Page "Stilts" Paragraph 22

Mounted on their stilts, the shepherds of Landes drove their flocks across the wastes, going through bushes, brush and pools of water, and traversing marshes with safety, without having to seek roads or beaten footpaths.

Moreover, this elevation permits them to easily watch their sheep, which are often scattered over a wide surface.

In the morning the shepherd, in order to get on his stilts, mounted by a ladder or seated himself upon the sill of a window, or else climbed upon the mantel of a large chimney.

Even in a flat country, being seated upon the ground, and having fixed his stilts, he easily rose with the aid of his staff.