Sheep

…On a hot Sunday morning in the Persian Gulf we were surprised by shouts on the ‘Gelderland’.
Everybody stayed in the cool quarters, so who or what should that be?

A sloop with Australian sailors had come alongside asking if they could take over some data from a sea chart.

They were allowed to take that chart with them.
In the afternoon they came back again to bring it back nicely.
After a while someone strolled to the aft deck and then excitedly called in.
“Oh, come and have a look”, he shouted.
There was a sheep on the aft deck.

Livestock transport ship.

It turned out that those Australians were from a cattle transport ship and as a thanks that beast had left behind there.
‘On a ship so fully laden, one sheep will not be missed’.
What should we do with that: eat?
A bottle of drink would have been more welcome.

Slaughter was not a problem, but who killed that animal?
No one!
Tough and hardened men from the sea turned out to have a small heart.

Keeping the animal as a pet was not possible, by the way what does such a sheep eat?

At night we set it free over the poop, hopefully as food for the sharks.

Poor sheep!