“Because they are so–so straggly. They take up the whole road, and if I tried to pass I’d be sure to run over one of them. Oh! what a shame!
“We’ve got to take it slowly!” she called back to the twins, who were just behind her. “I can’t take a chance of threading my way through all these animals.”
“This is tough luck!” complained Jack, as he saw what the trouble was.
The herder looked up stolidly, puffing on a short pipe, and called to one of the dogs, who leaped off to drive back into the flock a sheep that showed a propensity to lag behind.
“Can’t you try to pass them?” asked Eline. “I’m sure you could do it.”
“I’d rather not,” answered Cora.
“Don’t you dare!” cautioned Bess, who heard what was said.
“But we’ll be late for lunch–and it has been ordered,” wailed Belle. “And I’m so hungry!”
Cora resolved on an appeal.
“Do you think you could drive your sheep to one side, and keep them there until we passed?” she asked the man. “It will take us only a minute to shoot by.”