by Mary Kelly
“What about the second rope?” asked Aunt Judy.
“That’s the safety rope. Paul and Maya will have one attached to either end of their harnesses as a backup. Ben and Nathan will keep a hold of the abseil rope, and they’ll be in charge of letting the rope out or pulling it in, to help Paul and Maya on their way. Helen’s going to guide them down.”
Harry looked over at Paul and Maya, who were preparing for the descent. It looked terrifying, even if they were attached by lots of ropes.
“It all sounds quite complicated,” said Harry.
“Don’t worry,” said Charlie, confidently. “Everyone here has had lots of training, so they all know what they’re doing. I will have to ask you to both stay back here while we do the rescue operation. That way, I won’t have to worry about your safety, and we’ll keep this zone clear to concentrate on the rescue.”
“Of course,” said Aunt Judy. “We only want to help, not get in the way.”
Harry couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that he wasn’t going to be able to see the rescue as it happened, but he knew it was important they left the inspectors to get on with their job.
“Don’t worry,” said Charlie. “I’ll keep you informed as we go.”
At that moment, Helen gave a wave. “They’re going down!” she called.
Harry watched, his heart in his mouth, as Paul and Maya leaned backwards over the cliff, their faces tilted up at the sky, and then disappeared from view.
Harry looked down and realized he was holding Aunt Judy’s hand so tight that his knuckles had turned white. “Sorry!” he said.
“That’s OK,” said Aunt Judy. “I think I’ve been gripping your hand, too. It’s quite something seeing two people disappear over a cliff like that.”
They could still hear Paul and Maya calling up to the others. Maya was asking for more rope, and as the wind died down, Harry could make out the noise of their thick climbing boots banging against the cliff face.
“If you stand over there, you’ll be able to see them going down the cliff for a little while longer,” said Charlie, pointing to his left.
As Harry and Aunt Judy walked further down the cliff path for a better look, Harry caught sight of the mother goat again. Harry realized guiltily that he’d forgotten all about her in the excitement of the rescue mission. She seemed to know something was about to happen, and was calling more and more urgently to her kid. He wished he could go up and stroke her, as he would if it were Patch or Tilly, but he knew that as a wild animal, it wouldn’t soothe her at all.
“She’s a brilliant mum, isn’t she?” said Aunt Judy, watching her as they walked past. “She must be exhausted, too, if she’s been out here all night.”
Harry couldn’t help imagining how worried his mum would be if he were the one stuck on the cliff face.
“It’s amazing how strong the mother instinct is,” agreed Charlie. “Poor thing – I should imagine she’s pretty stressed right now. The sooner we get the kid back to her the better.”
“How’s it going?” Aunt Judy called over to the others.
“Not long to go now,” answered Helen, who was still busy guiding Paul and Maya towards the goat. “They’re going down steadily.”
From his new position, Harry could just see the gleaming yellow tops of Paul and Maya’s climbing hats, bobbing down the cliff face. They already seemed very far away.
The cliff face wasn’t flat, Harry realized, now that he was looking at it properly, but strewn with ridges and lumpy boulders that stuck out at crazy angles.
“Is it quite difficult to get down – because of the way the rocks stick out?” asked Harry.
“It is,” said Charlie. “Abseiling is actually much easier on a flat surface, as then you can just sit back and bounce your way down. But Paul and Maya will really need to concentrate going down over this lot, and work out where to put their feet so they get the right balance.”
“I’m glad it’s not me going down there,” Aunt Judy admitted.
“It’s much safer than it looks,” said Charlie. “They’re attached by two ropes, remember, and there’s a braking system in case anyone accidentally lets go.”
Aunt Judy didn’t look convinced, but Harry found himself thinking that he’d love to learn to abseil. It would be amazing to be good enough to go on rescue missions. Although whenever he leaned forward for a better look, it did make his head swim a bit. The cliffs dropped away to nothing but air, with only the pounding waves far, far below.
“How is Maya going to be able to get the baby goat in the bag?” Harry asked, suddenly. “She’ll need to keep one hand holding on to the rope, won’t she?”
“No, that would make the rescue much harder! She’ll need both hands to catch the kid. To do that, we just put the brakes on so she can stay in the same position without having to hold on with her hands.”
Charlie paused for a moment to see how far away Paul and Maya were from the baby goat.
“They’re making really good progress,” he reported back. “Now, where was I? Oh yes – the bag. It’s attached to Maya’s harness, so she can grip the goat in her hands and put it into the bag. And she’ll make sure Paul is waiting at the other end of the ledge, so if the kid tries to run, he can make a grab for it.”
“Do you think the kid will try to run away?” asked Harry. “That could be dangerous, couldn’t it?”
“It could,” admitted Charlie, “but I shouldn’t think it will. The kid’s been out on the cliff all night, so won’t have fed for a while. I’m hoping it’ll be feeling too weak to try to run away. It’s good that it’s hiding in that hole, too, as that should make it easier for Maya to catch it.”
Charlie moved forward to chat to Ben and Nathan, who were still holding their position at the cliff edge.
“It seems to be taking a long time, doesn’t it?” Harry said to Aunt Judy.
“I know,” Aunt Judy replied, “but that’s only because we’re so anxious. It’s making a few minutes seem like years. But I’m sure everything is going according to plan.”
As she spoke she passed Harry the thermos of sweet tea. “Here, have this,” she said. “It will make you feel better – and warm you up!”
“Thanks!” said Harry, absent-mindedly taking it from her. He didn’t want to take his eyes off the baby goat for a moment. He somehow thought that if he kept focusing on the rescue he’d be able to help in some way.
He felt much better, though, as he took a gulp of tea and the warm liquid slipped down his throat. But then he looked over at the inspectors and froze. They were all waiting on the cliff ledge in tense silence, their concentration fixed on a point far below them.
“Oh, no!” said Harry. “Has something gone wrong?”
Charlie glanced back at them, a pair of binoculars in his hands. “They’re level with the kid now,” he said, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Maya’s trying to get along the ledge to reach it. It’s very important she doesn’t startle it.”
He turned his attention back to the rescue. Harry wanted to move forward to see what was happening, but Aunt Judy stopped him. “Not too close to the edge, Harry,” she reminded him.
“You’re right, sorry,” said Harry. “I just wish I could see what was happening.”
This last wait was the most anxious of all. Harry wondered why it was taking so long for Maya to reach the kid. His worst fear was that the kid would jump when it saw Paul and Maya coming.
“Brilliant!” cried Charlie, who was now glued to his binoculars.
Aunt Judy grinned at Harry. “That sounds good,” she said.
“Maya’s got the kid,” Charlie went on, still looking through his binoculars. “She’s got a good grip on it – one hand under the neck, the other gripping the back legs – that’s perfect. And she’s putting it in the bag. Hooray – it’s in. Fantastic!”
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��Are they coming back up?” asked Harry.
“Yes!” said Charlie. He turned to them, smiling, giving the thumbs up. “She must think the kid is light enough to keep the bag attached to her harness, so I don’t think we’re going to need to winch it up. Now it’s time for them to start the ascent.”
Harry waited tensely for the RSPCA inspectors to emerge at the top of the cliff. He knew this was the trickiest part – coming back up over the jutting boulders and crumbling rocks. What happens if the tiny goat falls out of the bag? he thought. Or if Maya slips and the kid is banged against the rocks?
He knew he should stop worrying. The RSPCA were trained for this, after all. But it was just so difficult when there was nothing he could do to help.
Ben and Nathan were hard at work, pulling the ropes back up, while Helen pointed out the easiest route for Paul and Maya to take.
The mother goat had come forward, and was standing at the very edge of the cliff now, bleating repeatedly, her tail swinging from side to side.
At last, Harry caught sight of the white helmets again, then Maya came into view. “Look!” Harry cried. “I can see the kid!” Its little black head was peering out of the green bag, a bewildered expression on its face. Harry couldn’t believe how tiny it was. It looked so vulnerable.
The mother goat’s bleating took on a different tone now. She sounded much less distressed and more excited. She began impatiently pacing along the cliff. Harry wished he could hold her back, as she seemed dangerously near the edge.
He crossed his fingers, desperately hoping the baby goat would be all right. Then he heard it – a very faint bleating – as the baby goat called back to its mother.
“That’s a good sign, isn’t it?” asked Harry, glancing over at Aunt Judy.
She smiled back at him. “It definitely is,” she replied. “It can’t be that weak if it’s still trying to call to its mother.”
A moment later, Maya, and then Paul, emerged over the top of the cliff face, their feet firmly on flat ground again.
Helen came forward and helped open the bag, lifting out the baby goat. Harry wanted to rush up and look at it, but he made himself stay back, not wanting to overcrowd it.
From where he was standing the kid looked very small, and very sweet, with a tiny fluffy body and long legs. It had a black face and grey and white markings on its body, and it kept giving little high-pitched bleats as Helen held it in her arms. The mother goat kept a wary distance from the inspectors, but her eyes were fixed on the kid.
Then the team fell silent, all of them watching Helen as she handled the baby goat.
“Is it OK?” Harry asked.
“Well, I can confirm it’s a boy,” said Helen. “And I think he’s only around three to five days old, so I’d say he’s had a very lucky escape. I’m not sure how long he could have survived out there on his own. It’s a good thing you and Judy spotted him when you did. And that you got in touch with us so quickly.”
She continued to run her hands gently over the kid’s body, then his legs, testing for any sign of breakages.
“What do you think, Helen?” asked Charlie.
“He looks to be in good condition,” Helen replied. “Good skin, nice clear eyes. He seems very light and weak, but then he would after so long without food. I can’t see anything wrong with him, so I think the best thing is to get him back to his mother.”
As she spoke, she stood up, holding the kid close to her body, and walked over to Aunt Judy. “Would you like to give him back to his mother?” she asked. “After all, you’re the most familiar with the herd.”
“Oh, thank you,” said Judy, beaming at her.
She held out her arms and very carefully took the baby goat from Helen. “Oh, isn’t he gorgeous?” she whispered. Harry stood by her side, and gave the kid a tiny stroke. He had a lovely sooty-black face, with amazing orangey-yellow eyes, a little pink nose and sweet little sticky- out ears. Harry was amazed by how soft his hair felt. His hooves looked very big compared to the rest of his body, as if he was going to have to grow into them.
“I can’t think how he even got down there in the first place,” said Judy, “if he’s so young.”
“Baby goats can walk very soon after birth,” said Helen. “And they’re born climbers. I should think this is the mother’s first kid, though. Her inexperience meant that she didn’t realize the slope would be too tricky for her kid to manage.”
“Well, she will have learned her lesson,” Nathan pointed out. “She was up all night worrying about him, so I’d say she’s got the makings of a very good mother.”
“Why did she go down there?” asked Harry.
“She was probably after some juicy plants,” laughed Charlie. “Goats will do anything for food. Even scale near-perpendicular cliff faces!”
The tiny goat gave a little bleat, as if in agreement, and they all looked over at him. “He’s so sweet, isn’t he?” said Harry, thinking how amazing it was that the goat had managed to get down the cliff at all, when he had only just been born.
“He is,” said Aunt Judy, “and sadly it’s time for me to give this tiny little thing back to its mother, however tempting it is to keep cuddling him.”
Aunt Judy walked over to the mother goat and gently set the kid down by her side, then stepped back.
Everyone held their breath for a moment, willing the mother goat to accept him. Harry knew that if baby animals were away from their mothers for too long, they risked being rejected by them. But the baby goat gave a little bleat and immediately started nudging at its mother’s teats, before suckling thirstily on her milk. The mother goat turned her head to nuzzle her kid, then stayed perfectly still.
Harry looked over at Aunt Judy and saw that she had tears in her eyes. She caught his glance and they smiled at each other.
“We should name him,” Harry said. “He deserves a name after all his adventures.”
“How about Cliff?” suggested Paul.
Helen gave him a nudge with her elbow. “That’s a terrible joke,” she said.
“What about Sooty?” suggested Judy, looking at the black markings on his face.
“That’s a perfect name,” said Charlie, watching the mother and kid together.
Harry thought he’d remember this moment for a long time. Just then Sooty came away from his mother and looked at them all, twitching his little pink nose. Then, as if he had satisfied his interest, he turned back to the important task of getting more milk from his mother.
“Well, we’d better be packing up,” said Ben, and the RSPCA team began collecting their equipment, pulling out the metal stakes and carefully winding up the ropes before putting them in their huge backpacks.
“We’ll check these thoroughly when we get back to base,” Charlie explained, “to make sure the ropes haven’t been damaged.”
Harry turned back to look at Sooty who was still busy feeding, his little tail wagging happily.
“I wish I had a camera,” said Harry. “Then I could take a photo of Sooty to show to Mum.”
“I know,” said Aunt Judy. “We can use my phone.” She pulled her mobile out of her pocket and took a photograph. “Look at this,” she said.
Harry peeked over her shoulder. “Brilliant!” he grinned. “Although you can’t see much of Sooty’s face. We’ll have to try to take another one when he’s finished feeding.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be any time soon,” laughed Aunt Judy. “Poor little thing must be starving.”
“Are we just going to leave them now?” asked Harry.
“Well, I’ll definitely come back and check on them over the next few days,” replied Aunt Judy. “Just to make sure they’re getting on OK. I don’t think there are going to be any problems though.”
Harry and Aunt Judy began walking back with the RSPCA team towards their Land Rover, which was parked nearby
on the coastal path. “I think Sooty and his mum are going to be just fine,” Charlie agreed as they loaded up. “But if there are any problems, you know you can always ring me.”
“Thanks,” said Aunt Judy, smiling at him. “That’s good to know. Would you all like to come back to Willowbrook Farm? I made a cake this morning, just in case we had something to celebrate.”
“That would be lovely,” said Paul. “I think we could all do with a cup of tea.”
“We’ve got a bit of space in the Land Rover,” Charlie added. “Harry, would you like to ride back with us?”
“Really?” said Harry, a grin spreading over his face. “That would be brilliant. If that’s OK, Aunt Judy?”
“Of course it is,” said his aunt. “I’ll see you all back at the farm.”
As Aunt Judy walked back down the cliff path, Harry climbed into the back of the Land Rover. Charlie took the driving seat, next to Helen, and the rest of the RSPCA team sat squashed in together in the back. As they drove off, Harry glanced anxiously out of the window, eager for one last look at Sooty and his mum.
Just before they turned the corner, he caught a glimpse of the tiny goat. He had finished feeding and was trotting happily along behind his mother, away from the cliff. The mother goat’s brown coat was quickly lost among the shrubs and boulders, but Harry could still see Sooty, the white patches on his coat gleaming against the grey rocks. The kid gave a little skip, then followed his mother into the long grasses, until he finally disappeared from view.
Harry kept watching, to see if they would reappear, but they were lost in the landscape. “Goodbye, Sooty!” he called. He knew the goats wouldn’t understand him, but it felt wrong to leave without saying goodbye. He turned to see that Paul had been watching along with him. “I feel sort of sad that they’ve gone,” admitted Harry.