“Oh, please,” said Jean, in a small shriek. “I can, quite easily. Truly, Mr. Linton.”
“I’m sure she’s all right, Dad,” Norah put in. “She wasn’t a bit stiff after that long day we had in the Far Plain.”
“Well, that was a pretty fair test,” Mr. Linton remarked. “Anyhow, we can’t start for a few days, so you had better ride a good deal, to get into form. The saddles will be out to-day. But we shan’t use them for the trip—new saddles aren’t advisable for a journey like that—we’d probably have the horses with sore backs.”
“Rather,” Jim said. “I’m never really friends with a saddle until it has been re-stuffed.”
“Oh, they are like new boots—they must get accustomed to a horse,” Mr. Linton answered. “We’ll have to exchange with the men. Murty will see that the new ones are looked after. We’ll use the old ones from to-day, so that you girls can find out which are the most comfortable for you.”
“All right,” nodded Norah. “When do you think we’ll start, Dad?”
“This is Thursday—we’ll get away on Monday morning,” her father replied. “We’ll take Billy, to lead a packhorse and make himself generally useful. It will not be necessary to carry a great amount of provisions, because we can lay in a stock of food at the various townships as we go. Atholton is the last one, at the foot of the ranges, and I’ve sent a note to the storekeeper there, telling him to have various things ready for us. Until then we need only have a day’s rations. We’ll take a tent for you girls——”
“Oh, need you, Dad? Can’t we put up a wurley?” Norah begged.
“No,” said Mr. Linton, firmly. “We don’t know if we’ll always be in timber to make wurleys, and it’s as well to be prepared for bad weather. That little tent is no trouble to take, and, as it’s waterproof, it will make an excellent covering for the pack. We’ll take some fishing tackle. They say the fishing in that mountain stream is very good. For the rest, Norah, you and I will have a heart-to-heart talk with Brownie. I believe it will make the old soul quite happy to have to cook for an expedition again.”
The time until Monday seemed all a cheerful bustle of preparation. Jean and Norah rode each day, generally with Wally in attendance, since Jim and his father had much to do together. There were jobs of moving cattle from one paddock to another; of riding round the Queensland bullocks, now settling down contentedly in the Bush Paddock, and only becoming excited when the three riders tried to count them; of inspecting the fences, with sharp eyes alert for a broken panel or a sagging wire. No one at Billabong need ever ride aimlessly; there was always work of this kind—work that the three regarded as the best possible fun. And always they talked of next week’s expedition, and made quite a hundred thousand plans in connection with it. Jean had never been camping out in her life, and, considering how calm a person she was ordinarily, it became almost alarming to behold her state of simmering excitement.