notice.
‘Aiming at it were you?’
‘I’d like to see ya do better.’
‘I can.’
Colin looked around for a stone of his own. He had a good throwing arm. He took aim, relaxed, and let it go. The stone sailed perfectly, landing on the iron roof with an impressiveclatter. There was barking from behind the building.
‘Told you there’d be a dog.’
‘It’ll be tied up.’
‘Someone’ll hear it.’
‘Let’s wait and see.’ The barking lost energy and then faded to uncertain growling. There was no sign of life from within the house.
‘Right, let’s go then,’ Dougal said.
‘We should check again, to make sure.’
‘We’re wasting time.’
‘Better’n being caught.’
‘Be quick then.’
Colin watched the arc of the second stone. Another loud clatter. More barking. Nothing else.
‘Satisfied now?’
‘Do we have a plan?’
‘What’s there to plan? I’ve got the knife. You grab the sheep, I’ll slit its throat.’
‘You done it before?’
‘Can’t be difficult.’
Dougal was up and moving before Colin could argue. He followed along, crouched, not sure how he would approach the task. Once, up north, three of them had tried to ride a sheep, but it had been faster than it looked, and they’d never got close. This time he approached cautiously, circling around to stay behind the animals.
‘One in the middle,’ Dougal told him. Colin looked at it. It didn’t seem any different than the other two. A hen that hadn’t seen them coming squawked and flapped past their legs. One of the horses looked up at the sound of it but decided theywere far enough away to ignore and returned to grazing. The sheep didn’t move. Colin concentrated on the one he was to grab. From behind, its backside looked wide and ungainly. It couldn’t be that fast. Colin stopped, only a few yards from the oblivious creature.
‘What are you waiting for?’ Dougal whispered.
‘How do you want me to hold it?’ Colin asked, trying to picture the tackle in his mind.
‘Just hold it. It doesn’t matter how. Go on.’
Colin inched closer and the sheep’s head came up and turned to the side.
‘He knows I’m here.’
‘What are you waiting for, an introduction?’
‘It’s harder than you think.’
‘Just go,’ Dougal pushed his shoulder. The sheep sprang forward and Colin, spurred into action by the sudden movement, launched himself on. One, two, three paces. The sheep was ahead of him, changing direction at every bounce, but Colin was definitely gaining. He jumped at the animal’s woolly back and grasped its neck, trying to use his weight to ride it to the ground, but the sheep was strong enough to hold him up. Colin slid to the ground and was dragged behind it.
‘Hold him still. Hold him still,’ Dougal screamed.
‘Just do it.’
There were other sounds now as the rest of the animals gave voice to their distress. The dog’s barking reached a frenzy as Dougal made his attack. It was a clumsy, inexpert approach. He was unable to get a fix on the animal’s throat and instead the blade sank in at the shoulders, just above where Colin was holding on. The sheep leapt with the pain of it and this timeColin let go. Dougal fell on top of him. The sheep, the knife still stuck in it, ran about in mad, pained circles, bleating piteously .
‘What did you let go for?’
‘Why didn’t you slit its throat like you said you would?’
‘You can’t do it when it’s moving can you?’
‘Well you’re going to have to try again. We can’t leave it like that. It’s cruel.’
‘Bugger cruel, it’s dinner.’
The boys stood up and had just begun to move into position for the second attack when a rifle shot split the air. A clump of dirt was blasted free only a few feet in front of them.
‘Jesus.’
The two of them froze, long enough for a second shot to ring out. This time the bullet smashed into the side of the building.
‘He’s over there.’
Colin looked back to where Dougal pointed. The
‘Aiming at it were you?’
‘I’d like to see ya do better.’
‘I can.’
Colin looked around for a stone of his own. He had a good throwing arm. He took aim, relaxed, and let it go. The stone sailed perfectly, landing on the iron roof with an impressiveclatter. There was barking from behind the building.
‘Told you there’d be a dog.’
‘It’ll be tied up.’
‘Someone’ll hear it.’
‘Let’s wait and see.’ The barking lost energy and then faded to uncertain growling. There was no sign of life from within the house.
‘Right, let’s go then,’ Dougal said.
‘We should check again, to make sure.’
‘We’re wasting time.’
‘Better’n being caught.’
‘Be quick then.’
Colin watched the arc of the second stone. Another loud clatter. More barking. Nothing else.
‘Satisfied now?’
‘Do we have a plan?’
‘What’s there to plan? I’ve got the knife. You grab the sheep, I’ll slit its throat.’
‘You done it before?’
‘Can’t be difficult.’
Dougal was up and moving before Colin could argue. He followed along, crouched, not sure how he would approach the task. Once, up north, three of them had tried to ride a sheep, but it had been faster than it looked, and they’d never got close. This time he approached cautiously, circling around to stay behind the animals.
‘One in the middle,’ Dougal told him. Colin looked at it. It didn’t seem any different than the other two. A hen that hadn’t seen them coming squawked and flapped past their legs. One of the horses looked up at the sound of it but decided theywere far enough away to ignore and returned to grazing. The sheep didn’t move. Colin concentrated on the one he was to grab. From behind, its backside looked wide and ungainly. It couldn’t be that fast. Colin stopped, only a few yards from the oblivious creature.
‘What are you waiting for?’ Dougal whispered.
‘How do you want me to hold it?’ Colin asked, trying to picture the tackle in his mind.
‘Just hold it. It doesn’t matter how. Go on.’
Colin inched closer and the sheep’s head came up and turned to the side.
‘He knows I’m here.’
‘What are you waiting for, an introduction?’
‘It’s harder than you think.’
‘Just go,’ Dougal pushed his shoulder. The sheep sprang forward and Colin, spurred into action by the sudden movement, launched himself on. One, two, three paces. The sheep was ahead of him, changing direction at every bounce, but Colin was definitely gaining. He jumped at the animal’s woolly back and grasped its neck, trying to use his weight to ride it to the ground, but the sheep was strong enough to hold him up. Colin slid to the ground and was dragged behind it.
‘Hold him still. Hold him still,’ Dougal screamed.
‘Just do it.’
There were other sounds now as the rest of the animals gave voice to their distress. The dog’s barking reached a frenzy as Dougal made his attack. It was a clumsy, inexpert approach. He was unable to get a fix on the animal’s throat and instead the blade sank in at the shoulders, just above where Colin was holding on. The sheep leapt with the pain of it and this timeColin let go. Dougal fell on top of him. The sheep, the knife still stuck in it, ran about in mad, pained circles, bleating piteously .
‘What did you let go for?’
‘Why didn’t you slit its throat like you said you would?’
‘You can’t do it when it’s moving can you?’
‘Well you’re going to have to try again. We can’t leave it like that. It’s cruel.’
‘Bugger cruel, it’s dinner.’
The boys stood up and had just begun to move into position for the second attack when a rifle shot split the air. A clump of dirt was blasted free only a few feet in front of them.
‘Jesus.’
The two of them froze, long enough for a second shot to ring out. This time the bullet smashed into the side of the building.
‘He’s over there.’
Colin looked back to where Dougal pointed. The
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