Ned was directed to the back of the herd and told to watch for stragglers. He didn’t know if this was a sign of the farmer’s confidence in him—the rear of the herd being the last line of defence—or an indication that he wasn’t up to the more difficult task of guiding the herd from its sides. He considered each of these possibilities, before realising he didn’t care. He was confident he could handle the work and, as nobody would be watching him, he could sit on his horse and take in the newness of the country they moved through. As the long as the cows did not wander he could gaze instead at the shifting sands, the sucking tide and the long stretch of sea-bashed coast, stunning in its rough suit of driftwood, its lonesome shoulders of wind-combed dune grass. The clouds above, like untethered mountains. And before them, drawing his eyes like a lodestar, the rising plain of the island. A green oasis in the ever-chopping ocean.

Getting the cattle out of the paddock, through a path in the dunes and onto the beach was easy work. From there it became tougher. The animals closest to the tideline hesitated; they’d splash about, then stand still or try to turn around. Anguished lowing soaked the air. Eventually, through the urging of the riders and the weight of the bodies behind them, these leading cows were pushed into the waves, and began to drop their hooves into the water. Once they were on their way, it became less difficult to encourage the rest of the herd to follow.

Ned sat his horse on the shore, waiting for the last of the cattle to enter the strait. The wind raced into his face. The estuary before him was a mess of competing currents and varying depths. It looked treacherous, but he told himself that this was not his valley, these were not his waters, that there was every chance it was safe. He couldn’t know the personality of this river. When all the cows had waded into it, he took his place behind them and kicked his horse forward.

The herd moved at an uneven pace through the shallows. Some cows seemed unperturbed by the water; others were apprehensive, confused, slow to move. This disparity in speed meant the herd soon became strung out, and its increased length meant the riders patrolling the sides had more ground to cover. As they thrashed back and forth, corralling animals that stumbled off course, Ned was left alone at the rear.