. . . made the most delightful bothy ever seen. He would have brought it by steamboat to the docks, whence it would have been transferred to the Common by horses belonging to the suburban farm. But the opportunity was lost, and would scarcely come again, and therefore no regrets.
The old coach then was his summer home. There he always slept, and there sometimes ate his meals. His work was distributed among three or four grazing grounds, all public parks or commons. The changes were generally made in the early morning. On a particular Saturday, for instance, he told me that he had risen at four o’clock, had made himself a cup of tea, closed his van, and fetched his sheep from Tooting Common, nearly two miles away, while the roads were still quiet. This transfer from one open space to another goes on constantly. At eight o’clock he had had another cup of tea and “some parritch.” “I hae na taken any dinner yet (it was then half past three), but I shall be getting some about five.”
For journeys across London, which occur periodically at the commencement and the end of the season, as well as at shearing time, the shepherd must be accompanied by a licensed drover, wearing a badge, else a summons would follow. The crossing from one feeding ground to another is, however, considered a part of the daily routine, and the shepherd may act alone.