Brumby Mountain by Karen Wood

Author:Karen Wood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV002130, book
ISBN: 9781742695556
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd
Published: 2012-05-21T04:00:00+00:00

13

IT WAS WELL AFTER sunset when Mrs Arnold’s battle-scarred LandCruiser bumped its way out of the forest and down the hill paddock. The snow had turned to rain now, and there were people in hats and oilskins walking around the property, lit by the headlights of several vehicles. Jess was enormously relieved to see the silhouettes of two saddled horses in the sweeping beams of light. She instantly recognised Dodger’s nuggety silhouette.

‘These guys came galloping through town with no riders,’ said Kitty, as Jess jumped from the car and threw her arms around her horse’s neck. ‘We didn’t know what had happened to you.’

‘Everyone okay?’ asked Steve, who was holding Legsy by a set of broken reins.

‘We got attacked by a brumby stallion,’ said Grace, leaning from the car window and launching into a full and enthusiastic account of the day. ‘Shoulda seen it. I thought it was gonna kill Luke!’

‘It kicked my dog,’ said Luke from the back of the fourbie, where he had Filth’s head cradled in his arms. ‘He needs a vet.’

People Jess had never seen before began crowding around the back of the vehicle. ‘What happened? What’s wrong with him?’

‘A brumby kicked him,’ said Grace. ‘There was a mob of bachelor colts and he was chasing them.’

‘Who are all these people?’ asked Luke.

‘Just a few neighbours,’ said Steve. ‘When a fourth-generation local comes home, word spreads fast. When his horse comes galloping through town without him, they form search parties.’

‘Let Barker have a look at him,’ someone said, and the swarm of people parted like the Red Sea. A silver-haired man in a police uniform was pushed to the front of the crowd. ‘Thirty-five years on the dog squad!’ said another voice. ‘He’ll know what to do with him.’

Barker had a kind and craggy face with three days of stubble on his chin. He held a hand out to Fang, who sat next to Luke. Fang sniffed it and allowed the man to pat him. Then Barker ran gentle hands over Filth’s slack body. ‘What’s he, a dingo?’

‘Err,’ Luke stammered.

‘You know it’s illegal to keep dingo hybrids in New South Wales.’

‘Well, he’s actually a Mount Isa Sniffer,’ began Luke. ‘They’re a new breed from up north. Great on cold scents. He helped us find a big white stallion today.’ Jess caught Grace and Mrs Arnold rolling their eyes at each other.

‘But yeah, people often say they look a bit like dingos,’ he continued. ‘Must be the Asian bloodlines they mixed in, from Burma mostly. Big jungles up there, lots of exotic prey like lions and elephants and stuff.’

‘Never knew there were lions in Burma,’ said Barker, as he felt along Filth’s spine.

‘Oh yeah, there’s heaps of them these days,’ said Luke, ‘especially since all this global warming and stuff. Yep! These dogs are pretty special, hard to come by. Surprised the dog squad up in the Isa aren’t onto them yet.’

Barker and Steve exchanged cynical glances.

‘Did we mention Luke was kicked by a brumby as well?’ said Mrs Arnold.

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