And as they sang "Fill the tummy of one small boy," they dropped hands, formed a long line, and one by one leaped on to Billy's stomach, bounded into the air, turned a double somersault and landed, laughing and shouting, on the ground on the other side, for all the world like acrobats in the circus. "Please let me try," said Night Mare. "I promise not to run away." "Oh! no, no, no," cried Billy. "Night Mare will kill me." "That's a good idea," said Gammon; "shall we?" "Not yet," answered Spinach; "I want to have some more fun before that happens." "So do we all," cried the others. "Oh! pshaw," said Night Mare, "you never let me have any fun--I don't know why I brought you here." "Why we brought you, you mean," said Gammon. "If it wasn't for us you'd stay in your stall all night." "Excuse me--I forgot," said Night Mare humbly. "Well, don't be ungrateful, that's all," said Spinach severely. "Some people never know when they're badly off." Gammon had perched himself again on Billy's chest. "Why don't you get up and go to Bogie Man?" he laughed, trying to poke his fingers in Billy's eye. "I can't, I'm tied," said Billy. "Time and tide wait for no man," said Gammon; "of course you're not time but you're tied." "I don't see why everybody tries to keep me from seeing Bogie Man," said Billy. "Because you want to see him," said Gammon. "That's no reason," said Billy. "Certainly not--there's no reason about any of us, most of all Bogie Man. You know the old proverb says-- 'He that will not when he may Will live to fight another day.' I suppose you would say there was no reason to that." "I certainly should," said Billy. "And there you are wrong," answered Gammon; "there is a reason for all things, only some things have lost their reason." "Now you've contradicted yourself," said Billy; "you just said that there was no reason about any of you." "I have a perfect right to contradict myself--it's only rude to contradict other people." "But which is correct?" "Both." "How can they both be correct?" "I don't know, but they are--but my, my, we're wasting time--we've got to dispose of you before morning." "Why before morning?" asked Billy. "I'm in no hurry." "You never are," said Gammon. "Night Mare, are you ready for your ride?" "Yes, I will have to start now if I am to have any kind of a canter before the cock crows." "Good!" whispered Billy to himself. "I wonder if I can still crow. It's worth trying, anyway--Cock-a-doodle-do!" And snap, the Night Mare, had broken her hitching-strap and was off in a jiffy with Gammon and Spinach and all the other dream sprites running pell-mell after her as fast as they could go. Billy shook himself; sat up, to prove that he was no longer tied down; lay back, rolled over, and in a minute was sound asleep. When Billy woke up the next morning he felt stiff and sore from being tied down so long by Gammon, and very heavy about the eyes from his lack of sleep.