“Then a few waves broke,” continued the Equine Ox, “and then day broke and, well—what could the Equator do but break, too?”
“Did you sit on it?” asked Billy eagerly.
The Equine Ox regarded him gravely.
“Did you ever sit on an Equator?” he asked.
“Why, no,” said Billy, embarrassed. “I didn’t.”
“Neither did I,” said the Equine Ox. “Far be it from me to sit on an Equator when it is going anywhere.”
“So it’s completely gone, has it?” asked Nimbus. “Which way did it go?”
“Shall I answer both of those questions first?” said the Equine Ox.
“I’ll answer the last,” volunteered the Evening Star. “It went south and slipped off the South Pole. I saw it.”
Nimbus fell back with a groan and Billy ran forward to catch him.