Horse Tale by Bonnie Bryant Page B

and stretched, then flopped back down again. “I say we go on strike.”
    Christine’s head poked through the tent flap. “Come on, you two, up and at ’em,” she said cheerfully. “I’ve been up for hours already—the day’s half-wasted!”
    Carole glanced at her watch. “Only you would say that at six in the morning,” she commented. It was true. Christine was known for her predawn rides through the desert.
    “Up, up, up,” Christine replied with a grin. “I already took care of the horses, and our breakfast is almost ready.”
    Reluctantly Carole and Stevie left their cozy sleeping bags and pulled on some clothes. When they got outside, they discovered that Christine had the campfire going, and slabs of bacon were sizzling in a cast-iron pan.
    “Where did you get that pan?” Lisa asked as she and Kate came crawling out of their tent, yawning and stretching and looking as sleepy as Carole and Stevie felt. “I didn’t know you brought it.”
    “I didn’t,” Christine said. “I got it from my family’s secret hiding place.” She led the others to a small opening in the rocks at the edge of the arroyo, too small to be called a cave. Inside was a large, sturdy wooden trunk bound in metal. Christine opened the lid and showed her friends the contents: cooking and serving utensils, extra drop cloths andblankets, a spare halter and lead rope, clothes, and packets of dried food.
    “Wow,” Stevie said, impressed. “Nobody would ever know this stuff was here if they didn’t know where to look.”
    “My family has been coming to this spot for a long time,” Christine said. “This way we don’t have to carry absolutely everything with us every time, and we’re prepared in case of emergencies.”
    She grabbed some plates and forks out of the trunk. Then the girls returned to the campfire and helped themselves to bacon and slices of Phyllis Devine’s homemade bread, which Christine had toasted over the fire. Of course, Christine gave Dude his share of everything.
    “This is delicious,” Carole murmured, her mouth full.
    “Somehow I always think food tastes better when it’s prepared outside,” Christine commented.
    Lisa nodded. “I know what you mean, especially when it’s eaten outside as well.” By this time the girls were all wide awake, and within a few minutes they had finished every last bit of the delicious breakfast.
    “I guess we’d better think about cleaning up and heading back soon,” Kate said reluctantly. “There’s a lot of work to be done before the auction tomorrow.”
    “Before we do, I have one last surprise for you,” Christine said mysteriously. “Come this way.” She stood up. “Oh, but first you’ll need to change into your swimsuits. I hope you brought them like I told you to.”
    “I have a feeling I’m going to like this surprise,” Stevieremarked to Carole as they returned to their tent and hurriedly changed into their suits.
    When everyone was ready, Christine led them up the far bank of the arroyo and through the woods beyond the corral. There they joined a creek—the same one that meandered past their campsite, Christine told them. They followed the creek through the woods until it flowed over a small drop-off and emptied into a peaceful, shady pond nestled among the trees.
    “Oh, it’s beautiful!” Lisa exclaimed. Just enough sunlight filtered through the treetops to set the calm surface of the water sparkling.
    “The shade keeps the water cool even during the heat of the day,” Christine explained as she stepped down past the small waterfall onto some large, smooth rocks along the edge of the water below. She shed her T-shirt, boots, and socks, then slid into the water. “Come on in!” she urged the others.
    They didn’t have to be asked twice. Soon all five of them were happily splashing around in the pond. The water came up only to their shoulders, so it was too shallow for diving, but plenty deep enough to have fun swimming and dunking each