"If he were a rain-maker," he
taunted, "he would make a little when he wanted it, instead of walking
miles with buckets," and the taunts rankling in Billy's royal soul, he
retired to the camp to see about it.
"Hope he does the trick," the traveller said, busy unpacking his team.
"Could do with a good bath fairly soon." But Dan cautioned him to "have
a care," settling down in the shade to watch proceedings. "These early
showers are a bit tricky," he explained, "can't tell how long they'll
last. Heard of a chap once who reckoned it was good enough for a bath,
but by the time he'd got himself nicely soaped the shower was travelling
on ten miles a minute, and there wasn't another drop of rain for a
fortnight, which wasn't too pleasant for the prickly heat."
The homestead rubbed its back in sympathy against the nearest upright,
and Dan added that "of course the soap kept the mosquitoes dodged a bit,"
which was something to be thankful for. "There generally is something to
be thankful for, if you only reckon it out," he assured all. But the
traveller, reduced to a sweltering prickliness by his exertions, wasn't
"noticing much at present," as he rubbed his back in his misery against
the saddle of the horse he was unpacking.
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