Page:Hornung - Irralies Bushranger.djvu/15

 "No; but jump up, and I'll drive you straight to the tank. Can your horse move?"

"We'll see." And the man knelt over the helpless animal, slipped on the bridle, and coaxed it to its four feet.

"Now tie him on behind," said Irralie, "and put your saddle and valise under the seat. There's a tank not a mile from this spot."

"If only I'd known!"

"You couldn't. How long have you gone without?"

"Oh, for hours; not that there's much wrong with me; it was the poor brute knocked up, not I."

"I should have said you were at death's door by all that shouting and shooting!"

The man laughed, showing beneath a heavy mustache a row of teeth more than presentable. He had fallen asleep beside his horse, and awoke only just in time. Another moment, and the buggy would have