Chapter 42 Summary

Now an hour behind, Herriot arrives at the next farm on his itinerary. The farmers are the Hugills, and they are some of the nicest people in the Dales. The Dales people are always hospitable, but this family of four brothers has taken it to the next level. They are always ready to agree with someone and do their best to make their guest feel at home.

The Hugills have a large herd, but they have all of the animals ready for Herriot. He begins the testing but quickly realizes that the brothers will not be much help in identifying the cattle. Walter Hugill pulls out his cattle book, but the numbers do not match with the correct cattle. Herriot is forced to scrape the wax off each cow's ear to reveal the identifying tattoo. This puts him even further behind schedule as...