Patricia Leitch: Gallop to the Hills (eBook, Jinny 5)

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“Here she is,” said her father as Jinny shut the door and stepped into the kitchen. “Jinny, this is Mr. Hendry and Mr. Gault.”

Jinny glowered suspiciously at the two men. They were obviously farmers, with weather-beaten faces and hands. She didn’t recognise Mr. Gault, the younger man, but she had seen Mr. Hendry in Mr. MacKenzie’s yard. He farmed Garthlarnock, a farm about ten miles away.

“They’ve come over to ask us about Kelly,” her father continued as Jinny shut the door. “Apparently there has been a grey dog chasing sheep on the moors. They seem to think it is Kelly. Mr. Hendry saw it this afternoon.”

“Aye, no doubt to it,” said Mr. Hendry. “The tyke belonging to that hippy who lives here. It’s the only grey dog that size in these parts.”

“Of course,” said Mr. Manders, “we told him that it couldn’t possibly be Kelly he’d seen, since he’s been away with you all day. They’ve been waiting to see him.”

Jinny felt the blood drain from her face. She stared at her father in dismay; felt her mother watching her, suspecting that something was wrong.

“He’s … But … ” stuttered Jinny.

“Let’s see the brute,” said the younger farmer impatiently. “You can tell by the look of them if they’ve taken to the sheep killing.”

“Aye,” agreed Mr. Hendry. “And once they start it a bullet’s the only cure. I’ve shot one of my own dogs for it. She knew herself she’d been at the killing.”

“Jinny,” said her mother sharply, interrupting the farmer’s story. “Go and get Kelly.”

Blindly, Jinny turned and went back outside. She ran down the path to the stables, stood in the stable doorway holding on to the jamb of the door, staring out into the blackness. Inside she could hear Shantih, safe and secure, munching her oats, but Kelly was somewhere out there in the darkness, wandering, searching.

The farmer’s words battered in Jinny’s head, “a bullet’s the only cure for it.”

She would have to go back and tell them that Kelly had run away from Miss Tuke’s, that she didn’t know when he’d escaped and the farmers would be more certain than ever that it had been Kelly chasing their sheep.

“But it’s not. He wouldn’t kill sheep. He wouldn’t. Kelly never, never looks at sheep. He only wants to find Ken.” But Jinny knew that the farmers wouldn’t listen to her.
“Kelly,” she called into the night garden. “Kelly! Kelly! Kelly!”

Tears ran down her face. In a minute she would have to go back and tell them the truth.

“Kelly, Kelly come,” she called despairingly.

There was no sound. Jinny rubbed her eyes on her jacket sleeve.

“If only Ken was here,” she thought and shouted again, hopelessly, “Kelly! Kelly!”

From somewhere in the direction of the sea there was a rushing, scrabbling sound.

“Kelly!” screamed Jinny. “Come on! Kelly come.”

There was a fluster of paws and Kelly came leaping and bounding out of the dark. He pushed against Jinny’s legs, thrusting his wet nose and licking tongue into her hand.

“Oh, Kelly,” Jinny cried, kneeling down and flinging her arms round his shaggy neck. “Where have you been? You dog, you bad, stupid dog.”

Holding firmly on to Kelly’s collar she marched him back into the house.

“Here he is,” she said as she opened the kitchen door and let Kelly go. “He came to Miss Tuke’s with me this morning and here he is back home. You couldn’t have seen him on the moors.”

The two farmers watched without smiling as Kelly wagged a welcome to Mr. and Mrs. Manders and then lay down on the floor.

“We’ll away then,” said Mr. Hendry. “And our apologies to you for troubling you on the Sabbath. Be keeping that dog under control now. There’s sheep being killed on the hill and it’s a grey dog that’s doing it. No doubt to it.”

“Keep him in the house,” Mr. Gault said to Jinny, “for there’s not a farmer that wouldn’t be taking the gun to him if they saw him on the hill.”

“Kelly wouldn’t touch your sheep,” declared Jinny. “Ask Mr. MacKenzie, he’ll tell you.”

But the two men were shaking hands with her father and paid no more attention to Jinny.

“Thank goodness they’ve gone,” said Mrs. Manders when her husband came back after seeing the two farmers away. “Not the pleasantest company.”

“Seems there’s been at least six sheep killed,” said Mr. Manders. “Even a dog chasing sheep at this time can harm the ewes.”

“We know it isn’t Kelly,” said Mrs. Manders. “He’s been on the hills since we came here and he’s never once looked at a sheep. You’d think they’d realise that and stop suspecting him.”

Even when she was telling her family about her day at Miss Tuke’s Jinny didn’t mention anything about Kelly’s escape. It seemed better if they didn’t know.

Humans: Jinny, Mike, Petra and Mr and Mrs Manders, Ken, Mr MacKenzie, Dolina, Miss Tuke, Lady Gilbert, Ralph Gilbert, Moira Wilson, Peter, Jim and George Hay, Sara Murdoch

Horses: Shantih, Bramble, Punch, Snuff, Pym, Rocky (Sirocco of Bendarroch)

1. For Love of a Horse
2. A Devil to Ride
3. The Summer Riders
4. Night of the Red Horse
5. Gallop to the Hills
6. Horse in a Million
7. The Magic Pony
8. Ride Like the Wind
9. Chestnut Gold
10. Jump for the Moon
11. Horse of Fire
12. Running Wild