Ben finished saddling the two horses. As the wind picked up, fresh drifts started to form around the base of the trees. Glad he had worn his fingerless gloves, Ben looked to see whether Louise had managed to catch Honey.
He needn’t have worried. Louise led the buckskin brumby out of the trees and made her way over to the lunch tree. The beam on her face showed how easily she had caught the mare. “She was no problem without Lady snapping at her.”
“Let me mount up, then pass the rope to me.” Ben sprang onto Jake and accepted Honey’s lead.
Louise untied Lady from the tree. Keeping well away from Jake and Honey, she mounted. As Lady danced and tried to swing her rump towards the brumby, Louise whacked her with the ends of the reins. “Behave. Isn’t the day hard enough without you being silly?”
Ben laughed at the cross expression on Louise’s face. He had never seen her smack a horse before. “That’ll teach her. Come on, let’s get moving and warm up. You’d better put Lady out front.”
Old Harry had been fiddling with his mule’s gear. Ben watched as the old man bounced on both feet at her side and then, with a big spring, lay across her back. With a wriggle of his whole body, he swung his right leg over Jenny’s rump and sat astride.
“Are you okay without a saddle?”
“It beats trudging in this snow.” Harry’s legs dangled in front of Jenny’s packs. He looked like he was sitting in an armchair. The single rope from her halter made do as reins. Harry clicked to her. She walked off with quick short steps, following Lady.
Ben waited a moment before following on Jake. Honey ponied alongside as if she had been led all her life. Not wanting to get too close to the others, Ben kept Jake in check, despite the old stockhorse pulling to be in front. “Steady there, mate. No point rushing.”
Louise led the way out of the ravine and along the track back to the signpost tree. Ben could hear her chatting to Old Harry, only catching a few words as the wind whipped them away.
“…couldn’t find you…”
“…wombat…”
“…strangers…”
They made their way down to open country. Finding a well-trodden path where the snow had packed down, Louise turned and called to Ben. “Are you okay to trot?”
“Sure. Honey is fine.” Ben felt bad about having to lead Louise’s mare despite it being the sensible thing to do; they couldn’t risk Lady attacking her again. As the riders in front increased their pace, Ben gave Honey a tug on her headcollar. The mare broke into a steady trot beside Jake.
Ben thought of his own brumby. He dreamt of the day he could start his own stud with Brandy and break in horses for a living like his Uncle Graeme. Lost in his thoughts, Ben didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings. He almost rode into Jenny’s rear end before he realised the others had stopped.
“Look, Ben. Those brumbies are starving.” Louise pointed towards the river where a small band of wild horses pawed at the ground. Despite the arrival of people, the brumbies had not bothered running away. The herd looked thin and dull coated.
Ben kept Honey well away from Lady. “They’re doing it tough this winter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in such bad condition.”
Old Harry nodded agreement. “I’ve never known a snow season so bad. Not for a long time, anyway.”
Louise frowned. “Why don’t the rangers put out hay for them? They must make money from the muster each year. Couldn’t they use that to feed them through winter?”
“Ha! That would go against their policy of not interfering.” Harry swung his legs and clicked Jenny on. He took the lead and mumbled as he rode off.
Keeping Lady on the opposite side of Jake to Honey, Louise rode alongside Ben for a while. “I don’t think keeping horses alive is interfering, do you?” Louise kept looking across at the mob of wild horses.
Ben could see the starving brumbies worried her. “I don’t understand it either. They manage the numbers by culling in summer, so why not feed in a bad year?” He shrugged his shoulders.
He’d never thought to question the park’s management of the animals before. “I suppose this is nature’s way. The strong will survive, the weak won’t. I guess that’s what makes them so tough. We’d better get a move on. We’ve still a long way to go.”
By the time the three riders reached the area of the old mines, the heavy clouds had started to shed large fluffy flakes. Flurries blew around in whirls across the ground like mini tornadoes. Gusts rattled the treetops. The horses walked with their heads down, trying to keep the snow from blowing into their eyes.
Ben shivered as he looked about him. He had never seen the snow so deep in this area of the park. Normally he had to go further up the ranges to get decent conditions for his snowboard. Last winter, he had driven with his brother round to the fire trail that entered from Goldriver. Even then they had to walk quite a way to find decent snow.
“Let’s take shelter in the mine for a bit.” Old Harry slid off Jenny and led her inside the dark mouth of the hillside. A sign that said ‘Keep Out! Danger!’ rested on its side at the entrance.
Louise dismounted and loosened Lady’s girth. “Is it safe? We don’t want the horses to take fright and get hurt.”
Ben held out his hand. “Here, give me Lady. I’ll take her and Jake in. You hang on to Honey.”
The older horses followed Harry and his mule into the mine without any fuss. Happy to get out of the bad weather, they had no fear of tight spaces. Ben turned them to face the entrance. “See if Honey will come in. It’s too miserable for you to stand out there with her.”
He watched as Louise encouraged the young brumby into the mine. She snorted and took tentative steps forward before retreating. Louise released the rope so as not to pull on her head.
She talked softly to her and asked her to walk forward again. This time the mare obeyed. Once inside the gaping mountainside, she stood stiff-legged at the opening. “There’s a good girl. See, it’s like a stable.”
Louise stroked her nose and rubbed her ears. “Isn’t that better than standing out in the cold wind?”
Ben fumbled in his pocket for a chocolate bar. Dividing it into three, he handed the pieces around. “Now what? We’ll never find anyone in this weather.”
Louise chewed a mouthful of peanuts and caramel. “I can’t see where the avalanche came down yesterday. It all looks the same, with deep snow everywhere. I don’t think anyone could have survived a fall like that.”
“Shh! What’s that?” Old Harry held up his hand for silence. He had wandered further into the mine than the others, leaving Jenny standing with her rope dangling on the ground.
Ben stopped eating and listened. “Someone’s calling.”
Old Harry disappeared into the dark tunnel.
For a while there was no sound. Ben started to hear rocks being moved and Harry grunting with effort. Muffled noises sounded as if people were talking. Ben wasn’t sure whether to follow Harry into the gloom. He decided he’d better stay with Louise and the horses.
A short while later, Harry returned. “I think we’ve found our hikers. There’s been a rock fall so we’ll have to dig 'em out. Come and give me a hand.”
Not knowing what to do with the horses, Ben turned to Louise. “Do you think you can hold all three? I’d better help Harry.”
Louise shook her head. “I doubt Honey will stay in here if Lady gets close. I don’t want to risk losing her again.”
“Tie them together, lad. They won’t go far. They’re too smart to go back out in the wind.” Old Harry returned into the mine.
Ben unsaddled both horses and tied their lead ropes together, hobbling Jake as a double precaution. “Have you got a torch with you?”
Louise removed her back pack and rummaged inside. “Here. Good job I carry one for when I cycle home late in the dark.” She handed the flashlight to Ben, taking care not to let Honey get too close to the other horses.
The bright beam shone into the dark interior, revealing a pile of rocks to the ceiling. Ben removed his waterproof coat and started pulling stones out of the way. He helped Harry roll a large boulder from where it had lodged half way up the pile. Putting his mouth close to a fissure revealed in the wall, he shouted through his cupped hands. “We’ll have you out soon. Stay clear on the other side in case the rocks slip.”
Ben resumed moving stones. The work warmed him up and stopped him worrying about what they would find under the landslide.
After half an hour of digging, a hole large enough for a person to crawl through appeared. Ben hadn’t spoken much to the two walkers while he worked, saving his breath for his labours. He poked his head through the hole. “Are you badly injured?”
“Frankie’s hurt. Her leg’s trapped under a rock. I can’t budge it. Thank goodness you came.”
Ben could hear the woman crying although the man seemed alright. “I guess you’re James and Francesca?”
“Yes, yes. Please hurry.”
Old Harry hadn’t spoken to the trapped people while he worked. Now he scrambled up to the hole and wriggled his way through, the same way he had mounted Jenny with a waving of his legs. After a moment his whiskered face peered back through the gap. “There’s ropes on Jenny. Send one end through here and tie the other end round her chest.”
Ben did as requested. When Harry gave him the okay, he clicked to the mule like he had heard Harry do. Jenny took the strain of the rope and pulled.
A scream of pain erupted from inside the tunnel. Harry emerged from the hole, bringing the end of the rope with him. “I need my medical supplies. The lady’s hurt quite bad. She won’t be walking on that crushed leg. Good job the boulder had jammed on another rock or else it would’ve been far worse.”
“I’ll try the radio again. There’s bound to be reception here.” Ben went outside the cave. To his disappointment, he still couldn’t get a response.
He returned to the rock face. “The battery’s dead. They don’t like cold weather. I couldn’t get hold of anyone.”
Ben looked in exasperation at the useless radio. “I could ride to get help from the Information Centre, but I doubt a helicopter will be able to fly in this weather. There’s no way a vehicle will get in here.”
Harry frowned and stroked his beard, nodding. “You’re right. We’re on our own.”
Ben hadn’t thought about what would happen once they’d released the trapped hikers. “What are we going to do?”
The old man didn’t seem worried. “I’ll give her some of that pain relief I gave you. Can you find something to start a fire? These people are frozen.”
The wind hit Ben as he went outside to gather wood. The mines weren’t far from the trees where he snapped off twigs from a dead branch. At least the sticks would be drier than anything he could find on the ground. Carrying back an armful, he dumped them in the mine entrance and went back for more.
By the time Ben had a fire going, James and Francesca had struggled through the hole. The woman lay with her head pillowed on a rock, her face contorted in pain. Louise knelt by her side, talking to her in a low murmur.
“Honey obviously prefers our company to the bad weather.” Ben smiled as he noticed how Louise had tied Honey to an outcrop of rock. If the mare pulled back on that, she wouldn’t get far.
“She’s fine. I thought that even if I lost her again, helping here was more important.” Louise rummaged in the pack on Jenny’s back and extracted a billy. “Harry wants to boil some water. I’ll fill this with fresh snow.”
The afternoon light faded. Harry busied around, helping the injured woman. Her husband couldn’t stop talking. He prattled on about being caught by surprise with the turn in weather; how they hadn’t eaten since the day before; that they thought a rescue party would have found them well before this; that they hadn’t even realised Australia had snow.
“So where do you live?” Louise had given the couple the remains of her lunch.
The middle-aged man looked fit, despite his pasty white skin not seeming to have seen much sun. “We’re English. Frankie is Robert Smythe-Waters’ niece. Do you know him?”
Ben stoked the fire. “Yeh, we know him. So you’ve walked from Willowlea?”
“Yes, but I’ve no idea where we are now. What are we going to do? Frankie can’t walk.”
Old Harry had disappeared outside. Now he returned and crouched by the fire. “Ben and Louise can take you to the Information Centre where you can get more help. I’ve made a travois for her. I’ll attach it to one of the horses.”
Louise came over and warmed her hands. “How does that work?”
“It’s a drag, like the native Americans use. Two long branches go over the horse’s back and the rest trails along behind on the ground. The patient lies in-between the two drags. I’ve woven green branches into a litter. They’ll take her weight. Let’s get it sorted out.” Harry kicked out the remains of the fire that had died down to a few embers.
Ben and Louise saddled their horses before untying them. Louise hoisted her pack onto her back. “Which horse is going to tow her?”
“You can ride Lady with the drag, I’ll ride Jake and lead Honey, like we did before. Lady will be okay. In fact it might make her behave, having to work a bit harder.” Ben led Jake over to Honey and untied her.
Louise stayed near the dead fire. “I don’t think I can cope with a person behind me and control a horse. She’s so skittish today.”
“You’ll have to ride Jake then. You know you can handle him, despite what your Mum thinks.” Ben watched the emotions race across Louise’s face as she tried to decide what to do.
Old Harry took Lady’s reins and led her outside. “While you’re deciding, I’ll get her rigged up.”
James helped Francesca to her feet. Her cracked lips appeared blue in the cold as they pursed against the pain. She stood on one leg. Leaning heavily on her husband, she hopped to the waiting travois outside.
Ben could see they had been well prepared for a hike even if they had become lost and then trapped. The couple wore sturdy walking boots and layers of protective clothing. Their packs bulged; he had been surprised how heavy they were when he hoisted them through the hole in the rock fall.
Louise followed Ben outside and nodded as she came to a conclusion. “Okay, I’ll ride Jake and lead Honey. I hope Mum’ll understand.”
