To leeward, a few stray ponies and cattle, the property of the Northam potwallopers, and the unwilling playthings of the boys in their leisure hours, showed through the haze. Out of the mist to windward, beyond the grey bar of the Pebble Ridge, came the unceasing roar of mile-long Atlantic rollers. I’ve never done any cattle-liftin’, but it seems to me-e-e that one might just as well be stalky about a thing as not.” The smoking vapours of the Atlantic drove in wreaths above the boys’ heads. “But they’ve gone into it as if it was a sort of spadger-hunt.

“We should,” Corkran replied with equal confidence. His hair was of the dark mahogany red that goes with a certain temperament. “ We might have managed it,” said McTurk slowly, turning up his coat-collar against the rain that swept over the Burrows. They’ll only yell, an’ shout, an’ bunk if they see Vidley.” He’ll muck it, though-with Parsons, Orrin and Howlett helpin’ him. Old Vidley chivied De Vitré twice last week for ridin’ his ponies on the Burrows and De Vitré’s goin’ to lift as many of old Vidley’s cattle as he can and plant ’em up the hill. “They’re tryin’ to drive ’em up to Toowey’s farmyard at the top of the hill-the empty one, where we smoked last Tuesday. What is the sense of drivin’ a lot of cows up from the Burrows to-to-where is it?” That’s all right, but drivin’ ’em about-” What’ll they do with the beastly cows when they’ve got ’em? You can milk a cow-if she’ll stand still. Wasn’t I right, Beetle?”“And, anyhow, it’s a silly biznai, bung through.

Besides, there’s bound to be a mess somewhere or other, with old De Vitré in charge.

“AND then,” it was a boy’s voice, curiously level and even, “De Vitré said we were beastly funks not to help, and I said there were too many chaps in it to suit us.

Kipling stalky