Whispering in the Wind Read online

  It was not long before the soldiers came to the cases stacked in the corner. They heaved them to one side and there was Greyfur. She did not speak or do anything to show them that kangaroos can talk to people who carry within them the spirit of the bush. She seemed just a kangaroo, an animal hunted for pet food and shot by men for what they call sport.

  They seized her, tied a rope around her neck and dragged her into the centre of the room where the captain stood in fury.

  ‘What’s this?’ he roared. ‘Where’s the farmer who brought it here?’

  ‘He seems to have left it,’ said one of the soldiers. ‘He’s nowhere in the room.’

  ‘He brought it to the castle to sell to the kitchens for soup,’ said another. ‘They ran off together. The farmer must be hiding somewhere else in the castle. He evidently left the kangaroo and it has found its way up here.’

  ‘Yes, that’s what happened all right,’ said the captain. ‘Anyway we’ll take this kangaroo to the King and hear what he has to say.’

  They dragged Greyfur down the stairs and took her to the King’s apartment where the King sat on a jewelled throne surrounded by knights and courtiers, all anxious to say something that would please him.

  ‘Where’s the farmer that brought this creature into the castle?’ asked the King.

  ‘We can’t find him, Your Majesty,’ said the captain. ‘We think he must have left the castle with the other farmers.’

  ‘It’s Princes and Knights we must beware of,’ said the King. Then added sharply, ‘You don’t think this farmer fellow was a Prince in disguise, do you?’

  ‘Oh, no!’ exclaimed the captain. ‘He was a most disreputable fellow with patches on his clothes. He could never be a Prince. I think that all he wanted to do was to see the Beautiful Princess. He must be very poor if he was trying to sell this miserable kangaroo for soup.’

  ‘That is so,’ said the King, who was gazing at Greyfur with sharp, assessing eyes. ‘Is there any money in kangaroos?’ he added, straightening himself and adjusting his crown. ‘I was wondering what it’s worth as soup.’

  ‘Very little, Your Majesty,’ said the captain. ‘It’s worth more as pet food. The hide also has some value.’

  ‘Good,’ said the King, ‘Build an enclosure for the kangaroo in the courtyard and put it there till I can get in touch with some reliable pet-food man.’

  He made a note in his notebook, ‘Sell kangaroo and use money to buy more kangaroos. Estimated profit at the end of six months: forty dollars.’

  He was pleased with this figure. Greyfur, who had gone pale beneath her fur at the mention of pet food, noticed his expression and knew she would be safe for a few days at least.

  She was feeling very sad. She longed to be racing through the bush with Peter and Moonlight and it seemed to her that those days would never come again. She put her hand into her pouch, clutched the Magic Leaf and was comforted.

  ‘Take it away,’ said the King, who had finished his calculations. ‘Fix up that enclosure and throw in some grass.’

  They dragged her away out into the courtyard where the captain got his soldiers to construct a small yard against the castle wall. He built a high fence of wire netting so that it was impossible for her to jump over it without a long run, and the yard was too small for that. There was no roof to shelter her from the rain or sun, and there was no straw for her to lie upon. She would have to sleep on the paving stones.

  One of the soldiers threw in some dry grass for her to eat, then they left her.

  Greyfur rocked upon her tail and wondered if Peter had managed to rescue the Beautiful Princess.

  ‘I hope they don’t forget me,’ she thought.

  14

  The Beautiful Princess

  When Peter stepped over the windowsill, he found himself in a large room, the splendour of which amazed him. Never in all his life had he been in such a room. Priceless tapestries and pictures hung upon the walls. The carpet beneath his feet bore a Persian design and covered the entire room. There was a table against one of the walls and arranged on it was a collection of beautiful stones: opal and jasper, smoky quartz and petrified wood, moss agate, amber and chrysoprase.

  Two pet rabbits chased each other round the carpet. Swallows had built their mud nests high up near the ceiling and the birds flew in and out of the window bringing insects for their babies.

  Shelves for books were built against the far wall. Peter could see the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings. All the Narnia chronicles were there. There was Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, and a number of books on horses. On the top of the bookshelves a possum was curled up sleeping beside a bowl of wildflowers. A Maltese terrier looking like a woolly rug lay asleep on a couch.

  Seated at a table in the centre of the room was the most beautiful girl Peter had ever seen. She had long fair hair that hung almost to her waist and framed her face in two golden curves. Her eyes were blue and of such depth and beauty and such radiance that the room, which would otherwise have been full of shadows, was lit up as if by sunlight.

  The grey thrush, pecking crumbs on the windowsill, tried to sing her beauty but it was greater than his clear notes could match. Even the wild swans stringing across the evening sky were not as beautiful as she, nor were the shy orchids that danced in the moonlight when the wind stirred.

  Just to look at her was enough to make you happy.

  The Princess was startled. She had been studying and an open book rested on the table beside the essay she was writing. Never before had a stranger entered her rooms unannounced and she was amazed at Peter’s appearance through her window. She rose and looked at him with wide-open eyes. She was dressed in a gown of silk, the colour of the blue wren’s wing, and it shimmered like moonlight on water. It twinkled with jewels and was a garment that could only be worn by a Princess.

  Peter couldn’t speak. He had never been able to talk to girls and talking to a Beautiful Princess was harder still. He didn’t know what to say.

  She smiled at him and said, ‘Are you a Prince who has struggled over mountains and through forests to rescue me?’

  Her voice was like music. Crooked Mick had once said to Peter, ‘When you find the Beautiful Princess she will have a lovely voice; they all do.’

  ‘I’m not really a Prince,’ said Peter, ‘although I’m halfway to being one.’

  ‘Your clothes are those of a prince.’

  ‘Yes, my clothes are getting better every day. Do you like my hat? It has an ostrich plume in it.’

  ‘It is a beautiful hat. I’m glad it has an ostrich feather. Some Princes have egret’s feathers in their hats. Camilla—she’s my maid—told me they had to kill the egrets to get their plumes so I’ll have nothing to do with Princes who wear egret’s feathers. Now tell me about yourself.’

  Peter told her how he lived with Crooked Mick and how he had set off to rescue a Beautiful Princess. He told her about Greyfur and her magic pouch. He talked on and on while the Princess listened, leaning forward on the table, anxious to hear all that he had to say. She was amazed at his story and when she heard how he had had to desert Greyfur to reach her, she stood up and said, We must save her!’ Then she grew thoughtful and added, ‘But I am imprisoned in this room and whenever I leave it I am under guard. However, I will find a way, so have patience for a little while.’

  ‘I have patience as long as I know she is safe,’ said Peter.

  ‘She will be safe,’ said the Princess.

  ‘Why are you kept in prison?’ asked Peter. ‘And what is your name? I’ve come to rescue you. I must know your name and all about you.’

  ‘My name is Lowana. Do you like it?’

  ‘I think it’s a lovely name.’

  ‘Yes, isn’t it. It’s an Aboriginal name meaning “First Daughter”.’

  ‘Tell me some more.’

  ‘Oh, I have a lot to tell you. It’s going to be wonderful having someone to whom I can tell everything. I’ll tell you how I feel first.’

/>   She told him how the world was so full of wonder and beauty that she wanted to bathe in it as if what lay beyond her window was a magic pool.

  ‘I knew that it was only while I was young that I could make all the world outside part of my life forever,’ she said. ‘I wanted to hold everything in my arms and rest my face against growing things. But you have to study when you are young. I was imprisoned and was not allowed to watch the spider orchids grow in the bush. I had to lean over a book in my room and study. But most of the time I never saw the pages; I was dancing among the trees and throwing flowers in the air. So the King and Queen—they are my parents and very strict—decided to keep me locked in this room until I passed my Leaving and my Matriculation, and every morning they lecture me. Does Crooked Mick lecture you?’

  ‘No,’ said Peter. ‘He loves me. He would never lecture me. When I was little he showed me all the birds of the bush and the flowers and the animals. There was nothing I didn’t learn about the bush. Then he read me books about everything and when I was older I read them myself. That’s how I learnt.’

  ‘My father didn’t do that,’ said Lowana. ‘He used to stand in front of me and say, “I don’t want my daughter to be more ignorant than other girls. All the children in the castle have got their Leaving and their Matriculation. I want to be proud of you and when other people tell me their daughters have passed these exams I feel ashamed. I want to be able to say that my daughter has her Matriculation, too. How can you get on in the world if you don’t know more than other girls? The trouble with you is that you’re lazy and won’t study. How can your mother and I face people when they know we have a stupid daughter? Once you get your Leaving and your Matriculation I will release you. And it will be no use for Princes or Knights to come here seeking your hand in marriage. I will set them tasks they can never do, then cut off their heads.”

  ‘“Quite right, too,” the Queen agreed. “Why, the daughter of Sir Reginald Maltravers has her Leaving already and she is only fifteen. And now a very wealthy Prince wants to marry her. He comes from one of the best families.”

  ‘“It’s a disgrace,” the King concluded.

  ‘I used to cry like anything,’ said Lowana, ‘and I’ll never be able to pass these exams so I’ll be imprisoned forever unless you save me.’

  ‘I think you are very clever,’ said Peter. ‘People need only look at you to know that. I will take you away, and we will get married when you’re bigger and you can live with Crooked Mick and me. You will be able to help us cook the breakfast and put out food for the animals and birds. We will tidy up the hut and make the beds and give cups of tea to visitors. We’ll get you a pony like Moonlight and every day we will ride in the bush. I will show you how to chop wood for the fire and grill chops over the coals. And we will read hundreds of books.’

  ‘How lovely,’ said Lowana. ‘I’ve never been allowed to do things like that and I want to more than anything in the world. I’d love to chop wood and grill chops over coals. Now I have to ring a bell when I need anything to eat. See those bells over there.’

  There was a shelf near her bed and on this Peter noticed a row of bells like bullock bells.

  ‘Each one is for a different person,’ Lowana went on. ‘The big one is for the cook, the next one for my maid, and then right down to the little one which is for my tutor. Today I’m supposed to ring for him when I’ve finished studying Australian explorers. I have to name them all for my father in the morning. Tell me, if we are allowed to marry, will you really let me cook for you and Crooked Mick, look after you when you are sick as well as ride Moonlight, and feed the birds and animals?’

  ‘You can do all these things, but we will both help you. We always help each other. If I get sick I can’t help you. Then you will have to do all the helping.’

  ‘What a wonderful life you must lead,’ said Lowana. ‘How happy you must be.’

  ‘Yes, we are,’ said Peter, ‘but at the moment I’m worried over Greyfur. I wish you could pass your exams straight away so that you would be released and we could go and find her.’

  ‘I’m not very clever,’ said Lowana sadly, ‘that’s the trouble. I will never pass my exams.’

  ‘Yes, you will,’ said Peter. ‘See, I have a present for you,’ and he took a Magic Leaf from the little bag hanging round his neck. He handed it to her. ‘Take it. Hold it tight in your hand. Please! It is the most wonderful present. You’ll see.’

  Lowana took the leaf and held it tightly in her hand. She gradually became more Princessy than ever. Her eyes shone and the smile that grew upon her face made Peter want to cry; it was so beautiful.

  Peter, too, had gained something from giving her the leaf. He had grown stronger and nobler, and great courage had come to him.

  ‘You suddenly look different,’ said Lowana.

  ‘Yes, I think I am. How do you feel?’

  ‘I feel fabulous. I want to sit for my Leaving and my Matriculation straight away. I wonder what’s happened to me?’

  ‘You are loved and needed now,’ said Peter. ‘You’ll pass anything. Ring for the examiner.’

  ‘I’ll ring for my tutor. Hide in my bedroom and I’ll get him.’

  She closed the bedroom door behind Peter, then rang the little bell. The tutor was very quick. He was knocking at the door almost before she had finished ringing.

  ‘Come in,’ called Lowana.

  The man who entered wore steel-rimmed spectacles that sat on the end of his nose so that he could see over them. He was stooped and wore a black coat dusted with chalk.

  ‘Has Your Highness finished her study?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ve finished with it forever,’ said Lowana. ‘I want to sit for my Leaving and my Matriculation straight away. Would you get me the papers, please?’

  ‘But, Your Highness,’ protested the tutor, ‘you know very well you have failed three times. You are certainly not ready to sit for any examination. Sitting before an open book is not studying you know. You must concentrate. Besides, I’m certain you don’t know the date of the execution of Charles I. And what about Wat Tyler? And the difference between a promontory and a headland?’

  ‘I know exactly when he was executed and I know it’s wrong to execute people. And I can remember every book I’ve ever read about promontories and Wat Tyler. Get me my examination papers immediately.’

  Lowana had faith in the Magic Leaf.

  ‘All right, all right,’ grumbled the tutor. ‘But the King is going to be very angry if you fail again.’

  He went to get the papers and in a little while returned with a number of foolscap sheets in his hand.

  ‘Now, here are the examinations for the Leaving and the Matriculation,’ he said in a pompous voice. ‘Sit at your table and answer all the questions. You must not talk. I’ll sit and watch you.’

  Lowana took the papers and spread them before her on the table. She didn’t feel a bit nervous as she always had when sitting for exams. She wasn’t afraid to look at the papers because she felt quite sure she would be able to answer every question.

  The tutor took a huge watch from his waistcoat pocket and looked at it.

  ‘I’ll give you two hours to do the lot,’ he said. ‘Start when I say “Go”.’

  He kept his eyes on the watch for a moment, then called out, ‘Go!’

  Never had Lowana written so fast. Her pen moved over the paper without ceasing. No question puzzled her. Now and again she looked at the leaf clutched in her left hand, then went on faster than ever. Sheet after sheet was added to the growing pile beside her, and when the tutor called ‘Time!’ Lowana had completed every question.

  The tutor gathered the sheets and sat down to correct them. The exclamations he made as he read each sheet comforted Lowana who was watching his face. He never found one mistake.

  ‘Ah! Oo! Oh!’ he exclaimed.

  When he had finished, he placed the papers on the table and said, ‘I simply can’t believe it. You’ve passed your Leaving and your Matriculat
ion with First Class Honours. This is amazing. You used to be as dumb as they come, Your Highness. I thought you were all looks and no brains. What’s happened? I must tell the King. This means promotion for me.’

  He hurried off to find the King and Lowana went into her bedroom to tell Peter she had passed.

  ‘If that’s education, I’ve had it,’ she said. ‘There was not one question about goodness or unselfishness. I didn’t have to show how to be thoughtful or kind. No questions about wildflowers or birds. Nothing about life. I’ll have to learn all those things from you and Crooked Mick.’

  ‘You’ve learnt them already,’ said Peter. Then he added, ‘Are you free now?’ He was anxious to rescue Greyfur.

  ‘Yes. Everyone knows why I am imprisoned, so the King will have to keep his word. He will come back with the tutor in a minute. You stand beside me, and I won’t be afraid. He will try to get rid of you by setting you three impossible tasks.’

  ‘We won’t be afraid,’ said Peter. ‘We have the Magic Leaf to help us.’

  15

  The Three Tasks

  The King was heralded by shouted commands and a stamping of feet from the guards that accompanied him. The door was flung open and he strode in, followed by the Queen who rushed forward and embraced Lowana with exclamations of pride.

  ‘Oh, darling,’ she said, ‘I’m so happy. Lady Maltravers will be furiously jealous over your high marks. You did much better than either of her daughters.’

  The King, however, seeing Peter and noticing how magnificently he was dressed and how proudly he stood beside Lowana, was furious. ‘Who is this imposter?’ he shouted. ‘Seize him.’

  He gestured to his guards who rushed forward but Lowana stepped in front of Peter and stopped them with a raised hand.

  ‘I hold you to your promise,’ she said to the King. ‘You told me that when I passed my Leaving and my Matriculation I would be free, and at liberty to choose my own friends.’

  ‘Drat it!’ exclaimed the King. ‘Did I promise that? I must have been mad.’