[piosenniel]

It was cool under the trees, but not cool enough. The trees were packed close together along the road, their dense crowns arching over the narrow passage. No breeze penetrated, and the air was hot and still.

Gilly and Rose stripped down to shirtsleeves rolled as high as they could and breeches rolled above their dimpled knees, affording their limbs what little air there was from the ponies’ slow gait. Both were cranky from the sticky atmosphere and from the short rations they had put themselves on, since each thought the other had cadged food from Cook. Rose had just taken a linty half apple she’d found in her front pack pocket and offered to share it with Gilly, when both ponies stopped dead in their tracks.

‘Oh, bother!’ said Gilly, kicking her mount’s flanks in an effort to urge her on. ‘Don’t tell me these two want to share the apple, too!’

‘I don’t think it’s the apple,’ replied Rose, watching as her pony’s nostrils flared and she shook her mane vigorously.

As if by some prearranged signal, the two little horses turned off the path and picked their way determinedly through the underbrush. Both girls pulled on the reins in an effort to stop them. But it no use. The ponies had a mind to get somewhere in particular. Taking the bit in their teeth they plunged on, uncaring that their path through the underbrush scratched and bruised the bared legs of their riders.

When they did finally come to a halt, breaking through the tangles of bush and tall grass, it was a sudden stop. The riders, by this time sitting cross legged on the saddles to avoid more scratches, lost their balance and tumbled ungracefully into the water of a brook as the ponies bent their necks down to drink greedily from it.

Rose and Gilly sat up, spluttering in the midst of the cool water, angry looks on their faces. Gilly glared at her pony, who wandered away from the bank to graze on the tips of the tall sweet grass, unconcerned that her rider was wet and smeared with mud.

Gilly stood up, to clamber back on the bank and was hit on the back by some soft missile. Turning she saw Rose bent double laughing, another ball of mud in her hand. Rose looked up with an impish look in her eyes.

‘We’re hot,' she said, laughing. 'The water’s nice and cool. Let’s let the ponies eat and rest. We can catch up to Bird and Mithadan soon. They can’t be that far ahead of us.’ She looked at Gilly beseechingly. ‘Come on, Gilly. There’s no one around to bother us. Let’s have some fun!’

Gilly grinned, and scooped up a mudball of her own . . .