We did not usually ride after dark because we could not see where we were going. Horses also have very poor night vision.
However on this occasion, we had left starting off back to Mulu much too late and as we came down the hill back to the farm, it had got quite dark. I seem to remember that we were leading the horses down the hill towards the stables. The bridles were on the horses, and we walked in front guiding them, hopefully in the right direction.
Hyenas are usually very unused to moving in the dark.
Maybe we had left it rather late to start the homeward journey.
Perhaps we had been to the Bump and the Salt Cave which was a three-hour journey away. Anyway as we came down the final hill to the stables and our house one of the hyenas tried to grab the backside of one of our donkeys and of course, the donkey made a great leap forward with the hyena holding on tightly to its backside and/or possibly its leg.
Hyenas are despicable animals and only attack anything if they are sure they can kill it.
Of course, we yelled at the hyena and equally of course the hyena let go and fled.
But the poor donkey had blood pouring from its backside and was equally obviously in great pain.
We had a .22 rifle at home so one of us rushed to get it. Michael took the rifle and loaded it up and tried to shoot the wretched donkey dead.
But donkeys have very small brains, and nothing happened. So poor Michael had to try again and luckily this time, the bullet did enter its brain and the donkey collapsed on the ground dead. Then we had to drag it down towards the stable and we pulled it into an area where we had gwoteras (grain stores) and piled up large branches of thorn bushes to keep the hyenas away.
So, this horrid experience came to an end.
I seem to remember that the donkey was called Nicki. Nicki Timbo No So Rimbo Ama Moochy Guma Guma Goochi which I think must have been its name as otherwise I should not make that name up 70 years later.
But it was a horrid experience.
However, horrid things do happen and must be recorded as life can sometimes be horrid to animals as well as humans. So hopefully Nicki Nicky Timbo will be remembered when my descendants read this story. We dug a grave for the poor donkey so that the hyenas could not eat it.
I can see this horrid story happening in my memory as I sit writing about it in the kitchen in Sweet Pea House in Hemyock on Friday 22nd July 2023