It was unkind, perhaps, of her to laugh.  Dan thought it was “beastly mean,” but then he was not in a frame of mind to see the humour of the situation, for up the whole of that long steep hill he had marched at Mokus’s head, tugging with all his might at the bridle with one hand, while the other held a huge carrot just beyond the obstinate creature’s reach.  Dan was not only hot and tired and out of patience, but he was extremely mortified.

“Where is Betty?” called Kitty, trying to check her laughter.

Betty, hearing her name, came round from the back of the cart; she was almost purple in the face, and looked quite exhausted.

“I’ve been pushing,” she gasped.  “I believe it would have been easier to have been harnessed in the shafts.”

“You poor little thing,” cried Kitty.  “You must rest now and I’ll take a turn, and you shall both have our turn in the cart after lunch, and we will walk.  We aren’t a bit tired.”

“Thank you,” they said, with stern decision in their voices, “we would rather walk; it is so much easier.”

Kitty felt quite sorry for them.  “Anna and Tony are only a little way ahead,” she said encouragingly.  “We’ve got such a jolly place to have our lunch in, and we will have a nice rest there.  Give the poor thing the carrot now, Dan.”

“Give him the carrot!” cried Dan indignantly.  “I should like to see myself!  After his behaviour, he’ll never even have a sniff of it again, if I can help it,” and Dan sent the carrot flying over the hedge to show that he meant what he said.

A good lunch, though, restored both his strength and his temper, and after it was over they all managed to pack into the cart for the rest of the short distance they had to go.  Anna took the reins this time, and whether it was that Mokus felt the firmness of her grip, or guessed that rest and freedom for a few hours lay awaiting him at the end of another mile, no one knew, but he started off down the next hill at quite a quick trot, which he never once slackened until he was drawn up beside the low stone hedge which in some long-past age had been erected around the foot of the tors.  Dan declared it was the weight of himself and Betty on the tail-board which made him go, and having once been started he could not stop if he wanted to.  In any case Mokus was forgiven, and it was with very kindly hands and many a pat that they unharnessed him from the cart and tethered him by a long rope to the stump of a stunted hawthorn bush, close to the remains of a little hut, which, with the old wall, had often caused the children much speculation as to when and why it was built there, and by whom.

Then, each carrying a basket, they started to climb to the top to find first of all a cosy, sheltered spot for a dining-room.  On the tors the sun was shining and the wild thyme smelling as sweetly as though it were April rather than January.

“Oh, look at the robins!” cried Tony delightedly.  They were pausing in their climb, and the little bright-eyed, warm-breasted creatures were hopping about them quite boldly.  “Kitty, do let me give them some crumbs, they are such darlings, and I think they are quite glad to see us.  They aren’t a bit afraid.”