and began to follow the
footprints of the horses backward. Then turning, he laughed.

"Of course," said Norman. "How stupid of me! Follow the back track."

"But suppose it comes on to rain heavily, and washes the footmarks out.
How then?"

"Don't you croak," cried Norman, who was himself again. "Who says it's
going to rain?"

"Nobody," said Tim; "but it might."

"Pigs might fly," cried Rifle.

Just then Shanter gave a triumphant cry. He had come to a large
water-hole, by which they camped for the night, and had the pleasure of
seeing their tired horses drink heartily, and then go off to crop the
abundant grass.

"Now, boys," said Norman that night, "I've something to tell you.
To-morrow we go forward half a day's journey, and then halt for two
hours, and come back here to camp."

"Why?" cried Rifle.

"Because we have only just time to get back as father said."

"Why, we've only--"

"Been out eight days, boys," interrupted Norman; "and there's only just
time to get back by going steadily."

"But we can't get back in time," argued Rifle. "We shall only have five
days and a half."

"Yes we shall, if we don't make any stoppages."

"Oh, let's go on a bit farther; we haven't had hardly any fun yet,"
cried Rifle.

But Norman took the part of leader, and was inexorable.

"Besides," he said, "the stores will only just last out."

To make up for it, they started very early the next morning, so as to
get as far away as possible before returning. Then came the mid-day
halt, and the journey back to the water-hole, over what seemed to be now
the most uninteresting piece of country they had yet traversed, and
Shanter appeared to think so too.

"Baal black fellow; baal wallaby; baal snakum. Mine want big damper."

"And mine must plenty wait till we get back to camp," said Norman,
nodding at him, when the black nodded back and hastened the pace of the
packhorse, whose load was next to nothing now, the stores having been
left at the side of the water-hole.

It was getting toward sundown when the ridge of rocks, at the foot of
which the deep pure water lay, came in sight; and Shanter, who was in
advance, checked the horse he drove and waited for the boys to come up.

"Horse fellow stop along of you," he said; "mine go an' stir up damper
fire."

"All right," replied Norman, taking the horse's rein, but letting it go
directly, knowing that the patient would follow the others, while with a
leap and a bo