by Paula Boer
"I didn"t believe Jacko when he told me about camels being out here. Do you think we"ll see the brumbies too?" Fully awake, Louise shifted on the seat to scan the surrounding country.
Graeme wound up his window to avoid the lingering dust. "I doubt they"ll be around here at this time of day. Wait till tomorrow. Simon has a plane that he spots them from."
Ben slid forward on his seat. "Do you think we"ll be able to go up with him?"
"That would be cool!" Louise had only flown in commercial jets before. The rare opportunity of seeing brumbies from the air overcame her concern about flying in a small prop plane.
As they talked about what the next few days might bring, the kilometres passed by. Dusk brought a cool evening as Graeme pulled the truck into the yard at Simon"s property.
The wrangler met them before the engine had even been turned off. "G"day. Glad you made it before it got too dark. We"re heading straight out again."
The long journey had made Louise tired despite the excitement. She didn"t feel like another drive. "Where to? Is there a problem?"
Simon must have heard the disappointment in her voice. "We don"t have to go, but the brumby researchers turned up yesterday. They"re going to dart a few stallions to fit them with tracking collars. I thought you"d all be interested."
"Awesome!" Louise remembered Simon mentioning the researchers when he visited Mirraburra in the summer. No-one had even hinted that they might be here at the same time.
Graeme climbed down from the cab. "That"s why Cooky left my guys to fend for themselves. He reckons a change of camp is as good as a holiday. He never goes into town."
Louise helped Ben lift out their bags. "What about Brandy and Splash?"
Simon took a saddle from Jacinta that she passed out of the truck. "The pony can be turned out with my riding horses. Brandy"ll have to go in a yard. There"ll be someone here to keep an eye on him."
The next half an hour went by in a flurry of activity, transferring gear to Simon"s old ute, and settling the horses. After a quick cup of tea guzzled on the run, Louise found herself in the back of another vehicle. "How far is it out to the camp?"
"I"m not sure exactly where they are. I"ll get co-ordinates from them as we get nearer. Greg didn"t know whether the herds would be in the same place as last year or not." Simon started the engine and drove off across the scrub.
Louise couldn"t see a track in the dark and wondered how Simon knew where to go. Squished between Ben and Jacinta in the back, everything outside looked black. She found herself nodding off again despite wanting to listen to Graeme and Simon chatting in the front.
The crackle of the radio dispelled her drowsiness. After what seemed like a garbled message, Simon changed direction and bounced across the ruts where the road had washed away. "Not far to go. They"re behind that next line of hills."
Despite Simon pointing, Louise couldn"t see any rise in the land. She hadn"t taken note that the country changed from flat to undulating. The vehicle swung around a bend as the track wove between ever-higher escarpments. Within a few minutes, she saw a glimmer of light. "Is that them?"
"Yeh, that"ll be their camp fire, I bet." Ben wound down the window and leant out for a closer look.
As Simon parked the ute next to the researchers" vehicles, Louise looked around her. There were no buildings, no trees, no windmill, nor water tank. The fire seemed to have been lit in the middle of nowhere. She followed everyone else across to meet Greg and Steve.
"Steve"s a vet. He"s responsible for the darting." After the introductions, Simon showed them where to lay out their swags.
Ben unrolled his bedroll and helped Louise do the same with hers. "Make sure you keep the sleeping bag zipped up. You don"t want a snake in your bed."
Louise didn"t know whether Ben was teasing or not, but took care to make sure nothing could crawl into her swag. After arranging her things, she opened up a fold-up stool and propped next to Cooky. "Can I do anything to help?"
"Dinner"s ready. Hope you"re hungry." The old man handed out metal plates and waved a ladle over a large pot on the fire. The stew of beef and carrots tasted really good to Louise.
She mopped up the gravy with a thick slab of damper. "Do you want a hand to wash up?"
"No, you get to bed. Breakfast is at five o"clock." The old cook waddled on crooked legs over to a water barrel where he dunked the dishes.
A rushing of air whooshed past Louise"s ears, making her jump. "Was that an owl?"
"No, a bat." Ben gave Cooky his plate. After dropping onto his bed, he kicked off his boots.
"Are they dangerous? I"ve heard about vampire bats biting people"s toes while they sleep."
Jacinta sneered as she snuggled further into her swag. "These are micro-bats. They won"t hurt you. Get into bed and you"ll be safe. It"ll be cold soon anyway."
Louise didn"t need another excuse. She stuffed her socks into her boots to keep scorpions and spiders out as Ben suggested, and plumped her pillow. Crickets chirruped, sounding like someone rattling a tambourine. Far away an owl hooted. Lying on her back, Louise stared at the night sky. As the glow from the fire receded, the stars twinkled brighter. She couldn"t believe how many there were. The white band of the Milky Way cut across the sky, millions of light years away.
As she tried to find the Southern Cross, Louise wondered if life existed on another planet. Imagining what type of creatures might be out there kept her mind off whatever might try and join her in the swag. She had always dreamt about sleeping rough, but now a tingle of nervousness shivered down her spine. She hoped they"d see plenty of brumbies the next day. As she started to drift off to sleep, a dingo howled in the distance.
Chapter 10
Movement in the camp stirred Ben from his slumber.
Leaning up on an elbow, he peered into the gloom around the campfire. Cooky sat in his usual place on a three-legged stool next to the pots and pans. Flames licked a blackened billy hanging from a tripod. A thin wisp of steam rose from the brewing tea. The dark shapes of the vehicles became clear as his eyes adjusted. "Morning, Cooky."
"It"s been morning for awhile, young Ben. Get your bones out of that swag and come and have breakfast." Cooky picked up a saucepan lid and clanged it with a spoon. Groans from the other bedrolls made him chuckle as he continued making a racket.
Wriggling out of his sleeping bag, Ben pulled on a fleece coat and rubbed his hands together. "It feels odd camping without horses or cattle around."
The old cook removed a slab of bread from a long wire, adding another piece of toast to a tin platter. "Get it while it"s hot. I ain"t doing this for me health."
The girls joined Ben at the fire. Graeme must have been up and about before them as he walked across from the vehicles. "Gents to the left of the utes, ladies to the right. The shovel"s leaning up against the tailgate."
Jacinta rose, chewing on a mouthful of jam and toast. "Where"s the loo roll?"
Ben watched Louise out of the corner of his eye as the discussion about the bush toilet facilities went on. She didn"t seem concerned. Relieved, he munched on his breakfast. "What"s the plan for the day?"
Greg, the researcher, took a swig from his tin mug. "Two of you can come with us and Simon"ll take the other two. Suit yourselves how you work it out."
Ben felt torn. He wanted to ride with Greg and Steve, and spend more time with Jacinta. It was so rare he saw her these days. But Louise was his guest, so maybe he should go with her, and his uncle and Simon. After all, she only knew Graeme a bit and didn"t know the other people at all.
Graeme solved his dilemma for him. "Ben and Louise can travel with you, Greg. They"re only visiting and this"ll be a rare chance for them to see the brumbies in their natural state. The rest of us will follow at a distance so we don"t get in the way. We can come out here any time."
After agreeing how to proceed with the darting, everyone
finished their breakfasts and cleaned up. Ben spotted Louise a little way from the camp, cleaning her teeth from a mug of water. "Are you nearly ready?"
"Coming!"
Daylight crept above the horizon as Ben and Louise crammed into the back of Greg"s four-wheel-drive. Boxes of radio collars, tracking antennae, a rifle, and a dart gun, plus jerry cans of water packed the station wagon to the ceiling. Spare fuel and survival gear was stacked high on the roof rack—a large toolbox, shovels, jacks, a box of wheel chains and even a hand winch.
Ben moved a large plastic box that looked like a first aid kit, in order to make more room inside. "What"s in this?"
Steve, the vet, had to shout to answer over the noise of the vehicle bumping over the rocky ground. "Careful with that, they"re my supplies. Handle a dart in the wrong way and you"ll be history!"
Louise squeezed against the door, almost swamped by the men"s gear on the back seat. "It must be interesting being a vet. Do you have a surgery or do you do this sort of thing all the time?"
Everyone had been too tired to talk much last night. Ben listened with half an ear as Steve chatted to Louise about flying to cattle stations, pregnancy testing cattle, gelding horses, and doing any other veterinary work needed. He thought of Brandy and his injured leg, glad the horse was recovering and able to work. That reminded him of Snifter. He knew he"d ignored his dog and should have been spending more time with him. And Louise, probably.
Feeling guilty, he realised that Louise must have been caring for the dog a lot. When a lull came in the conversation, he thanked her. "Maybe you should consider being a vet? You"re really good with hurt animals."
"I"ve always dreamed of working with horses when I finish school. I guess it depends on whether I go to uni. It takes years to train, doesn"t it?" Louise looked wistful as she answered, even though the question seemed directed more to Steve.
Before long, Greg slowed the vehicle down. "This is where we hope to spot the bachelors we saw a couple of days ago. I think they come to this waterhole early to drink. Keep quiet as we wait."
Steve left the vehicle and opened the back hatch. After preparing his darts and gun, he walked out of sight, leaving the door open so as not to make excessive noise.
Ben tried not to fidget as he waited. The day started to warm up as the sun rose above the distant hills. He wriggled his coat off without getting out of the car, struggling with his sleeves. As Louise started to tug on the ends to help him, it was all he could do not to laugh at his own struggles.
Bang! A muffled shot sounded, quieter than a rifle. Moments later, Steve ran towards them. "It"s in his rump. Quick, let"s follow."
With a roar, Greg started the engine and lurched over the uneven ground. Coming out from behind the shelter of the low hills, Ben spotted three brumbies at a gallop. One started to falter as the drug took effect, weaving in his race away from the waterhole.
Beside him, Louise leant forward to peer through the windscreen, gripping the seat with white knuckles. "He"s slowing! He"s going to fall over!"
The bay stallion stopped and rocked on sprawled legs. With a heave of his chest, he sank to the ground and rolled on his side.
"Hurry! We don"t want him down too long." Greg ran from the vehicle carrying a collar. As soon as Steve indicated it was safe to do so, he fastened the leather strap at the top of the brumby"s neck behind the ears. Steve monitored the horse"s breathing and pulse while he snipped a piece of hair from the mane for testing. After taking the horse"s temperature, he checked the body for any significant signs like old scars or parasites.
Greg waved Ben and Louise over. "Come and have a look, if you want."
Louise went straight to the horse"s head and stroked the forelock out of the stallion"s eyes. "He"s beautiful. How old do you think he is?"
Steve peeled back the horse"s lips and opened the mouth. "Five. He"s in great condition. I"m surprised he hasn"t got mares with him."
Ben was more interested in the horse"s hooves. He lifted a hind foot and tapped the bottom with his fingers. "This sole is really thick. Really short toes too. No wonder he can gallop over the stones around here. I thought the feet would be in terrible condition from never being trimmed."
"The long distances and hard ground they travel over condition them well. We"ve done x-rays of feet like this. Better than anything you usually see on a domestic horse." Greg signalled for them to stand back as Steve readied a syringe.
"Give him space to come round. Best if you all go back to the car." Steve knelt by the horse"s rump and jabbed him with the antidote needle before leaping back and moving out of range. A few seconds later, the horse raised his head.
Ben couldn"t believe how quickly the brumby recovered. No sooner had he opened his eyes, he scrambled to his feet. After shaking his body as if he couldn"t work out how he had ended up on the ground, he burst into a canter and disappeared.
Over the next couple of hours, Greg located three more brumbies that they successfully darted and collared. All acted in the same way, unhurt by the experience. "Their movements get tracked and recorded with the time of day. We"ll locate them in a week"s time using the radio receiver and dart them again to remove the collars. That"s when the hard work starts to interpret the data against the map and see how they live."
By eleven o"clock, the heat of the day meant it was harder to find horses. Greg explained they"d be resting in whatever shade they could find and not travelling to water or food along the trails. In the distance, he detected a puff of dust. "If that"s a stallion, we"ll make him the last and head back to camp."
Steve managed to dart the horse, this time from a much further distance than before. The brumby covered over a kilometre before succumbing to the drug. This horse was obviously much older than the others they"d seen. Old scars covered his neck and shoulders from countless fights. His thick mane hung in dreadlocks and his tail dragged on the ground.
Louise tried to untangle the coarse hair. "He must have had a tough life. Do you think he used to have a big herd of his own?"
Ben didn"t hear the answer, engrossed in looking at the stone-hard frog of the horse"s hoof. The hoof twitched out of his hand as the stallion struck out and kicked. "Aaaagh!"
Greg dragged Louise away as the horse started to thrash. Steve jabbed a needle into the brumby"s neck to re-sedate the animal.
Ben writhed on the ground, holding his thigh. "Ow! He got me!"
Greg grabbed Ben under the arms and dragged him away from the fallen horse who had settled back to rest. "Louise, grab Ben"s other leg and help me move him while Steve tends to the brumby."
Steve finished collaring the stallion and resuscitated him.
The horse galloped off like the others.
The vet squatted next to Ben and checked out his leg. "I don"t think anything"s broken. We"d better get you back to camp and have a better look."
Glad that Greg carried a comprehensive medical kit amongst their gear, Ben welcomed the painkillers the researcher handed him. Cross with himself for forgetting that sedated animals could come round quickly, he cursed the fact he might not be able to ride for awhile. Tomorrow Simon had planned a muster of the large herds of brumbies. Ben had been keen to see how Brandy would work with other wild horses. Now he wouldn"t get the chance.
The drive back to camp passed in a cloud of pain and drugged confusion. Ben felt himself drifting in and out of consciousness, only hearing mumbles of conversation between Greg and Steve. He wished Louise was here to talk to him, but she had joined his Uncle Graeme and Jacinta in the other car to give him room to lie across the back seat.
"We"re back. Lie still while we rig up a stretcher." Greg left his door open so it didn"t jolt the car.
After making Ben as comfortable as they could, Steve opened his penknife. "I can cut your jeans off or you can grin and suffer while we pull them off."
Knowing he only had one spare pair with h
im, Ben grimaced. "Don"t cut them! I"ll cope."
Ben tried not to yell as the men eased off his jeans. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he felt nauseous.
Steve gave Ben"s leg a thorough examination. "Beaut bruise. I hope you like purple and green. I"ll icepack the swelling and give you some anti-inflammatories. Rest and time are the only cure."
Ben thought that sounded much like what the vet had told him when Brandy had injured his hind leg when he became tangled in a wire fence six months ago. Now it was his turn, just as his horse was recovering enough to work. "How long do you think it"ll take?"
"Depends how tough you are. A rodeo rider would get on a horse today. I"d give it at least a couple of days if I were you." That didn"t sound as bad as Ben feared. Exhausted by the effort of conversation, he lay back and tried not to think about the rest of his holiday.
Graeme shook Ben"s shoulder. "We"re going to get you back to Simon"s now rather than tonight as planned. Greg"s offered to drive you in his car rather than you rattle around in the horse truck. We"ll see you back there."
Ben felt guilty about disturbing the researcher"s plans but was in too much pain to argue. He didn"t notice much of the journey, waking only as they turned into the yard. "Are we here already? Can someone check Brandy for me?"
Graeme helped Ben hop into the house. "Someone will need to work that stallion of yours."
Simon picked up a pile of horse magazines and dropped them next to where Ben was propped in a chair with his bad leg on a stool. "I"ll ride him for you. I fancy a go on a mountain brumby for a change."
Ben shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I"d rather no-one else rode him."
Simon shrugged. "I understand he"s special to you, but after his big day yesterday and standing in the yard ever since, he needs to get out and move about. How about Graeme or Jacinta?"
"No. Sorry. How about Louise lunging him? She knows how I work him on the ground."
Louise had been silent while the men made Ben comfortable. She came over and sat on the arm of a nearby chair. "I"d prefer to work him loose in the round yard. Would that be okay?"