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to Hrrana. "I am sorry.
He meant to console her for losing, but Hrruban words failed him.
The girl seemed to understand his intentions perfectly well. She shook her
head with cheerful resignation. "It is all rrright. I nevrrr win,'
she said, "so it does not bozzer me.
Hrrunival was not such a good loser, but he tried to cover his disappointment.
"Well, that. . . was a good contest!" he panted, not yet recovered his
breath. "Wanna zry miding hrrses?"
"Yes! But I do not know how, Teddy said, looking around for his collar.
Surely he had put it right with the voder. No, there it was on the bush. He
shrugged, not too concerned that it was other than where he thought he had
left it. The children finished dressing and strapped on their voders and belt
radios.
"I'll teach you,' the young Hrruban said, condescendingly patting Teddy on his
arm.
"Hrrrrrrunival,' Hrrana said, fuming with embarrassment at her brother's tone.
"You haven't ze patience to teach anyone to hop." Not looking back, he
twitched his tail at her and led Teddy away, water still dripping off their
furs. Alec and Alison followed, grinning.
"Close, but no luck, Gallup muttered under his breath as they watched the
children leave the pond. "Didn't have long enough to check anything on that
collar. Good thing I got it to hang on the branch." He and
Walters had been within metres of the pond when the children climbed out.
"Commander Greene wants that little bear stat,' Walters said.
"Figures questiOning the kid's our best chance to find out what the
Gringg are really doing here. He might even be our ticket aboard their ship,
if his folks want him back safely."
"The Hrruban kid said they're going riding."
"Couldn't be better,' Walters said, grinning.
His teeth glinted. "We'll let "em get clear of the yard, jam the kids'
comms and be ready to snatch the bear. He's sure to fall off a time or two
and we ought to be able to isolate him from the others. The ffitter's waiting
for us just this side of the woods." Teddy had already been introduced to
Tornado and Fairy, the twins' mounts. From among the other mares and
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geldings, Alec and Alison chose one for their guest while the Hrrubans went
back to the stables for their ponies.
They came back, mounted, before Alec and Alison had decided who suited
Teddy best.
"We need something so bomb-proof you could drop a Big Mamma on its back and it
wouldn't spook,' Alec decided.
"That's Teabag then,' Alison said.
"What saddle, though?" Alec asked, critically examining their guest's body.
"Gotta idea,' Alison said. "Hrrana, you saddle my grey for me, please?"
"Zure,' the obliging Hrruban said and expertly threw a pad and then a saddle
over Alison's grey pony mare.
Hrrunival went so far as to help bridle her. Teddy stood to one side
watching, feeling considerable respect for his new friends.
Little Ourrh was holding the reins of the Hrruban mounts, looking completely
at ease though the animals towered above him.
Teddy was unused to the idea of having pets larger than he was.
Yet the hrrrsses, who stamped an occasional heavy and dangerous-looking foot
down on the concrete floor of the building, seemed content to serve. There
were no longer large animals on his home world, though his dam had told there
had once been many and different kinds.
How lucky were Rraladoonans to have such a variety.
Then Alec came out of the barn with his bay animal.
"Now, Teddy, watch me! This's how you mount,' Alec cried and sprang into the
saddle, wiggling from side to side to show how secure his saddle was. "There!
See how easy that is?"
"Alec, you nit,' his sister admonished him. "Teddy couldn't vault that.
He'll need to mount from something."
"Yeah, I guess he would' Alec said, simply, dismounting, looking around him
for a suitable surface. "Sorry, Teddy, we were just about born into the
saddle." The mental picture this elicited for Teddy made him gasp.
He could not picture his dam awkwardly poised over the back of an animal.
Surely it could not be true! Alec caught his expression of open-mouthed
horror and started to laugh. Teddy realized his statement had been a joke,
and added sheepish staccato grunting to the merriment.
Alison looked him over with a measuring eye.
"And Teddy's a different shape to us, not much leg.
There's no way he could rise at the trot,' she said, turning to her twin.
"But old Teabag's a pacer, isn't he? And he'd bomb proof, too.
"Say, wouldn't a pack saddle give Teddy a lot of support? I mean, remember
when we used them for jousting saddles when we played knights and ladies?"
Alec said.
"Ze very zing,' Hrrana said. "We can pad it with extra blankets and a
sheepskin."
"Worth a try,' the redheaded boy said. He jumped off his horse and ran up to
the end of the barn. He came back laden with a strange contraption and an
assorted of blankets and numnahs.
Together, the twins prepared his mount, the goldenbrown horse named
Teabag. The children explained that Teabag was a "single-foot,' which
confused Teddy who could see that the animal had four legs, just like all the
other hrrrsses. He was a bigger animal than the children's ponies. And his
back, where Teddy was to sit, was higher off the ground.
"Daddy always gives Teabag to people who've never been on a horse before,'
Alison explained with gay reassurance. "He knows more about riding than we
do,' and she giggled.
His preparation complete, she signalled Teddy to approach. Teabag turned his
head to eye this unusual form and he breathed noisily between his lips. Each
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time the small Gringg attempted to get close to the horse, he edged his
backside away. Then Alec pulled sharply on the reins.
"Get up there,' and the horse sidled close to bales of hay which had been
piled in the form of a mounting block for Teddy's benefit.
"Jump up on these, Teddy, and we'll get you in the pad. We've even got a neck
strap for you to hang on to. No one's ever fallen off Teabag.
"Safe as houses,' Hrrunival said, snickering a little as Teddy dutifully
climbed up on the bales.
"Throw your right leg over,' Alec said, pushing against Teabag's right side so
the old horse couldn't dodge his would-be rider.
Teddy managed that, though he could feel himself stretching the skin between
his legs. Maybe Gringg were not meant to ride horses, even if
Hrrubans could. Still, it was not uncomfortable and there was support for his
lower back and a slot for his tail to fit through, too.
"Yeah, the pack saddle even has a tail hole,' Alec told the others. He
grinned up at Teddy. "Now, these are called reins. Reins.
They guide the horse. Pull left and he'll go left, pull right and he'll go
right. Pull both reins back hard and he'll stop.
"Ol' Teabag'll stop more zan he starts,' Hrrunival said with another snigger.
Teddy nodded, trying to assimilate the knowledge while the horse moved from
side to side under him.
Inadvertently he clutched both reins back, leaned back and convulsively
tightened his legs against the sides of the animal.
"Whoa, there, Teabag,' Alec said, grabbing at the bridle by the bit.
"Hey, you did just right then, Teddy, leaning back and tightening your legs.
You'll be a rider in next to no time. Just sit deep in the ahemm
. . . pack saddle.
Grab on to the cross piece, here,' and Alec showed him the leather-covered
bar. "All you have to do on al' Teabag is sit and let your body move with the
horse!"
"I will try,' Teddy said.
"Oh, Alec, I'm not sure if he'll be able to stay on,' Alison said, frowning at [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]