Ole Ben’s likely to bust a few things up. An’ he’ll be hungry. So you youngkers keep out of sight.’
‘How will you wake him?’
Jimmy grinned. ‘I’ll whistle a tune.’
They crossed the glacier and climbed into the bush on the other side. Soon they heard the bear bellowing. The sound made the valley boom and tumbled boulders on Mount Nicholas. The glacier seemed to groan and shift. The sound went on and on, making them ache with pain. Dawn stood leaning on the wounded bear, comforting her. The others knelt on the ground with their heads down, trying to blot the noise out with their arms. When silence came at last they had no strength to stand up again.
Later in the day they saw the bears hauling the carcass of a boar over the glacier for Ben to eat. In the dusk Jimmy and Ben made their way back, moving side by side in the towers of ice. The whole party went down to the river, where Nick and Limpy built a fire. Ben walked as though drunk, and Jimmy was exhausted. Both sank down in the warmth and were asleep in minutes. The other bears slept further off in the trees. The children heard them sighing and coughing. The events of the last few days had overwhelmed them. Everyone, bears and humans, seemed dazed by the miracle of Jimmy’s and Ben’s return.
The fire died down and they slept. The last faint sunset glow faded quietly from Mount Nicholas.
Chapter Seven
Stonehaven
Jimmy drew a map on the ground. ‘This is us. Mount Nicholas. The river. And Sheercliff is up here. There’s two ways we can go. Over the pass, the way you came, or out to the coast and up through Wildwood. That’s the way I’d go, I reckon it’s shorter.’
Limpy made a cross on the coast. ‘That is Stonehaven. I’d like to stop and tell my parents I’m safe.’
‘No reason why not,’ Jimmy said. ‘So let’s get started.’
Dawn said goodbye to the wounded bear. She stood conversing silently, and had a smile on her mouth as they started off. ‘I’ve promised to come back. We are like Jimmy and Ben,’ she told Susan.
Five Varg escorted them to the coast. They walked down the river bank for an hour, then turned north-west through the bush, climbing on trails that led over hills and down a creek to the sea. Towards nightfall a young bear scouting ahead came loping back. He and Ben and Jimmy and the Varg talked for a moment and Susan had an impression of images flashing back and forth, too quick for her to see. But she glimpsed, or thought she glimpsed, figures in white.
‘Dawn?’
‘Yes. Priests.’
‘Where are they?’
‘Down on the beach. It is the party that tried to kill my friend.’
Jimmy came to them. ‘There’s a dozen of ’em. They’ve anchored for the night.’
‘Have they got dogs?’
‘No, not on boats.’
‘What are we going to do?’
‘Kill ’em.’
‘No… ’
‘Come with me, Susie. I’ll show you something.’
They went down the trail, moving quietly, and came to the edge of a bluff overlooking the beach. They lay in the trees and ferns looking at the priests. Some were cooking meat at a fire. Others sat cross-legged on the sand, meditating over their Ferris bones. And a third group was pegging something out between the trees and the high-water line. They gleamed white in their leather suits. The sea, bush, sand – it was peaceful, beautiful, Susan thought. She could not believe killing was going to start. There was no reason for it.
‘Jimmy …?’ she whispered.
‘It’s gotter be. Don’t yer see what they got down there?’ He pointed at the priests beyond the fire. She thought for a moment they were pegging out mats, blue/white mats. Then she saw.
‘Varg skins?’
‘Three of them,’ Nick said.
‘They’re trophies,’ Jimmy said. ‘They come down here hunting. They kill the Varg and hang their skins in their temples. So when they gets the chance the Varg kill them. That’s the way it is.’
‘The priests kill everything that lives,’ Limpy said. ‘Now it’s
‘How will you wake him?’
Jimmy grinned. ‘I’ll whistle a tune.’
They crossed the glacier and climbed into the bush on the other side. Soon they heard the bear bellowing. The sound made the valley boom and tumbled boulders on Mount Nicholas. The glacier seemed to groan and shift. The sound went on and on, making them ache with pain. Dawn stood leaning on the wounded bear, comforting her. The others knelt on the ground with their heads down, trying to blot the noise out with their arms. When silence came at last they had no strength to stand up again.
Later in the day they saw the bears hauling the carcass of a boar over the glacier for Ben to eat. In the dusk Jimmy and Ben made their way back, moving side by side in the towers of ice. The whole party went down to the river, where Nick and Limpy built a fire. Ben walked as though drunk, and Jimmy was exhausted. Both sank down in the warmth and were asleep in minutes. The other bears slept further off in the trees. The children heard them sighing and coughing. The events of the last few days had overwhelmed them. Everyone, bears and humans, seemed dazed by the miracle of Jimmy’s and Ben’s return.
The fire died down and they slept. The last faint sunset glow faded quietly from Mount Nicholas.
Chapter Seven
Stonehaven
Jimmy drew a map on the ground. ‘This is us. Mount Nicholas. The river. And Sheercliff is up here. There’s two ways we can go. Over the pass, the way you came, or out to the coast and up through Wildwood. That’s the way I’d go, I reckon it’s shorter.’
Limpy made a cross on the coast. ‘That is Stonehaven. I’d like to stop and tell my parents I’m safe.’
‘No reason why not,’ Jimmy said. ‘So let’s get started.’
Dawn said goodbye to the wounded bear. She stood conversing silently, and had a smile on her mouth as they started off. ‘I’ve promised to come back. We are like Jimmy and Ben,’ she told Susan.
Five Varg escorted them to the coast. They walked down the river bank for an hour, then turned north-west through the bush, climbing on trails that led over hills and down a creek to the sea. Towards nightfall a young bear scouting ahead came loping back. He and Ben and Jimmy and the Varg talked for a moment and Susan had an impression of images flashing back and forth, too quick for her to see. But she glimpsed, or thought she glimpsed, figures in white.
‘Dawn?’
‘Yes. Priests.’
‘Where are they?’
‘Down on the beach. It is the party that tried to kill my friend.’
Jimmy came to them. ‘There’s a dozen of ’em. They’ve anchored for the night.’
‘Have they got dogs?’
‘No, not on boats.’
‘What are we going to do?’
‘Kill ’em.’
‘No… ’
‘Come with me, Susie. I’ll show you something.’
They went down the trail, moving quietly, and came to the edge of a bluff overlooking the beach. They lay in the trees and ferns looking at the priests. Some were cooking meat at a fire. Others sat cross-legged on the sand, meditating over their Ferris bones. And a third group was pegging something out between the trees and the high-water line. They gleamed white in their leather suits. The sea, bush, sand – it was peaceful, beautiful, Susan thought. She could not believe killing was going to start. There was no reason for it.
‘Jimmy …?’ she whispered.
‘It’s gotter be. Don’t yer see what they got down there?’ He pointed at the priests beyond the fire. She thought for a moment they were pegging out mats, blue/white mats. Then she saw.
‘Varg skins?’
‘Three of them,’ Nick said.
‘They’re trophies,’ Jimmy said. ‘They come down here hunting. They kill the Varg and hang their skins in their temples. So when they gets the chance the Varg kill them. That’s the way it is.’
‘The priests kill everything that lives,’ Limpy said. ‘Now it’s
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