loudly, and as if you were in a
rage. Then he laughed, and told me what to do."

"What was that?" said Chris, rather breathlessly, for he was busy
arranging the mule's load.

"He said I was to stamp and yell, and begin to decline a Latin noun to
the mules."

"Oh, bother the Latin nouns!" said Chris pettishly. "Who's to think of
cases when you're driving a mule? Here, come on and help. And I say, I
nearly forgot."

"Forgot what? I dare say we've forgotten lots of things."

"But we mustn't forget this. We're loading the leading mule, and it's
the one that wears that bell round its neck. Where is it?"

"The bell? Last time I saw it was when father hung it on one of the
gun-pegs over the fire-place."

"Oh!" exclaimed Chris, "and old Griggs is just finishing nailing up the
door."

"Then he'll have to un-nail it again," said Ned grumpily. "Hi, Griggs!"

There were two or three echoing raps with the hammer, and then a couple
of finishing blows, before the American cried--

"Hallo, there!"

"You're nailing up the mule's bell."

"Who says so?" and there was the commencement of the driving in of
another nail.

"I do," cried Ned. "You must open the door again."

_Rap, rap, rap, rap, bang, bang, bang_, as another nail went home.

"Can't be done."

"But we must have that strap and bell."

"Come and fetch it then. It's hanging on the hitching-up hook at the
end of the house."

"Oh!" sighed Ned in a voice full of relief, and he ran to the place
specified, to lift down the bell and the collar-strap, to come back
ringing it loudly.

"Hoi! Hallo, there! Steady!" cried Wilton excitedly. "Don't do that."

Ned gagged the bell at once by thrusting his left hand in its mouth and
holding the clapper; but the little peal he had rung had done its work
of setting all the mules in motion, bringing them all up close to the
ringer, who found himself in the midst of a knot of squealing and
kicking brutes, who diversified their vicious play by running
open-mouthed at one another to bite.

But they were all loaded at length, there was a final look round, and
then a move was made for the long shed, whose big door gaped wide, and
as their footsteps were heard there was a shrill neigh from within and
the sound of impatient stamping.

"This looks like a start at last, doctor," said Griggs, who came up
last.

"Yes, at last," said the doctor.

"Got the map all right, sir?"

"Yes, in my saddle-bag. You said y