High Country Christmas

Chapter Seventeen- The Search

"Then you need to make sure that the sheep are sitting back so that you can run the shearing hand piece down through the front like this..."

Ali was up on the shearing platform in the wool shed. He was doing a demonstration for a group of tourists off the Earnslaw. This was the first time he had been on the mic head set, and we were all standing around in the background to support him, and at times have a bit of a laugh.

"Ah... no you don't," he breathed into the mic head set, as the sheep started working its back legs vigorously. "Something to learn, you can't escape this hair cut!!"

The audience gave a good natured laugh. As Ali continued his patter into the mic, Thea played quietly collecting small scraps of wool clippings from around where we were standing. Soon the group dispersed and some went over to where Leah was demonstrating the preparation of wool for spinning, and then how to spin the wool. Daniel led others out into the yards to see the farm dogs control and bring in a small flock of sheep to the pens without him leaving the platform where they all stood. Using a series of whistles, longblasts and short, the dogs followed his whistled blasts with learned responses. He calmly walked down when the sheep were in the pen, being held there by the sheep dogs and shut the gate, the tourists were suitably impressed, and clapped their appreciation.

Ali came down and sat beside Thea, while she showed him what she had collected and then started to put bits of the wool on his head, and his shoulders. "You did well up there. Must be hard shearing and talking at the same time."

He smiled, "Well not too bad. I am surprised how easy it really was. I wouldn't have won any competitions with the quality of the shearing though, or the speed. The guy that volunteered for a turn at the end was probably better at it than I was."

I had been impressed by the Australian tourist that volunteered to have a turn. He was so quick and efficient that everyone, Ali included, was clapping him at the end.
"Well I better get up to the house and get some work done, if people expect to eat tonight. There is cold drink on the corner table over there if you are thirsty." He nodded his thanks and headed off.

Around seven o'clock I had tea out and the others were gathering from various places around the station. Leah, Daniel and Ali had entertained four groups of tourists this afternoon, Keith and Anna were staying for another few days, and had taken a picnic to the top of the Cairn for the afternoon.

Ali greeted me, and I asked, "Where is Thea?" Ali frowned briefly and pointed to the woolshed.

"She was with Leah the last time I looked," He answered. I thought she must be through with Leah, washing up, so I told Ali. I heard a door bang and Ali's voice calling. He came rushing back out with Leah following looking quite uncertain.

"No," Leah was was saying. "I thought you must have come and collected her."

"When?" Ali, was speaking sharply, the stress clearly showing on his face.

"About an hour ago. Just after the last group came through. Oh, Ali, I am so sorry, but she can't be far away. "

Ali had already taken off back down to the woolshed. "I am sure she isn't far away," Leah said almost to herself, "Maybe she is with Daniel." But just then there was a door shutting out the back, and Daniel came through without his boots on, looking ready to rest after a busy day. When he saw our faces, and heard from Leah what had happened, it didn't take long before he turned around and both him and Leah took off straight back down to the shed.

I loaded up some food on a tray, with cold drinks and followed them down. By the time I got there Keith and Anna had returned and were also helping to search everywhere. Ali burst back into the shed and stopped beside Daniel, "Well? what do we do now? There must be something more we can do?"