d over
the horse and cart, and found that neither was a penny the worse,
thanks to the Raven's clever manoeuvring.

Chippy scratched his jaw thoughtfully, then spoke up:

'D'ye reckon it's worth a loaf to ye--a big un?'

'A loaf!' cried the baker, 'it's worth every loaf I've got in the cart,
and more, too. The mare might have broke her leg and the cart been
smashed, and I gave three-and-twenty pound for the mare less 'n a
fortnight ago.'

'We'll let it go at a loaf,' murmured Chippy; and the baker picked out
the best he could find and gave a thousand thanks with it. Chippy put
the loaf in his haversack, and the scouts trudged on.

'It'll stretch our flour out a bit,' said Chippy, and Dick grinned.

'After all, Chippy,' he said, 'the loaf was well earned, and no
mistake. I don't see that we're not playing fair by picking up things
like that.'

'I don't see aught wrong in that,' replied the Raven; 'that's living on
the country in as straight a way as can be, I reckon.'

Beyond the village they climbed a rise to a ridge, and at the crown of
the ascent they looked ahead, and saw a wide valley before them, with a
shining stream winding its way through a green river-flat.

'There's the river, Chippy,' said Dick, 'and there goes the road up the
side of the valley, turning away from the river.'

He pointed to the white ribbon of dusty road which climbed a distant
rise and disappeared.

'We'll mek' straight for the river,' said the Raven.

'Right,' said Dick. 'Cross-country it is;' and the boys struck away
into the fields. They spent some time in reaching the river, for they
carefully avoided crossing fields where grass was growing for hay, or
where corn was green; but at last they were on its banks at a point
where it wound across a big patch of rough common land, dotted by
flumps of gorse and broken by two or three spinneys.

The river was not wide, but it was slow, and seemed deep. The boys
tried two or three places with their patrol staffs, and could not touch
the bottom. Then they started to prospect for a camping-ground for the
night.

'How about under that little hanger?' said Dick, pointing to a tiny
wood which clung to a bank a short distance back from the river.

'Looks all right,' rejoined Chippy; and they went towards it. They
were crossing a grassy strip between two clumps of furze when a small
spiny creature with a sharp nose trundled across their path some
distance ahead. Chippy leapt o