"Now, get away, all of you." He put Norah up and watched,
with a silent look of approval, the way Jim handled his impatient
steed, taking him quietly, as one treats a fractious baby, and mounting
gently. Then he stood under the tree to see them ride down the paddock,
valises containing necessaries for the "asinine picnic" strapped on Nan
and Betty's saddles. Norah, as the lady of the party, was exempt from
carrying burdens, and Monarch brooked no load but his rider.
They made good time across the shadeless paddocks, anxious for the
pleasanter conditions along the river bank, where a cattle track wound
in and out under the gum trees. It was one of Norah and Jim's favourite
rides; they never failed to take it when holidays brought the boy back
to Billabong. They pushed along it for some time, eventually finding
the slip rails, through which they got into the Swamp Paddock--so called
because of a wide marsh in one corner, where black duck and snipe used
to come freely. The new cattle had taken to the paddock like old hands.
Satisfied with their inspection, Norah and Jim led the way back to the
river, where presently they came to an ideal place to camp; a bend
thickly shaded, with the river bank shelving down to a sandy beach,
where it was easy to get good water.
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