“Besides,” he said, “the stores will only just last out.”
To make up for it, they started very early the next morning, so as to get as far away as possible before returning. Then came the mid-day halt, and the journey back to the water-hole, over what seemed to be now the most uninteresting piece of country they had yet traversed, and Shanter appeared to think so too.
“Baal black fellow; baal wallaby; baal snakum. Mine want big damper.”
“And mine must plenty wait till we get back to camp,” said Norman, nodding at him, when the black nodded back and hastened the pace of the packhorse, whose load was next to nothing now, the stores having been left at the side of the water-hole.
It was getting toward sundown when the ridge of rocks, at the foot of which the deep pure water lay, came in sight; and Shanter, who was in advance, checked the horse he drove and waited for the boys to come up.
“Horse fellow stop along of you,” he said; “mine go an’ stir up damper fire.”
“All right,” replied Norman, taking the horse’s rein, but letting it go directly, knowing that the patient would follow the others, while with a leap and a bound Shanter trotted off, just as if he had not been walking all the day.
“I am sorry it’s all over,” said Rifle, who was riding with his rein on his horse’s neck and hands in his pockets. “We don’t seem to have had half a holiday.”
“It isn’t all over,” said Tim; “we’ve got full five days yet, and we may have all sorts of adventures. I wish, though, there were some other wild beasts here beside kangaroos and dingoes. I don’t think Australia is much of a place after all.”
“Hub!” cried Norman. “Look, old Tam has caught sight of game.”