Читать книгу Krag and Johnny Bear - Ernest Thompson Seton - Страница 10

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The Spikerdoe soon became known as a very wise Sheep, wiser than any other in the flock except one, the chosen leader, and that leader was no other than the mother of Krinklehorn, the little bully. Sheep do not give each other names—but they have the idea which in time resulted in names with us, they always think of their leaders as the Wise One, who is safe to follow, and I shall speak of her as such.

Within a few weeks she was killed by a Mountain Lion. The herd scattered as the terrible animal sprang, and the Spikerdoe led for the cliffs, followed by the rest. When she reached a safe place high up, she turned to wait for the stragglers, who came up quickly. Then they heard from far below a faint “baah” of a Lamb. All cocked their ears and waited. It is not wise to answer too quickly, it may be the trick of some enemy. But it came again, the familiar “baah” of one of their own flock, and Spikerdoe answered it.

A rattling of stones, a scrambling up banks, another “baah” for guidance and there appeared among them little Krinklehorn—an orphan now.

Of course he did not know this yet, any more than the others did. But as the day wore on and no mother came in response to his plaintive calls, and as his little stomach began also to cry out for something more than grass or water, he realized his desolation and “baahed” more and more plaintively. When night came he was cold as well as hungry—he must snuggle up to someone or freeze. No one took much notice of him, but Spikerdoe, seemingly the new leader, called once or twice in answer to his call, and almost by accident he drifted near her when she lay down and warmed himself against her beside his ancient enemy, young Nubbins.

In the morning he seemed to Mother Spikerdoe to be her own, in a limited sense. Rubbing against Nubbins made him smell like her own, and when Nubbins set about helping himself to a breakfast of warm milk, poor hungry Krinklehorn took the liberty of joining in on the other side. Thus Nubbins found himself nose to nose and dividing his birthright with his old-time enemy. But neither he nor his mother made any objection, and thus it was that Krinklehorn was adopted by his mother’s rival.