'Jump on,' said the stout lady; and the scouts were aboard in an instant.
Dick was less familiar with a barge than Chippy, and he inspected with the deepest interest the snug, neat little cabin, as bright and clean as a new pin, with its little stove, its narrow seats, its shelves, and cupboards, with everything stowed away in shipshape fashion, the whole place reminding him of a room in a big doll's house.
Chippy complimented the lady of the barge on the smartness of her ship.
'We keep it as tidy as we know 'ow,' she replied. 'Me an' my 'usband we niver tek' dirty loads—coals, or anythin' like that. Crockery an' earthenware we got under the canvas now'—and she nodded forward—'that's the sort o' load for us. Queer thing the ole horse broke loose this arternoon when I'm by myself, which don't often happen. My man he's gone on to Newminster, an' there we'll stop to-night.' Then she gave her attention to steering the barge round a bend, while the old horse plodded along the bank as meekly as if thoughts of running away could never enter his head.
In a quiet bend of the waterway the bargewoman roared 'Wo!' and the white horse pulled up at once and whickered.
'Time for 'is nosebag,' she said, 'an' 'e knows it very well. An' we'll have a cup o' tea. I allus pull up for that, an' tek' it quiet an' comfortable, wi'out havin' to bother about steerin'.'
She fished out a tin bucket already filled with chaff, and proceeded to climb ashore and hang it round the horse's head.
'Tea for three,' murmured the Raven. 'More grub;' and Dick smiled.
The meal was a very cheerful little affair. The scouts sat on the roof of the cabin in the sunshine, with their cups beside them, and their hostess spread butter liberally on the slices of a large cottage loaf, and encouraged them to eat heartily, and set them a first-rate example herself.
Over the teacups they chatted freely, and the boys explained their movements. Among other things, they narrated their adventure of a few hours ago with the tramps, and the bargewoman was very indignant.