t an ending it didn't need a beginning, so you could start
it anywhere.

'As for instance,' said Bill, and he roared out--

'Ho, aboard the _Salt Junk Sarah_,
Rollin' home across the line,
The Bo'sun collared the Captain's hat
And threw it in the brine.
Rollin' home, rollin' home,
Rollin' home across the foam,
The Captain sat without a hat
The whole way rollin' home.'

[Illustration]

Entertaining themselves in this way as they strolled along, they were
presently arrested by shouts of 'Fire! Fire!' and a Fireman in a large
helmet came bolting down the road, pulling a fire hose behind him.

'Aha!' said Bill. 'Now we shall have the awe-inspirin' spectacle of a
fire to entertain us,' and, accosting the Fireman, he demanded to know
where the fire was.

'The fact is,' said the Fireman, 'that owing to the size of this helmet
I can't see where it is; but if you will kindly glance at the
surrounding district, you'll see it about somewhere.'

They glanced about and, sure enough, there was a fire burning in the
next field. It was only a cowshed, certainly, but it was blazing very
nicely, and well worth looking at.

'Fire,' said Bill, 'in the form of a common cowshed, is burnin' about
nor'-nor'-east as the crow flies.'

'In that case,' said the Fireman, 'I invite all present bravely to
assist in putting it out. But,' he added impressively, 'if you'll take
my advice, you'll shove that Puddin' in this hollow log and roll a
stone agen the end to keep him in, for if he gets too near the flames
he'll be cooked again and have his flavour ruined.'

[Illustration]

'This is a very sensible feller,' said Bill, and though Puddin' objected
strongly, he was at once pushed into a log and securely fastened in with
a large stone.

[Illustration]

'How'd you like to be shoved in a blooming log,' he shouted at Bill,
'when you was burning with anxiety to see the fire?' but Bill said
severely, 'Be sensible, Albert, fires is too dangerous to Puddin's
flavours.'

No more time was lost in seizing the hose and they set off with the
greatest enthusiasm. For, as everyone knows, running with the reel is
one of the grand joys of being a fireman. They had the hose fixed to a
garden tap in no time, and soon were all hard at work, putting out the
fire.

[Illustration]

Of course there was a great deal of smoke and shouting, and getting
tripped up by the hose, and it was by the merest chance Bunyip Bluegum
glanced back