by Paula Boer
Squatting with her back to the trunk, Louise unwrapped her lunch and bit into a corned beef and homemade-pickle sandwich. There had been plenty of meat left over from dinner last night. Although Louise found Ben"s cousin difficult to get along with, she admitted that Jacinta could cook, unlike her own sorry efforts of beans on toast or fried bacon and eggs.
Louise checked her watch. She made up her mind to rest for an hour before seeing if Splash could find his way home now that he had sated his thirst.
Chapter 4
Ben spun his mare after a steer and drove it back to the mob. Pleased that the chestnut stockhorse had settled to work after the initial fight, Ben let her use her bulk to shepherd the beast at her own pace.
Graeme slid his big bay to a halt beside Ben. "Have you seen Louise? She shot after that heifer that escaped you."
Looking around to confirm that the skewbald pony and its rider were nowhere in sight, Ben shook his head. "I didn"t even see her go. Sorry. I forgot all about that heifer with trying to control this mare. She"s going to be good now she"s got the hang of things."
"Never mind that. You"d better go and find your friend. Head out that way and give her a call." With a wave of his hand, Graeme signalled where Ben should go then urged his horse back to the tail of the mob.
Shortening his reins, Ben turned his mare away from the cattle and trotted into the scrub. He didn"t think Louise would go far as she didn"t know the area. The ground had been churned by so many hooves it was impossible to find a trail to follow. He had no idea where to start looking.
"Coooeeeee! Loooouuuiiise!" Trotting in a large zigzag, Ben tried to cover as much country as he could. Standing in his stirrups, he scanned the horizon for any sign of movement. Nothing. Even the birds hadn"t settled back to their feeding since the passage of the helicopter, the cattle and the stockmen. After twenty minutes, Ben decided he was going in the wrong direction. No doubt Louise had already returned to the herd, with or without the heifer. Abandoning the search, he turned and headed back the way he had come.
The head of the mob had made a lot of distance in the time Ben had been away. The helicopter kept back a distance on one wing of the herd, dipping down to keep them moving when the cattlemen were busy. Having reached the fence, the Brahmans walked along with a brisk stride, knowing where they were going and keen to move. Calves sprang into the air and chased after their mothers as they realised they had lagged behind. Old bulls, their dewlaps swinging, lumbered along with their heads nodding and their powerful shoulders blocking youngsters from playing up.
Dust shrouded the entire herd, drifting back to choke the riders on the tail. Graeme wiped the sweat and muck from his face as Ben rode up to him. "Didn"t you find her?"
"I thought she must be back by now."
"I can"t spare the chopper yet to look for her. You and Jacinta will have to go back out. Here, take this." Graeme handed Ben the hand-held radio.
After locating his cousin on the far side of the herd, Ben rode across and explained the situation to her. "Can you help me look for her?"
Jacinta rolled her eyes. "Dad could have radioed the pilot to get the heifer back. She"s probably asleep at the homestead. There"s no point chasing off into the wilds."
Ben felt more concerned about Louise than Jacinta seemed. "I"ve tried to find her but I don"t know where she"s likely to be. Where would Splash take her if she gave him his head?"
Raising her eyebrows, Jacinta cocked her head on one side. "Funny you should ask that. There"s a waterhole I used to have picnics at. Splash loves to graze the waterweed. Did you see it when you were looking?"
Ben shook his head. "How far is it? Let"s try there."
Jacinta led the way until they encountered a track wide enough for them to ride abreast. Breaking into a canter, they used the opportunity to catch up on each other"s news.
Ben enjoyed the chance to chat to his cousin. The young mare beneath him loped along with a comfortable stride. He shared his worries of the past months with Jacinta, knowing she would understand. "I want to go on to agricultural college like John, and build a herd of tough mountain horses, but it looks like I might have to stay and run the cattle and sheep on our farm with Dad out of action. I won"t have time to break in, and compete, any offspring from Brandy."
"Your dad isn"t that badly injured, is he? I thought he just had a sore back. And what about John? Can"t he look after Tumbleford Farm? He"s almost finished college."
"He"s taken this year off to help, but he wants to go back next year. He"s a machinery person, not a stockman. He intends to drive harvesters and stuff on contract. It"s good money. He eventually wants to manage a crop farm, which is why he needs to finish his studies." Ben knew his brother had no interest in the family business.
They chatted on about the future and their dreams, Jacinta sharing that she wanted to look for dinosaur bones. "There was a great find near home last year, a massive skull. It hasn"t been identified yet. I"d love to find a creature no-one knew existed."
Ben had trouble picturing his manicured cousin sifting through piles of dirt for bones. Before he could ask more about what the work would entail, he realised they had reached the waterhole. "Cool! No wonder you used to come here."
Before the riders had reached the band of trees that lined the watercourse, a shrill whinny reached their ears. "That"s Splash. I"d know his call anywhere."
Ben searched the bank of the billabong for Louise, dreading that she might have fallen from the pony and be lying unconscious in the scrub. His concern turned to anger as he spotted her sitting on the bank under a large coolabah tree. He called out to her and cantered the last few strides to her side. "Why didn"t you answer my calls? We"ve been worried sick about you."
Louise stayed sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, chewing on a piece of grass. "Were you? I"m surprised you even noticed me gone."
"Of course we noticed. Uncle Graeme wanted to send the chopper to look for you but couldn"t spare it. It"s bad enough he"s now three horses down for walking the cattle back. What do you think you"re doing?"
Jacinta dismounted from her bay gelding and tied him next to Splash. The two horses nuzzled each other"s noses and then squealed. "Don"t be jealous, Splash. I know you"d prefer me to have been riding you."
Ben jumped off his mare and led her closer to Louise. "If you"re not hurt, let"s go. We can"t sit around a waterhole all day."
Louise turned her head away and sniffed. "I was watching that pair of brolgas over there while Splash had a break. He worked up a big sweat chasing the heifer that escaped. I was giving him a chance to rest and have a drink."
"Okay, well let"s go now." Ben spun his horse away from the others and swung back up into the saddle.
Louise didn"t move.
"Are you coming or not?" Confused at Louise"s reticence, he looked across at Jacinta to see if she knew what was going on.
His cousin shrugged and knelt at the water"s edge, splashing her face to cool down. "This is spring fed. It"s always full and really clean. Lots of animals come here to drink in the evenings at this time of year."
Ben watched as Louise slowly stood and brushed off her jeans.
She walked across to Splash and stroked his nose, whispering to him before untying him from the tree. She turned him to face the other horses. "It"s a beautiful place. Splash brought me here when I tried to get him to lead me back to you and the cattle. I didn"t know it was the wrong way."
Jacinta remounted her horse and sat next to Ben. "We"ll guide you back. Come on, hurry up. Dad needs us."
Waiting for Louise to tighten her girth and get back on, Ben wondered why Louise hadn"t been thrilled to see them. It was if she"d prefer to have remained lost. "Hurry up, Louise. We"ve a long way to go."
Turning to face Ben, Louise planted her hands on her hips and stared at him with a red face. "It"s alright for you. You know how thin
gs work out here. Since we"ve arrived, no-one"s told me anything. I don"t know how a muster works or what needs to be done or where to go or what pace to ride at. I wish I"d stayed at home and worked at Patti"s."
Surprised at her outburst, Ben didn"t know how to react. How hard could it be to see what was going on? He couldn"t think of anything to say.
Jacinta trotted ahead and called back over her shoulder. "If we don"t get a move on, we won"t be back to help at all."
The three riders rode in silence as they wove their way back between prickly shrubs and over washed-out gullies. Ben"s mare shied at every snap of a twig and flit of a bird as she progressively tired. He fought to keep her going straight on the trail. She tossed her head, anxious to go faster and overtake Jacinta"s gelding. The bay horse also fought the bit and pulled, knowing the track led back to the homestead and a good feed.
Splash trotted along a distance behind. Ben occasionally checked to make sure Louise followed, but he still couldn"t understand why she hadn"t been thrilled to see them at the oasis. He thought she"d have been bubbling over with tales of how she had chased through the bush and her hunt for the right trail home. It was unlike her to be so sullen.
"Look!" Jacinta pointed over to her left without slowing down.
Her cry broke into Ben"s thoughts. An emu with three chicks emerged from the scrub and ran across the path ahead, the male"s long grey plumage flouncing like a sea anemone"s tentacles wafting in the surf. The chestnut mare leaped two metres across the path, knocking into a prickly bush and snagging Ben"s jeans. This time he remained seated and laughed as he settled his mare, the sight of the giant birds lifting his spirits. She responded to his calmer attitude by relaxing and settling into a steady trot.
By the time Ben and the girls reached the spot where they had left the cattle, not even a shimmer of dust told of their passing. Jacinta held her gelding back until Ben caught up. "The track"s much better from here. Let"s canter and get back as soon as we can. I expect the cattle"ll be in the yards by the time we catch them up."
Disappointed that they wouldn"t be in time to help yard the stock, Ben nodded and let his horse roll into a lope beneath him. Despite the horse"s obvious tiredness, she tugged harder to be allowed to go faster. He checked her back, his muscles sore from a long ride in the stock saddle. He wished he had thought to use his own gear. "I guess I won"t have time to take Brandy out tonight."
Cantering along beside him, Jacinta shook her head. "No way. In fact, can you wash down my horse for me? I"ve still got to cook dinner. Chasing after Louise has really upset the day. I was going to ride ahead of the herd and get the crumbed steaks ready for when you all got back."
"Sure, I"ll look after the horses. At least they get a rest tomorrow." Ben slowed his horse to a walk as they reached the final kilometre to the homestead. Dusk caused everything to look flat and grey. A cloud of dust hovered over the yards where the cattle bellowed and jostled for position. In the distance, Ben could see the helicopter settle to the ground. The noise of its blades faded as the engine slowed and stopped.
As they reached the homestead, Snifter"s barking attracted Ben"s attention. He shouted across to his dog, who still moved carefully because of his sores. "Stupid mutt, you can"t go out either. You"ll have to stay chained up until your wounds heal. I hope you"ve learnt not to pick fights with other dogs."
Ben dismounted and loosened his horse"s girth. She had proved to be quite a handful. He wished Brandy had been up to the muster. He wondered if his stallion would ever be able to do a full day"s work. Despondent, he kicked at the dust with the toe of his boot.
"Cheer up, Ben. It"s great to have you here." Jacinta dropped her feet out of her stirrups and let her legs swing loose. "It"s a pity you didn"t come on your own. I wonder how Louise will cope with a day working in the yards tomorrow?"
Chapter 5
Mud clung to Louise"s leather riding boots making her feet heavy as she chased a heifer out of a corner of the yards. She hadn"t expected to be racing around in slippery conditions and the smooth soles gave her no grip. Graeme had watered the yards overnight to keep the dust down and now she floundered in the quagmire.
"Push them up, Louise!" Ben"s cry could barely be heard over the noise of the cattle.
"What do you think I"m doing?" Smacking an older cow on the rump, Louise chivvied the beasts as they headed to the narrow entrance of the race. The more experienced animals lumbered into the narrow confines without a problem, but the young stock baulked at the strange enclosure.
Louise hadn"t minded rising early to help out in the yards. The sunrise had been glorious and the dawn air cool. She hoped to learn something about cattle work but after two hours of clambering through rails and traipsing through muck, she wondered why she was there. So far she had seen nothing other than the tail ends of the stock. Up on the drafting gate, Ben operated the handle that directed the beasts through different exits while Jacinta marked a sheet with the numbers of heifers and steers to be weaned. The pair laughed and joked together as they worked.
The last of her pen of cattle slipped through the opening. Louise felt exhausted. Slipping the chain around the heavy iron gate and latching it closed, she heaved a sigh of relief. Ahead of her the drafting gate gave a last clang, all the cattle having been sorted into different groups. Thousands of cream and beige heads packed into the divided yards, squashing together for the best place next to the water troughs. Humped backs and lolling ears made her think of a pack of camels. She reckoned these beasts were nearly as tall. The biggest Brahman bulls stood higher than her shoulders.
One of the stockmen waved her over. Everyone clambered out of the yard and wandered across to a shady tree. Grateful for the iced barrel of water that propped on a stump, Louise glugged down a long drink. Flopping onto the ground, she wiped dust and sweat from her brow. "That"s really hard work. My feet feel like they"re encased in lead."
Graeme leant against the tree next to her. "Being the driver is hard yakka. After smoko you can tail in the race."
Ben came and sat on the other side of Louise as Graeme was talking. "That"s the easiest job. I"ve sharpened the knives. You won"t have any trouble."
Louise had no idea what was expected of her, but assumed someone would show her when they restarted work. She watched Jacinta stride back from the house carrying a large platter of cake and biscuits.
"Grub"s up. Tuck in." She put the plate on the ground as many hands reached for the food.
Louise"s stomach still felt too knotted to eat. Besides, she had filled herself with eggs on toast at breakfast. Jacinta always seemed to be cooking, and had a table load of food ready when Louise climbed out of bed earlier. She wondered where the girl found her energy. For now, Louise was happy to rest in the shade and sip on another beaker of water.
After smoko, Graeme positioned Louise on the outside of the race and handed her a sharp knife. Grabbing hold of a calf"s tail, he showed her what to do. "A quick slice through the hair shows this one has been processed. That way if they jump out of the race, we know which ones have been wormed and which not."
Louise understood. Grabbing hold of the tail of the next calf in line, she sawed at the tough hair as Ben injected the animal with wormer. Pleased with the tidy cut, she straightened up from her crouch. "Okay, I"ve got the idea. I"m ready."
The race held between six and eight calves, depending on how big they were. As the last one went through the calf cradle, a new batch was chased in by the stockmen. Ben walked down the line injecting as he went. It was Louise"s task to mark each tail as he did them. After the first few, she felt she had a rhythm. "Hurry up, Louise. You"ve got to be quicker." Ben waited on the end gate to let in the next batch of calves.
"Some of these tails are really thick. I don"t want to cut the flesh." Louise couldn"t believe that Ben wanted her to hurry. Nothing she did seemed to please him at the moment.
"Don"t worry about
making them straight, they"re not going to a show. It"s just to mark them." Ben shoved a calf off the rails as it tried to clamber over the side of the race.
Jacinta stood with her hands on her hips at the calf cradle. "Come on, Ben. There"s nothing coming through. We can"t waste time."
Determined not to let her friend down, Louise hurried her knife work despite the difficulty of having to stretch her arms through the rails. Sometimes the calves bunched together so tightly she couldn"t grab the tail and had to lean over the top. Chopping at the tails any way she could, the ends resulted in a ragged line. On some she didn"t think she would be able to tell whether they had been marked or not, but Ben had stopped complaining at her speed.
After half an hour, her hands stung from holding the knife tight and she felt as if she"d never be able to straighten her fingers again. With a quick slash she hacked at the hairy tufts of the last calf in the race, knocking her hand against the rails. "Ow! I"ve cut myself."
Blood ran in a stream down Louise"s hand. She tugged a hanky out of her pocket and wrapped it around her finger. "Are there any plasters here?"
With a big sigh, Ben came over and had a look at the cut. "It"s not that bad. Hold it tight and the bleeding will stop."
Graeme came over and disagreed. "Pop into the house and grab a bandage. You"ll find the first aid kit on a shelf in the kitchen. We can manage while you"re away. Do you feel okay?"
Tears threatened to well up in Louise"s eyes but she fought them back as she nodded. Her hand no longer hurt. She thought perhaps it was from shock, or maybe her disappointment at letting Ben down. It wasn"t fair; she"d never done this sort of thing before and she found it much harder than it looked.
