Explore "The Shepherds' Dance: with the Lamb Markers of the Paroo" by Edward S. Sorenson on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
At the Twelve-Mile Camp there were six markers, three with clips (for marking the ears), and three with knives. All were dressed in overalls, which in two instances took the form of old white shirts, worn loosely; the rest were chaff bags, with armholes slip in the corners.
Half a dozen men were in the yard catching the lambs, which were dumped in a sitting position on two long, smooth rails, the catchers holding a fore and hind leg in each hand. Some of these were also in fancy dress, to save their ordinary clothes from getting blooded from the nicked ears. The markers were ranged outside the rail. The final operation on each lamb was the docking of the tail. Immediately following the slash of the knife, blood squirted over the operator, reddening his face, neck and dress. On this fresh blood the ever-floating dust from the yards settled thickly, so that by the time the drafting was done, it was hard to tell Bill from Jim.