him,
Juniper purchased a few bottles of spirits on his own account, and
stowed them safely away in his sleeping-place. A few days after this
transaction, Frank bid his groom prepare himself for a ride of some
length. It was a blazing hot day, and when they had gone some fifteen
miles or more, principally in the open, across trackless plains, they
struck up suddenly into a wooded pass, and Frank, giving the bridle to
Juniper, threw himself on to the ground, under some trees, and lay
panting with the excessive heat.

"Stiff work this, Juniper," he said. "Just hang the bridles somewhere,
and come and get a little shade. It's like being roasted alive."

"Ay, sir," replied the other, "it's hot work, and thirsty work too; only
you see, sir, total abstainers ain't at liberty to quench their thirst
like ordinary mortals."

"Why not?" asked his master, laughing. "I hear the sound of water not
far-off; and I don't doubt there's enough to quench the thirst of all
the teetotallers in the colony."

"Phew!" replied Juniper, "it'd be madness to drink cold water in the
heat we're in. Why, I'm in such a state of respiration myself, sir,
that it'd be little better than courting self-destruction if I were to
drink such chilly quotations."

"Perhaps so," replied Frank; "certainly it isn't always safe, I believe,
to drink cold water when you're very hot; but we must be content with
what we can get, and wait till we're a little cooler."

"I beg your pardon, sir," said the other, in the blandest of voices;
"but I've had the sagacity to bring with me a little flask of something
as'll air the cold water famously. Here it is, sir; you can use the
cover as a cup." He was soon at the stream and back again. "Now, sir,
shall I just mix you a little? it's really very innocent--as immaculate
as a lamb. You must take it as a medicine, sir; you'll find it an
excellent stomach-ache, as the doctors say."

"I'm more afraid of it's giving me the heart-ache, Juniper," replied his
master; "but a very little in the water will certainly perhaps be wise.
There, thank you; hold--hold--you're helping me, I suppose, as you love
me." The cup, however, was drained, and then a second was taken before
they started again; and twice more before they reached home they halted,
and Juniper's flask was produced and emptied before they finally
remounted.

"I have him," chuckled Graves to himself. "I've hooked my trout; and he
only wants a little playing