All was relatively quiet in the field. Sheep casually grazed, oblivious to the imminent danger. A rumble of approaching horse hooves pounding on dirt gradually became louder, accompanied by the squeak of rotating wheels. The sheep grazed on, despite the resounding crunch of splintering timber and strewn debris. The ram raiders had arrived.

This drawing was an idea I had for early ram raids. Two bandits wearing Ned Kelly-like metal buckets on their heads drive their horses and cart through a paddock fence and attempt abscond with a cartload of rams, for what purpose, I haven’t a clue.

I like to think that sheep are such conformists that if thrown into a pile on a cart, they would retain their landing positions indefinitely.

Care was taken to protect the horses (in terms of both safety and identity) by giving them the appropriate headwear to match that of their drivers.

Although probably a little more roughly drawn than the previous cartoons, I think the roughness lends itself to sheep as it enhances their sheepishness quality. I surmise that anyone can draw a sheep by scribbling a cotton-ball with a head and legs and any third party would see it and invariably respond with, “Hey, nice sheep!”.

I have nothing against sheep; they are delightfully happy-go-lucky creatures that happen to go very nicely with gravy and mint sauce.