CHAPTER VIII
It was fortunate that the Kangaroo could not think of all that mightbefall them, or she never could have had the courage for the wonderfulfeats of jumping she performed. Poor little Dot, whose busy brainpictured all kinds of terrible fates, was so overcome with fear that sheseemed hardly to know what had happened; and the more she thought, themore terrified she became.
The Kangaroo did not attempt to continue the upward ascent, but followeda slope of the rugged hill, leaping from rock to rock. This was betterthan trying to escape where the trees and shrubs would have preventedher making those astonishing bounds. But the clouds had left the moonclear for a while, so that the Blackfellows and the dogs easily followedevery movement, as they pursued the hunt on a smoother level below. TheBlacks were trying to hurry on, so as to cut off the Kangaroo's retreatat a spur of the hill, where, to get away, she would have to leave therocks and descend towards them. In the meantime Dot's ears were filledwith the sounds of snarling snaps from the dingo dogs, and hideousnoises from the Blacks, encouraging the animals to attack the Kangaroo.But what pained her most were the gasps and little moans of her goodfriend, as she put such tremendous power into every leap she made fortheir lives; crashing through twigs, and scattering stones and pebbles,in the wild speed of their flight.
Then Dot's busy little brain told her another thing, which made her moremiserable. It was becoming quite clear that the poor Kangaroo wasgetting rapidly exhausted, owing to her having to bear Dot's weight. Herpanting became more and more distressing, and so did her sad moans; andflecks of foam from her straining lips fell on Dot's face and hands. Dotknew that her Kangaroo was trying to save her at the risk of her ownlife. Without the little girl in her pouch, she might get away safely;but, with her to carry, they would both probably fall victims to thefierce Blacks and their dogs.
"Kangaroo! Kangaroo!" she cried, "put me down; drop Dot anywhere,anywhere, but don't get killed yourself!"
But all Dot heard was a little hissing sound from the brave animal,which sounded like, "Never again!"
"You will be killed," moaned Dot.
"Together!" said the little hissing voice, as another great boundbrought them to the spur of the hill; and then the Kangaroo had topause.
In that moment Dot seemed to hear and see everything. They were perchedon a rock, and the moonlight lit all their surroundings like day. To theright was a deep black chasm, with a white foaming waterfall pouringinto the darkness below. In front was the same wide chasm, only lesswide, and beyond it, on the other side of the great yawning cleft in theearth, was a wild spread of morass country--a gloomy, terrible-lookingplace. To the left was a steep slope of small rocks and stones, leadingdownwards to the hollow of sedgy land that fringed the cliffs of thechasm. The only retreat possible was to pass down this declivity, andtry to escape by the sedgy land, and this is what the Black huntsmen hadexpected. It was a very weird and desolate place; and everything lookeddark and dismal, under the moonlight, as it streamed between stormyblack clouds. In that light Dot could see the Blacks hurrying forward.Already one of the dogs had far outrun the others, and with wolfish gaitand savage sounds, was pressing towards their place of observation.
The panting, trembling Kangaroo saw the approaching dog, also, andleaped down from the crag. As she dropped to earth, she stooped, andquickly lifted Dot out of her pouch, and, almost before Dot couldrealize the movement, she found herself standing alone, whilst theKangaroo hopped forward to the front of a big boulder, as if to meet thedog. Here the poor hunted creature took her stand, with her back closeto the rock. Gentle and timid as she was, and unfitted by nature tofight for her life against fierce odds, it was brave indeed of the poorKangaroo to face her enemies, prepared to do battle for the lives oflittle Dot and herself.
So noble did Dot's Kangaroo look in that desperate moment, standingerect, waiting for her foe, and conquering her naturally frightenednature by a grand effort of courage, that it seemed impossible thateither dogs or men should be so cruel as to take her life. For a momentthe dingo hound seemed daunted by her bravery, and paused a little wayoff, panting, with its great tongue lolling out of its mouth. Dot couldsee its sharp wicked teeth gleaming in the moonlight. For a few secondsit hesitated to make the attack, and looked back down the slope, to seeif the other dogs were coming to help; but they were only just beginningthe ascent, and the shouting Blackfellows were further off still. Thenthe dog could no longer control its savage nature. It longed to leap atthe poor Kangaroo's throat--that pretty furry throat that Dot's arms hadso often encircled lovingly, and it was impatient to fix its terribleteeth there, and hold, and hold, in a wild struggle, until the poorKangaroo should gradually weaken from fear and exhaustion, and be chokedto death. These thoughts filled the dog with a wicked joy. It wouldn'twait any longer for the other dingo hounds. It wanted to murder theKangaroo all by itself; so, with a toss of its head, and a terriblesnarl, it sprang forward ferociously, with open jaws, aiming at thevictim's throat.
Dot clasped her cold hands together. Tears streamed down her cheeks, andher little voice, choking with sobs, could only wail, "Oh! dearKangaroo! my dear Kangaroo! Don't kill my dear Kangaroo!" and she ranforward to throw herself upon the dog and try to save her friend.
But before the terrified little girl could reach the big rock, the doghad made its spring upon her friend. The brave Kangaroo, instead oftrying to avoid her fierce enemy, opened her little arms, and stooderect and tall to receive the attack. The dog in its eagerness, andowing to the nature of the ground, misjudged the distance it had tospring. It failed to reach the throat it had aimed at, and in a momentthe Kangaroo had seized the hound in a tight embrace. There was amomentary struggle, the dog snapping and trying to free itself, and theKangaroo holding it firmly. Then she used the only weapon she had todefend herself from dogs and men,--the long sharp claw in her foot.Whilst she held the dog in her arms, she raised her powerful leg, andwith that long, strong claw, tore open the dog's body. The dog yelped inpain as the Kangaroo threw it to the ground, where it lay rolling inagony and dying; for the Kangaroo had given it a terrible wound. Theother dogs were still some distance below, and the cries of theircompanion caused them to pause in fear and wonder, while the Black mencould be seen advancing in the dim light, flourishing their spears andboomerangs.
It was quite impossible to retreat that way; and where Dot and herKangaroo were, they were hemmed in by a rocky cliff and the deep blackchasm. The Kangaroo saw at a glance where lay their only chance of life.She picked up Dot, placed her in her pouch, and without a word leapedforward towards that fearful gulf of darkness and foaming waters. Asthey neared the spot, Dot saw that the hunted animal was going to tryand leap across to the other side. It seemed impossible that with onebound she could span that terrible place and reach the sedged morassbeyond; and still more impossible that it should be done by the pooranimal with heavy Dot in her pouch. Again Dot cried, "Oh! darlingKangaroo, leave me here, and save yourself. You can never, never do itcarrying me!"
All she heard was something like "try," or "we'll die." She could notmake out what the Kangaroo said, for the crashing of the waterfall, thewhistling of the wind, and the scattering of stones as they dashedforward, made such a storm of noises in her ears. She could see whenthey reached the grassy fringe of the precipice, where the Kangaroo wasable to quicken her pace, and literally seemed to fly to their fate.Then came the last bound before the great spring. Dot held her breath,and a feeling of sickness came over her. Her head seemed giddy, and shecould not see, but she clasped her hands together and said, "God help myKangaroo!" and then she felt the fearful leap and rush through the air.
Yes! they had just reached the other side. No! they had not quite: whatwas the matter? What a struggle! stones falling, twigs and grasseswrenching, the courageous Kangaroo fighting for a foothold on the verybrink of the precipice. What a terrible moment! Every second Dot feltsure they would fall backward and drop deep into the gully below, to bedashed to pieces on the rocks and the tree tops.
But God did help Dot'sKangaroo; the little reeds and rushes held tightly in the earth, and thepoor struggling animal, exerting all her remaining strength, gained thereedy slope safely. She staggered forward a few reeling hops, and thenfell to the earth like a dead creature. In an instant Dot was out of thepouch and had her arm round the poor animal's neck, crying, as she sawblood and foam oozing from her mouth, and a strange dim look in her sadeyes. "Don't die, dear Kangaroo! Oh, please don't die!" cried Dot,wringing her hands, and burying her face in the fur of the poor gaspingcreature.
"Dot," panted the Kangaroo, "make a noise,--Cry loud!--not safe yet!"
The little girl didn't understand why the Kangaroo wanted her to make anoise, and she had, in her fear and sorrow, quite forgotten theirpursuers. But now she turned, and could hear the Blacks urging on theirdogs as they were making an attempt to skirt round the precipice, andgain the other side of the chasm. So Dot did as she was told, andscreamed and cried like the most naughty of children; and the gaspingKangaroo told her to go on doing so.
A LEAP FOR LIFE]
Then what seemed to Dot a very terrifying thing happened; for she soonheard other cries mingle with hers. From the desolate morass, and fromthe gully in darkness below, came the sound of a bellowing. She stoppedcrying and listened, and could hear those awesome voices all around, andthe echoes made them still more hobgoblinish. The Kangaroo's eyesbrightened, as she restrained her panting, and listened also. "Go on,"she said, "we're safe now," so Dot made more crying, and her noises andthe others would have frightened anyone who had heard them in thatlonely place, with the wind storming in the trees, and the black cloudsflying over the moon. It frightened the Blackfellows directly.
They stopped in their headlong speed, shouting together in their shrillvoices, "The Bunyip! the Bunyip!" and they tumbled over one another intheir hurry to get away from a place haunted, as they thought, by thatwicked demon which they fear so much. At full speed they fled back totheir camp, with the sound of Dot's cries, and the mysterious bellowingnoise, following them on the breeze; and they never stopped runninguntil they regained the light of their camp fires. There they told the"Gins," in awe-struck voices, how it had been no Kangaroo they hadhunted, but the "Bunyip," who had pretended to be one. And the Blackgins' eyes grew wider and wider, and they made strange noises andexclamations, as they listened to the story of how the "Bunyip" had ledthe huntsmen to that dreadful place. How it had torn one of the dogs topieces, and had leaped over the precipice into Dead Man's Gully, whereit had cried like a picaninny, and bellowed like a bull. No one slept inthe camp that night, and early next morning the whole tribe went away,being afraid to remain so near the haunt of the dreaded "Bunyip."
Dot saw the flight of the Blacks in the dim distance, and told the goodnews to the Kangaroo, who, however, was too exhausted to rejoice attheir escape. She still lay where she had fallen, gasping, and with hertongue hanging down from her mouth like that of a dog.
In vain Dot caressed her, and called her by endearing names; she layquite still, as if unable to hear or feel. Dot's little heart swelledwithin her, and taking the poor animal's drooping head on her lap, shesat quite still and tearless; waiting in that solitude for her onefriend to die--leaving her lonely and helpless.
Presently she was startled by hearing a brisk voice, "Then it was ahuman picaninny, after all! Well, my dear, what are you doing here?" Dotturned her head without moving, and saw a little way behind her a brownbird on long legs, standing with its feet close together, with theself-satisfied air of a dancing master about to begin a lesson.
Dot did not care for any other creature in the Bush just then but herKangaroo, and the perky air of the bird annoyed her in her sorrow.Without answering, she bent her head closer down to that of her poorfriend, to see if her eyes were still shut, and wondered if they wouldever open and look bright and gentle again.
The little brown bird strutted with an important air to where it had abetter view of Dot and her companion, and eyed them both in the sameperky manner. "Friend Kangaroo's in a bad way," it said; "why don't youdo something, sensible, instead of messing about with its head?"
"What can I do?" whimpered Dot.
"Give it water, and damp its skin, of course," said the little Bird,contemptuously. "What fools Humans are," it exclaimed to itself. "And Isuppose you will tell me there is no water here, when all the time youare sitting on a spring."
"But I'm sitting on grass," said Dot, now fully attentive to the bird'sremarks.
"Well, booby," sneered the bird, "and under the grass is wet moss,which, if you make a hole in it, will fill with water. Why, I'd do itmyself, in a moment, only your claws are better suited for the purposethan mine. Set about it at once!" it said sharply.
In an instant Dot did what the bird directed, and thrust her littlehands into the soft grass roots and moss, out of which water pressed,as if from a sponge. She had soon made a little hole, and the mostbeautiful clear water welled up into it at once. Then, in the hollows ofher little hands, she collected it, and dashed it over the Kangaroo'sparched tongue, and, further instructed by the kindly though rude littlebird, she had soon well wetted the suffering animal's fur. Gradually thebreathing of the Kangaroo became less of an effort, her tongue moistenedand returned to the mouth, and at last Dot saw with joy the brown eyesopen, and she knew that her good friend was not going to die, but wouldget well again.
Whilst all this took place, the little brown bird stood on one leg, withits head cocked on one side, watching the exhausted Kangaroo's recoverywith a comic expression of curiosity and conceit. When it spoke to Dot,it did so without any attempt at being polite, and Dot thought it thestrangest possible creature, because it was really very kind in helpingher to save the Kangaroo's life, and yet it seemed to delight inspoiling its kindheartedness by its rudeness. Afterwards the Kangarootold her that the little Bittern is a really tender-hearted fellow, buthe has an idea that kindness in rather small creatures provokes thecontempt of the big ones. As he always wants to be thought a bigger birdthan he is, he pretends to be hard-hearted by being rough; consequently,nearly all the Bush creatures simply regard him as a rude little bird,because bad manners are no proof of being grown-up; rather the contrary.
"How do you feel now?" asked the Bittern, as the Kangaroo presentlystruggled up and squatted rather feebly on her haunches, looking aboutin a somewhat dazed way.
"I'm better now," said the Kangaroo, "but, dear me! how everything seemsto dance up and down!" She shut her eyes, for she felt giddy.
"That was rather a good jump of yours," said the Bittern, patronizingly,as if jumps for life like that of Dot's Kangaroo were made every day,and he was a judge of them!
"Ah! I remember!" said the Kangaroo, opening her eyes again and lookinground. "Where is Dot?"
"Umph! that silly!" exclaimed the Bittern, as Dot came forward, and sheand the Kangaroo rejoiced over each other's safety. "Much good she'dhave been to you with the Blacks, and their dogs after you, if weBitterns hadn't played that old trick of ours of scaring them with ourbig voices. He! he! he!" it chuckled, "how they did run when we tunedup! They thought the Bunyip had got them this time. Didn't we laugh!"
"It was very good of you," said the Kangaroo gratefully, "and it is notthe first time you have saved Kangaroos by your cleverness. I didn'tknow you Bitterns were near, so I told Dot to make a noise in the hopeof frightening them."
The Bittern was really touched by the Kangaroo's gratitude, and wasdelighted at being called clever, so it became still more ungracious."You needn't trouble me with thanks," it said indifferently, "we didn'tdo it to save you, but for our own fun. As for that little stupid," itcontinued, with a nod of the head towards Dot, "her squeals were no moregood than the squeak of a tree frog in a Bittern's beak."
"But you were very kind," said Dot, "and showed me how to get water tosave Kangaroo's life."
The Bittern was greatly pleased at this praise, and in consequence itgot still ruder, and making a face at Dot, exclaimed, "yah!" and stalkedoff. But
when it had gone a few steps it turned round and said to theKangaroo, roughly, "If you hop that way, keeping to the side of thesedges, and go half a dozen small hops beyond that white gum tree,you'll find a little cave. It's dry and warm, and good enough forKangaroos." And without waiting for thanks for this last kind act, itspread its wings and flew away.