CHAPTER VIII
A THUNDERSTORM
The Bush hath moods and changes, as the seasons rise and fall, And the men who love the Bushland--they are loyal thro' it all. A. B. PATERSON.
"The day after to-morrow is the date of the men's dance," Mr. Lintonsaid. "Norah mustn't go in for any wild exertion on that day, as she'llprobably want to dance several hundred miles at night. So if you boyswant to plan anything, you had better make your arrangements forto-morrow."
"I don't know that I've energy enough to plan anything," said Jim,lazily. He was lying full length on the lawn, his head on Norah. Wallywas close by, and Cecil and Mr. Linton occupied basket chairs. Peacewould have reigned supreme had not the mosquitoes kept every one busy.
"Any wishes, Cecil?"
"None whatever," said Cecil. "There are no people to go and see, Ithink you said, Uncle David?"
"No one that would interest you," Mr. Linton said; and Wally and Jim,who had groaned internally with fear of being taken "calling," felttheir spirits return.
"My brain's not equal to planning, as I remarked," Jim said. "But if Igo anywhere, I'd like to do so on a horse. I want to feel a horse underme again."
"Hear, hear," from Wally, softly.
"Well, I can't go out to-morrow," said the squatter. "I've letters tosee to, and Anderson may be out; so you must look afteryourselves--which I believe you to be entirely capable of doing. Norah,haven't you any ideas?"
"Loads," said Norah, promptly, "but they're all connected withmosquitoes!" She aimed a vicious blow into space as she spoke, andsighed, before rubbing the bite. "Well, suppose we ride out and boilthe billy somewhere along the river? Cecil, would you care for that?"
"Very much," said Cecil, in the tones that always gave the impressionthat he despised the particular subject under discussion. Norah hadquite withdrawn the opinion formed in the first five minutes of theiracquaintance, that he was ill mannered--now she bewailed the fact thathe was so uniformly and painfully polite.
"Well, if you would--" she said, hesitatingly. "What do you boys think?"
"Grand idea," responded Wally. Norah loved Wally's way; he was alwaysso pleased and interested over any plan that might be formed. Jim waswont to remark that if you arranged to clean out a pigsty, Wally wouldprobably regard it as a gigantic picnic, and enjoy his day hugely. Shesmiled at him gratefully in the darkness.
"You too, Jim?"
"Rather--anything you like," said her brother. "What horse can I have,Dad?"
Jim had no special horse of his own. His two ponies, Sirdar and Mick,he had outgrown, although they were still up to anything of a lighterweight--the former only inferior to Norah's beloved Bobs. His absencesfrom home were so long that it had not seemed worth while to procurehim a special horse, and for several holidays he had been accustomed toride any of the station mounts. Privately, Jim was not altogethersatisfied with the arrangement, although quite admitting its commonsense. Now that he had left school he intended to ask his father if hecould buy a horse.
"You can try my new purchase, Monarch, if you like," Mr. Lintonanswered. "He's quite a decent mover--I think you'll like him."
Cecil bit his lip, under cover of the darkness. He coveted a ride onboth Bobs and Monarch, and had given hints on the subject, but neitherhad been taken. Now Jim, nearly three years his junior, was lentMonarch without even having asked for him; while he was still, hepresumed, to ride the steady-going Brown Betty, whom he thoroughlydespised, in spite of the fact that she had once got rid of him. Heregistered another notch in his general grudge against Billabong.
Mr. Linton was absolutely ignorant of what passed in his nephew's mind.To give the city boy, with his uncertain seat and heavy hands, anythingbut a steady horse, never occurred to him; he would have regarded it aslittle short of inviting disaster to put him on Monarch, thoroughbredand newly broken in as he was; and, of course, no one but Norah everrode Bobs.
"That's all right," he said, as Jim expressed his pleasure. "And whatabout you, Wally? You're too long now for Mick, I think."
"Oh, anything you like, sir," said Wally, easily. "I haven't met anybad 'uns on Billabong. Warder, or Brown Betty, or Nan--have you got themall still?"
"They're all here," the squatter said. "Cecil generally rides Betty,and I believe Burton's using old Warder just now. But you can have Nan,if you like."
"Thanks very much," said Wally. "I'll take the shine out of you, youngNorah!"
"I'd like to see you," returned Norah. Monarch might beat Bobs or yes,perhaps one other horse she knew of, in a small tree-grown paddock; atthe thought of which she smiled happily to herself. But no other horseon Billabong could see the way Bobs went when he was in earnest.
"Well, that's all settled," Mr. Linton said. "I hope you'll have a goodday--you're bound to have it hot, so I should advise you to get an earlystart. If you go as far as the Swamp Paddock, Norah, you might rideround the cattle there, and see if they're settling down--I put the newbullocks there, you know."
"All right, Dad, we'll do it. I like having an object for a ride."
"Same here," said Jim sleepily. "Picnics are asinine things!"
"I don't believe you know much about anything--you're three partsasleep!" said Wally, flinging a cushion at his chum, which Jim caughtthankfully, and, remarking that Norah was uncommonly scraggy, adjustedunder his head. The result was a vigorous upheaval by the indignantNorah, who declined to be a head-rest for such ingratitude any longer.At this point Mr. Linton discovered that it was time for supper; andthe boys, tired after their long journey, were not long in sayinggoodnight.
Jim came up with Norah, and switched on her light. His eye travelledround the pretty room.
"I don't know what part of home's HOMIEST," he said--"but I alwaysreckon your room runs pretty near it! Blest if I know what it will belike when you're not here, little chap."
Norah rubbed her face against his coat sleeve.
"We don't talk of it," she said. "If we did, I'd--I'd be a horridcoward, Jimmy--boy, and you wouldn't like me a bit!"
"Wouldn't I?" Jim said. "Well, I can't imagine you a coward, anyhow."He bent and kissed her. "Good-night, old kiddie."
They set out in good time next morning, for the sun gave promise of ascorching day.
Billy had the horses ready under the shade of a huge pepper-tree; eventhere the flies were bad enough to set Monarch and Bobs fretting withirritation, while the two stock horses lashed unceasingly with theirtails and stamped in the dust. Nan was a long, handsome brown mare,with two white feet--an old friend of Wally's, who came and patted herand let her rub her worried head against his coat. Cecil mounted Bettyand looked on sourly, while Jim walked round Monarch and admired thebig black.
"He ought to carry you like a bird, Dad."
"He does; a bit green yet, but he'll mend of that," his fatheranswered. "Now, get away, all of you." He put Norah up and watched,with a silent look of approval, the way Jim handled his impatientsteed, taking him quietly, as one treats a fractious baby, and mountinggently. Then he stood under the tree to see them ride down the paddock,valises containing necessaries for the "asinine picnic" strapped on Nanand Betty's saddles. Norah, as the lady of the party, was exempt fromcarrying burdens, and Monarch brooked no load but his rider.
They made good time across the shadeless paddocks, anxious for thepleasanter conditions along the river bank, where a cattle track woundin and out under the gum trees. It was one of Norah and Jim's favouriterides; they never failed to take it when holidays brought the boy backto Billabong. They pushed along it for some time, eventually findingthe slip rails, through which they got into the Swamp Paddock--so calledbecause of a wide marsh in one corner, where black duck and snipe usedto come freely. The new cattle had taken to the paddock like old hands.Satisfied with their inspection, Norah and Jim led the way back to theriver, where presently they came to an ideal place to camp; a bendthickly shaded, with the river bank shelving down to a sandy beach,where it was easy to get good water.
; Wally volunteered to boil the billy, which he accomplished after muchvigorous fanning with his hat at the fire. The job took some littletime, and if the tea was eventually brewed with water that had notquite reached boiling point, that was a matter between Wally and hisconscience--certainly the other members of the party were far toothirsty to be critical! Lunch was lazily discussed close to the water,after which they lay about on the bank and talked of many things.Nobody was inclined to move, for the heat, even at the river, was verygreat; a still, thunderous day, on which no shade could keep out themoist heat, that seemed, as Wally put it, "to get into your very bonesand make them lazy."
At length Jim rolled over.
"Well, I'm off for a bathe," he said. "Coming, Cecil?"
"Oh, yes," Cecil answered, a little doubtfully; while Wally jumped upas a matter of course.
"Ugh!" groaned Norah. "Pigs! Why was I born a girl?"
"So's we could lay ourselves at your feet!" said Wally solemnly,suiting the action to the word, and placing his forehead forcefully inthe dust before her.
"M'f!" Norah wrinkled her nose. "It's very nice of you, but I don'tquite see what use it would be. Anyhow, I'd far rather go bathing." Shehuddled on the ground, and looked tragic. "Go--leave me!"
"Sorry, old girl," grinned Jim. "We won't be long."
"Be as long as you like," said the victim of circumstances, cheerfully."I'm going to sleep."
The three boys disappeared along the bank, finding, apparently, somedifficulty in discovering a suitable bathing place, for it was sometime before shouts and laughter from a good way off told Norah thatthey were in the water. She sighed, looking ruefully at the riverflowing beneath her, and half decided to go in herself; but her fatherdid not care for her bathing in the open alone, and she gave up theidea and shut her eyes so that she would not see temptation ripplingdown below. Presently she fell asleep.
She did not know how long it was before she woke. Then she jumped upwith a start, thinking, for a moment, that it was dark. The sun haddisappeared behind a huge bank of deep-purple cloud that had crept up,blotting out everything. It was breathlessly hot and quite still--not aleaf stirred on a tree, and the birds were quiet.
"Whew!" said Norah. "We're going to have a storm--and a big one!"
She listened. From far up faint calls and laughter still met her ears.It was evident that the boys were finding the water very much to theirtaste.
"Duffers!" Norah ejaculated. "We'll have the loveliest soaking--andDad'll be anxious."
She coo-ee'd several times, but no response came. Finally she rose,with a little wrinkle in her brow.
"I guess I'd better saddle up," she said.
The horses were tied up in a clump of trees not far off, the saddlesout of reach of their restless feet. Norah saddled Bobs first, and thenthe two stock horses--which was easy. To get Monarch ready, however, wasnot such a simple matter: the youngster was uneasy and sweating, andwould not keep still for a moment; to get the saddle on and adjustbreastplate and rings was a fairly stiff task with a sixteen-handshorse and a groom of fourteen years, hampered by a divided ridingskirt. At length the last buckle went home, and Norah gave a relievedsigh.
"Bother you, Monarch!" she said. "You've taken me an awful time. Comeon, Bobs."
Leaving the other horses tied up, she mounted and cantered down thebank, calling again and again. An answer came sooner than she hadexpected, and the three boys, somewhat hastily arrayed, came runningthrough the trees.
"Jimmy, have you seen the weather?" asked his sister, indicating theblackened sky.
"Only a few minutes ago," Jim said, visibly annoyed with himself. "Wewere diving in a hole with the trees meeting overhead, and the scrubthick all around us--hadn't an idea it was working up for this. Whydidn't you call us, you old duffer?"
"I did--but I couldn't make you hear," said Norah, somewhat injured."Hurry--I've saddled up."
"You have? You didn't saddle Monarch?" asked Jim quickly.
"Yes, he's all ready, and the valises are on. We're in for a ducking,anyway, don't you think, Jim?"
"I think you hadn't any business to saddle Monarch," Jim said, soberly."I wish you wouldn't do those things, Norah."
"Oh, it was all right." She smiled down at him. "He was only a bitfidgety; I believe he's frightened of the weather, Jim." She lookedacross at Cecil, seeing that young gentleman, wonderful to relate, withhis stock folded awry, and his hair in wild confusion. "Do you mindthunderstorms, Cecil?"
"I--don't care for them much," Cecil panted. Running evidently did notagree with him, and he was finding his tweed riding suit very unfittedfor the heat of the day. Jim, jogging easily, clad in white silk shirt,cord breeches and leggings, looked at him pityingly.
"Carry your coat, Cecil?" he sang out.
"No, thank you. I'd rather wear it," said Cecil, who disapproved ofbeing coatless at any time, and had looked with marked disfavour at Jimand Wally as they set off in the morning.
"Stupid donkey!" Jim muttered, under his breath. "Ah, there are thehorses!"
He made for Betty at once, and tossed the breathless Cecil into hersaddle, advising him to ride on quickly.
Wally was up in a twinkling; but to mount Monarch was no such easymatter, for the black horse was dancing with restlessness, and a lowgrowl of thunder far to the west evidently terrified him. Finally, witha quick movement, Jim was in the saddle, whereat Monarch promptlyreared. He came down, and tried to get his head between his legs, butthe boy was too quick for him, and presently steadied him sufficientlyto move away in the wake of the others.
"Go on!" Jim shouted. "Don't lose a minute!"
They went down the river bank at a hand gallop, chafing now and then atthe necessity of striking away from the track to find gates orslip-rails, as one paddock followed another. At first Monarch gave Jimall he knew to hold him, and at the gates Wally and Norah had to do allthe work, for the black thoroughbred was too impatient to stand aninstant, and threatened to buck a score of times. Jim watched the skyanxiously, very disgusted with himself. He knew they had no chance ofgetting home dry, but at least they must be out of the timber beforethe storm broke. It was coming very near now--the thunder was morefrequent, and jagged lightning tore rents in the inky curtain thatcovered the sky. He took Monarch by the head, and sent him tearingalong the track, passing the boys--Wally riding hard on Nan, and Cecilsitting back on Betty with a pale face. Before him Bobs was gallopingfreely, Norah riding with her hands well down, and on her face a smilethat was like a child's laugh of sheer happiness. Norah lovedthunderstorms; they seemed to call to something in her nature thatnever failed to respond. She glanced up at Jim merrily as he passedher.
"Grand, isn't it?" she said. Then her face changed. "He isn't gettingaway with you, Jim?"
"Not he!" said her brother, grinning. "But we've got to get out of thisjolly soon--hurry your old crock, Norah!" Norah's indignant heel smoteBobs, and they raced neck and neck for a moment.
They swung out of the trees just in time, the plain clear for homebefore them. Almost simultaneously, the storm broke. There was a madflash of lightning across the gloom, and then a rattling peal ofthunder that rang round the sky and finished with a tremendous crackoverhead. The black horse stopped suddenly, wild with terror. Then hishead went down, and he bucked.
Norah and Wally pulled up, regardless of the rain beginning to fall intorrents. Monarch was swaying to and fro in mad paroxysms, trying toget his head between his knees, his back humped in an arch, all hisbeing centred in the effort to get rid of the weight on his back, andthe iron in his mouth, and the control that kept him near that terribleconvulsion of nature going on overhead. Jim was motionless, each handlike iron on the rein--yet with gentleness, for he knew the great blackbrute was only a baby after all, and a badly frightened baby at that.Cecil, coming by on Betty, his face white, looked aghast at thestruggle between horse and rider, and fled on homewards. The thunderpealed, and the lightning lit the sky in forked darts.
Possibly the rain steadied Monarch,
or sense came back to him throughJim's voice. He stopped suddenly, planting all four feet wide apart onthe ground. Jim patted his neck, and spoke to him, and the tension wentout of the big horse. He stood trembling a little.
"Slip along," nodded Jim to Norah.
Bobs and Nan went off together. Behind them, Monarch broke into acanter, obedient once more.
Five minutes later they were at the stables, Billy out in the wet totake the horses. The storm was raging still, but there were coolnessand refreshment in the air. Billy grinned at the three soaked riders asthey slipped to the ground, and then at Brown Betty, trotting down thehill in the rain. There was no sign of Cecil, who had fled indoors.
"Him plenty 'fraid," said the black retainer, his grin widening. "Himrun like emu!" His eagle gaze dwelt on Monarch, who was still tremblingand excited.
"Been buck?" he asked, his eyes round.
"Plenty!" Jim laughed. "All right, Billy, I'll let him go myself."