ly: "I'm not urging you to come, mind. I know what you're in
for; you don't. But if you want to be men, now's your chance."

Vaughan's riding test next day was a severe one. "It's not that I want
to make a fool of you," explained Mick, as they lead the horses out of
Archer's yard. "But there's not a properly quiet horse in my plant.
It's no good your getting your swag ready if you can't ride. What
d'you feel like?"

Vaughan said he was feeling fine; but if the truth must be told, his
pulses were beating unusually fast as he looked at the bush horses and
realized that he was soon to be on top of one of them. The party
consisted of the drover, the white boys, and one or two black stockmen,
and when they came to a broad expanse of soft sand, Mick said they
needn't go any farther.

Vaughan rode three horses. The first was a bay mare, of medium height,
short in the back, and with a long rein. "You'll find her a bit tricky
to mount," said Mick. The animal stood as quiet as a mouse while
Vaughan caught her and put the saddle on, but as soon as he tossed the
reins over her head, she backed away and started to prance round
excitedly. The boy found it impossible to get his foot in the stirrup;
as soon as he touched the metal, the mare jumped back. Mick Darby
stood by and said nothing, but he interfered when Sax wanted to go and
help his friend. "Let him do it on his own," he said. "He won't
always have you with him."

Instead of quietening down, when the mare found she could bluff the lad
she pranced about more than ever, and Vaughan saw that, unless he could
surprise the animal for a moment, he would have no chance of mounting.
So he kept the reins over her head and started to pat the lovely neck
and shoulders. He slowly worked round till he was on the off side--a
side from which, normally, no one ever mounts a horse--and let his hand
run down the shoulder till it touched the stirrup. The mare stood
quite still.

Still patting the animal, Vaughan shortened the rein, and quietly
lifted his right foot. As soon as it was in the stirrup, he sprang,
and before the surprised horse could recover from its astonishment, he
was in the saddle, having mounted from the wrong side.

The blacks shouted their praise, but Vaughan listened only for the
drover's voice. Mick laughed heartily. "Good boy! Good boy!" he
said. "You bluffed her all right. Get off, and I'll show you how to
do it on the near side."

The mare