River Murray Mary by Colin Thiele

Author:Colin Thiele [THIELE, COLIN]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Published: 2013-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

Six

They worked hard to mend the damage left by the great storm and slowly the orchard began to look better again.

‘A good pruning,’ Mary’s father said, ‘and next season we should be back in business.’ He seemed more contented, even though he said that prices had fallen through the floor and fruit was cheaper than dirt.

One day he took Mary fishing. ‘I’ll row the dinghy,’ he said, ‘and you can trail a spinner.’ Mary was happier than a mudlark. She sat in the stern trailing the line with its spinning little propellers and sharp barbed hook. Her father rowed downstream looking for likely spots.

‘Just around the next bend there’s a tree that has fallen down into the water,’ he said. ‘On a warm day the cod like lying in the shade, so we’ll try there.’

Mary giggled. She couldn’t imagine a codfish lying on its back in the shade like a lazy loafer. ‘It’s quite true,’ her father said, smiling. ‘They laze about in the shadows.’

He rowed down towards the fallen tree. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘as we go past trail your line as near to the bushes as you can. But don’t get too close or you’ll snag yourself and lose the lot.’

Mary held the line nervously and they swept past the tree in a tight arc. Just as the spinner passed under the drooping branches she felt a tremendous jolt that almost pulled the line right out of her hand.

‘Ooh,’ she cried, ‘something hit the line.’

‘Are you sure you didn’t hook the tree?’ he asked.

‘No. The line is still all right.’

‘Good then we’ll try again.’

He rowed round in a wide circle and brought the dinghy back towards the tree.

‘Now,’ he said. ‘Ready?’

‘Yes.’

They trolled past the branches again, and just as the spinner passed through the shadow exactly the same thing happened.

‘A jolt,’ Mary yelled, almost overbalancing into the river. ‘A big, big jolt.’

Her father was puzzled and looked at her suspiciously. ‘Are you sure you’re not snagging the tree?’

‘Quite sure, Dad.’

‘All right, we’ll have one more try.’

He bent his back to the oars and the dinghy came round fast and free.

‘Third time lucky,’ he said. ‘Hold the line firm, and if you feel a jolt pull it hard.’

‘Yes, Dad.’

‘Here we go, then.’

Mary braced herself. The spinner had barely reached the branches when the line jerked again. Instantly she tugged hard and this time it stayed as taut as a kite string.

‘Got him,’ her father yelled. ‘You’ve got him.’

Mary was leaning over the back of the boat, her knees pressed so hard against the bench that the skin was white from the pressure. The line was sawing from side to side in the water, jerking unpredictably and sometimes tugging so wildly that she was afraid she would be pulled head over heels into the water. Her father took the dinghy out into the river to prevent the line fouling on snags.

‘Can you manage him?’ he called.

‘I … I don’t know,’ she answered breathlessly. ‘I think I can.’

She was hauling hard now, pulling in the line hand over hand.

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