their unfortunate
fathers grilling in the sun. Which he says--" But at this point Norah
and Tommy brushed the orator from their path, and hastened out to the
horses--finding all the men comfortably smoking under a huge pepper
tree, and apparently in no hurry to start.

Bob bewailed his yellow paddocks as they rode down to the gate.

"They were so beautifully green a few weeks ago," he said. "Now look at
them--why, they're like a crop. The sun has burnt every bit of moisture
out of them."

"Don't let that worry you, my boy," David Linton said. "The stock are
doing all right; as long as they have plenty of good water at this time
of the year they won't ask you for green grass." He gave a low chuckle.
"You wouldn't think this was bad feed if you had seen the country in the
drought years--why, the paddocks were as bare as the palm of your hand.
Now you've grass, as you say yourself, like a crop." He looked at it
critically. "I could wish you hadn't as much; fires will be a bit of an
anxiety later on."

"Grass fires?" queried Bob.

"Yes. There's not enough timber here to have a real bush fire. But this
grass is dry enough now, and by February it will go like tinder if any
fool swagman drops a match carelessly. However, you'll just have to keep
your eyes open. Luckily, your creek can't burn--you'll always have so
much safeguard, because your stock could take to it; and that row of
willows along the bank would check any grass fire."

"My word, wouldn't a fire race across the Billabong plains this year!"
said Wally.

"Yes, it would certainly travel," agreed Mr. Linton. "Well, we've
ploughed fire-breaks, and burned round the house, and we can only hope
for good luck. You'd better burn a break round your house soon, Bob."

"Bill was saying so only this morning," Bob answered. "I nearly chucked
the races and stayed at home to do it--only I was afraid it might get
away from me single-handed, and I couldn't very well keep Bill at home."

"Oh, time enough," the squatter said lightly. "You're not so dry as we
are, and we only burned last week."

"We'll come over and help you to-morrow, if you like," Jim said. "Wally
wants work; he's getting too fat. A little gentle exercise with a racing
fire on a hot day would be the very thing for him. We'll come and burn
off with you, and then have a bathing party in the creek, and then you
and Tommy must come back to tea with us." Which was a sample of the way
much of the work was done