ear. But, as
the boys laughed all the more heartily, he turned and went off.

"You have offended his majesty, father," cried Norman.

"Oh, he'll forget it all in a few hours," said Rifle and they went back
in to breakfast.

Soon after the captain had a ride round, ostensibly to see the more
distant cattle; but, as he owned to Rifle, who accompanied him, really
to see if there were any traces of blacks; but there were none.

"I'll send Shanter out scouting," said the captain, as they rode back;
but there was no Shanter to send. He had evidently not forgotten, and
not come back.

The next morning a visit was again paid to where the horses were
enclosed every night, the captain meaning to have the colt ridden daily
now, so as to break it in by degrees, when, to his annoyance, he found
it looking rough and out of order, but that evening it seemed to be much
better, and was grazing heartily as usual.

The next morning it was the same, and so on for several more mornings.

"I don't understand it," said the captain.

"Looks as if it had been galloped, father," said Norman.

"Yes; but the others are all right, and it would not go off and gallop
alone. Flies have worried the poor beast, I suppose."

Meanwhile there had been no sign of Shanter. He had gone off in dudgeon
and stayed away, his absence being severely felt in the house, for his
task of fetching wood and water had to be placed in Sam German's hands;
and as this was not what he called his regular work, he did it in a
grumbling, unpleasant manner, which very much raised Aunt Georgie's ire.

"Shanter will come back soon, aunt," Tim kept on saying.

"But he does not come back, boy," cried Aunt Georgie; "and you boys will
have to do his work, for I am not going to have that grumbling gardener
to bring my wood and water. I must say, though, that it does make a
good deal of difference in the consumption of bread."

And still Shanter did not come back, neither was anything seen of him by
the boys in their long stock-herding rides; while to make things more
annoying the colt grew worse, and the captain complained bitterly.

"But I don't think father ought to grumble," said Rifle, one night when
they were going to bed. "Everything else has got on so well. Why, we
shall soon be having a big farm."

"Yes," said Norman; "but the colt was a pet, and he had given so much
attention to it."

They went to bed and all was quiet, but somehow Rifle could not sleep