Fish by L.S. Matthews

Author:L.S. Matthews [Matthews, L. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-52377-8
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2004-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

SIX

Dad, who had been standing thunderstruck, seemed to give himself a shake. “It's the packs,” he said, darting over to the Guide and fumbling for his knife in its sheath at his side. “She could get up if it wasn't for the packs.”

The Guide said nothing, but held desperately to donkey and bush. More stones slid away with a hollow rattle, down into the gorge. The donkey stood, tense all over with the effort of balancing, her eyes wide with fear and her mouth open and gasping.

Mum said, “But …” and then fell silent.

Dad sat down on the edge of the path by the donkey's front feet, and his fingers felt along an old tree root. It curved out and back into the soil again like a perfect handle. He pushed his left hand between it and the rock, and gave a good pull. It seemed to hold well enough to satisfy him, and, crouching down, keeping one foot on the path and one just below the root, he reached up with the knife in his right hand and slashed and sawed at the straps holding our bags.

The Guide's knife must have been very sharp. As quick as a flash, one after the other, the bags fell and crashed away down the gorge.

“Now!” said Dad, backing up and reaching the path, and he seized a handful of the donkey's mane, and one of her ears, disregarding the advice about holding on to the bush, and all three of them heaved.

The donkey realized what was going on, made a desperate effort with her shoulders, and managed to get her back feet onto the edge of the path in one bound, almost treading on her front ones. She made one spring forward and was safe, Dad leaping out of her way in the nick of time, with the Guide and Mum almost knocked flying.

No one could speak for a moment, but coughed and gasped, and banged the dust off themselves, while I just stood as rooted to the spot as I had been when the donkey had first shied. The whole thing must have been over in a few seconds, but it had seemed like a lifetime.

“Well done, that was very well done,” said the Guide to Dad. “I would not have acted quicker. Only you had the arms long enough to reach so far. But your packs …” And concern crossed his face.

“If the donkey went, all the packs went too, anyway,” said Dad. “Better save the donkey and at least half of our stuff.” He tried to sound matter-of-fact, but tried a bit too hard, so we all realized at once that he had really only thought of saving the donkey.

Parents are so strange. You would have had Mum down for the animal lover, as Dad didn't seem to be too interested in them, to be honest. But he had grown fonder of the donkey than any of us, except maybe the Guide—though he wouldn't admit it.

We all looked at

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