their voices but could not make him hear, in
fact he seemed rather to quicken his pace. So they drove the ponies on
again, not noticing that tufts of grass were beginning to show
themselves in the heather over which they rode. Then the man suddenly
turned to his left and went galloping on, and the children turned also
to catch him by cutting off the corner; but the ponies seemed unable to
travel very fast, and presently Dick's pony after some desperate
floundering came right down on his nose, shooting the boy gently over
his ears, where he landed with his head and shoulders in a shallow pool
of brown peaty water.

Dick jumped to his feet at once, for he was not a bit frightened, and
caught the pony easily; but he felt a little humiliated, for he could
just see that his white collar was stained with brown mud, and he did
not like the trickling of the water down his back. It took him a few
minutes to repair damages, and when he put his foot into the stirrup to
jump up again, the saddle began to turn round on the pony's back, and
he had to jump down again hastily and try to set the saddle right while
Elsie held the pony's rein. But while he was heaving with all his
little strength, the pony's back suddenly sank before him, and Elsie
cried out that Stonecrop (for that was the pony's name) was going to
lie down. Like a wise little woman she gave the rein a jerk, which
brought Stonecrop's head up and kept him on his legs; but Stonecrop was
so much annoyed that he whisked round and tugged so hard at the rein
that he drew it over his head; and Dick had only just time to catch
hold of it before Elsie was obliged to let go, for fear of being pulled
out of her saddle. Then Stonecrop, who was now still more annoyed and
had quite recovered his wind, refused for a long time to allow the rein
to be put over his head again, but kept dodging and backing until he
drove Elsie almost to despair. At last he backed into some soft ground
where he could not move very quickly, and Dick threw the rein over his
head; after which Stonecrop decided to behave himself, and actually
stood still for a moment to let Dick mount him. The saddle very nearly
turned round as he did so, but Elsie held on stoutly to the stirrup on
the other side, and, once mounted, Dick soon set the saddle straight
again by his weight; but both of the children were wearied and
disheartened by all these misfortunes, for Stonecrop had kept them
waiting by his antics for