Page 11 of Vet in a Spin

Peverishly but vainly I sc anned each farm entrance in Grampton village

  as I shot through, and when I saw the open countryside ahead of me

  again the tension was almost unbearable. I was tell ing myself that

  the whole thing was hOpeless when in the far distance above a row of

  trees I spotted the familiar top f kIallock's wagon It was a high,

  wooden-sided vehicle and I couldn't mistake it. Repressing a shout of

  triumph I put my foot on the boards and set off in that direction with

  /~+0 ve' In a oy`TI the fanatical zeal of the hunter. But it was a

  long way off and I hadn't travellq~ a mile before I realised I had lost

  it. ~ Over the years many things have stayed in my memory, but the

  Great Co] Chase is engraver deeper than most. The sheer terror I felt

  is vivid to this dat9 I kept sighting the wagon among the maze of lanes

  and side roads but by the time I had cut across country my quarry had

  disappeared behind a hillside d dipped into one of the many hollows in

  the wide vista. I was constantly deceive~ by the fact that I expected

  him to be turning towards Darrow by after passing through a village,

  but he never did. Clearly he had other business on the way3L The whole

  thing seemed to last a very long time and there was no fun in ~ for me.

  I was gripped throughout by a cold dread, and the violent swings if.

  alternating scents of hope and despair were wearing to the point of

  exhaust io.

  I was utterly drained when at last I saw the tall lorry rocking along a

  straight road in front of me.

  I had him now! Forcing my little car to the limit, I drew abreast of

  him sounding my horn repeatedly till he stopped. Breathlessly I pulled

  up in front~ of him and ran round to offer my explanations. But as I

  looked up into the~ driver's cab my eager smile vanished. It wasn't

  Jeff Mallock at all. I had beef 1t following the wrong man.

  It was the 'ket feller'. He had exactly the same type of wagon as

  Mallock a he went round a wide area of Yorkshire picking up the

  nameless odds and en of the dead animals which even the knacker men

  didn't want. It was a st rang job and he was a st range-loo king man.

  The oddly piercing eyes glittere4, ~ uncannily from under a tattered

  army peaked cap. - :~ f~.

  "Wot's up, guvnor?" He removed a cigarette from his mouth and sp2~:

  companionably into the roadway.

  My throat was tight.

  "I - I'm sorry. I thought you were Jeff Mallock."

  The eyes did not change expression, but the corner of his mouth

  twitched F briefly.

  "If the wants Jeff he'll be back at his yard now, ah reckon." He sp'

  again and replaced his cigarette. .* I I nodded dully. Jeff would be

  there now all right long ago. I had been ..

  chasing the wrong wagon for about an hour and that cow would be dead

  an4( hanging up on hooks at this moment. The knacker man was a fast

  and skiff' worker and wasted no time when he got back with his beasts.

  i~j: "Well, ah'm off 'ome now," the ket feller' said.

  "So long, boss." He winked me, started his engine and the big vehicle

  rumbled away. - I trailed back to my car. There was no hurry now. And

  strangely now the' all was lost my mood relaxed. In fact, as I drove

  away, a great calm settled OD ~: me and I began to assess my future

  with cool objectivity. I would be drumau' out of the Ministry's

  service for sure, and idly I wondered if they had ar, special ceremony

  for the occasion perhaps a ritual stripping of the Par~: Certificates

  or something of the sort. t I tried to put away the thought that more

  than the Ministry would bl~: interested in my latest exploit. How

  about the Royal College? Did they strili~ you off for something like

  this? Well, it was possible, and in my serene state4 mind I toyed with

  the possibilities of alternative avenues of employment. I h~l.

  often thought it must be fun to run a secondhand book shop and now

  that' began to consider it seriously I felt sure there was an opening

  for one~ Darrow by. I experienced a comfortable glow at the vision of

  myself sit ting und.

  the rows of dusty volumes, pulling one down from the shelf when I felt

  liked or maybe just loo king out into the street through the window

  from my safe little world where there were no forms or telephones or

  messages saying,

  "Ring Mi In Darrow by I drove round without haste to the knacker yard.

  I left my.

  outside the grim little building with the black smoke drifting from its

  chim' *.~

  ~G ~616 ~=}~116

  I pulled back the sliding door and saw Jeff seated at his ease on a

  pile G. l hides, holding a slice of apple pie in blood-stained fingers.

  And, ah yes, the~

  I

  just behind him hung the two great sides of beef and on the floor, the

  lungs | bowels and other viscera the sad remnants of Mr Moverley's

  pedigree Ayrshire.

  / "Hello, Jeff," I said.

  "Now then, Mr Herriot." He gave me the beatific smile which mirrored

  his personality so well.

  "Ah'm just havin' a little snack. I all us like a bite about this

  time' He sank his teeth into the pie and chewed appreciatively.

  "So I see." I sorrowfully sc anned the hanging carcase. Just dog meat

  and not even much of that. Ayrshires were never very fat. I was

  wondering how to break the news to him when he spoke again.

  "Ah'm sorry you've caught me out this time, Mr Herriot," he said,

  reaching for a greasy mug of tea.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, I all us reckon to have t'beast dressed and ready for you but

  you've come a bit early."

  I stared at him.

  "But ... every thing's here, surely." I waved a hand around me.

  "Nay, nay, that's noter

  "You mean . . . that isn't the cow from Moverley's."

  "That's right." He took a long draught from the mug and wiped his

  mouth with the back of his hand.

  "I 'ad to do this 'un first. Moverley's cow's still in t'wagon out at

  the back."

  "Alive?"

  He looked mildly surprised.

  "Aye, of course. She's never had a finger on 'en Nice cow for a screw,

  too."

  I could have fainted with relief.

  "She's no screw, Jeff. That's the wrong cow you've got there?"

  "Wrong cow ?" No thing ever startled him but he obviously desired more

  information. I told him the whole story.

  When I had finished, his shoulders began to shake gently and the

  beautiful clear eyes twinkled in the pink face.

  "Well, that's a licker," he murmured, and continued to laugh gently.

  There was nothing immoderate in his mirth and indeed nothing I had said

  disturbed him in the least. The fact that he had wasted his journey or

  that the farmer might be annoyed was of no moment to him.

  Again, loo king at Jeff Mallock, it struck me, as many times before,

  that there was nothing like a lifetime of dabbling among diseased car

  cases and lethal bacteria for breeding tranquillity of mind.

  "You'll slip back and change the cow?" I said.

  "Aye, in a minute or two. There's nowt spoil in'. Ah never likes to

&n
bsp; hurry me grub' He belched contentedly.

  "And how about you, Mr Herriot? You could do with sum mat to keep

  your strength up." He produced another mug and broke off a generous

  wedge of pie which he offered to me.

  i...."No no er no, thank you, Jeff. It's kind of you, but no no . .

  not just now."

  He shrugged his shoulders and smiled as he stretched an arm for his

  pipe which was balanced on a sheep's skull. Flicking away some shreds

  of stray t"SSue from the stem he applied a match and settled down

  blissfully on the hides.

  "I'll see ye later, then," he said.

  "Come round tonight and every thing'll be ready for you." He closed

  his eyes and again his shoulders quivered.

  "Ah'd better get the right 'un this time."

  It must be more than twenty years since I took a cow under the TB

  Order, `~"But do come in,i she giggled.

  "Forgive me for keeping you stan ding on t1: step, but I'm all of a

  dither!" n~ T wPnt n~ct hPr intn the '

  "Well it's very understandable. It must hav~.~.> . , because the

  clinical cases so rarely exist now.

  "Ring Mites' no longer has the~ power to chill my blood, and the dread

  forms which scarred my soul lie unused and yellowing in the bottom of a

  drawer.

  All these things have gone from my life. Charles Harcourt has gone

  too, but I think of him every day when I look at the little barometer

  which still hangs on my wall.

  Chapter Nine "Oh Mr Herriot!" Mrs Ridge said delightedly.

  "Somebody stole our car last] night." She looked at me with a radiant

  smile. ~i F~ I was Iying on my bed in the barrack hut at Wink field

  listening to somebody ;~ on the radio adjuring people to immobilise

  their cars in wartime when this lady, st range remark bubbled back from

  my veterinary days. ~ I stopped in the doorway of her house.

  "Mrs Ridge, I'm terribly sorry,."

  How . . . ?" P PY.

  "Yes, yes, oh I can't wait to tell you!" Her voice trembled with

  excitement and ~.

  joy.

  "There must have been some prowlers around here last night, and I'm

  such a silly about leaving the car unlocked."

  "I see . . . how unfortunate."

  "But do come in,i she giggled.

  "Forgive me for k.

  step, but I'm all of a dither!"

  I went past her into the lounge.

  "Well, it's very u' been quite a shock."

  "Shock? Oh, but you don't see what I mean. It's wonderful!"

  "Eh ?"

  "Yes, of course!" She clasped her hands and looked up at the

  ceiling.

  "Do you s: know what happened?"

  "Well yes," I said.

  "You've just told me."

  "No, I haven't told you half."

  "You haven't?"

  "No, but do sit down. I know you'll want to hear all about it."

  ..~: ~ ..

  . ~: To explain this I have to go back ten days to the afternoon when

  Mrs Rid~e ran: tearfully up the steps of Skeldale House.

  "My little dog's had an accident," she gasped.

  I looked past her.

  "Where is he?"

  "In the car. I didn't know whether I should move him."

  I crossed the pavement and opened the door. Her Cairn terrier, Joshua,

  la~ very still on a blanket on the back seat.

  "What happened?" I asked.

  out a hand over her eyes.

  "Oh it was terrible. You know he often plal' -mer's field opposite our

  house well about half an hour ago he stat*4 rabbit and ran under the

  wheels of a tractor. ~1 ,from her face to the motionless animal and

  back again. 'sit ~ lll o outside n, 'r him?"

  ~s the tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Vet ~n a ~S'pin I took her by the arm.

  "Mrs Ridge, this is important. Are you absolutely sure that wheel

  passed right over his body?"

  "Yes, I am quite cert ain. I saw it happen. I couldn't believe he'd

  be alive when I ran to pick him up." She took a long breath.

  "I don't suppose he can live after that, can he?"

  I didn't want to depress her but it seemed impossible that a small dog

  like this could survive being crushed under that great weight. Massive

  internal damage Would be inevitable apart altogether from broken bones.

  It was sad to see the little sandy form Iying still and unheeding when

  I had watched him so often running and leaping in the fields.

  "Let's have a look at him," I said.

  I climbed into the car and sat down on the seat beside him. With the

  utmost care I felt my way over the limbs, expecting every moment to

  feel the crepitus which would indicate a fracture. I put my hand

  underneath him very slowly supporting his weight every inch of the way.

  The only time Joshua showed any reaction was when I moved the pelvic

  girdle.

  The best sign of all was the pink ness of the mucous membranes of eye

  and mouth and I turned to Mrs Ridge rather more hopefully.

  "Miraculously he doesn't seem to have any internal haemorrhage and

  there are no limb bones broken. I'm pretty sure he has a fractured

  pelvis, but that's not so bad."

  She drew her fingers over the smears on her cheeks and looked at me

  wide-eyed.

  "You really think he has a chance?"

  "Well I don't want to raise your hopes unduly, but at this moment I

  can't find any sign of severe injury."

  "But it doesn't seem possible."

  I shrugged.

  "I agree, it doesn't, but if he has got away with it I can only think

  it was because he was on soft ground which yielded as the wheel

  squeezed him down. Anyway, let's get him X-rayed to make sure."

  At that time, in common with most large animal practices, we didn't

  have an X-ray machine, but the local hospital helped us out in times of

  need. I took IJoshua round there and the picture confirmed my

  diagnosis of pelvic fracture.

  "There's not much I can do," I said to his mistress.

  "This type of injury usually heals itself. He'll probably have

  difficulty in stan ding on his hind legs for a while and for several

  weeks he'll be weak in the rear end, but with rest and time he ought to

  recover."

  "Oh marvellous!" She watched me place the little animal back on the

  car seat.

  "I suppose it's just a matter of waiting, then?"

  "That's what I hope."

  My fears that Joshua might have some internal damage were finally

  allayed when I saw him two days later. His membranes were a rich deep

  pink and all natural functions were operating.

  Mrs Ridge, however, was still worried.

  "He's such a sorrowful little thing,"

  she said.

  "Just look at him he's lifeless."

  "Well you know he must be bruised and sore after that squashing he

  had.

  And he was very shocked, too. You must be patient."

  As I spoke, the little dog stood up, wobbled a few feet across the

  carpet and flopped down again. He showed no interest in me or his

  surroundings.

  Before I left I gave his mistress some salicylate tablets to give

  him.

  "These will ease his discomfort," I said.

  "Let me know if he doesn't improve."
r />   She did let me know within forty-eight hours.

  "I wish you'd come and see Joshua again," she said on the phone.

  "I'm not at all happy about him."

  The little animal was as before. I looked down at him as he lay

  dejectedly on the rug, head on his paws, loo king into the fireplace.

  ~ ~ i ~ "Come on, [oshua, old lad," I said.

  "You must be feeling better now." I be and rubbed my fingers along the

  wiry coat, but neither word or gesture ma any impression. I might as

  well not have been there.

  Mrs Ridge turned to me worriedly.

  "That's what he's like all the time. A you know how he is normally."

  "Yes, he's al ways been a ball of fire." Again I recalled him jumping

  round me legs, gazing up at me eagerly.

  "It's very st range."

  "And another thing," she went on.

  "He never utters a sound. And you know that worries me more than

  anything because he's al ways been such a good little watch dog. We

  used to hear him barking when the early post came, he barke, at the

  milk boy, the dust man, everybody. He was never a yappy dog, but he Is

  know when anybody was around."

  "Yes . . ." That was another thing I remembered. The tumult of sound

  fron within whenever I rang the door bell.

  "And now there's just this dreadful silence. People come and go but he

  neve even looks up." She shook her head slowly.

  "Oh, if only he'd bark! Just once!

  think it would mean he was get ting better."

  "It probably would," I said.

  "Is there something else wrong with him, do you think?" she asked.

  I thought for a moment or two.

  "No, I'm convinced there isn't. Not physically anyway. He's had a

  tremendous fright and he has withdrawn within himself He'll come out of

  it in time."

  As I left I had the feeling I was trying to convince myself as much as

  Mr Ridge. And as, over the next few days she kept phoning me with bad

  report about the little dog my confidence began to ebb.

  It was a week after the accident that she begged me to come to the hous

  again. Joshua was unchanged. Apathetic, tail tucked down, sad-eyed

  and stil soundless.

  His mistress was obviously under strain.

  "Mr Herriot," she said.

  "What are we going to do about him."

  I produced stethoscope and thermometer and examined the little animal

  again.; Then I palpated him thoroughly from head to tail. When I had

  finished I squatted on the rug and looked up at Mrs Ridge.

  "I can't find anything new. You'll just hate to be patient."

  .. ~L_.~_ I . . . ~

  , ."

  ~uk lllat b wnat you sala ne tore, and I feel 1 can t go on much longer

  lilce "Still no barking?" ,
  "No, and that's what I'm waiting for. He eats a little: walks around a

  little, but we never hear a sound from him. I know I'd sto, worrying

  if I heard him bark, just once, but otherwise I have a horrible feel

  ins he's going to die. . ."

  I had hoped that my next visit would be more cheerful but though I was

  greatl' "elieved at Mrs Ridge's high spirits I was surprised, too. J; I

  sat down in one of the comfortable chairs in the lounge. ~ "Well I

  hope you'll soon recover your car," I said. .;6 She waved a hand

  negligently.

  "Oh, it'll turn up somewhere, I'm sure." ` "But still you must be very

  upset."

  "Upset? Not a bit! I'm so happy!

  "Happy? About losing the car. . .?"

  "No, not about that. About Joshua."

  "Joshua ?"

  vel ~n a op~n /bl ~Yes." She sat down in the chair opposite and leaned