Heirs of the Body(55)
The donkey man went over to them. Daisy heard him say loudly and firmly, “No whips.”
The father started to argue.
As soon as the donkey man moved away from his animals, Bel, Ben, and Derek closed in. Each went to a particular mount, stroked its nose, and fed it something produced from a pocket.
“I hope they’ve somehow got hold of carrots or apples,” said Daisy. “I don’t know how a donkey’s insides would react to toffees or cake.”
“Aren’t they omnivorous, like goats?”
“I don’t think so. Let’s pretend we didn’t see. There’s Edgar at the end of the course, ready to present the prizes.”
“He must shell out a pretty penny. I must say I’m impressed by his lord-of-the-manor persona. He seems to know everyone by name.”
“Easy names compared to his moths and butterflies. And dragonflies. He likes people. He just isn’t interested in running the estate except when it comes to leaving parts au naturel.”
Quite a few spectators had gathered by now. The donkey man returned to his beasts and led them to their starting places. They seemed puzzled to be lined up side by side instead of nose to tail. Ears twitched and one brayed.
Derek mounted his donkey in style. The farm boys clambered aboard with less style but equal confidence. The father helped his angry daughter with detailed instructions for every move. The donkey man gave Bel and Ben a hand. When everyone was settled, he stepped aside, raised a whistle to his lips, and blew.
The riders dug in their heels, shook the bridles, and added their cries of encouragement to those of the spectators. The donkeys, used to being led, paid little heed. After a few indecisive moments, Derek’s superior technique got his mount to start walking. The others followed, except the one ridden by the girl in jodhpurs. Perhaps it caught her sulkiness. It stood unmoving, and when her father went to its head and pulled on the bridle, it dug in its heels.
Meanwhile Derek had coaxed his donkey to a trot. Before the others made up their minds to copy it, he had opened a fair lead. Then the beast remembered the circles it had been doing for several hours and veered off course into an arc that took it into the path of both the farm lads. Derek hauled on the reins, but it was determined. The nearer of its blocked competitors made a slight detour to get past its rear end, speeding up. The second joined Derek’s mount. Scattering spectators, they circled back towards the start.
The crowd was in an uproar, laughing and yelling advice. Ben was in the lead, with Belinda at his heels, and the remaining farmer’s boy fast closing the gap.
“Go, Blackie!”
“You can do it, Miss!”
“Get a move on, our Jim!”
Suddenly Ben raised one hand as if to shade his eyes. He must have pulled on the reins reflexively, because his steed slowed. Belinda caught up.
The noise from the crowd redoubled.
Without warning, Belinda’s donkey bucked. Her head swung forward and thumped against its neck. Blood streaming from her face, she slid to the ground.
SEVENTEEN
Ben, abandoning his donkey, was the first to reach Belinda. She lay flat on her back on the grass. He knelt at her side and leaned over her. Their donkeys calmly strolled off, nibbling the short turf.
Inevitably people quickly gathered round, so Daisy, running, couldn’t see Bel. At her side, Alec rapped out in his policeman voice: “Let us through. And clear a space, please.”
“Find Dr. Hopcroft,” Daisy begged, charging onward.
Bel’s eyes were open, thank goodness. She was clasping to her face a large cotton handkerchief, sodden with blood.
“I think I’ve got another one somewhere,” said Ben, searching feverishly through his pockets.
Daisy knelt down beside Belinda, who promptly burst into tears. “Bubby, it hurts!”
“What hurts, darling? A pain in your back? Arms, legs? Do try not to cry, sweetheart, it’ll make your nose worse. Does your head ache?”
“By dose hurts. Daddy, ab I goi’g to bleed to death?”
“Of course not, pet.” Alec squeezed the hand she held out to him, then put a clean hankie in it. “Here, press as hard as you can bear to. But try not to move otherwise in case you’ve hurt your back.”
Dr. Hopcroft and Derek arrived.
“I thought I’d better find the doctor first,” Derek panted. “Is Bel all right? Gosh, that’s quite a nosebleed!”
“Let’s just make sure it’s all that’s wrong,” said the doctor as Daisy and Alec moved aside to give him room.
A couple of minutes of “Move this,” and “Can you feel that?” sufficed to indicate no serious damage.
“Whed will by dose stop bleedi’g?”