Page:The romance of Runnibede (IA romanceofrunnibe00rudd).pdf/62

And though Tom shouted to him, and Warabah shouted to him, and Ted and I chipped in, old Harry had scarcely time to drop the empty bucket and look round, before bullocks, moaning, muttering bullocks, four deep, eight deep and twenty deep, were plunging and ploughing into the water, churning, slobbering it, and hustling and squeezing and poking one another on both sides and all round the dray. Tommy, the grey horse, took alarm, and swinging blindly round into the water, hooked the reins on the hoop-horns of a red bullock. The brute bellowed and plunged to free itself of them. But the others paid no attention to his troubles.

More and more of them poured down the embankment, running up and down and all round that great lagoon seeking a place to stick their snouts. It soon was difficult to distinguish the horse and dray amongst the seething mass. Gad, it was a sight! And it took the breath out of Ted and me. Then along came the Governor and the drover in charge, at a hand-gallop, calling out, "What's up? What's the matter?"

They soon saw what was up, and what they didn't see Ted and I took delight in pointing out to them. But beyond sitting on their horses and shouting words of advice to Harry, they were unable to afford him any help. Harry, fearing the dray would be shoved over, struck all round at the nearest bullocks with the empty buckets.

He struck the spear horn of one with it, and the bucket became impaled on it, and Harry, overreaching, nearly fell out of the dray trying to rescue it.