“You are right,” said the captain, after a short pause.
“Coo-ee!”
This was only from a few yards away, and directly after a familiar voice shouted:
“Why baal not call along coo-ee? Hi, white fellow! Hi, boy! Hi, big white Mary!”
“Why, it’s Shanter,” cried Norman, excitedly. “Hi coo-ee!”
“Coo-ee! coo-ee!” came back, and directly after a black face was seen above the bushes full in the glare of the fire, and then the body came into view, as the black’s steed paced very slowly and leisurely forward, and suddenly threw up its head and gave vent to a prolonged “moo,” which was answered by first one and then another of the cows and bullocks chewing their cud close to the camp.
“Hooray!” shouted Rifle and Tim together. “Here’s a game. Look! he is riding on the little Alderney.”
“Hey!” cried the black, drumming the heifer’s ribs with his bare legs, and giving her a crack near the tail with his spear to force her right up into the light, where he sat grinning in triumph with his spear now planted on the ground.
“Yes, that’s the ord’nary heifer, sure enough,” grumbled German.