The Dingo Boys Part 37

He came back panting and grinning in a minute or two, looking from one to the other as if for applause.

"I hope he is right," said Uncle Jack; "but we shall have to be more careful."

"Yes," said the captain; "we have been too confident, boys, and I must now declare the station in a state of siege."

"Won't it be time enough when the black fellows come, father?"

"Will it be time enough to lock the stable door when the steed is stolen, sir?" replied the captain, sternly.

Rifle rubbed his right ear, as if his father's words had buzzed in it, and said no more.

"Talk about steeds," said the captain; "let's go and have a look at the horses. There'll be plenty of time before breakfast."

For the captain had of late given a good deal of attention to one of his young horses which promised to prove of great value. The boys were already well mounted and provided most satisfactorily. There were the quiet mares, too, which the two girls rode, and Uncle Jack had a good st.u.r.dy mount; but this graceful colt had thoroughly taken the captain's attention, and he was looking forward to the day when some wealthy settler would come up the country, see it, and purchase it, or make some valuable exchange in the shape of articles as useful to them as money.

They reached the paddock, which was always increasing in size, when they could find time to enclose more land with posts and rails, and the horses came trotting up for the t.i.tbits they were accustomed to receive from their owner's hand; and as the pet of the little drove thrust its head over the rail, it was patted and caressed, a halter attached and pa.s.sed round its lower jaw, Shanter watching eagerly the while.

"Now, Norman, up with you. I want to get him used to being backed."

Norman hesitated for a moment naturally enough, for it was mounting a bare-backed unbroken colt; but the next minute he had accepted a leg up, and was in his place, with the result that the beautiful creature reared right up, pawing the air, and threatened to fall over backwards.

"Grip him well, boy," shouted the captain.

The command was needless, for Norman was already gripping the horse's soft sides with all his might; and he kept his seat as it now came down on all fours, and darted off at a rate which startled all the rest of the occupants of the paddock into a gallop. They followed their companion round till Norman seemed able to control his mount, and brought it back to where the rest had been watching him with some anxiety.

"Well done, my boy!" said the captain, as he caressed the colt. "Down with you. Now, Raphael, you give him a turn."

Rifle sprang into the place lately occupied by his brother, had a gallop round the great enclosure; and Tim followed and cantered up.

"That will do for this morning," said the captain. "I like his action more and more, Jack. He'll want very little breaking in."

"Yes," said Uncle Jack; "a martingale will soon check that habit of throwing up his head."

"Hullo!" cried the captain; "what's that?"

"Oh nothing, father," cried Rifle, laughing. "Only Shanter. He wants to have a ride round on the colt."

"What and scare the poor animal with his black face? Besides, he can't ride."

"Yohi!" shouted the black, excitedly. "Plenty mine ride. Plenty mine ride bull-cow horse fellow. Plenty mine ride."

He strode toward the colt to mount but the captain laid his hand upon his shoulder.

Shanter started round angrily.

"Mine go ride plenty mine," he cried.

"No. Don't touch the horse," said the captain, sternly.

White man and black stood gazing in each other's eyes for some moments, and then Shanter took his spear from where it leaned against the rails, and marched off toward the nearest patch of scrub, displaying such airs of offended dignity that the boys all laughed, with the result that Shanter turned upon them furiously--like a ridiculed child--threw himself into an att.i.tude, and threatened to throw his spear. But, as the boys laughed all the more heartily, he turned and went off.

"You have offended his majesty, father," cried Norman.

"Oh, he'll forget it all in a few hours," said Rifle and they went back in to breakfast.

Soon after the captain had a ride round, ostensibly to see the more distant cattle; but, as he owned to Rifle, who accompanied him, really to see if there were any traces of blacks; but there were none.

"I'll send Shanter out scouting," said the captain, as they rode back; but there was no Shanter to send. He had evidently not forgotten, and not come back.

The next morning a visit was again paid to where the horses were enclosed every night, the captain meaning to have the colt ridden daily now, so as to break it in by degrees, when, to his annoyance, he found it looking rough and out of order, but that evening it seemed to be much better, and was grazing heartily as usual.

The next morning it was the same, and so on for several more mornings.

"I don't understand it," said the captain.

"Looks as if it had been galloped, father," said Norman.

"Yes; but the others are all right, and it would not go off and gallop alone. Flies have worried the poor beast, I suppose."

Meanwhile there had been no sign of Shanter. He had gone off in dudgeon and stayed away, his absence being severely felt in the house, for his task of fetching wood and water had to be placed in Sam German's hands; and as this was not what he called his regular work, he did it in a grumbling, unpleasant manner, which very much raised Aunt Georgie's ire.

"Shanter will come back soon, aunt," Tim kept on saying.

"But he does not come back, boy," cried Aunt Georgie; "and you boys will have to do his work, for I am not going to have that grumbling gardener to bring my wood and water. I must say, though, that it does make a good deal of difference in the consumption of bread."

And still Shanter did not come back, neither was anything seen of him by the boys in their long stock-herding rides; while to make things more annoying the colt grew worse, and the captain complained bitterly.

"But I don't think father ought to grumble," said Rifle, one night when they were going to bed. "Everything else has got on so well. Why, we shall soon be having a big farm."

"Yes," said Norman; "but the colt was a pet, and he had given so much attention to it."

They went to bed and all was quiet, but somehow Rifle could not sleep.

It was a sultry, thunderous night, and at last he rose, opened the window, and stood to gaze out at the flashing lightning as it played about a ridge of clouds in the east.

"Can't you sleep?" said Norman, in a whisper.

"No; come here. It's so jolly and cool."

There was a faint rustling sound in the darkness, and the next minute Norman was by his brother's side, enjoying the soft, comparatively cool, night air.

"Lovely," he said; and then they both stood gazing at the lightning, which made the clouds look like a chain of mountains, about whose summits the electricity played.

All at once there was a dull, low, muttering sound, apparently at a distance.

"Thunder," said Norman. "We're going to have a storm."

"Good job," replied Rifle, in the same low tone as that adopted by his brother. "Things were getting precious dry."

There was a long pause, and the lightning grew nearer and the flashes more vivid. Then, all of a sudden as the same peculiar sound was heard, Rifle whispered: