The Drover's Dog

 At the recent Festival of Arts, Ideas and Books I had a blether with Mike Smith after his reading from his beautifully crafted The Drover's Dog.  We were at Maryport's Senhouse Roman Museum, meeting up with old friends, listening to some fascinating talks on books, poetry readings, and much more.  And wallowing in some Allonby memories.

The Drover's Dog intrigued me.  There's a tail to tell, a tale perhaps.  Firstly the author; is not named as Mike Smith, but as Brindley Hallam Dennis.  And therein lies another tale.  Although he publishes his fiction and non-fiction under separate names, it's not so much a split personality, more that BHD came to Mike later in life, despite being there right at the start.  He doesn't go into the detail on his own blog,  but it's very much part of him.  And warrants another tale being told.  In his own inimitable style.

 

From Haldane's The Drove Roads of Scotland, Brindley, as we'll know him from this point, learns that the drovers of old, having driven their beasts to the London markets, sent their dogs to find their way home, whilst they enjoyed a little longer in the city.  He had an idea.

His tale is of a dog, Bonnie, arriving home much later than expected, and battle scarred.  She had been slashed, and then stitched up.  Drover Davy wanted to thank both parties, and set out to find out what happened; who did the slashing.  And who the stitching.  He walks south, on the drove roads from Fort William.

We pass through familiar landscapes, all the time on the old drove roads, and into the less familiar.  Davy meets some interesting characters.  Some he knows from his droving treks, wondering why he is alone, out of season.  Some remember Bonnie.

This is a traveller's tale, set in 1791, rich in history, sparkling with dialogue and dialect.  Several dialects, which Brindley does so well, especially in his readings.  I'll spare you any spoilers, save to say that you'll have noted the date is within living memory of the journey another Bonnie made south, to Swarkestone Bridge.

At the moment The Drover's Dog is only available from the online retailer I refuse to do business with; privately published, one of their print-on-demand volumes.  But I couldn't resist, phoned a friend.  You shouldn't either.  Join Davy on the drove roads, plaid on your shoulder, oatmeal in your bag, firesides to sit round.  It's a long walk.  And a fine read.