"What's up, Mister ?" he said kindly.

"D'you find it a hard camp ?" "Not too easy," said the Englishman.

"Always seems to be a deuced hard place just under your hip, don't you know ?" "I'll put you right in a brace of shakes," said Considine.

"I've got the very thing to make a soft bed.

Half a minute now, and I'll get it for you." He went out to the back of the house, and returned with a dry white bullock-hide, as rigid as a sheet of iron.