Matty, scrambling on hands and knees, emerged from the tent, Willie’s voice came at him, stuttering, ‘M . . . Matty! O . . . oh! M . . . Matty. Where are you, Matty?’
There was no moon now, only a cold dense blackness. If they’d had the wits to question they would have asked why it was so intensely cold after being such a fine day. Pulling his pyjama coat across his bare chest, Matty shouted, ‘What’s up, man? Where are you?’ He made for the direction of Willie’s tent, but Willie’s voice came from somewhere near the wall, crying, ‘I’m here!’
‘Well, where’s that? And what’s the matter with you? Have you gone stark, staring bonkers?’
‘It was a th . . . th . . . thing. It st . . . started to wo . . . worry me, man.’
‘Get the torch, Joe.’ Matty turned his head to where he thought Joe was, and Joe’s voice came back at him, saying, ‘Eeh, an’ I’ll get me coat an’ all! I’m freezin’.’
A minute or so later, Joe crawled from the tent, flashing the light about him.
‘Give it here,’ said Matty.
‘And here’s your coat. Put it on,’ said Joe.
Matty got gratefully into the coat. Then turning the flashlight towards the wall, he saw Willie; and, going quickly towards him, he said, ‘Come on, get back into your tent. You’ll be froze to death. What’s up with you, anyway? You had a nightmare?’
‘N . . . no, man, no.’ Willie’s tone was emphatic now. ‘I tell you, I was attacked by somethin’.’
‘Oh, don’t be daft.’
‘I’m not daft. It tried to bite me lug off.’
If Willie could have seen Matty’s expression and his rolling eyes he would have cried, ‘You don’t believe me?’ As it was he said, ‘It’s a fact, man. I’m tellin’ you. I woke up and there was this hairy thing, great big hairy thing, and it nearly took me ear.’
‘Man, you’ve been dreamin’. Mean to tell me it came into the tent and bit your ear? Is your tent down?’
‘No . . . o! No.’
They were walking towards Willie’s tent now. ‘Yes see, it was kind of stuffy an’ I lay with me head the other way . . . outside.’
Matty was now flashing a light on the ground outside the tent, and, stooping down, he picked up about a third of a slice of bread with a piece of meat adhering to it, and, keeping the torch flashed full on, he handed it to Willie.
‘Well, man, it was only a sandwich. Mrs Walsh gave me one. If she had given me two I would have handed them over, but she only give me the one for me supper like.’
‘And you were stuffin’,’ said Joe, ‘an’ you fell asleep. You know, you’re a gutsy . . . ’
‘I’m not. I . . . ’
‘Here.’ Matty thrust the dirty bread into Willie’s hand. ‘Take it and finish it, but do it inside ’cos the next animal that comes huntin’ round might take a fancy to your nose. And good luck to it.’
‘Aw, Matty, don’t be like that.’
‘What do you expect me to be like?’
‘I’m sorry, man, I’m sorry about gettin’ you both up, but I was scared to death. Eeh! It was awful, man.’ There followed a silence now and Willie, evidently shivering with the cold, as his stammering indicated, said, ‘C . . . can I c . . . come along of yous?’
‘No, you bloomin’ well can’t,’ said Matty emphatically. ‘There’s hardly room for the two of us.’
‘B . . . but, man, I’ll never get to sleep. It scared me. Honest. C . . . can I just sit up in the c . . . corner.’
‘Oh, for crying out loud. Get your bed and go in with Joe, and I’ll take your tent.’
‘Th . . . th . . . thanks, Matty.’ As Willie went hurriedly into his tent to gather up his bag, Joe, going with Matty towards their tent, said, ‘What did you want to do that for?’
‘You want to get to sleep tonight, don’t you?’ said Matty.
‘I’m not so sure I can now. You know somethin’?’ They were inside the tent now. ‘I wish we were on our own, Matty; he’s nowt but a nuisance. I never thought he’d be like this. Me dad
There was no moon now, only a cold dense blackness. If they’d had the wits to question they would have asked why it was so intensely cold after being such a fine day. Pulling his pyjama coat across his bare chest, Matty shouted, ‘What’s up, man? Where are you?’ He made for the direction of Willie’s tent, but Willie’s voice came from somewhere near the wall, crying, ‘I’m here!’
‘Well, where’s that? And what’s the matter with you? Have you gone stark, staring bonkers?’
‘It was a th . . . th . . . thing. It st . . . started to wo . . . worry me, man.’
‘Get the torch, Joe.’ Matty turned his head to where he thought Joe was, and Joe’s voice came back at him, saying, ‘Eeh, an’ I’ll get me coat an’ all! I’m freezin’.’
A minute or so later, Joe crawled from the tent, flashing the light about him.
‘Give it here,’ said Matty.
‘And here’s your coat. Put it on,’ said Joe.
Matty got gratefully into the coat. Then turning the flashlight towards the wall, he saw Willie; and, going quickly towards him, he said, ‘Come on, get back into your tent. You’ll be froze to death. What’s up with you, anyway? You had a nightmare?’
‘N . . . no, man, no.’ Willie’s tone was emphatic now. ‘I tell you, I was attacked by somethin’.’
‘Oh, don’t be daft.’
‘I’m not daft. It tried to bite me lug off.’
If Willie could have seen Matty’s expression and his rolling eyes he would have cried, ‘You don’t believe me?’ As it was he said, ‘It’s a fact, man. I’m tellin’ you. I woke up and there was this hairy thing, great big hairy thing, and it nearly took me ear.’
‘Man, you’ve been dreamin’. Mean to tell me it came into the tent and bit your ear? Is your tent down?’
‘No . . . o! No.’
They were walking towards Willie’s tent now. ‘Yes see, it was kind of stuffy an’ I lay with me head the other way . . . outside.’
Matty was now flashing a light on the ground outside the tent, and, stooping down, he picked up about a third of a slice of bread with a piece of meat adhering to it, and, keeping the torch flashed full on, he handed it to Willie.
‘Well, man, it was only a sandwich. Mrs Walsh gave me one. If she had given me two I would have handed them over, but she only give me the one for me supper like.’
‘And you were stuffin’,’ said Joe, ‘an’ you fell asleep. You know, you’re a gutsy . . . ’
‘I’m not. I . . . ’
‘Here.’ Matty thrust the dirty bread into Willie’s hand. ‘Take it and finish it, but do it inside ’cos the next animal that comes huntin’ round might take a fancy to your nose. And good luck to it.’
‘Aw, Matty, don’t be like that.’
‘What do you expect me to be like?’
‘I’m sorry, man, I’m sorry about gettin’ you both up, but I was scared to death. Eeh! It was awful, man.’ There followed a silence now and Willie, evidently shivering with the cold, as his stammering indicated, said, ‘C . . . can I c . . . come along of yous?’
‘No, you bloomin’ well can’t,’ said Matty emphatically. ‘There’s hardly room for the two of us.’
‘B . . . but, man, I’ll never get to sleep. It scared me. Honest. C . . . can I just sit up in the c . . . corner.’
‘Oh, for crying out loud. Get your bed and go in with Joe, and I’ll take your tent.’
‘Th . . . th . . . thanks, Matty.’ As Willie went hurriedly into his tent to gather up his bag, Joe, going with Matty towards their tent, said, ‘What did you want to do that for?’
‘You want to get to sleep tonight, don’t you?’ said Matty.
‘I’m not so sure I can now. You know somethin’?’ They were inside the tent now. ‘I wish we were on our own, Matty; he’s nowt but a nuisance. I never thought he’d be like this. Me dad
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