Поющие в терновнике

           Withgrace,coordination,strengthandendurance,allnecessaryandluckilypresentinLuke,amancouldbecomeagunshearer.SoonLukewasshearinghistwohundred-plusadaysixdaysaweek,aquidahundred;andthiswiththenarrowhandpieceresemblingaboggilizard,henceitsname.ThebigNewZealandhandpieceswiththeirwide,coarsecombsandcutterswereillegalinAustralia,thoughtheydoubledashearer’stally.

           Itwasgruelingwork;bendingfromhisheightwithasheepclampedbetweenhisknees,sweepinghisboggiinblowsthelengthofthesheep’sbodytofreethewoolinonepieceandleaveasfewsecondcutsaspossible,closeenoughtotheloosekinkyskintopleasetheshedboss,whowouldbedowninasecondonanyshearernotconformingtohisrigorousstandards.Hedidn’tmindtheheatandthesweatandthethirstwhichforcedhimtodrinkupwardofthreegallonsofwateraday,hedidn’tevenmindthetormentinghordesofflies,forhewasborninflycountry.Nordidhemindthesheep,whichweremostlyashearer’snightmare;cobblers,wets,overgrowns,snobs,dags,fly-strikes,theycameinallvarieties,andtheywereallmerinos,whichmeantwoolallthewaydowntotheirhoofsandnoses,andacobbledfragileskinwhichmovedlikeslipperypaper.

           No,itwasn’ttheworkitselfLukeminded,fortheharderheworkedthebetterhefelt;whatirkedhimwerethenoise,thebeingshutinside,thestench.Noplaceonearthwasquitethehellashearingshedwas.