Betsy's sheep storie

Chester, Many. many moons ago we had a flock of sheep on a smallholding on the West Rand. Near Mohlakeng location it was and those times we were brave enough to venture into those places. We had a big-ish trailer which took up to ten sheep at a time. We loaded them on the trailer with water and food and parked on an empty, dusty roadside corner. There we sold them to the local people. Priced according to size, the sheep sold like hot cakes. They love their sheep, those people.

Little did we know that we took one hell of a risk to do so. We did that for a few weeks on weekends and made good money. Till one day. I had one little old, black soul to assist me and to be the go between me and the customers. A real little shifty eye, son of a gun, he was. When ever I asked him "what did he say?" he just laughed "gie gie gie" and said they like the sheep very much.

That day Hubby had to leave me there with Shifty eyes and the ten sheep for some reason. We sold the first few sheep without any hiccups and I hid the money in my pocket. The next moment three of them came out of the blue and just opened the trailers latch and let the sheep loose into the road. It became a free for all with everybody running and chasing sheep. Once caught it became their property and the more I screamed and told Shifty to go and get them, the more he just Gie gie gie and did nothing at all. No merrem, it's no use, they will get angry and kill us. Leave them. We lost eight sheep that day, I am sure it were old Shifty's friends.

The fat old aia's just stood across the road and laughed at me while tears streamed down my face. You could read the hatred in their eyes. We never went into the location again, I am sure we were so ignorant and never realized the danger we were in. We sold the sheep directly from the smallholding from then on.

It did not last very long after that. They grazed the land empty, we had to buy bales of lucern and blocks of salt and we had to herd them into a closed kraal at night. What a job! When you walked past the kraal at night all you heard was the sound of them urinating where they stand and I hated the smell.

I am long winded again tonight...all I want to say is that you must enjoy your little 'boerdery' and I love your stories. How is the blog coming on? Nightie night...
Betsy