a wild time with them. I would hold the animal’s tail, and thrash it with a switch, until it went afloat. Sometimes I got beyond my depth, and, as I could not swim, my only way to save myself was to hang on- to the animal’s tail and let it pull me out to the vessel where I could get hold on the vessel or the boat. If I let go, or the tail slipped out of my hand, I would go down. I was wet from head to foot all day; the water was warm and I thought it great fun. There was a good crowd of us at it and it was a lively time. It was sport and work com- bined. Only for the sport part it would have been hard to keep on the job; for it was very hard and dangerous work.

Herding the Cow:

One of my duties, after school, in summer, was to herd the cows. When the pastures got bare we let the cows that gave milk into the meadow, or wild grass, adjoining the crop. There was no fence to keep them from the crop, so I had to watch them that they did not get into it. My oldest brother bought a farm, not far from the old home; there were large spaces of fine feeding ground for the cows, but they were not fenced. He gave us permission to herd the cows there. I nearly always had a large following of boys about my own age, and we had plenty of fun. We built fireplaces of field stones and cooked; sometimes good substantial meals of potatoes and fish. We often got so interested in our cooking and eating that we forgot the cows until they got into the grain. Then we rushed after them, equip~ ped with heavy switches. By the time we and the cows were out of the grain there was much damage done to the crop. The noise of the bells on the cows’ necks informed the near-by residents that there were some lively doings out in the herding field. I was called to account for neglect ’of duty. It would be a serious loss if the privilege of herding there was taken away. My brother was very patient with us and with promises to be more careful we retained the privilege he gave us.

As my duties multiplied I resorted to labour-saving devices; some of them were a success, but my experiments often cost me dearly and got me into much trouble. One day I was picking potatoes while herding, and going home got the idea that one of the cows should carry the big basket for me. I crept up behind one and tied the basket

60