"Time to water and groom the horses," cried Mr. Blunt, leaping from his pallet and touching Dudley. "Come now, how is the stiffness? What a grand morning it is! Why it makes one glad to be alive."
Dudley wakened with a start, threw his blanket from him, and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Then he rose suddenly and leaped to the ground, only to give a groan, and smile somewhat lamely at his friend.
"My word! Stiff!" he exclaimed dismally. "I can hardly move. I thought that a good night's sleep and rest would put matters right. I am worse than I was yesterday."
"And will be till I take you in hand. Strip off those things, my lad, and hop along over to the well. There is a pump there and a tub. Have a thorough good splash, and rub yourself down till your skin is on fire. Then I'll give you a little of my own special embrocation. Come, hustle!"
Mr. Blunt smiled at Dudley as he bustled him into one corner of the room and watched him remove his clothing. Then, tossing him a rough towel, he conducted him to the well for all the world as if he were his jailer. Dudley hobbled across the green space which intervened, gripped the handle of the pump, and set to work with a will. He meant to show his friend that even if he were stiff and sore he had still some energy. But he wondered whether he would, after all Mr. Blunt had said, be fit to ride that day, or move away from the house.
"My hips are so stiff and sore that I cannot bend them, while my knees feel too weak to carry my weight," he said to himself. "And my back, oh!"
"Get into the tub and sit down, my lad. That's right! Makes you gasp a little! The water comes from a spring, you see, and is precious cold. Put your head under the spout and let it pour right over you."
Mr. Blunt waved to the tub, saw Dudley clamber stiffly into it and crouch as low as possible, and then, with rapid movement of one of his muscular arms, for his injured limb was not yet quite recovered, sent a stream of ice-cold water gushing from the spout over Dudley's quivering body. No wonder that he gasped! For a moment he felt as if he could not endure it, and then he began to enjoy the sensation. The cold water wakened him effectively. He pushed his head still farther under the spout, and then gradually let the water pour over his back. A minute later he was splashing himself all over and rubbing vigorously at his limbs.
"Makes you feel better?" demanded Mr. Blunt with a grim smile. "Ah, thought it would! Hop out now and I'll give you a rub down. Then you can take a run round the rancho and afterwards have the embrocation applied. There, out you come! One has only to watch you to see that you are more active already. I'm not at all surprised to find you so stiff and sore, for you must remember that we have ridden fairly hard and fast, while you had not been in a saddle for many a long month."
"And then for only a matter of an hour at a time," answered Dudley, spluttering as the water ran from his face. "That beast I rode yesterday is a beauty, and quiet enough, but he seemed to be fretting, and kept jolting me about."