the huge
pile of crisp doughnuts which Mrs. Brown presently placed upon the table
with a flourish.

"We don't get things like this at school!" Wally said regretfully,
pausing for an instant before his seventh.

"All the more reason you should eat plenty now," said their constructor,
holding the doughnuts temptingly beneath his nose. "Come now, dearie, do
eat something!" and Wally bashfully recommenced his efforts.

"How's Billy getting on?" Jim inquired.

"Billy's in the back kitchen, Master Jim, my love, and you've no call to
worry your head about him, He's had three plates of bacon and five eggs,
and most like by this time he's finished all his doughnuts and drunk his
coffee-pot dry. That black image will eat anythink," concluded Mrs.
Brown solemnly.

"Well, I can't eat anything more, anyhow," Jim declared. "How we're all
going to ride fifteen miles beats me. If we sleep all day, instead of
catching fish for you, you've only got yourself to blame, Mrs. Brown."
Whereat Mrs. Brown emitted fat and satisfied chuckles, and the meeting
broke up noisily, and rushed off to find its hats.

Six ponies in a line against the stable yard fence--Bobs, with an eye
looking round hopefully for Norah and sugar; Mick, most feather-headed
of chestnuts, and Jim's especial delight; Topsy and Barcoo, good useful
station ponies, with plenty of fun, yet warranted not to break the necks
of boy-visitors; Bung Eye, a lean piebald, that no one but black Billy
ever thought of riding; next to him old Polly, packed securely with the
day's provisions. Two fishing-rods stuck out from her bundles, and a big
bunch of hobbles jingled as she moved.

There was nothing in the saddles to distinguish Norah's mount, for she,
too, rode astride. Mr. Linton had a rooted dislike to side saddles, and
was wont to say he preferred horses with sound withers and a daughter
whose right hip was not higher than her left. So Norah rode on a dainty
little hunting saddle like Jim's, her habit being a neat divided skirt,
which had the double advantage of looking nice on horseback, and having
no bothersome tail to hold up when off.

The boys were dressed without regard to appearances--loose old coats
and trousers, soft shirts and leggings. Red-striped towels, peeping out
of Polly's packs, indicated that Jim had not forgotten the
possibilities of bathing which the creek afforded. A tin teapot jangled
cheerfully against a well-used black billy.

"All right, you chaps?