yarns," said Jim, turning in
his saddle, "there's Anglers' Bend."

They had been riding steadily across the plain, until they had again
come near the scrub-line which marked the course of the creek. Following
the direction pointed by Jim's finger, they saw a deep curve in the
green, where the creek suddenly left the fairly straight course it had
been pursuing and made two great bends something like a capital U, the
points of which lay in their direction. They rode down between them
until they were almost at the water's edge.

Here the creek was very deep, and in sweeping round had cut out a wide
bed, nearly three times its usual breadth. Tall trees grew almost to the
verge of the banks on both sides, so that the water was almost always in
shadow, while so high were the banks that few breezes were able to
ripple its surface. It lay placid all the year, scarcely troubled even
in winter, when the other parts of the creek rushed and tumbled in
flood. There was room in the high banks of Anglers' Bend for all the
extra water, and its presence was only marked by the strength of the
current that ran in the very centre of the stream.

Just now the water was not high, and seemed very far below the children,
who sat looking at it from their ponies on the bank. As they watched in
silence a fish leaped in the middle of the Bend. The sudden movement
seemed amazing in the stillness. It flashed for an instant in a patch of
sunlight, and then fell back, sending circling ripples spreading to each
bank.

"Good omen, I hope," Harry said, "though they often don't bite when they
jump, you know."

"It's not often they don't bite here," Jim said.

"Well, it looks a good enough place for anything--if we can't catch fish
here, we won't be up to much as anglers," Harry said.

"You've been here before, haven't you, Norah?" Wally asked.

"Oh, yes; ever so many times."

"Father and Norah have great fishing excursions on their own," said Jim.
"They take a tent and camp out for two or three days with Billy as
general flunkey. I don't know how many whales they haven't caught at
this place. They know the Bend as well as any one."

"Well, I guess we'd better take off the saddles and get to work," said
Norah, slipping off Bobs and patting his neck before undoing the girth.
The boys followed her example and soon the saddles were safely stowed in
the shade. Then Jim turned with a laugh.

"Well, we are duffers," he said. "Can't do a thing till