elves.' Here he got off the old mare, and began to
lead her to the edge of the mountain.

'Now, you rally the cattle well after me,' he said; 'they'll follow the
old mare after a bit. I left a few cows among 'em on purpose, and when
they "draw" keep 'em going well up, but not too fast.'

He had lengthened the bridle of the mare, and tied the end of a light
tether rope that he had round her neck to it. I saw her follow him
slowly, and turn down a rocky track that seemed to lead straight over a
bluff of the precipice.

However, I gave the word to 'head on'. The dog had started rounding 'em
up as soon as he saw the old mare walk towards the mountain side, and
the cattle were soon crushed up pretty close to the mare's heels.

Mind this, that they were so footsore and tender about the hoofs that
they could not have run away from us on foot if they had tried.

After 'ringing' a bit, one of the quiet cows followed up the old mare
that was walking step by step forward, and all the rest followed her
like sheep. Cattle will do that. I've seen a stockrider, when all the
horses were dead beat, trying to get fat cattle to take a river in
flood, jump off and turn his horse loose into the stream. If he went
straight, and swam across, all the cattle would follow him like sheep.

Well, when the old mare got to the bluff she turned short round to the
right, and then I saw that she had struck a narrow path down a gully
that got deeper and deeper every yard we went. There was just room for
a couple or three calves to go abreast, and by and by all of 'em was
walking down it like as if they was the beasts agoing into Noah's Ark.
It wound and wound and got deeper and deeper till the walls of rock were
ever so far above our heads. Our work was done then; the cattle had to
walk on like sheep in a race. We led our horses behind them, and the dog
walked along, saving his sore feet as well as he could, and never tried
to bite a beast once he got within the walls. He looked quite satisfied,
and kept chuckling almost to himself. I really believe I've seen dogs
laugh. Once upon a time I've read of they'd have taken poor Crib for a
familiar spirit, and hanged or burnt him. Well, he knew a lot, and no
mistake. I've seen plenty of Christians as he could buy and sell, and no
trouble to him. I'm dashed if the old mare, too, didn't take a pleasure
in working cattle on the cross. She was the laziest old wretch bringing
up the cows at home, or running i