Ranger's Apprentice 1 & 2 Bindup by John Flanagan Page B

reach.
    He tried again.
    Again, the horse evaded him easily. Will was beginning to feel foolish. He advanced on the horse and it backed away, moving closer and closer to one of the corners. Then, just when Will thought he had it, it nimbly danced to one side and was away again.
    Will lost his temper now and ran after it. The horse whinnied in amusement and romped easily out of his reach. It was enjoying this game.
    And so it went. Will would approach, the horse would duck and dodge and escape. Even in the close confines of the small paddock, he couldn’t catch it.
    He stopped. He was conscious of the fact that Halt was watching him carefully. He thought for a moment or two. There must be a way to do it. He’d never catch a horse as light on its feet and fast-moving as this one. There must be another way …
    His gaze fell on the bin of apples outside the fence. Quickly, he ducked under the rail and seized an apple. Then he went back into the paddock and stood stock-still, holding the apple out.
    â€˜Come on, boy,’ he said.
    Tug’s ears shot up. He liked apples. He also thought he liked this boy – he played this game well. Tossing his head approvingly, he trotted forward and took the apple delicately. Will seized hold of the bridle and the pony crunched the apple. If a horse could be said to look blissful, this one did.
    Will looked up and saw Halt nodding approval.
    â€˜Well thought out,’ said the Ranger. Old Bob elbowed the grey-cloaked man in the ribs.
    â€˜Clever boy, that!’ he cackled. ‘Clever and polite! That ’un’ll make a good team with Tug, won’t he?’
    Will patted the shaggy neck and the pricked-up ears. He looked now at the old man.
    â€˜Why do you call him Tug?’ he asked.
    Instantly, Will’s arm was nearly torn from its socket as the pony jerked its head back. Will staggered, then regained his balance. Old Bob’s braying laugh rang out around the clearing.
    â€˜See if you can guess!’ he said delightedly.
    His laughter was infectious and Will couldn’t help smiling himself. Halt glanced up at the sun, which was fast disappearing behind the trees that fringed Old Bob’s clearing and the meadows beyond.
    â€˜Take him over to the lean-to and Bob can show you how to groom him and look after his tack,’ he said, then added to the old man, ‘We’ll stay with you tonight, Bob, if that’s not inconvenient?’
    The old horse handler nodded his head in pleasure. ‘I’ll be glad of the company, Ranger. Sometimes I spend so much time with the horses that I start to think I’m onemyself.’ Unconsciously, he dipped a hand into the apple barrel and selected one, absentmindedly crunching into it – much as Tug had done a few minutes earlier. Halt watched him, one eyebrow raised.
    â€˜We might be just in time,’ he observed dryly. ‘Then, tomorrow, we’ll see if Will can ride Tug as well as catch him,’ he said, guessing as he said it that his apprentice would get very little sleep that night.
    He was right. Old Bob’s tiny cabin had only two rooms, so after their supper, Halt stretched out on the floor by the fireplace and Will bedded down in the warm, clean straw of the barn, listening to the gentle whiffling sounds of the two horses. The moon rose and fell as he lay wide awake, wondering and worrying over what the next day might bring. Would he be able to ride Tug? He’d never ridden a horse. Would he fall off the minute he tried?
    Would he be hurt? Worse still, would he embarrass himself? He liked Old Bob and he didn’t want to look foolish in front of him. Nor in front of Halt, he realised, with a little surprise. He was still wondering when Halt’s good opinion had come to mean so much to him when he finally fell asleep.

‘So, you saw it. What did you think?’ Sir Rodney asked. Karel reached across and poured himself another tankard from the jug of beer