Page:The romance of Runnibede (IA romanceofrunnibe00rudd).pdf/61

strong outpacing the weak. And what a herd they were! Great bodied beasts with dusty skins; wild staring eyes; red, white and black; roan spotted and starred; spear-horned, hoop-horned, cuck-horned and curly; some with one horn; others with broken shattered horns; all of them hollow as could be. Over the black soil bank that looked down on the clean deep water of Curlew Lagoon, the Icaders surged. Suddenly they halted, surprised, and stood staring with their heads held square. Something had arrested them.

"What the deuce is there?" asked Tom Merton, who, knowing they were looking at some object strange to them, raised himself in the stirrups to get a better view.

“OI' a Harry been there with it water tank. Big fool!" Warabah discovered.

"Mighty! They’ll smother him, dray and all, if he don’t get out quick!" and putting spurs to his horse, Tom, followed by Warabah, Ted and me, galloped to the head.

"Put out of that for your life, there's a thousand bullocks on top of you!" Tom shouted, as old Harry hanging over the tail of the dray, was hauling up a bucket of water to pour into the tank. And what a fright he got! He had no knowledge that a mob of travellers were going to be watered there, to say nothing of their being right upon him!

Tom and Warabah swung round in the face of the staring leaders, and got to work with the stockwhips; but nothing short of quick-firing guns could now keep those bullocks, several days without water,