yesterday, but not quite at the constant walk Lewis had feared as an intolerable pace. The sheep could move faster than that for short periods, which allowed them to ride faster for brief stretches as they herded the animals along the road. The main thing that slowed them wasn't the pace the animals could manage but their tendency to wander, slowing the group down as they were rounded up again.
Last night they'd all anticipated that even going from sunup to sundown there was no way they'd reach Aspen Hill that day, and possibly not the next either. Even the slightly increased pace only gave them hope of reaching home before sundown tomorrow, but at least it was something.
One major delay, and a major concern as well, was making sure the animals had enough time to graze and places to water. With Matt gone on ahead to alert the town, as well as get a place ready for the herd once it arrived, they decided Pete would be the next best candidate for scouting ahead for water sources and ideal areas to stop and rest. He'd shown he had the energy to ride circles around them, and he actually seemed relieved at the chance to move faster going on ahead.
Getting away from Alvin's puns was probably also an incentive.
Near noon they descended down into the single ravine they'd encountered on this mostly uphill road, not nearly as low elevation as Aspen Hill at the base of the canyon but low enough that the spring weather was milder. Pete had also briefly returned to report the stream flowing along the bottom, even though they all remembered the distinctive landmark from the previous day's ride.
It was an ideal place to stop and give the sheep a chance to graze and water, and themselves an opportunity to rest and eat a decent meal. Lewis ran the stream water through his filter, and everyone seemed to appreciate a chance to drink their fill of the cool, crisp water and refill their canteens.
The slow pace hadn't really tired Lewis out, and Jane was feeling up to a hike, so while Tom rested and Alvin kept an eye on the herd they made their way upstream to look for signs of game. It was a good hunting spot, if a bit far from the town, and if things dried up in the valley below it might be worth considering for future expeditions.
The ground to either side of the ravine was steep enough to make footing awkward, and often densely overgrown with underbrush. At some points they even found themselves hopping stones in the stream or leaping from bank to bank as the easiest way forward. The going got easier after a few minutes when they came across a game trail, and although neither of them had planned to make the hike a long one they agreed to go a bit farther.
Lewis was glad they had a few minutes later, when the stream cut through a grove of mingled aspen and evergreens that was almost completely choked with undergrowth that would make further travel impossible. Although that wasn't what had cheered him up.
“Guess this is where we turn back,” Jane said, eyeing the tangle.
He nodded absently, eyes on a large split evergreen that had died recently enough that brown needles still hung on its branches.
“What is it?” Jane asked, coming up alongside him and following his gaze.
Lewis pointed. “See that? Up where it splits.”
His wife frowned, squinting. “A swarm of bugs? Buzzing around a . . .” her confusion abruptly cleared. “Beehive!”
He grinned. “Right. Never thought I'd see one out in the wild. This is lucky.”
She glanced back downstream to where they could see the road winding up the opposite side of the ravine, although their friends watching the herd were obscured by a thicket. “Do we want to try harvesting it?” she asked, obviously reluctant at the thought.
“That too.” At her wary look his grin widened. “Why just take the honey when we can also take the bees?” Her wary look turned alarmed, and he hesitated in sudden realization. “Oh. You're not allergic, are you?”
“No.” Jane frowned at the misshapen lump of the hive. “It's just, well, we don't know anything about keeping bees. Do we really want to have a swarm of them around stinging everyone when we might mess it up and end up accidentally letting the queen die or something?”
Lewis hesitated. He was well aware of how tricky it could be to handle bees, and the consequences for messing up could be pretty severe. Still, it was hard to ignore any potential source of food, and honey would provide a nice treat as well as a great trade item.
“Maybe we can ask around town to see if anyone has any experience,” he said. “Or I can check my books and see if I've got any on beekeeping. I'm pretty sure I grabbed at least a few. If nothing else we can at least think about coming back and just harvesting the honey, now that we know where the hive is.”
She gave him a relieved look, as if she'd been afraid he was going to suggest they wade in without any sort of protective clothing and tangle with the bees right then and there. “Sounds like a plan,” she said, then glanced downstream. A stray had ambled into view around the thicket, soon followed by another, and they saw Alvin circling to try to head them off as another stray broke away in the opposite direction.
Looked as if their break was over. “Back to work,” he said with a last longing look at the beehive. His wife nodded, and they began picking their way back downstream.
* * * * *
The remainder of the day was fairly uneventful. Any soreness remaining after the previous day's more strenuous ride faded with the easier pace, which involved walking their bikes more often than not. And there was an almost soothing quality to the constant baaing of the sheep that Lewis soon became familiar with.
He could get used to having his own herd with Jane. A nomadic life in the mountains didn't sound all that terrible at the moment, and it fit both their natures well.
As the sun began to set the sheep began getting more balky. They didn't stray as often, but they began wandering off the road to graze and became more and more indifferent to any efforts to get them going again. A few even plopped down in the grass to rest.
At that point Tom suggested they call it an early night. Lewis agreed that they didn't know enough about herding to justify pushing limits that didn't need to be pushed, and anyway the sheep hadn't seemed to mind an early start that morning. Getting a strong early start would make up any time they lost by not trying to drive the weary animals onward at a slower pace.
They waited until the next time Pete made his way back to report in, and with his agreement set up camp in a decent meadow where the sheep could graze. It wasn't far from a little trickle of a stream, which made its way down the hillside in a surprisingly deep cut with broad banks the herd could scramble down to get water.
Since none of them were sure whether or not the sheep would like fire, and anyway the group agreed they could do without, they contented themselves with sitting in a loose circle outside the entrances to their tents. None of them had brought more than a few days' wor
th of food with them, so for dinner they divvied up the last of their supplies, supplemented with wild greens foraged along the road during the ride and as they'd set up camp.
It wasn't the best meal, but it filled them up enough to sleep. It also served as a motivation to finish the trek the next day so they could have a good dinner back at home. Lewis wasn't sure whether Matt would make his way back to them after letting the town know they were coming, and if he did whether he'd bring food. Either way he could handle a day going hungry. It wouldn't be the first time.
He slept well that night, all things considered. Judging by Jane's alertness when he shook her awake the next morning she seemed to have slept well too, and they both wasted no time getting their shoes on and leaving the tent.
Only to discover the sheep had wandered off in the night.
Tom was already pacing the meadow following the tracks. “I shouldn't be surprised,” he called. “No reason why they wouldn't do their own thing when we're not herding them along.”
Pete glared at the few spots of trampled grass where the sheep had slept. “We should've had someone watching them.”
The older man shrugged. “They'd have led us a merry chase wandering away in the dark while we tried to stop them. In a way it's almost easier to just follow them now and get them back going the way we want. They can't have gone far and their tracks are pretty clear.”
“We should've had someone watching over them anyway,” Jane said. She didn't look annoyed by the turn of events; just another thing to take care of. “They might've gotten attacked during the night by some predator and really scared off. Or maybe one person would've been enough to keep them from wandering.”
They all looked at each other. “It's a learning process,” Lewis finally said. “Let's get going.”
