BRAMPTON-AMONG-THE-ROSES.
swim to the next man, who stood deeper in the river.
And if you observed closely you noticed that the water
was not so much discoloured as it was around the first
washer. Then the second man, after having made the
poor affrighted sheep undergo a repetition of the
rolling or washing process, though the fleece no longer
spread out or floated on the surface as while it was
receiving the first plunge, sent it along with a push
towards the third washer, who stood up to his waist in
the river. This was the final process, and he, having
completed the washing, sent the sheep with its head
towards the shore, where it landed and stood bleating,
while the water trickled in a score or two of places
from the saturated wool, till it mingled with that por-
tion of the flock that had been cleansed. Then, if it
had a lamb or two, they were soon found and brought
to the dam, when she began licking them, and soon
forgot all about the bath which she had been forced to
take.
 Sometimes a strong sheep when liberated by the
last washer in deep water, instead of steering to tho
shore, towards which its head had been placed, would
set off for a good swim, and a rare-to-do there would
be to capture him, especially when he struck out
towards the middle of the river, for some sheep are
much better swimmers than others. But- there was
generally a punt in Ieadiness for such occasions, an
the village boys were eager to push off and pole them.
selves after the sheep, which when once captured, they
had only to keep one hand hold of the fleece, and he
was forced to follow the boat to the shore.
 Once, when she was a very little girl, Christabel
was standing leaning over the end of the punt, which
had swung round towards the middle of the river, and
made a clutch at the fleece of the sheep which was