Billy turns up.
He's got all the hooks and lines, all the bait, all the hobbles, all the
everything!"

"Whew-w!" whistled the boys.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Norah said cheerfully. "There's lots to do.
We can hang up the ponies while we hunt for rods. You boys have got your
strong knives, haven't you?"

They had, and immediately scattered to work. The ponies having been tied
securely under a grove of saplings, the search for rods began, and soon
four long straight sticks were obtained with the necessary amount of
"springiness." Then they hunted for a suitable camping-ground, where
lunch might be eaten without too much disturbance from flies and
mosquitoes, and gathered a good supply of dry sticks for a fire.

"Billy ought to bless us, anyhow," Jim grinned.

"Yes, oughtn't he? Come along and see if he's coming." They ran out upon
the plain, and cheerful exclamations immediately proclaimed the fact
that Billy and the old packhorse had at length made their appearance in
what Wally called the "offing."

Billy soon clattered up to the little party, the hobbles and quart pot
jingling cheerfully on old Polly's back. He grinned amiably at the four
merry faces awaiting him in the shade of a wattle tree.

"This feller pretty slow," he said, indicating Polly with a jerk of his
thumb. "You all waitin' for tackle?"

"Rather," said Jim. "Never mind, we've got everything ready. Look sharp
and shy down the hooks, Billy--they're in that tin, and the lines are
tied on to it, in a parcel. That's right," as the black boy tossed the
tackle down and he caught it deftly. "Now, you chaps, get to work, and
get your lines ready."

"Right oh!" said the chorus, as it fell to work. Billy made a swift
incursion into the interior of the pack, and fished up a tin of worms
and some raw meat, Wally being the only one to patronize the latter. The
other three baited their hooks with worms, and, all being in readiness,
made their way down the steep bank at a place where a little cleft gave
easier access to a tiny shelving beach below. Here a great tree-trunk
had long ago been left by an unusually high flood, and formed a splendid
place to fish from, as it jutted out for some distance over the stream.
Norah scrambled out like a cat to its farthest extremity, and Harry
followed her for part of the way. Wally and Jim settled themselves at
intervals along the trunk. Sinkers, floats and baits were examined, and
the business of the day began.

Eve