Wilbraham. Well, not much as it has happened, but he was very near smashing us to pieces, and the [256] ]spilling of the food was a clever extra touch. He had got to do something, and he had about a minute to do it in, and he did his best, or his worst: and as for sailing away, I take it he was beaten away.
Easterley. I hope you may be right. We must never say die, anyway. But you don’t look well, Jack, though you speak so cheerfully.
Wilbraham. I am a bit seedy, I am sure I don’t know why, but I daresay it will pass off soon.
Easterley. I suppose we had better push on, we have most of the day before us yet, and we had better take some of the food that is left. But look! what’s that?
Wilbraham. A horse, by George! didn’t I tell you?
And a horse it was, but its presence proved after all not to be such a very good sign as we supposed. We thought at first that it must belong to some of the telegraph people, but as we drew nearer we saw that it was Jack’s own horse which had been abandoned in the bush on account of lameness. Still it was a good sign. Its presence made it much more likely that we were still west of the wire, and we might possibly make use of it for travelling, but above all it seemed as if there must be water near, and that if we stuck to the horse we should find it.
It was quite an easy matter to catch the horse; he [257] ]had been well broken in, and his ten or twelve days in the bush had not made him at all forget his training. He seemed to recognise us, and we thought at first that his lameness was quite gone.
Then we reckoned up our store of food. We had saved just nine of the lozenges. We resolved now to take three each, reserving three for the evening.
If Jack was right we should hardly have need of them. And yet we might, for the telegraph stations were far apart, and it might be quite beyond our power to walk to the nearest, and we would not know in which direction to travel in order to reach the nearest. But then, as Jack said, if all came to all we should cut the wire, and that would soon bring us help.
The food quite restored me, but I did not think that it had the same good effect on Jack. He was quite cheerful, brave, and hopeful, but still there was undoubtedly something amiss. So I proposed that Jack should have the horse and that I should walk beside him. “I don’t mind,” he said, “if I have the first ride.” And so it was arranged.