Part 7 (1/2)
”Now, then, what shall we do?” said Jacob. ”Come, Humphrey, you have had all the ordering of this, and have done it well.”
”Well, Jacob, we must now drive the cart into the yard, and shut the gate upon the cow, till I am ready.”
”That's easy done, by setting Smoker at her,” replied Jacob; ”but, mercy on us, there's Alice and Edith running out!-the heifer may kill them. Go back, Alice, run quite into the cottage, and shut the door till we come.”
Alice and Edith hearing this, and Edward also crying out to them, made a hasty retreat to the cottage. Humphrey then backed the cart against the paling of the yard, so as to enable Edward to get on the other side of it, ready to open the gate. Smoker was set at the heifer, and, as before, soon engaged her attention; so that the gate was opened and the cart drove in, and the gate closed again, before the heifer could follow.
”Well, Humphrey, what next?”
”Why, now lift the calf out, and put it into the cow-house. I will go into the cow-house with a rope and a slip-knot at the end of it, get upon the beam above, and drop it over her horns as she's busy with the calf, which she will be as soon as you let her in. I shall pa.s.s the end of the rope outside for you to haul up when I am ready, and then we shall have her fast, till we can secure her properly. When I call out Ready, do you open the gate and let her in. You can do that and jump into the cart afterward, for fear she may run at you; but I don't think that she will, for it's the calf she wants, and not either of you.”
As soon as Humphrey was ready with the rope, he gave the word, and the gate was opened; the cow ran in immediately, and, hearing her calf bleat, went into the cow-house, the door of which was shut upon her. A minute afterward Humphrey cried out to them to haul upon the rope, which they did.
”That will do,” said Humphrey from the inside; ”now make the rope fast, and then you may come in.”
They went in and found the heifer drawn close to the side of the cow-house by the rope which was round her horns, and unable to move her head.
”Well, Humphrey, that's very clever; but now what is to be done?”
”First, I'll saw off the tips of her horns, and then if she does run at us, she won't hurt us much. Wait till I go for the saw.”
As soon as the ends of her horns were sawed off, Humphrey took another piece of rope, which he fastened securely round her horns, and then made the other end fast to the side of the building, so that the animal could move about a little and eat out of the crib.
”There,” said Humphrey, ”now time and patience must do the rest. We must coax her and handle her, and we soon shall tame her. At present let us leave her with the calf. She has a yard of rope, and that is enough for her to lick her calf, which is all that she requires at present. To-morrow we will cut some gra.s.s for her.”
They then went out, shutting the cow-house door.
”Well, Humphrey, you've beat us after all, and have the laugh on your side now,” said Jacob. ”'Where there's a will, there's a way,' that's certain; and I a.s.sure you, that when you were making so much hay, and gathering so much litter, and building a cow-house, I had no more idea that we should have a cow than that we should have an elephant; and I will say that you deserve great credit for your way of obtaining it.”
”That he certainly does,” replied Edward. ”You have more genius than I have, brother. But dinner must be ready, if Alice has done her duty. What think you Jacob, shall we after dinner go and look after that bull?”
”Yes, by all means. He will not be bad eating, and I can sell all I can carry in the cart at Lymington. Besides, the skin is worth money.”
CHAPTER VI.
Alice and Edith were very anxious to see the cow, and especially to see the calf; but Humphrey told them that they must not go near till he went with them, and then they should see it. After dinner was over, Jacob and Edward took their guns, and Humphrey put Billy in the cart and followed them. They found the bull where they left him, standing quite still; he tossed, his head when they approached him, which they did carefully, but he did not attempt to run at them.
”It's my idea that he has nearly bled to death,” said Jacob; ”but there's nothing like making sure. Edward, put a bullet just three inches behind his shoulder, and that will make all safe.”
Edward did so, and the animal fell dead. They went up to the carca.s.s, which they estimated to weigh at least fifty stone.
”It is a n.o.ble beast,” said Edward; ”I wonder we never thought of killing one before?”
”They aren't game, Edward,” replied Jacob.
”No, they are not now, Jacob,” said Humphrey; ”as you and Edward claim all the game, I shall claim the cattle as my portion of the forest. Recollect, there are more, and I mean to have more of them yet.”
”Well, Humphrey, I give you up all my rights, if I have any,”