Chapter 11

In which Hal finds new employment, and a new foe!

Ahead was a sight oft seen by Hal.

Frightened horses milled about, and men struggled with them among the clouds of dust. Cursing teamsters attempted to bring order from confusion, while a man dressed as they were observed their efforts but took no part. A lordly figure observed it all from a distance, that he might not be forced to endure the dust, and judging by the expression on his face he was not pleased at the disorder!

Hal looked on for but a moment, that he might understand what was taking place, and also that he might better judge the moment to act.

Jumping Arrow forward, he bent down so that his hand came nigh to trailing in the dust and as he joined the melee, grabbed a loose lead-rope ere the recalcitrant animal might make good his escape. After quickly gentling the snorting beast by leading it in circles, he led it over to the man who seemed to be directing the others in their tasks. “Good Sir,” Hal said, “the horse is not wild but was merely affrighted in some wise. Mayhap ‘twas the packer who was placing the saddle upon him that caused him fright, but he’s calm now and I would return him to your care. Canst use my help with the others?”

“Aye, that I can!” the overseer said. “My teamsters be yet unaccustomed to his lordship’s animals, and they sense the unease of my men. Belike ye shall have an easier time of it, for ye be already mounted!”

Hal raised his hand in acknowledgement, and plunged back into the mix of cursing men and kicking horses. ‘Twas the work of a moment before he led another out, and this time turned it over to one of the teamsters who waited for others had observed him as he worked to separate a horse from the others. Again did Hal bring out a horse, and soon the teamsters had caught up the others and begun leading them in a circle, that they might calm themselves and accept the harness without undue protest.

Finished, he approached the man he’d spoken to earlier and dismounted.

“‘Twas well done, lad!” the foreman said. “Have ye worked with such animals before?”

“Aye, I have. ‘Twas at...” Holisz, now Hal, suddenly bethought him of what he might say, and what he must not say! “ ... my uncle’s farm. He, ah, raised horses and sold them, and perforce I worked with the care of them and trained them to their work as well. My uncle oft claimed that I had a near-wizardly way with the creatures!” The man looked at Hal speculatively as he rushed to complete his story ere he forgot the details. “But my uncle is gone now, good sir,” Hal went on, “dead in a fire that burned the entire hof. I have wandered some distance since then, and I have but little money left. Hast need for services such as I might offer?”

The factotum, for such was the title His Lordship had assigned, looked at Holisz and liked what he saw. ‘Twas only the one thing that marred his first impression. “In sooth, ‘tis a fine animal you ride, lad! But can he stand up to the wasteland and carry you between waterholes? Will he suffer excessively from thirst in this harsh desert? For look ye, we ride smaller horses, bred to the desert and known for their stamina. You may choose one from the spares tomorrow, but your horse must keep up with the others this day if you’re to retain employment with Trader Lord Padraic!”

“He’ll do right well, good Sir,” Hal explained. “How am I to address you?”

“Men call me Leo, for some claim I have the courage of a lion in battle,” explained the factotem modestly. “Yet do I only that which a man must do, an he call himself a man, though others who lack my skills make more of such than is warranted! Still, if they are the merrier for their foolish belief, ‘tis no doubt for the best! How shall I call you, Lad?”

“I am known hereabouts as Hal, good Sir. Yes, you may call me Hal, an it please you!”

“‘Tis passing strange, Hal,” Leo said. “You ride well, yet I’ve never before seen a man ride with a rat a-perch upon his saddle!”

“I have a way with horses, m’lord Leo,” Hal explained, “and betimes, with the lesser beasts as well. The rat eats but little and has no fleas, I warrant it! What work would you have me do?”

“See what you can do to straighten out what remains of yonder mess, Hal,” Leo said, “that we might hitch the beasts to our wagons without further delay! Know ye that Trader Lord Padraic wants to leave ere sundown and take advantage of the coolness to cross the ten leagues of desert until we reach the next oasis. Know ye also that we must reach water or perish, for there is naught of drink between Two Moons Village and the Oasis of the Two Palms.”

So it was that Holisz, now as comfortable with the name Hal as the one he’d carried since birth, came to the employ of Lord Padraic the Bold, native of a green isle far to the west, but now known as a trader who might wrest profit from any exchange. Uncommon shrewd was Lord Padraic, not only in the buying and selling of things, but also in choosing those he selected to his service!

Hal dropped his reins and Arrow obediently remained in place while his owner waded into the midst of the confusion. By skill, knowledge, and pluck did Hal soon calm the horses, and assist others with the saddling and harnessing. Then, taking a full man’s part in the work, for that was ever his way after he’d grown enough to work in the barony’s stables, he assisted in the loading of packs and bags and kegs of water upon the pack-saddles. Hal assured that they were tied securely in place and that the loads were balanced, lest they tire the horses unduly and cause sore backs among them. So it was that well before the light faded, the caravan of Trader Lord Padraic the Bold took to the road, if such do not too much honor to the simple dirt track they followed, and Hal worked with a will into the night.

Hungry he yet was, but there would soon be a meal fit to sustain hard-working men when they reached the oasis. Hal, perforce, must wait with the others for his dinner.

Trader Lord Padraic the Bold directed their course, paid due attention to his faithful factotum Leo, and that excellent man took care of the details and oversaw the work. He was happy to see how well Hal worked, but sad to say there were some among the drovers who resented the easy way Hal had joined the group!

Worse, he who had lost his grip upon a lead rope, thereby allowing the horse to bolt from where other men attempted the saddling and loading and thereby causing great confusion, had been summarily dismissed from his position as senior drover. Yet ‘twas not the end of the affair, for he had an uncle among the men. He it was who had recommended the nephew for the job that he’d been found unprepared to do, to his discredit! Know ye that the uncle was a burly man, uncommonly large and surly besides, yet not overburdened with wit. He made up for the lack, as many such do, with strength and shortness of temper.

He eyed Hal, gritted his teeth, muttered unkind words to his fellows, and plotted. In such wise did trouble begin fermenting and bubbling beneath the surface that night, even as the horses settled into the routine and found their place in the train, following each the tail of the horse ahead. Hal knew not of this, for he had soon found his place as an out-rider, one who was not assigned to a particular horse or wagon but who turned his hands to whatever work needed doing, and stood ready to defend the caravan should that be necessary.

To ready himself for the task, Hal had turned his pack animal into the common herd of spare horses and stacked his packsaddle on one of the small carts that was pulled behind the caravan by a placid donkey. Now, riding upon Arrow, Hal chivvied here and pressed there, that laggards not delay the long string of burdened animals. Reaching the Oasis of Two Palms was profit for the trader, but failure to do so likely meant death for the men and animals when the sun came to once again burn its path across the sky!

Know ye that horses need to be rested lest they die from overwork; they need time to roll, to graze, to think long horsey thoughts. ‘Tis best to work the animals no more than two days before allowing them a day to recover, if you intend not to carry their packs upon your own back! Trader Lord Padraic knew this, and knew also that heat and soft sand tired horses more than more salubrious surfaces, and therefore had he purchased more horses than he had packs and hired a herder to care for them.