Page 41 - A Little Bush Maid

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER V

ANGLERS’ BEND

Jim’s "bump on the head" luckily proved not very serious. A handkerchief,

soaked in the creek by Wally, who rode there and back at a wild gallop,
proved an effective bandage applied energetically by Harry, who had

studied "first-aid" in an ambulance class. Ten minutes of this treatment,
however, proved as much as Jim’s patience would stand, and at the end of
that time he firmly removed the handkerchief, and professed himself cured.

"Nothing to make a fuss about, anyhow," he declared, in answer to

sympathetic inquiries. "Head’s a bit ’off,’ but nothing to grumble at. Tt’ll be
all right, if we ride along steadily for a while. T don’t think T’ll do any more
racing just now though, thank you!"

"Who won that race?" queried Harry, laughing. The spirits of the little

party, from being suddenly at zero, had gone up with a bound.

"Blessed if T know," said Jim. "T only know T was leading until Mick ended

matters for me."

"T led after that, anyhow," said Wally. "Couldn’t pull my beauty up, he was
so excited by Mick’s somersault."

"T’d have won, in the long run!" Norah said. There were still traces of tears
in her eyes, but her face was merry enough. She was riding very close to

Jim.

"Yes, T think you would," Jim answered; "you and Bobs were coming up

like a hurricane last time T looked round. Never mind, we’ll call it
anybody’s race and have it over again sometime."

They rode along for a few miles, keeping close to the river, which wound in
and out, fringed with a thick belt of scrub, amongst which rose tall red-gum

trees. Flights of cockatoos screamed over their heads, and magpies gurgled