e barn, the water running through a pipe.

"Oh, Bunker, give me a ride on Major's back!" cried Sue, as she saw her
father's red-haired helper leading the old brown horse.

"Put me on his back, Bunker!"

"All right, Sue! Come along. Whoa, there, Major!"

Major stood still, for he was very gentle. Bunker lifted Sue up on the
animal's broad back, and held her there while he led the horse to the
drinking trough.

"Do you want a ride, too?" asked Ben Hall of Bunny.

"Yes," answered the little boy.

"Here you go then. We'll both ride this horse to water."

Ben Hall did a strange thing. All at once he jumped up in the air, and
before Bunny or Sue knew what he was doing the strange boy was sitting
on the back of Prince, the other horse. He had jumped up as easily as a
bouncing, rubber ball.

"Now then, come over here, and I'll lift you up in front of me!" called
Ben to Bunny, and soon the little fellow was sitting on the back of
Prince, while Ben guided him to the drinking trough.

"Say, that's a good way to get up on a horse's back, Ben!" called Bunker
Blue, who had seen what Ben had done. "Where did you learn that trick
of jumping up?"

"Oh, I--I just sort of learned it--that's all. It's easy when you
practise it."

"Well, I'm going to practise then," said Bunker. "I'd like to learn to
jump on a horse's back the way you did."

When the horses had had their water Bunker lifted Sue down from the back
of Major.

"But I want to ride back to the barn," the little girl said.

"And in a minute so you shall," promised Bunker. "Only, just now, I want
to see if I can jump up the way Ben did."

Bunker tried it, but he nearly fell.

"I can't do it," he said. "It looks easy, but it's hard. You must have
had to practise a good while, Ben."

"Yes, I did."

"How long?"

"Oh, about five years!"

Bunker Blue whistled in surprise.

"Five years!" he cried. "I'll never be able to do that. Let me see once
more how you do it."

Ben lifted Bunny down, and once more the strange boy leaped with one
jump upon the back of the horse.

"Why, he does it just like the men in the circus!" exclaimed Sue. "Oh,
Bunny, Ben will make a good jumper in our circus."

"Yes," agreed the little boy. "Do you think, Ben, you could show me how
to get on a horse's back that way?" Bunny asked.

"Well, I'm afraid not--not such a little boy as you," answered Ben, as
he lifted Bunny up on Prince's back once more for the ride to the barn.

T