The Rural Voice, 1987-05, Page 25that lanolin was valuable and the wash-
ing removed some of it.
Rams had a way of becoming
cross, and this tendency could be
developed by boys who delighted in
teasing them. It was quite exciting
to taunt a ram until he charged. He
would lower his head and break out
running. Just before making contact
he would lower his head still more.
This would shut off his vision. A boy
would hold his position until the last
second and then step aside and let the
He was one badly
frustrated ram, and
I'm sure that in
his heart he longed
for the day when he
would really connect
with one of those
irritating children.
sheep go by. The ram would come to
a stop, turn, and charge again. Barring
accident, this was fun, and in the barn-
yard you could always go into the barn
or climb the fence when you were tired
of the game.
But to the unwary a cross ram
could be a nuisance and an untimely
meeting could be quite alarming.
One incident stands out quite vividly
in my memory and has given me some
philosophical satisfaction. The ram
in question was a big Lincoln, and
some other boys and I had had several
good sessions on Saturdays in the
winter when we would tease him in
the bamyard. He was one badly frus-
trated ram, and I'm sure that in his
heart he longed for the day when he
would really connect with one of those
irritating children.
It was a Saturday in early June
and I had been fishing. I'd gone up
the river as far as the mill dam and
was wending my way homeward carry-
ing my ironwood pole in one hand and
my catch of fish, which was fairly
good, in the other. Besides the pole
and the fish, I was harassed by a hot
sun and a sore toe. I was walking
through long grass, and any child who
has gone barefoot knows the discom-
fort of a blade of grass drawing across
the raw surface of a freshly stubbed
toe.
I was cutting across my uncle's
farm and came to the fence surround-
ing the field in which the sheep were
pasturing. There I was left with a
decision. The pasture was cropped
short and it would be easy walking,
but the ram was in that field and I
knew that he was cross. Yet there
was a chance that he might not see
me, and to avoid wading through
more waist -high grass I decided to
take a calculated risk. I proceeded
across the field as circumspectly as
I could.
Fate was against me. When I
had just about reached the centre of
the field, the ram raised his head and
spotted me. He did not fail to grasp
the opportunity for revenge and im-
mediately started toward me at a trot.
I, likewise, did not consider dignity,
but proceeded to run. Normally I
might have outrun the sheep but I had
a fishing pole in one hand and a bunch
of fish in the other, and not being able
to swing my arms my progress was
certainly not rapid. The ram gained
quickly.
It was a close race, but I lost. I
suppose I was 20 feet from the fence
when he connected and I landed on my
face in the grass. To save myself I
let go of my fish and my pole and
scrambled to my feet. Before the
sheep could gather himself for a se-
cond charge, I was over the fence. I
was not hurt, but my fish and my pole
were with the sheep. I had to wait in
hiding until the ram decided that the
flock needed his attention.
The philosophical satisfaction
that I get from recalling this event is
that while that ram was chasing me I
forgot all about the heat and my sore
toe. I had no thought for my personal
woe, being fully preoccupied with
reaching a desirable goal. I don't
know whether or not I was happy but
I do know that I was fully alive. The
energetic pursuit of a desirable goal is
the essence of contented living.
Due to misjudgement, the ram
rather suddenly ended his stay on that
farm. His usefulness for the year
ended about December 1, and while I
don't think my uncle had been con-
sidering an immediate sale, the ram
very effectively introduced this thought
via the rear.
I don't know
whether or not I was
happy but I do know
that I was fully alive.
The energetic pursuit
of a desirable goal is
the essence of
contented living.
Uncle Ned's water supply for the
cattle had given out and he was dip-
ping water out of the creek through a
hole in the ice. This involved getting
down on his knees to fill the bucket.
One day when he was in this position
the ram lowered his head, charged, and
made a most satisfying hit. Uncle Ned
was propelled forward and while he
kept his head and shoulders out of the
hole he dropped down into the water
on his knees. The ram did not leave
the scene, and to get out of the hole
required a good deal of manoeuvring.
By using the pail as a weapon, Uncle
Ned managed to land a mighty swing
on the side of the ram's head, which
finally discouraged the animal. The
next week the ram was shipped from
Centralia to the Toronto market.0
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MAY 1987 23