.

Our horses were not far off; one of them had a bell on. Jim had his old
brown, and I had a chestnut that I thought nearly as good. We weren't
likely to have anything to ride that wasn't middlin' fast and plucky.
Them that overhauled us would have to ride for it. We saddled up and
took our blankets and what few things we couldn't do without. The rest
stopped in the hut for any one that came after us. We left our wages,
too, and never asked for 'em from that day to this. A trifle like that
didn't matter after what we were going in for. More's the pity.

As we moved off my horse propped once or twice, and Warrigal looked at
us in a queer side sort of way and showed his teeth a bit--smile nor
laugh it wasn't, only a way he had when he thought he knew more than we
did.

'My word! your horse's been where the feed's good. We're goin' a good
way to-day. I wonder if they'll be as flash as they are now.'

'They'll carry us wherever that three-cornered mule of yours will
shuffle to to-night,' said Jim. 'Never you mind about them. You ride
straight, and don't get up to any monkey tricks, or, by George, I'll
straighten you, so as you'll know better next time.'

'You know a lot, Jim Marston,' said the half-caste, looking at him with
his long dark sleepy eyes which I always thought were like a half-roused
snake's. 'Never mind, you'll know more one of these days. We'd better
push on.'

He went off at a hand-gallop, and then pulled back into a long
darting kind of canter, which Bilbah thought was quite the thing for a
journey--anyhow, he never seemed to think of stopping it--went on mile
after mile as if he was not going to pull up this side of sundown. A
wiry brute, always in condition, was this said Bilbah, and just at this
time as hard as nails. Our horses had been doing nothing lately, and
being on good young feed had, of course, got fat, and were rather soft.

After four or five miles they began to blow. We couldn't well pull up;
the ground was hard in places and bad for tracking. If we went on at the
pace we should cook our horses. As soon as we got into a bit of open I
raced up to him.

'Now, look here, Warrigal,' I said, 'you know why you're doing this, and
so do I. Our horses are not up to galloping fifty or sixty miles on end
just off a spell and with no work for months. If you don't pull up and
go our pace I'll knock you off your horse.'

'Oh! you're riled!' he said, looking as impudent as he dared, but
slackeni