"Perhaps; but don't tell him so," said the girl sharply.
She walked her pony across to the lad, and laid her hand on the mare's wet neck.
"That's a little better to-day, Albert," she said. "But you ought to steady a bit before you come."
The boy touched his cap and rode arrogantly on to join the other lads.
Monkey Brand saw the look upon his face.
"Once you knows you know nothin', you may learn somethin'," he said confidentially as the lad passed him. Then he turned with a wink to Silver and said sotto-voce: "They calls him Boysie when he's crossed 'em. See he apes Miss Boy. He features her a bit, and he knows it. She's teaching him to ride, and he's picked up some of her tricks. Course he ain't got her way with 'em. But he might make a tidy little 'orseman one o' these days, as I tells him, if so be he was to tumble on his head a nice few times and get the conceit knocked out of him."
The lads continued their patrol.
Their knees were to their chins, and their hands thrust in front of them, a rein in each, almost as though they were about to pound a big drum with their fists.
Monkey nodded at them.
"She rides long, Miss Boy do—old style, cavalry style, same as you yourself, sir. They've all got the monkey-up-a-stick seat."