Free The Liverpool Rose by Katie Flynn Page A

eyes and short, straight little nose.
    Having seen Bert off, Priddy took the rudder and Clem began to lead Hal along the bank. He guessed from the delicious smell of food which wafted to him every now and then on the summery breeze that a meal was cooking.
    They had not gone far before he noticed that Hal’s head was constantly trying to turn towards the canal, and guessed that the heat, and the attention of the many flies which buzzed around the horse’s body, were making him think wistfully of the joys of a nice swim. Despite having a certain sympathy, for he would not have minded a dip himself, Clem kept a tight hold on Hal’s bridle and presently was able to reward the big horse for his good behaviour by snatching up a large clump of dandelion leaves and feeding them, a few at a time, between the animal’s long, soft lips. And when Priddy shouted that the meal was ready, he was only too happy to tie Hal to a handy stanchion – for they were now awaiting their turn to enter a lock – adjust the horse’s nosebag, and join the two old people in the quaint little cabin of The Liverpool Rose .
    During the course of the next few days, Clem not only proved himself a worthy member of the crew of three who ran the barge and the butty boat, but also became very fond of Jake and Priddy, to say nothing of Hal. Right from the start, the big horse had made it plain, in ways only a horse lover could understand, that heboth liked and respected Clem and was eager to do everything he could to please him. Consequently he no longer tried to slip into the water when passing a dogwash, although there were occasions when he must have longed to rid himself of the dust and sweat of his working day.
    The barge had been heading away from Leeds and towards its eventual destination, Liverpool, when he had come aboard, so Clem found, to his intense pleasure, that the canal was making its way through increasingly wild and beautiful country. The great shoulders of the Pennines rose on either side of the canal and when Jake tied up for the night, Clem was able to explore a good deal of the surrounding countryside. He found tiny streams which had carved themselves rocky ravines over the centuries and now tumbled recklessly downward, heading for the nearest lake, river or reservoir. In the folds of the hills, rowan, hazel and hawthorn trees flourished, bent and twisted by the bitter gales of winter but at this time of year gaily caparisoned with bright summer foliage. If they moored alongside a village then there was stabling for horses in winter time, but in the summer Hal had the freedom of the nearest meadow or common land, where Clem would tether him on a long rope and leave him to graze contentedly most of the night. Sometimes, as he walked back towards the canal in the velvety dark, he would see a badger, black and white face clear in the moonlight, waddling back towards its sett. Other times he would see foxes, the vixen teaching her cubs the ways of the world they would soon have to learn as they matured, and always there were rabbits, stoats, fieldmice and voles, going about their business as soon as dusk fell.
    Clem also discovered that Jake was a keennaturalist and knew more about the countryside through which they passed, and the creatures which lived there, than did many a local farmer. And if Jake was the authority on wild animals, Priddy was the one who could tell Clem everything he wanted to know about the flowers and plants which grew along the entire length of the canal. Not only did she know about such things, she also used them, for she was a noted wise woman and called upon whenever the work horses of the canal – or indeed the boat people themselves – needed any sort of doctoring. In the tiny cabin of The Liverpool Rose hung bunches of drying herbs, and the cupboard beneath the folding bed contained a variety of bottles and jars and a large tin of the goose grease which was the basis for most of Priddy’s