keeping well away to avoid further spooking them, and took off down the road. The combination of hard pedaling and a downhill slope got him to an almost dangerous pace within a few hundred feet, and Matt was soon out of sight around the next bend.
“Where's he off to?” Pete called from near the front of the herd.
With a start Lewis stepped up onto his pedals and rode back to his place, just in time to turn back a few opportunistic strays. “He's going ahead to let Aspen Hill know we're coming.”
“Probably a good thing,” Alvin said from the other side of the road. “When it comes to being a shepherd he was pretty
baa
d.”
“Ugh no, we're not doing that,” Pete said, glaring over his shoulder.
“Doing what?” Alvin asked innocently. “When it comes to bad puns I never feel sheepish.”
Lewis shook his head. “Sheep puns are too easy to even be funny.”
The young man shrugged. “Sorry. They're just something I herd.”
Jane snickered and Tom guffawed loudly. Lewis couldn't help his own smile. Pete glanced backwards again, still glaring. “I should've gone with Matt,” he muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.
Herding the sheep they had to go much slower than they had yesterday, but not quite at the constant walk Lewis had feared as an intolerable pace. The sheep could move faster than that for short periods, which allowed them to ride faster for brief stretches as they herded the animals along the road. The main thing that slowed them wasn't the pace the animals could manage but their tendency to wander, slowing the group down as they were rounded up again.
Last night they'd all anticipated that even going from sunup to sundown there was no way they'd reach Aspen Hill that day, and possibly not the next either. Even the slightly increased pace only gave them hope of reaching home before sundown tomorrow, but at least it was something.
One major delay, and a major concern as well, was making sure the animals had enough time to graze and places to water. With Matt gone on ahead to alert the town, as well as get a place ready for the herd once it arrived, they decided Pete would be the next best candidate for scouting ahead for water sources and ideal areas to stop and rest. He'd shown he had the energy to ride circles around them, and he actually seemed relieved at the chance to move faster going on ahead.
Getting away from Alvin's puns was probably also an incentive.
Near noon they descended down into the single ravine they'd encountered on this mostly uphill road, not nearly as low elevation as Aspen Hill at the base of the canyon but low enough that the spring weather was milder. Pete had also briefly returned to report the stream flowing along the bottom, even though they all remembered the distinctive landmark from the previous day's ride.
It was an ideal place to stop and give the sheep a chance to graze and water, and themselves an opportunity to rest and eat a decent meal. Lewis ran the stream water through his filter, and everyone seemed to appreciate a chance to drink their fill of the cool, crisp water and refill their canteens.
The slow pace hadn't really tired Lewis out, and Jane was feeling up to a hike, so while Tom rested and Alvin kept an eye on the herd they made their way upstream to look for signs of game. It was a good hunting spot, if a bit far from the town, and if things dried up in the valley below it might be worth considering for future expeditions.
The ground to either side of the ravine was steep enough to make footing awkward, and often densely overgrown with underbrush. At some points they even found themselves hopping stones in the stream or leaping from bank to bank as the easiest way forward. The going got easier after a few minutes when they came across a game trail, and although neither of them had planned to make the hike a long one they agreed to go a bit farther.
Lewis was glad they had a few minutes later, when the stream cut through a grove of
“Where's he off to?” Pete called from near the front of the herd.
With a start Lewis stepped up onto his pedals and rode back to his place, just in time to turn back a few opportunistic strays. “He's going ahead to let Aspen Hill know we're coming.”
“Probably a good thing,” Alvin said from the other side of the road. “When it comes to being a shepherd he was pretty
baa
d.”
“Ugh no, we're not doing that,” Pete said, glaring over his shoulder.
“Doing what?” Alvin asked innocently. “When it comes to bad puns I never feel sheepish.”
Lewis shook his head. “Sheep puns are too easy to even be funny.”
The young man shrugged. “Sorry. They're just something I herd.”
Jane snickered and Tom guffawed loudly. Lewis couldn't help his own smile. Pete glanced backwards again, still glaring. “I should've gone with Matt,” he muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.
Herding the sheep they had to go much slower than they had yesterday, but not quite at the constant walk Lewis had feared as an intolerable pace. The sheep could move faster than that for short periods, which allowed them to ride faster for brief stretches as they herded the animals along the road. The main thing that slowed them wasn't the pace the animals could manage but their tendency to wander, slowing the group down as they were rounded up again.
Last night they'd all anticipated that even going from sunup to sundown there was no way they'd reach Aspen Hill that day, and possibly not the next either. Even the slightly increased pace only gave them hope of reaching home before sundown tomorrow, but at least it was something.
One major delay, and a major concern as well, was making sure the animals had enough time to graze and places to water. With Matt gone on ahead to alert the town, as well as get a place ready for the herd once it arrived, they decided Pete would be the next best candidate for scouting ahead for water sources and ideal areas to stop and rest. He'd shown he had the energy to ride circles around them, and he actually seemed relieved at the chance to move faster going on ahead.
Getting away from Alvin's puns was probably also an incentive.
Near noon they descended down into the single ravine they'd encountered on this mostly uphill road, not nearly as low elevation as Aspen Hill at the base of the canyon but low enough that the spring weather was milder. Pete had also briefly returned to report the stream flowing along the bottom, even though they all remembered the distinctive landmark from the previous day's ride.
It was an ideal place to stop and give the sheep a chance to graze and water, and themselves an opportunity to rest and eat a decent meal. Lewis ran the stream water through his filter, and everyone seemed to appreciate a chance to drink their fill of the cool, crisp water and refill their canteens.
The slow pace hadn't really tired Lewis out, and Jane was feeling up to a hike, so while Tom rested and Alvin kept an eye on the herd they made their way upstream to look for signs of game. It was a good hunting spot, if a bit far from the town, and if things dried up in the valley below it might be worth considering for future expeditions.
The ground to either side of the ravine was steep enough to make footing awkward, and often densely overgrown with underbrush. At some points they even found themselves hopping stones in the stream or leaping from bank to bank as the easiest way forward. The going got easier after a few minutes when they came across a game trail, and although neither of them had planned to make the hike a long one they agreed to go a bit farther.
Lewis was glad they had a few minutes later, when the stream cut through a grove of
Similar Books
