shelter. They were both in the same boat.
He got his home-made pole and opened the barn window. It was getting darker every minute now. Yarra heard him and saw the movement of the window. She backed away a few yards and raised her blunt head, stretching her jaws wide, and giving a low rumble. She knew this human being now and so far he had presented no threat.
Smiler, pushing the pole through the window, murmured, âAll right, old girl. Wonât take a moment.â
He jabbed down in the gloom at the barn door latch. After a few tries, he hit the thumb press and the door swung back slowly. He pulled the pole back through the window and watched Yarra. The tension went from her. She padded in a small semi-circle around the open door, looked up at him once, and then moved slowly into the barn.
Smiler closed the window and then went to the trap in the loft floor and listened. He could hear the restless movements of Yarra scraping and shaping her straw and then a heavy thump as she dropped to her bed.
Well, that was all right, thought Smiler. She was all comfy for the night. She would be gone just after first light in the morning and he could go down and close the door. However, right now, he took the precaution of shooting the bolt across the trap door.
He went back to his own bed and turned the radio on softly. An hour later the news came on. The local news was given before the national news. The local, South of England news made no mention of one Samuel Miles, but it had plenty to say about Yarra, the cheetah, who was sleeping a few feet below him. The public were warned that she had been sighted that day a couple of miles from the village of Crockerton in the valley of the River Wylye. It was felt that she was still in the area and people were warned to watch out for her. She would be dangerous only if cornered or suddenly surprised. She was most likely to be dangerous to young children and parents were warned not to let them move about unaccompanied. Everyone was warned that it was unwise to walk alone in lonely woods and remote areas. A cordon was being thrown around the area of the river valley where Yarra had been sighted. It was confidently expected that she would soon be captured. Then there was an interview with the Cheetah Warden from Longleat Park, who was asked some questions about cheetahs, their habits and what they ate, and how dangerous they really were, and so on. Smiler chuckled to himself through all this. Yarra was in the news, and she was just below him.
But after the news was over, Smiler got a bit worried. Yarra was no trouble to him, and it didnât worry him that she might go about taking a few chickens ⦠but she was dangerous to small children! Well, oughtnât he to do something about it? Oughtnât he to drop out of the barn window now and go and find the nearest policeman so that Yarra could be caught?
And if he did?
Well, Samuel M., he told himself, that would be the end of you. They would all think you were a good lad and had done the right thing. Theyâd probably interview you on television and radio â but in the end youâd be shipped back to that school.
It was a difficult problem. Yarra would go off tomorrow and almost certainly she would be caught â and he would still be free. Anyway, he wasnât too keen about dropping out of that window right now, landing with a thump on the gravel, and having Yarra, maybe, come out after him like a streak of greased lightning. That wouldnât do anyone any good, particularly Samuel M. But if Yarra werenât caught tomorrow? Then she would come padding back here to her shelter. Well, that one wasnât difficult to work out. Tomorrow evening he would leave the barn door open and he would stay in the cottage. He could watch the barn from the bathroom window. The moment he saw Yarra come back he would go out through the front door and up to the village of Crockerton. Bound to be a public telephone box
He got his home-made pole and opened the barn window. It was getting darker every minute now. Yarra heard him and saw the movement of the window. She backed away a few yards and raised her blunt head, stretching her jaws wide, and giving a low rumble. She knew this human being now and so far he had presented no threat.
Smiler, pushing the pole through the window, murmured, âAll right, old girl. Wonât take a moment.â
He jabbed down in the gloom at the barn door latch. After a few tries, he hit the thumb press and the door swung back slowly. He pulled the pole back through the window and watched Yarra. The tension went from her. She padded in a small semi-circle around the open door, looked up at him once, and then moved slowly into the barn.
Smiler closed the window and then went to the trap in the loft floor and listened. He could hear the restless movements of Yarra scraping and shaping her straw and then a heavy thump as she dropped to her bed.
Well, that was all right, thought Smiler. She was all comfy for the night. She would be gone just after first light in the morning and he could go down and close the door. However, right now, he took the precaution of shooting the bolt across the trap door.
He went back to his own bed and turned the radio on softly. An hour later the news came on. The local news was given before the national news. The local, South of England news made no mention of one Samuel Miles, but it had plenty to say about Yarra, the cheetah, who was sleeping a few feet below him. The public were warned that she had been sighted that day a couple of miles from the village of Crockerton in the valley of the River Wylye. It was felt that she was still in the area and people were warned to watch out for her. She would be dangerous only if cornered or suddenly surprised. She was most likely to be dangerous to young children and parents were warned not to let them move about unaccompanied. Everyone was warned that it was unwise to walk alone in lonely woods and remote areas. A cordon was being thrown around the area of the river valley where Yarra had been sighted. It was confidently expected that she would soon be captured. Then there was an interview with the Cheetah Warden from Longleat Park, who was asked some questions about cheetahs, their habits and what they ate, and how dangerous they really were, and so on. Smiler chuckled to himself through all this. Yarra was in the news, and she was just below him.
But after the news was over, Smiler got a bit worried. Yarra was no trouble to him, and it didnât worry him that she might go about taking a few chickens ⦠but she was dangerous to small children! Well, oughtnât he to do something about it? Oughtnât he to drop out of the barn window now and go and find the nearest policeman so that Yarra could be caught?
And if he did?
Well, Samuel M., he told himself, that would be the end of you. They would all think you were a good lad and had done the right thing. Theyâd probably interview you on television and radio â but in the end youâd be shipped back to that school.
It was a difficult problem. Yarra would go off tomorrow and almost certainly she would be caught â and he would still be free. Anyway, he wasnât too keen about dropping out of that window right now, landing with a thump on the gravel, and having Yarra, maybe, come out after him like a streak of greased lightning. That wouldnât do anyone any good, particularly Samuel M. But if Yarra werenât caught tomorrow? Then she would come padding back here to her shelter. Well, that one wasnât difficult to work out. Tomorrow evening he would leave the barn door open and he would stay in the cottage. He could watch the barn from the bathroom window. The moment he saw Yarra come back he would go out through the front door and up to the village of Crockerton. Bound to be a public telephone box
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