Part 28 (2/2)
I tried a placatory smile. ”No, really, Nat. It was just a little p.r.i.c.k.”
”Don't give me that!” The big man arched his back, kneaded his b.u.t.tock and groaned. ”Ah felt it go right in!”
His rage was not allayed by the peals of merriment from his comrades, Ray and Phil. The three were long-time workers on Sir Eustace Lamburn's farm and we knew each other well, but Nat was the odd man out. The other two were always cheerful and ready for a joke but Nat was surly and seemed to carry a permanent chip on his shoulder.
A lot of my work consisted of preventive injections, and in the many wrestling matches with beasts packed in pens or down pa.s.sages, my needles did occasionally score a bull's-eye in human rather than animal flesh. The most common victim was myself because my patients rarely stood still, and with one hand pinching the skin and the other poising the syringe an inch away, it was the easiest thing in the world to pierce my hand. The vet coming to grief either in this way or by getting his toes stood on was invariably good for a laugh and there was always an outburst of hilarity as I yelped and hopped around, but having it happen to the dour Nat was nearly as good, especially as I had found my target in his backside.
”Aye, ye can laugh,” snarled the big man, ”but what's goin' to happen now? Ah've had a b.l.o.o.d.y dose of that abortion stuff, and what's that goin' to do to me?”
”You're not in calf, are ye, Nat, lad?” giggled Phil. ”They say that vaccine's only dangerous to pregnant cows, but ah can't see you slippin' your calf.” There was another eruption of mirth from the two.
Briggs stuck out his jaw. ”It's awright you talkin' but that's mucky stuff. It could do summat inside me.”
”Look, Nat,” I said. ”You haven't had a dose of anything.” I held up the syringe showing the full 5-c.c. dose within. ”You've just had a p.r.i.c.k from the needle. You might be a bit sore and I do apologise, but it can't do you any harm.”
”That's what you say, 'erriot, but we'll see. Any road, I'm keepin' clear of you. Somebody else can hold the rest of the b.u.g.g.e.rs.”
Ray clapped him on the shoulder. ”Never mind, Nat. You've just got married, so you'll be well looked after. Your new missus'll get you a cus.h.i.+on whenever you want to sit down.”
There was no doubt that the little accident made the day for Phil and Ray, but for a long time afterwards I had to suffer complaints from their cantankerous colleague every time I visited the Lamburn farm. It transpired that the b.u.t.tock had swelled up and remained painful for a long time, causing immense inconvenience, but I was sure the rigmarole was exaggerated and I paid little attention until one day a vastly more serious charge was laid at my door.
Nat Briggs pushed his irascible face close to mine. ”Ah'm goin' to tell tha summat, 'erriot. You've stopped me ever havin' a family.”
”What!”
”Aye, ah'm not jokin'. Missus and me have been trying for a long time but there's no sign of anything happenin'. The doctor doesn't know why, but ah do! It's your b.l.o.o.d.y injection!”
”Oh, come on, Nat, that's ridiculous. How could that little accident possibly have such an effect?”
”How could it? Ah'll tell you! That b.l.o.o.d.y stuff you injected into me was to do with abortion and breedin' and all that sort o' thing. It stands to reason that you've stopped me ever havin' kids!”
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I pleaded and expostulated, but the man was in deadly earnest. I had ruined his life and he'd never forgive me.
His mates didn't help.
”Don't listen to 'im, Mr. Herriot,” cried Ray. ”He can't do it properly-he's only makin' excuses.” Followed by more laughter.
Despite the jocularity I found the thing upsetting, because it wasn't only on the farm that I had trouble. I never knew when I was going to run into the man. I received dirty looks from Briggs in Darrowby market-place, and in the evenings when I was sipping a soothing beer in some country inn it shattered my peace when I found that disapproving gaze trained on me.
Over many months my visits to the Lamburn farm were uncomfortable. The leg-pulling had stopped, but I sensed at all times the hostility from Briggs. He rarely mentioned the matter, but the thing was accepted between us. I was responsible for his permanent sterility and that was that.
A long time after the abortion incident I was back on the farm treating a batch of beasts with pneumonia. It was the usual rodeo with about twenty strong young cattle packed in a penned-off corner of the fold yard. I was poising my syringe charged with antibiotic as the men squeezed their way among the crush. Briggs was hanging on to a particularly wild stirk, his back towards me, and I'll never know if he was thrown back or one of the other men nudged my arm because next moment he let out an anguished yell.
”Ya rotten b.u.g.g.e.r, 'erriot, you've done it again!” He staggered about, clutching his behind and staring wide-eyed at me.
I couldn't believe it. Surely history couldn't repeat itself so exactly. But there was no doubt about it, the scene was the same. Briggs bellowing and gripping his b.u.t.tock, the other two men falling around laughing, myself transfixed in horror.
Still holding himself, Briggs turned on me, his fifteen stones hanging over me menacingly. ”What's this stuff goin' to do to me, eh?” he barked. ”You've done me enough damage, ya b.u.g.g.e.r, with that fust lot, but what am I goin' to suffer now?”
”Nat, I'm truly sorry, but I can only tell you again that it can't possibly do you any harm. There's only antibiotic in the syringe-like penicillin, only stronger.”
”Ah don't care a b.u.g.g.e.r what it is-it's meant to go into the b.l.o.o.d.y beast, not me. Ah'm b.l.o.o.d.y fed up with you, 'erriot, doin' the same thing to me again.”
”It's not the same, Nat,” cried Phil. ”You got it in the right cheek this time. Mr. Herriot's just levellin' you up-I've allus said he was a tidy worker and it's only natural 'e would want to square the job up.” He and Ray abandoned themselves to helpless mirth.
After that incident I was grateful that Sir Eustace's livestock had a long spell of good health and I was able to pa.s.s the few visits that came up on to Siegfried. It was nearly a year later that the three men and I were together again. As we carried on with our work, I was relieved to find that Briggs was not particularly unfriendly. Last time I had thought he was going to hit me, but he caught and held the struggling animals without comment.
During a moment's respite, as I refilled my syringe, Ray piped up. ”We've got a bit o' news for you, Mr. Herriot.”
”Oh yes?”
”Aye, red-'ot news. Nat's become a dad!”
”Really? That's great! Congratulations, Nat! What is it-boy or a girl?”
Fatherhood seemed to have mellowed the big man because a sheepish smile spread over his face. ”Twins,” he said proudly. ”Boy and a girl!”
”Well-terrific. You can't do better than that!”
Phil broke in. ”We've been tellin' him, Mr. Herriot. He blamed you for stoppin' the job with that first injection you gave 'im. Well, the second jab must have been the antidote!”
Chapter 42.
”SOMETHING FOR YOU TO think about, James,” Siegfried said as he closed the day-book and rose from the desk.
He was unusually serious and I looked at him in surprise. ”What's that?”
”Well, I know you've had a happy year at Rowan Garth, but you've always had an ambition to live right out in the country in a village.”
”That's right-some time in the future, anyway.”
”Well, there's a grand little place-High Field House-coming up for sale in Hannerly and I think it's something special. I'm sure it will soon be snapped up. Maybe you'd care to have a look.”
It gave me a jolt. I had certainly nourished this idea for a long time, but as one who hated change of any kind I had never got further than regarding it as a distant dream. Now I was suddenly brought right up against it.
I rubbed my chin. ”I don't know-I wasn't thinking about it yet for a while. Maybe some day...”
”James, it takes a lot to stir you into action.” My partner wagged a finger at me. ”But I tell you this, that day will come some time and when it does you will start to thrash around and you'll never find anything better than this place I'm talking about. There isn't a prettier village than Hannerly and the house is ideal for you.”
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