THE SHEEP-SHEARING
“HOW hot I am!” said Shecol to Yappa, taking off his big hat and fanning himself with it.
“What have you been doing?” asked Yappa.
“Driving the sheep into the pens,” said Shecol. “The shearing begins to-morrow.”
“I should think the sheep would be glad to get rid of their wool these warm days,” said Yappa, who was grinding corn.
“You had better hurry up with your tortillas.The shearers will be here in a little while. They have just finished shearing the sheep at the San Francisquito ranch,” said Shecol.
Soon the band of shearers came, and shortly after they arrived, supper was served to them under the spreading grape vines a little way from the house.
Yisoo’s son, Kole, was captain of the band of twenty shearers. It was made up of Indians from the old Santa Clara Mission.
As soon as supper was over, the shearers went down to the creek and came back with their arms filled with willow boughs, which Kole had them make into a number of brush huts. They slept in these while they were at the Robles ranch.
Oshda, Occano, and Pantu had been out for two days gathering together the sheep belonging to the Robles, and now there were five thousand sheep waiting in the pens, wondering what was going to happen to them.
A big shed had been built for the shearers to stand under while they worked.
Long before the shearers were up, Shecol was sitting on the fence and looking at the sheep.
“Where are you going to put the wool when it is cut off the sheep?” he asked his father, as Oshda came toward the pens.
“The men will toss the fleeces up to me, and I shall throw them down into this big bag. Whenthe bag gets pretty well filled, I shall have to jump up and down on the fleeces so that we can get as many into the bag as possible,” answered Oshda. He climbed up one of the posts of the shed and stood ready for work by a large bag that was hanging in a frame at the edge of the roof.
In a few minutes more the shearers came and the work began. Pantu stood by a table, and every time a shearer brought a fleece to the table, Pantu gave him a five-cent piece.
Soon Yappa came out also to watch the shearing, but as hour after hour went by, the sun rose higher and higher, and the air grew hot and was filled with dust. By and by Yappa said, “I’m tired of watching them, Shecol. Let’s go and build a brush hut for ourselves with some of the willow branches that were left over from the shearers’ huts.”
“All right,” said Shecol. “We’ll play that we are wild Indians living out on a rancheria as grandpa used to do.”
In a little while the hut was built.
“Now I’m going to make a mat out of some of those tules you brought from the bay yesterday,” said Yappa.
“I’ll go out hunting, while you make the mats,” said Shecol, tying some string to a willow stick to make a bow to play with.
Shecol lifted the lamb carefully in his arms and carried it toward the hutShecol lifted the lamb carefully in his arms and carried it toward the hut.
Shecol lifted the lamb carefully in his arms and carried it toward the hut.
Shecol lifted the lamb carefully in his arms and carried it toward the hut.
But just then Putsha called, “Come, Yappa, you must help me with the tortillas,” and their play was broken up.
After dinner, Shecol and Yappa went down to the shearing place again to see what was going on. As they came near, Oshda said, “Do you want a lamb?”
“Yes,” shouted Shecol and Yappa in the same breath. “Where is it?”
“Out at the end of the shed. Its leg is broken, and you may have it if you will take care of it.”
But they scarcely heard the last words he said, they were running so fast for the lamb.
“Poor little lamb!” said Yappa, as they bent over it.
“We’ll bind up its leg first,” said Shecol, getting some sticks for splints. He pulled some string out of his pocket and bound the splints on as well as he could.
“Now we’ll put it into the hut we made,” said Yappa.
Shecol lifted the lamb carefully in his arms and carried it toward the hut.
“Be careful. You are hurting it,” said Yappa. She placed her hand under the lamb, and put the wounded leg, which was hanging down, up in its proper place.
“I’ll run ahead,” said Yappa, “and get a pile of soft tule rushes ready for you to put it down on.”
In a few minutes more the lamb was lyingon the rushes in the cool shade of the willow boughs.
“We must bring it some water,” said Shecol.
“Yes, and let’s name it Yisoo, after grandpa’s friend,” said Yappa.
The shearers stayed several days longer, but the children did not watch them any more, for they were taking care of their pet lamb.