"Yes," said Peter, "sliddery, you know. A horse is a very slippery beast for short legs, Bob says."
He went on quite regardless of the intruders, who stood watching in awed silence, because if Mr. Chase did not order Peter out of the room, it was no one's business to do so.
"And who may this Bob be you keep quoting?" asked Mr. Chase—"a bushranger?"
"No, he's our friend," replied Peter. "He is just Bob, you know, who comes to see us. Once Eustace and he were lost in the scrub. And Bob says Eustace is a—"
"Peter!" exclaimed Eustace.
"I wasn't going to say anything bad," said Peter. "I was only going to tell grandfather how you—"
"Grandfather doesn't want to know," said Eustace, looking red and uncomfortable.
Mr. Chase turned his bright blue eyes on Eustace; they were blue eyes, very like Peter's.
"Perhaps grandfather does," he said firmly.—"Go on, Peter."
"I can tell you better," said Eustace hurriedly. "It is only Bob was lost, and I got lost looking for him; and we thought some natives were going to kill us, but the chief wanted a reward, so he fetched father and Mr. Cochrane to take us home."