Free The Crowstarver by Dick King-Smith Page A

four-tooth, and later as full-mouthed.
    This ewe was a big old full-mouthed Border Leicester, and Tom had already felt around and knew that she was carrying twins. He could feel forelegs and hindlegs muddled together, and now, putting a hand inside her, he began to manoeuvre the lambs, pushing one back, easing one forward, then turning it round till its forelegs were presented, and then, gently, drawing it.
    â€˜That’s one of ’em,’ he said to Spider after he had cleared its mouth of mucus.‘Here, take thisyer towel and give un a good rub.’
    Then he knelt down again in the straw of the pen and began work on the other. This too was a breech presentation, the backside trying to come out first, and again the shepherd had to push the second lamb back in order to grasp its legs, hindlegs this time. Things did not seem to be going easily, and the ewe blatted loudly in pain, and Spider left the now dry firstborn and beganto stroke the mother’s head. He made reassuring sheep noises, as though he were the ewe and she the lamb, and it seemed to comfort her.
    Tom meanwhile was frowning in puzzlement, and then suddenly he began to smile as the truth dawned on him.
    â€˜Must be to celebrate your birthday, son,’ he said as he drew the second lamb and handed it to Spider. Then, quite easily now, for it was released from the traffic jam of its siblings, he delivered a third lamb and placed it by the ewe’s head.
    â€˜Triplets!’ he said to Spider.‘Wass think of that then?’
    Spider looked at the three lambs, his face splitting in a great grin. He held up a hand and counted upon the fingers.‘One! Two! Three!’ he said.
    â€˜That’s right.’
    While Tom was seeing to the triplets, Spider stood stock still, staring fixedly at their mother. After a while, he pointed at her back end and called, ‘Dada!’
    â€˜Yes,’ said Tom.‘What is it?’
    â€˜Four?’ said Spider, and looked quite disappointed when Tom shook his head.
    Lambing over, and the spring corn no longer in need of Spider’s protection, life on Outoverdown Farm followed its usual tranquil pattern, but in April things began to boil up abroad.
    Poland had surrendered to the Germans not long after the outbreak of war, and in March the Russians had overrun Finland. Now, in April, Germany first invaded Denmark and Norway, and then, the following month, Belgium and the Netherlands.
    Between 29 May and 4 June, 38,000 Allied troops were rescued from Dunkirk.
    On 10 June, Percy Pound and his wife received a telegram from the War Office, regretting to inform them that their only son, Private Henry Pound of the Wiltshire Regiment, had been killed in action during the retreat.
    So, for the first time, the War impinged upon the life of the village and of the farm in particular. Major and Mrs Yorke, whose only son was training as a fighter pilot, came to the foreman’s house to offer their sympathy, and in the stables all the men, including on this occasion Tom and Stan Ogle, mumbled condolences in one way or another. Only Spider said nothing, and the men presumed it was because he had not understood.
    Percy, though his heart was breaking and his knee hurting him abominably, received the halting words with a nod and a quiet ‘Thank you’,and all went about their business.
    And the business of the farm went on as usual, though now all (except Spider) realized that Britain was in imminent danger of invasion by the German forces.
    Haymaking came and went, with every available hand helping, including Mister driving the old Lea-Francis with a sweep on the front of it, and soon it was September and harvest-time.
    In the hayfield Spider had not been allowed to use a fork but had been given a wooden rake, to pull in the outermost swath from the headlands and to tidy up odd corners. All this he did very meticulously but very, very slowly.
    At harvest time he carried sheaves of wheat or of