th of the yarn,
and he prepared himself accordingly. His motto was "No surrender"; he
never abated one jot of his statements; if anyone chose to remark on
them, he made them warmer and stronger, and absolutely flattened out the
intruder.

"That was a wonderful bit of ridin' you done, Billy," said one of the
men at last, admiringly. "It's a wonder you wasn't killed. I suppose
your clothes was pretty well tore off your back with the scrub?"

"Never touched a twig," said Billy.

"Ah!" faltered the inquirer, "then no doubt you had a real ringin' good
stock-horse that could take you through a scrub like that full-split in
the dark, and not hit you against anything."

"No, he wasn't a good un," said Billy decisively, "he was the worst
horse in the camp. Terrible awkward in the scrub he was, always fallin'
down on his knees; and his neck was so short you could sit far back on
him and pull his ears."

Here that interrogator retired hurt; he gave Billy best. After a pause
another took up the running.

"How did your mate get on, Billy? I s'pose he was trampled to a mummy!"

"No," said Billy, "he wasn't hurt a bit. I told you he was sleeping
under the shelter of a log. Well, when those cattle rushed they swept
over that log a thousand strong; and every beast of that herd took the
log in his stride and just missed landing on Barcoo Jimmy by about four
inches."

The men waited a while and smoked, to let this statement soak well into
their systems; at last one rallied and had a final try.

"It's a wonder then, Billy," he said, "that your mate didn't come after
you and give you a hand to steady the cattle."

"Well, perhaps it was," said Billy, "only that there was a bigger wonder
than that at the back of it."

"What was that?"

"My mate never woke up all through it."

Then the men knocked the ashes out of their pipes and went to bed.

DONE FOR THE DOUBLE

by Knott Gold

Author of "Flogged for a Furlong", "Won by a Winker", etc., etc.

Chapter I.--WANTED, A PONY

Algernon de Montgomery Smythers was a merchant, wealthy beyond the
dreams of avarice. Other merchants might dress more lavishly, and wear
larger watch chains; but the bank balance is the true test of mercantile
superiority, and in a trial of bank balances Algernon de Montgomery
Smythers represented Tyson at seven stone. He was unbeatable.

He lived in comfort, not to say luxury. He had champagne for breakfast
every morning, and his wife a