Haki the Shetland Pony

by Kathleen Fidler

  “Please, I want to look at Haki first,” Adam begged.

  “Just two minutes, then!”

  The colt was still trembling slightly. Adam stroked him and talked quietly to him. “It’s all right now, Haki! It will never happen again.” The colt nuzzled Adam and began to settle down.

  When Adam reached the living-wagon, Ella Bradley was waiting for him with a piece of raw steak.

  “Come here, Adam!” she said with pretended wrath. “It’s come to something when I’ve got to sacrifice today’s dinner to put on your black eye because you’ve been fighting! Well, did you beat him?”

  “Aye!” Adam grinned as he held the steak to his eye.

  “If you hadn’t you’d have heard something from me,” she said.

  “If Adam’s got a black eye, Willie Baxter’s certainly no picture,” Jake chuckled. “He’ll keep out of everyone’s way for a bit.”

  That night Willie did not lead in the chimpanzees. His brother had to stand in for him.

  “What’s up with Willie?” Mr Wiggins demanded.

  “Had a bit of an accident. Got his face marked. He’ll be all right tomorrow,” Alec Baxter told him.

  As Adam and Haki passed the chimpanzees in the Grand Parade, Cora chattered angrily and Haki shied slightly away from her and fell out of step.

  “Steady, Haki!” Adam said over his shoulder. “It’s all right.”

  Haki resumed his jaunty march behind Adam. Sonda had noted the chattering chimpanzee and Haki’s nervous movement. She was quick to connect the two. She twitched her trunk in Cora’s direction and trumpeted so fiercely that she almost drowned Adam’s piping. Mr Wiggins cracked his whip and the Parade went on.

  When the show was over Mr Wiggins sent for Jake.

  “What’s going on in this circus? Nobody ever tells me anything,” he stormed. “But I’m neither blind nor daft. One lad can’t appear because his face is messed up and another lad has a swollen eye. A chimp practically swears at a lad and his pony shies, then Sonda gets mad. It all adds up to something. Now, what is it?”

  “I reckon there was a bit of a fight between Willie Baxter and Adam Cromarty and Baxter didn’t get the better of it,” Jake said cautiously.

  “There’s only one thing would rouse Adam’s temper and that’s trouble over his pony,” the Boss remarked shrewdly. “How did Cora come into it? Haki didn’t shy at her for nothing. Has Baxter had the chimp in the stables? Now, if he’s let Cora frighten the horses, I’ll not stand for it. Willie Baxter goes!”

  Jake put a hand on his arm. “Hold it, Boss! Willie Baxter’s had a lesson from Adam Cromarty that he’ll not forget. You’d be as well to let it go at that.”

  “Well – maybe you’re right, Jake. The chimps are a good turn; though it’s a pity Willie has got this jealous grievance against Adam.”

  “Willie thinks Adam has ousted him from his proper place in the circus.”

  “He’s wrong there. You can tell both lads from me, though, that if there’s any more fighting I’ll dock their pay for a week.”

  “I’ll do that, Boss,” Jake promised. “I think it might not be a bad idea to stable Haki somewhere else. While he’s stabled alongside Willie Baxter’s ponies, there’s always the chance of the two boys getting cross with each other.”

  “Where are you going to put him, then?”

  “We’ve plenty boards and canvas. I think we could fix it next to the elephant’s shelter.”

  “That’s a good idea, Jake. You think Sonda will watch over Haki?”

  “She’s terrible fond of him, sir. She wouldn’t stand for any monkeying about with the pony.”

  “I get you! When you say monkeying about, you mean monkeying about. All right! Go ahead! You can fix it with Bill and Adam.”

  The very next day Haki was moved next door to Sonda, greatly to her delight. Sonda could just look over the wooden planking between their stalls. Haki, too, seemed to find comfort in Sonda’s companionship.

  Willie Baxter watched these changes with disgust. “I’ve not done with you yet, Scottie!” he muttered to himself.

  The circus moved on to Dunfermline and Perth. In Perth it was set out on a piece of flat land near the River Tay. People flocked in to see it and the Big Top was crowded every night. Haki and Sonda, “The Big and the Little,” were tremendous favourites with the audience.

  The last night of their stay in Perth, Adam stabled Haki as usual next door to Sonda. Bill tethered Sonda by a leg chain to an iron stake buried in the ground.

  “Mind you, Adam, if Sonda took it into her head to uproot that stake, she could do it easily,” Bill told Adam. “She could pull up a tree if she wanted.”

  “What keeps her there, then?” Adam asked.

  “Habit, I suppose. When she was a baby elephant she couldn’t have pulled up the stake then, so she’s got used to it. She knows it’s a sign she must stay where she is. She’s an obedient beast. Not much chance of her straying away, though, while she’s got Haki next door. Better than a nannie to him, she is!”

  Adam put out clean water for Haki and saw he had plenty of straw bedding. “Goodnight, Haki! I’ll be back in the morning.” Haki nuzzled him with affection.

  Adam was careful to see that the wood and canvas door to Haki’s stable was properly secured by its bolt. Jake was always very insistent about making the animals secure, so Adam also tied two ends of rope which fastened the door to a pole.

  “Goodnight, Sonda!” Adam called softly as he passed Sonda’s stable. Sonda replied with a friendly grunt.

  That night a shadow crept up to Haki’s stable and untied the rope and shot back the bolt. A moment later there was the sound of blows from a whip! Haki neighed in terror, clattered his hooves and bolted from his stable. In a moment he had disappeared in the darkness.

  “That’s your hash settled!” the lad with the whip muttered. “By morning you’ll be miles away!”

  Sonda was roused from sleep by Haki’s frightened neighing. She poked her head outside her shelter in time to see Haki gallop away terrified from the shadowy person holding the whip. Her quick intelligence connected the lad with the whip with Haki’s cry of pain. She lashed out with her trunk and snatched the whip, then dealt the man a stinging blow with it. He yelled with fear and ran for all he was worth towards the living-wagons and tents.

  Sonda lunged forwards to pursue him. She was brought up short by the chain on her leg. She remembered Haki. Where was he? She must find Haki! Sonda gave a terrific tug to her chain and stake. She pulled her hardest and the stake came out of the ground. She was free! She dashed over the meadow after Haki, dragging her chain and stake behind her, trumpeting wildly.

  Sonda crashed through a low fence that Haki had leaped. She thundered across a garden, over a wall and on to the high road. She ran along the high road till she came to a lane. Again she trumpeted. Even in his headlong flight, Haki heard her and slackened his speed a little. He gave his answering neigh. Sonda plunged down the lane after him.

  Haki could smell the heather on the hills. The heather meant home and safety for him. There was even a dim memory of Hecla. Between him and the hills lay the wide stretch of the fast-flowing river. Haki plunged down towards it.

  Up at the circus camp Bill had been roused by Sonda’s frantic trumpeting. He hitched on his trousers and ran to her shelter. It was empty! He looked in the next stable. Haki had vanished too! Bill paused only long enough to snatch up his long iron hook and a length of rope. He dashed to Jake’s living-wagon and hammered on the door.

  “Get up, Jake! Haki’s gone and Sonda too! We’ve got to find them!”

  Adam heard Bill’s knocking and his shout. In a second he was into trousers and pullover and had joined Bill and Jake. Haki was in danger!

  “Which way did they go?” Jake demanded.

  “Towards the road.”

  Jake snatched up his big hand torch. “Come on!” he said. They set off at a run.

  Jake flashed his torch along the grass of the meadow.
There were marks of Sonda’s feet in the soft ground. They followed them as fast as they could in the dark till they reached the broken fence.

  “Sonda’s certainly been here!” Bill said grimly.

  A man leaned out of the bedroom window of the cottage.

  “Lost something?” he asked when he saw their torch.

  “Aye, an elephant!”

  “It crossed my garden and made off down the road towards the river.”

  “Come on, lads!” Bill cried.

  “Hey! What about compensation for my fence and plants?” the man cried after them.

  “See you in the morning about that! Got to catch the elephant now!” Bill shouted back.

  At last they came on Sonda and Haki standing by the river brink. Sonda was standing between Haki and the water. Every movement Haki made towards the river, Sonda thwarted him by her great body.

  “Sonda’s keeping him from the river,” Bill cried. “Why should Haki want to go into the water?”

  Adam knew, “He’d want to cross the river to get to the hills. He could smell the heather. Any Shetland pony would take to the hills.”

  “He might have been drowned,” Jake said sternly.

  Adam reached Haki and put his arms around him. The little pony trembled and nuzzled against him, nickering and whinnying.

  “He’s been frightened!” Adam declared.

  Sonda seemed satisfied now Adam was looking after Haki. She submitted to being secured with the rope.

  “How on earth did they get out?” Jake asked as they began to lead the animals back to the circus. “Did you fasten up Haki’s stable all right last night, Adam?”

  “Yes, I’m sure I did,” Adam replied positively.

  “I was up there taking a look at Sonda after Adam went to his tent,” Bill said. “Haki’s stable was fastened up all right then. Seeing Sonda can’t untie knots, someone must have been there afterwards.”

  “Looks like it,” Jake agreed. “Someone must have let Haki loose and Sonda went after him. We all know how daft Sonda is about Haki.”

  They reached the stables again. Suddenly Sonda lifted something out of her path and tossed it away from her in anger.

  “What’s that?” Bill asked sharply.

  Jake picked it up. It was a whip!

  “This looks like the cause of the trouble,” he said.

  “Did someone use that on Haki?” Adam gasped, his face dark with anger. “Whose whip is it?”

  Jake examined it by his torch. “It’s a stockwhip out of the stores,” he announced. “It could have been used by anyone in the circus. Most of us have them.”

  “I’ll find out who—” Adam began angrily.

  Jake shook his head. “You’ve no proof, lad. You’ve got to have proof before you can accuse anyone. Sonda didn’t let the culprit off scot-free. A pity she can’t speak! We’ll all of us keep our eyes skinned. Truth has a strange way of coming out. Meanwhile, you can trust Sonda to look after Haki.”

  10. Fire! Fire!

  The circus continued its tenting tour through the larger towns of Scotland, staying for a while in Glasgow. As summer began to wear into autumn, it headed south for Lancashire, playing to the big industrial towns.

  Haki and Sonda continued to do their turn together and were great favourites. There was a wicked gleam in Sonda’s eye, however, whenever she saw Willie Baxter. Willie took care to keep away from her.

  Week by week, Adam was saving part of his wage towards his set purpose of buying Haki back. Though they were quite happy in the circus, Adam still wanted to own Haki again. Of his wage of ten pounds, he paid three pounds a week to Ella Bradley for his food. She refused to take any more.

  “Nay, lad, the tent’s there to be used and the bed came from the circus stores. I wouldn’t have the face to charge you for that. The money easily covers your food.

  “But there’s my washing, too, and all your trouble,” Adam pointed out.

  “Deary me! What’s one extra in the stewpot or the washing-tub?” Ella dismissed her generosity lightly.

  Adam confided in her how he was saving up to buy Haki back.

  “That’s a sensible idea. But you’re not thinking of leaving the circus, are you?”

  “Oh, no!” Adam said hastily. “It’s just – well – Haki has always belonged to me. I send some money home to my mother every week, but I could put three pounds a week towards buying Haki. Ella, will you look after my savings for me?”

  Ella hesitated. “The money might not always be safe in the living-wagon, Adam. Jake and I have to be away from it a lot. You’d be better with it in the post office savings bank. You could pop into a post office at every town we visited. You’d get a bit of interest on your money too.”

  So every week Adam paid a visit to the post office, to send a postal order to his mother, and to put a regular sum in the savings bank. Towards the end of the circus tour his bank book was showing a nice little credit balance.

  The circus was to go into its winter quarters at a farm in Lancashire after its last show at Liverpool. Most of the animals would go to the farm, including the liberty horses, Haki and Sonda.

  “The Boss says you’re to go to the farm with us, Adam, and help me to look after the horses and ponies,” Jake told him during the last week.

  “That’s fine!” Adam exclaimed. “I didn’t want to have to be parted from any of you.”

  “Least of all from Haki!” Ella teased him. “Who is leaving the circus, then, Jake?”

  “The acrobats and trapezists will be going on the halls as usual, of course, but some of them will join us again in the spring. Leo’s taking the Big Cats to Belle Vue Circus in Manchester, just for the winter. The Boss says he’s not been over-pleased with the Baxters, so he’s given them notice.”

  “Thank goodness for that!” Ella exclaimed.

  That night was to be the last tenting show of the season.

  “There’ll be no need for us to pack up tonight to be ready for the road tomorrow,” Jake said with satisfaction. “The Boss says we can do it at our leisure. Hurrah for a good night’s rest.”

  “Jake, seeing we’ve not to be up at crack of dawn tomorrow, what about having a party for our friends tonight?”

  “Suits me!” Jake said.

  “Right! Pass the word round to Paulo and his troupe and Leo and the clowns, will you?” Ella said.

  “I take it you’re not inviting the Baxters?” Jake chuckled.

  “I am not!” Ella declared.

  That night Sonda and Haki gave a first-rate performance. During the last few weeks they had practised a final turn to their act. After they had said goodnight to the audience, Adam said to Haki, “Come along to bed now, Haki, there’s a good boy!”

  Haki shook his head and stood stock still. Adam repeated the command but Haki still refused to budge. Then Adam, in pretended despair said to Sonda, “Can you do anything with him, Sonda?”

  Bill pointed to Haki and said, “Up, Sonda!”

  Sonda curled her trunk very gently round Haki and carried him out of the ring to the laughter and applause of the crowd.

  Bill had been right. Haki had liked Sonda to stroke his back with her rippling trunk. Affection grew between them. Working slowly and patiently, Bill and Adam at last reached the “lift and carry” stage of the act. To Sonda it came naturally. Haki had learned to trust Sonda. When, for the first time Bill said “Up, Sonda!” and pointed to Haki, the pony was astonished when he found himself in the air, but not alarmed.

  “Down, Sonda!” Bill said at once, and Sonda set Haki gently on his feet again.

  It was not till the last week of their tour that they performed this turn in public. It proved a great success.

  On the last night when Adam with his bagpipes and Haki and Sonda led the final Grand Parade, it seemed as if the audience would never let them go. Adam felt a pang of regret that it would be the last time for some months that he would lead the Parade. Not till spring would the circus go tenting again. He and Haki ha
d indeed become part of the show.

  The lights were put out in the Big Top. As Adam led Haki away to his stable Jake called after him, “Look sharp with getting Haki bedded down, Adam. Ella wants to get the party going quickly. She wants you to help.”

  “Tell Ella I’ll hurry,” Adam said.

  Willie Baxter heard what Jake said and glared in Adam’s direction. “So we’re not wanted at the party! And we’ve got the sack from the circus! I’ll fix you, Adam Cromarty, and your pony!” he muttered.

  The party was one of the best the circus had ever known. Ella produced mountains of delicious food. Even the Boss looked in and was given the place of honour on the settee.

  “Stand up, everybody!” Jake said. “Lift your glasses and cups! I ask you to drink the health of Mr Wiggins, the best boss a circus ever had! The Boss!”

  “The Boss!” everyone cried with enthusiasm.

  “Thanks, Jake! Thanks, all of you!” Mr Wiggins said. “You’ve been grand troupers, young and old. I hope you’ll be with me at the start of the next tenting season.”

  “Here’s to the Circus!” Ella cried.

  “The Circus!” Never was a toast drunk with more sincerity.

  It was while they were drinking the second toast that the alarm came. There was a terrific trumpeting from the elephant shed. It set the lions roaring and the horses neighing and stamping. Even above the noise of the party the din could be heard.

  “What’s wrong with Sonda?” Bill exclaimed, opening the door of the living-wagon. “Mercy on us! The shed’s afire!”

  Everyone poured out of the wagon and raced across the field. It was Haki’s shed that was blazing!

  “Haki! Haki!” Adam cried in horror. A terrified neighing came from the shed.

  Adam got there before Bill and Jake. He wrenched open the canvas and wood door and plunged in among the smoke and flames. Even as he went in an iron pole and wooden wall collapsed, bringing the canvas roof down with it. It fell inside the stable and began to blaze.

  “Haki! Haki! Where are you?” Adam stumbled round in the smoke. The heat from the fire singed his hair and eyebrows. “Haki! Haki!” he shouted frantically.