p. A keen
breeze came out of the west, chilling the two children to the bone; and
Stonecrop turning his head to the wind broke out into a long wailing
whinny, which brought home to the children such a sense of their
loneliness and desolation that Elsie looked blankly at Dick and Dick as
blankly at Elsie, and neither found heart to say a word.

So they sat in their saddles for a minute or two silent and hopeless,
when suddenly both ponies pricked their ears and snuffed at the wind,
and Stonecrop again raised a loud but more cheerful whinny. And out of
the mist faint and far distant came the sound of a whinny in answer.
Then Elsie stopped, checked the tears that were rising to her eyes, and
looked at Dick, who was listening intently. He had some thought of
jumping off and saying his prayers, except that he was not sure how
Stonecrop would behave; but, even while he reflected, Stonecrop's knees
began to bend as if to lie down again, and then he caught hold of the
pony by the head and gave him a cut with his whip that drove him on in
a hurry. "Come along, Elsie," he said resolutely, "if we can reach
that horse we may find some one to help us. Perhaps it may be Billy."
And off he went dead up wind at a good round pace, which warmed them
both and put them into better heart; and Dick broke into a cantering
song which the Corporal had taught him, and sang it in time to
Stonecrop's pace.

"_Oh, a soldier's son, and a soldier's son,
He must never go back, but always go on.
Though it may be hard, he must always try,
Though he may be hurt, he must never cry.
He must never lose heart nor seem distressed,
But pluck up his courage and do his best.
And so struggle on, and on, and on,
For that's the way for a soldier's son._"

Now nothing is more certain than that, if you wish to find your way
through a fog, you must travel in the direction that you have chosen as
fast as you can. Very soon the children found themselves going down
rather a steep descent, when Stonecrop again stopped and whinnied, and
an answering whinny once more came faintly out of the mist. So they
kept on their way down and came to a stream, where Dick guided his pony
across and up the ascent on the other side. But Stonecrop after
scrambling up for a little way deliberately came back to the water and
followed it downwards, sometimes in the bed of the stream, sometimes on
the bank by the side; and Dick let him go, feeling confident that th