Rigden thought a moment.
"By all means, if you can stand the travellers' hut. It's empty, but in here we're rather full. As for horses, I've the very three for you. I'll run 'em up myself."
The storekeeper came to him as he was pulling on his boots. He was not a conspicuously attractive young man, but he had one huge merit. His devotion to Rigden was quite extraordinary.
"Why not let one of us run up those horses, sir?"
"One of you! I like that. Give us those spurs."
"Well, of course I meant myself, Mr. Rigden. The new chum wouldn't be much use."
"I'm not sure that you'd be much better. You don't know the paddocks as I know them, nor the mokes either. Nobody does, for that matter. But I don't want the men to get wind of this to-night."
"I'll see that they don't, Mr. Rigden."
"Now I'm ready, and I'll be twice as quick as anybody else. What's the time, Spicer?"
"Just on ten."