Vet in a Spin Read online

in' Willie. She hid it on yon gutter ower there j - ~quite sure of Flt

  Lt Cramond's status at the flying school. He wasn't one of the every

  time t'calf tried to get out she pushed it back in again." ~regular

  instructors he was a much older man but he was obviously regarded "But

  . . . nay nay I can't 'ave that. I've never heard of such a thing.

  H. I with respect by his fellow officers and seemed to adopt a

  freelance role.

  you Mr Herriot?" ~He occasionally descended on an unsuspecting

  trainee pilot with his familiar I shook my head but the whole thing

  seemed to fit in with the air of fanti" request' "Would you care to

  dice with death?" and this was invariably followed which had begun to

  pervade the day's work. ~by a joy ride round the sky a dazzling

  display of aerobatics which looked Bob Sellars began to climb over the

  wall.

  "Aw right if ye won't believe me ~wonderful from the ground but could

  be shattering in the air.

  show ye." ~. I had seen pupils tottering green-faced from the Tiger

  Moth after these He led the way to the far end of the field where a dry

  ditch ran along the ~sessions and there seemed to be no particular

  reason why he did it at all. But of the wall.

  "There 'e is!" he said triumphantly. ~there was no doubt he was a

  brilliant flyer. It was rumoured that he had been And there indeed he

  was. A tiny red and white calf half concealed by the loi~ !

  a stunt pilot with Alan Cob ham's famous air circus but there were so

  many herbage. He was curled comfortably in his grassy bed his nose

  resting on I rum ours in the RAF - like the one about the bromide in

  the tea that I never fore legs. really knew ,f,t was true When the

  little creature sew his mother he staggered to his feet and clamberj'

  However I got ~nto the aircraft with a feeling of pleasant

  anticipation.

  shakily up the side of the ditch, but no sooner had he gained the level

  of the fi" ~Whatever happened I wouldn't feel ill being blessed with a

  stomach which never got queasy with motion. Over-mdul than the big cow

  released now from her halter lowered her head and geM.

  gence can have disastrous eflfects on nudged him back m agam. ~ ~ Bob

  waved his arm.

  "There yare she's hi din' it isn't she?" ~ ~boats in force nine gales

  when even the crew were groaning in their bunks but Mr Rogers said

  nothing and I merely shrugged my shoulders but twice and ~land-lubber

  Herr~ot was still enJoying h~s four meals a day. It was the same in

  the calf managed to scramble from the ditch and twice more his mother

  returru ~the a~r.

  him firmly with her head. ~ I soon had reason to be grateful for this

  blessing because Flt Lt Cramond "Well it teks a bit o' believin' the

  farmer murmured half to himself.

  "Shi threw the tattle a~rcraft around the sky in an alarming manner

  climbing high had five calves afore this and we've taken 'em straight

  away from eras we all; ~ I then fluttering earth wards l~ke a falhug

  autumn leaf doing repeated loops and ~ . ~ ,~. ~ ar~ T ~ T ~ ~ soms.

  Most of ~t I enJoyed because he was a likeable man and the eyes in the

  ao. mayue she wants to Keep this un for erse~t ~ 1 aunno . . . 1

  c~unno . . .

  mirror were humorous and friendly.

  voice trailed away.

  Later as we rattled down the stony track David turned to me.

  "Do you thig He kept up a running commentary as he went through his

  repertoire.

  that cow really hid her calf . . . so that she could keep ~t for

  herself?"

  ~a violent manoeuvre which involved a lot of flying upside down. To a

  novice like I stared helplessly through the glass of the windscreen.

  "Well anybody woul ~myself it was a st range sensation to be hanging in

  my straps, loo king up at tell you it's impossible but you saw what

  happened. I'm like Mr Rogers I p' farmhouses and down at the

  cloud-strewn sky.

  don't know." I paused as the car dipped into a deep rut and sent us

  bobbi.That was the only time I didn't feel too happy, because those

  canvas straps about.

  "But you see some funny things at our job." j ! were attached to the

  sides of the cockpit by frayed wires which twanged and The schoolboy

  nodded thoughtfully.

  "Yes it seems to me that yours is a full - [ ! groaned disturbingly as

  I hung there. It was a long way to the ground and I hfe altogether."

  ~kept a hand on the parachute release just in case.

  I was wondering how long we were going to stay in this position when he

  ~rolled over and went into a long dive. Down and down we roared

  heading nose : ~first for the peaceful farm land and just as I had

  concluded that we must ~: certainly plunge straight into the earth he

  levelled oflf and we skimmed through - ~;a long cornfield with the

  wheels of the undercarriage trailing among the golden .: ears.

  r~' 7 ~ r ~ ~"This is nice, isn't it?" Flt Lt Cramond murmured.

  ~napier `~Jteen ~ ~ . And it was nice too. There was no crop spraying

  in those days and the scent -~. of the wild flowers growing among the

  corn drifted into the open cockpit.

  The :: heady fra~rance took me back in a moment to that picnic with

  Helen.

  "Would you care to come and dice with death?" 'l There were many

  things leading up to the picnic. It all started when I caught Flight

  Lieutenant Cramond looked down at me his puckish features Helen in the

  pantry, stealing the porridge oats. She was stan ding with the pac~~'e

  into a mischievous smile. I was sit ting at a table in my flying suit

  waiting t ~in her hand, scooping the contents into her mouth with a

  spoon, and she water called for a grading test and I stood up

  hurriedly. ~guiltily when she saw me.

  "You mean . . . go up with you sir?" ~"You're at it again!" I

  exclaimed. I snatched the packet from `~d a little breeze "Yes that's

  right." ~ _`nearly empty! How many do you go through a week?" vlth

  it the sweet scent "Well I'm just waiting for . . ."~_ She looked at

  me with a stricken face and shook ~ l / ~ ver In a opln "But Helen raw

  porridge oats! You're not supposed to eat them that way ~ Not a packet

  at a time, anyway. You'll give yourself indigestion." ~] "I'm all

  right so far." Her spoon twitched and I could see she wanted more "But

  why don't you cook them and eat ordinary porridge do you good that

  way."

  She pouted.

  "Don't want ordinary porridge."

  I gave her an exasperated stare and left her to it. I'd had no

  experience with' pregnant women but I had heard of these cravings and

  no doubt they were to] be respected. With Helen it had started with

  oranges oranges morning noon ', and night and I was rather pleased

  because I thought they would be good for her with all those vitamins.

  But it wasn't long before she went off the oranges ~ and on to the

  porridge and I started to worry. .> However it was needless. Within a

  week or two the porridge had lost all it~ ~-~ attractions and Helen was

  on the custard. And it was cooked custard, good .~.; wholesome stuff

&n