n of the same sort, and
after a few days of this kind of training he is pronounced properly
broken, and fit 'for a lady to ride.' I shouldn't want any lady of my
acquaintance to venture on the back of such an animal.

"I mustn't forget a trick that these horse-breakers have, and that is,
of getting on the back of a bucking steed, placing a half-crown piece
between each thigh and the saddle, and allowing the animal to go through
all the performance she chooses to, without once displacing the coins.
Exactly the same thing is done by the rough riders of our western States
and Territories, with the difference that they use half dollars instead
of half crowns.

"We found the morning air around the station very agreeable. A gentle
breeze was blowing, and we caught the odor of the fragrant eucalyptus
mingled with that of the numerous flowers which ornamented and
brightened the grounds near by. We could hear the notes of several
birds, and louder than all the rest of their voices was that of the
laughing jackass, which has already been described. One of these birds
perched on the fence of the yard where the men were catching horses, and
Ned and I approached within twenty feet of him before he flew away.
Before doing so he treated us to a very jolly laugh, and both of us
laughed, too, in concert with him.

"Breakfast was announced, and we went in to enjoy it. We had oatmeal,
mutton chops, and ham and eggs, with plenty of bread and butter, and
honey. I looked around the table for coffee, but saw none. There was a
large pot of tea, and Ned and I took it without a word of objection,
though we would have preferred coffee. We were already aware that
coffee is but little used in the country districts of Australia, tea
being the almost universal beverage, for the reason that it is more
stimulating than coffee and better for a steady diet. It is carried
about and prepared much more easily than coffee, and this, no doubt, is
one cause of its popularity. In the old days of placer mining, every
miner carried at his waist a 'billy,' or tin cup for drinking purposes,
and he regarded a billy of tea as a very important part of any meal. At
the present day, a goodly proportion of sundowners and other Australian
pedestrians carry billies at their waist belts and treasure them with
great care."

We will listen to Ned as he tells the story of their ride among the
cattle.

"While we were at breakfast," said Ned in his journal, "the horses wer