19 JULY 1957, Page 42

THE RAM

On the first morning I saw him looking through, my neighbour's hedge I immediately thought of some sort of buffalo. He seemed the biggest ram 1 het ever seen and was equipped with at least two coils of horn on either side of his head. His expression was quite stupid and when a small stone was thrown to discourage him from trying to break through he galloped off, his horns clattering on branches in his path. He wasn't quite so easily put off, howevel, feit back he came the following morning at the same hour—five o'clock—and this time I wasn't out 01 bed preparing to go a-fishing. I was told he made a fine breakfast of arum lilies and like herbage the adjoining gardens and the entry he made was certainly big enough to admit a buffalo. Sunday or not, I had to lend a hand and build a barrier against the beast, getting a thousand thorns in my fingers, and at least a thousand scratches from gorse an

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briar. The rampager came back again at dawn-0n the third day and bleated his protest while I snore! in my bed, but, buffalo horns and head of solid WI nowithstanding, he didn't break the defences, Ott we gave thanks for that.