Peter Dickinson - Changes 01 by The Devils Children

Author:The Devils Children
Format: epub
Published: 2013-07-21T16:00:00+00:00

V

LOST BOY

THE SHEEP meant more work —hurdles to be woven from thin-sliced strips of chestnut wood, posts to be rammed into the ground to hold the hurdles steady in sheep-proof fences around an area where the hay had been cut. Then the fences had to be moved every two days to allow the flock to get at fresh grass. And men had to sleep out at the sheepfold all night to scare away wild dogs and foxes. The flock grew to about thirty animals by the end of August, so steadily did the smithy work; in fact Nicky and Kewal decided that the giant must be extending his empire by trading in metalwork with villages on the far side of Felpham, so many broken tools did he seem to find, so many orders for scythes and plowshares and horse harness were left each week with the barrows.

Nicky asked the giant one day if he could pay for the next big load with a horse, but he stared at her angrily and shook his head.

“I hear as they’re carrying swords now,” he purred suspiciously; the huge hand crept to the pommel of his cutlass.

“Yes,” said Nicky. “It’s part of their religion. They were soldiers ages ago, and they’ve always carried swords. My friends used to wear a little toy sword before . . . before . . . you know; now they’ve made themselves proper ones again, in case they have to fight somebody.”

“And now they’re wanting horses too,” said the giant. Suddenly Nicky saw what was worrying him.

“But they don’t want horses for fighting on,” she said. “They don’t want to fight anybody. They’d like horses for plowing and pulling carts and so on.” “That’s as may be,” said the giant. “But I’m not sparing any horses. I’ve given you a fair price for the work so far, haven’t I?”

“Oh yes,” said Nicky and looked at a crate of baffled hens which was balanced across one of the barrows. “The Sikhs are very pleased.”

“And so they ought to be,” said the giant. “Well, if they’re making swords for themselves, they can make ’em for me, too.”

“I’ll ask,” said Nicky doubtfully.

“You do that,” said the giant, and sauntered down the hill. He moved nowadays with a slow and lordly gait which seemed to imply that all the wide landscape belonged to him, and every creature in it.

But Uncle Jagindar refused to make weapons for anybody except his own people, and the Sikh council (though they argued the question round for twenty minutes) all agreed with him. When he heard the news the giant became surlier than ever with Nicky, and the villagers copied him. Partly, Nicky decided, this was because they just did whatever he did out of sheer awe for him; but it was also partly because of the way they had built up a whole network of myths and imaginings around the Sikhs. One or two things that Maxie said, or that Mr. Tom said when he was talking over smithwork to be done, showed that their heads were full of crazy notions.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.