zzing about their noses.

"We are coming up in a day or two and tar all their noses," said Ned,
dealing out the salt in numerous handfuls, throwing it down on smooth
spots upon the grass, and running backwards to avoid the onward rush of
the sheep.

"Now let's count 'em," he continued. "We always count 'em when we salt
'em. Let's see, can you reckon good? Murches have got thirty-eight sheep
and fifty-three lambs, and we've got thirty-three sheep and forty-eight
lambs. How many does that make in all?"

After some cogitation, we agreed that there must be seventy-one sheep
and a hundred and one lambs, or a hundred and seventy-two all told. That
was what there should be; and we now set out to ascertain by counting if
all were there.

This was a greater feat than would appear at first thought, the flock
was so crowded together and so constantly running about. We made several
attempts, but as many times lost the count, or grew confused. At length,
we drove the sheep apart, and the salt being eaten by this time, we
contrived to enumerate eighty-two on one side and eighty-seven on the
other.

"Now how many's that?" said Ned. I could not make but a hundred and
sixty-nine from it; but Ned said that he guessed 'twas more. After
studying on it awhile, however, he agreed with me; and we then counted
the flock again, twice more, in fact, before we were both satisfied that
there were but a hundred and sixty-nine present.

"Now that's bad," said Ned.

"What suppose has become of them?" I asked.

"Dogs, maybe," replied Ned, "or else a 'lucivee,' or a bear."

"Perhaps 'twas men," I suggested.

"O no, I don't think that," said Ned. "If 'twas in the fall, I should
think it might be, for there are some folks down at the Corners that
have been laid in stealing sheep. But let's see whether it's sheep or
lambs that's gone, and whose 'tis, whether it's ours or Murches'. Now
all our sheep have got two slits in the right ear and a crop off the
left; but Murches' have a crop off both ears; and all our lambs have got
red paint across the fore shoulders, but Murches' have got red on the
rump." This necessitated a new count and a much more difficult one.

"I'll count the ones with slits and crops," said Ned; "and you count the
ones with two crops." But we were nearly half an hour establishing the
fact that one of the "two crops" was missing.

"It is one of Murches' sheep that's gone," said Ned; "I'm glad it isn't
ours." We then counted