tooting gaily.

It was early in the day, and the township had lain drowsing in its dust
under the shimmer of a great yellow sun till this astonishing invasion
struck it, and startled it from its accustomed lethargy. There was a rush
to windows and doors, men fell over each other struggling from Harvey's
bar, a sudden mutiny arose in the little wooden school, and children
swarmed at the windows, and poured pell-mell from the doors. The people
of Bullfrog caught only a fleeting glimpse of a huge monkey crouched
man-wise on a gaily caparisoned pony, of Madame Marve in her fairy
costume, and the gaudy caravan, as the small procession dashed past.

But Constable Cobb, who was drowsing against the shoemaker's doorpost,
saw the amazing thing on the horse approaching as in a dream, and
professional zeal uppermost in his mind, he dashed into the toad, and
grabbed at the rein. The mare, already much distressed, lost her head
entirely at this rude intervention of the law, and rearing high on her
hind legs as she beat the air with her hoofs, plunged wildly, and then
bolted, leaving Constable Cobb on the broad of his back, half stifled in
the dust, with the imprint of a horseshoe on his elegant helmet.

The mare did the circuit of Bullfrog at a furious pace, with the Missing
Link hanging about her neck, and slinging to her ribs with insistent
heels. Never had Bullfrog experienced such a shaking up. People came
running in all directions, eager to see this marvellous thing. The
township was almost obscured in its own dust, and through the clouds of
her own creating came the little mare, scattering the horrified
inhabitants, who caught only fleeting glimpses of the huge, hairy
creature sprawling in the saddle.

When Nickie at length regained his stirrups, and worked himself into an
upright position, he found the mare racing along a rough road between
walls of bush, heading towards Tollbar, whence she had come on the
previous day.

Nickie the Kid was not expert as an equestrian. So far he had clung to
the horse with desperate tenacity, and now that he had recovered his
mental grip to some extent he could think of nothing to restrain the
animal's wild career, but he did think of the awful possibilities of his
position, one of which was an apparent certainty. The horse would carry
him back to Tollbar, to its owner's stable, the township would be drawn
together by the extraordinary spectacle of a horse bolting through the
place mounte