CHAPTER X
The fourth day of Dot's wanderings in the Bush dawned brightly. The sunarose in a sky all gorgeous in gold and crimson, and flashed upon aworld glittering with dewy freshness. Sweet odours from the aromaticbush filled the air, and every living creature made what noise it could,to show its joy in being happy and free in the beautiful Bush. Rich andgurgling came the note of the magpies, the jovial Kookooburras salutedthe sun with rollicking laughter, the crickets chirruped, frogs croakedin chorus, or solemnly "popped" in deep vibrating tones, like the ringof a woodman's axe. Every now and then came the shriek of the plover, orthe shrill cry of the peeweet; and gayer and more lively than all theothers was the merry clattering of the big bush wagtail in the distance.
As soon as the Kangaroo heard the Bush Wagtail, she and Dot hurried awayto find him. No Christy Minstrel rattling his bones ever made a merriersound. "Click-i-ti-clack, click-i-ti-clack, clack, clack, clack, clack,click-i-ti-clack," he rattled away as fast as he could, just as if hehadn't a moment to waste for taking breath, and as if the whole lovelyworld was made for the enjoyment of Bush Wagtails.
When Dot and the Kangaroo found him, he was swaying about on a branch,spreading his big tail like a fan, and clattering gaily; but he stoppedin surprise as soon as he saw his visitors.
After greetings, he opened the conversation by talking of the weather,so as to conceal his astonishment at seeing Dot and the Kangarootogether.
"Lovely weather after the rain," he said; "the showers were needed verymuch, for insects were getting scarce, and I believe grass was gettingrank, and not very plentiful. There will be a green shoot in a few days,which will be very welcome to Kangaroos. I heard about you losing yourJoey--my cousin told me. I was very sorry; so sad. Ah! well, such thingswill happen in the Bush to anyone. We were most fortunate in our brood;none of the chicks fell out of the nest, every one of them escaped theButcher Birds and were strong of wing. They are all doing well in theworld."
Then the vivacious bird came a little nearer to the Kangaroo, and,dropping his voice, said:
"But, friend Kangaroo, I'm sorry to see you've taken up with Humans.You know I have quite set my face against them, although my cousinis intimate with the whole race. Take my word for it, they're mostuncertain friends. Two Kookooburras were shot last week, in spite ofGovernment protection. Fact!" And as the bird spoke he nodded his headwarningly towards the place where Dot was standing.
"This little Human has been lost in our Bush," said the Kangaroo; "onehad to take care of her, you know."
"Of course, of course; there are exceptions to all rules," chattered theWagtail. "And so this is really the lost little Human there has beensuch a fuss about!" added he, eyeing Dot, and making a long whistle ofsurprise. "My cousin told me all about it."
"Then your cousin, Willy Wagtail, knows her lost way," said the Kangaroojoyfully, and Dot came a little nearer in her eagerness to hear the goodnews.
"Of course he does," answered the bird; "there's nothing happens that hedoesn't know. You should have hunted him up."
"I didn't know where to find him," said the Kangaroo, "and I got intothis country, which is new to me."
"Why he is in the same part that he nested in last season. It's nodistance off," exclaimed the Wagtail. "If you could fly, you'd be therealmost directly!" Then the bird gave a long description of the way theywere to follow to find his cousin Willy, and with many warm thanks theKangaroo and Dot bade him adieu.
As they left the Bush Wagtail they could hear him singing this song,which shows what a merry, happy fellow he is:
"Click-i-ti, click-i-ti-clack! Clack! clack! clack! clack! Who could cry in such weather, 'alack!' With a sky so blue, and a sun so bright, Sing 'winter, winter, winter is back!' Sportive in flight, chatter delight, Click-i-ti, click-i-ti-clack!
"I'm so glad that I have the knack Of singing clack! clack! clack! If you wish to be happy, just follow my track, Take this for a motto, this for a code, Sing 'winter, winter, winter is back!' Leave care to a toad, and live _a la mode_! Click-i-ti, click-i-ti-clack!"
They had no difficulty in following the Wagtail's directions. They soonstruck a creek they had been told to pursue to its end, and about noonthey found themselves in very pretty country. It reminded Dot of thejourney they had made to find the Platypus, for there were the samebeautiful growths of fern and shrubs. There were also great trailingcreepers which hung down like ropes from the tops of the tall trees theyhad climbed. These rope-like coils of the creepers made capital swings,and often Dot clambered into one of the big loops and sat swingingherself to and fro, laughing and singing, much to the delight andamusement of the Kangaroo.
"Swing! swing! a bird on the wing Is not more happy than I! Stooping to earth, and seeking the sky. Swing! swing! swing! See how high upward I fly! Here, midst the leaves I swing; Then, as fast to my swing I cling, Down I come from the sky! Swing! swing! a bird on the wing Is not more happy than I!"
Thus sang little Dot, tossing herself backwards and forwards, and theKangaroo came to the conclusion that there was something very sweetabout little Humans, and that Dot was certainly quite as nice as a JoeyKangaroo.
In the middle of one of these little swinging diversions, a bird aboutthe size of a pigeon, with the most wonderfully shiny plumage, flew tothe tree on which Dot was swinging. Dot was so struck by the bird'sbeautiful blue-black glossy appearance, and its brightly contrastingyellow beak and legs, that she stopped swinging at once. "You _are_ apretty bird!" she said.
"I am a Satin Bower Bird," it said. "We heard you singing, and wethought, therefore, that you probably enjoy parties, so I have cometo invite you to one of our assemblies which will take place shortly.Friend Kangaroo, we know, is of a somewhat serious nature, but probablyshe will do us the pleasure of accompanying you to our littleentertainment."
"I shall have great pleasure in doing so," said the Kangaroo; "I havenot been at any of your parties for a long time. You know, I suppose,that I lost my little Joey very sadly."
"We heard all about it," replied the Bower Bird in a tone ofexaggerated, almost ridiculous sadness, for it was so anxious that theKangaroo should think that it felt very deeply for her loss. "We were inthe middle of a meeting at the time the Wallaby brought the news, and wewere so sad that we nearly broke up our assembly. But it would have beena pity to do so, really, as the young birds enjoy themselves so much atthe 'Bower of Pleasure.' But," said the Satin Bird, with a sudden changeof tone from extreme sorrow to one of vivacious interest, "I must showyou the way to the bower, or you would never find it."
Dot jumped down from the swing, and she and the Kangaroo, guided by theSatin Bird, made their way through some very thickly-grown bush. Thebird was certainly right in saying that they would never have found theBower of Pleasure without a guide. It was carefully concealed in themost densely-grown scrub. As they were pushing their way through athicket of shrubs, before reaching the open space where the Satin Birds'bower was built, they heard an increasing noise of birds all talking toone another. The din of this chattering was enhanced considerably by theshrill sounds of tree-frogs and crickets, and the hubbub made Dot feellike the little Native Bear--as if her "head was empty."
"This will be a very pleasant party," said the Satin Bird, "there isplenty of conversation, so everyone's in a good humour."
"Do you think anyone is listening, or are they all talking?" enquiredthe Kangaroo timidly.
"Nobody would attempt to listen," answered the Satin Bird, "it would beimpossible against the music of the tree frogs and crickets, so everyonetalks."
"I should tell the tree-frogs and crickets to be quiet," said Dot, "noone seems to care for their music."
"Oh, without music it would be very dull," explained the Satin Bird, "noone would care to talk. You understand, it would be awkward, someonemight overhear what was said."
As the bird spoke the trio reached the place where the bower wassituated.
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sp; Dot thought it a most curious sight. In the middle of an open space thebirds had built a flooring of twigs, and upon that they had erected abower about three feet high, also constructed of twigs interwoven withgrass, and arranged so as nearly to meet at the top in an arched form.
"It's a new bower, and more commodious than our last," said the SatinBird with an air of satisfaction. "What do you think of thedecorations?"
In a temporary lull of the frog and cricket band and the conversation,Dot and the Kangaroo praised the bower and its decorations, and enquiredpolitely how the birds had managed to procure such a collection ofornaments for their pleasure hall. Several young bower birds came andjoined in the chat, and Dot was surprised to see how different theirplumage was from the satin blue-black of the old birds. These youngermembers of the community were of a greenish yellow colour, with darkpencillings on their feathers, and had no glossy sheen like theirelders.
Each of them pointed out some ornament that it had brought with which todeck the bower. One had brought the pink feathers of a Galah, which hadbeen stuck here and there amongst the twigs. Others had collected thedelicate shells of land snails, and put them round about the entrance.But the birds that were proudest of their contributions were those whohad picked up odds and ends at the camps of bushmen.
"That beautiful bright thing I brought from a camp a mile away," said abird, indicating a tag from a cake of tobacco.
"But it isn't so pretty as mine," said another, pointing to the glassstopper of a sauce bottle.
"Or mine," chimed in another bird, as it claimed a bright piece of tinfrom a milk-can that was inserted in the twigs just above the entranceof the bower.
"Nonsense, children!" said a grave old Satin Bird, "your trifles are notto be compared with that beautiful object I found to-day and arrangedalong the top of the bower. The effect is splendid!"
As he spoke, Dot observed that, twined amidst the topmost twigs of theconstruction was a strip of red flannel from an old shirt, a bedraggledred rag that must have been found in an extinct camp fire, judging byits singed edges.
The day Dot had lost her way she had been threading beads, and she stillhad upon her finger a ring of the pretty coloured pieces of glass. Shesaw the old Satin Bird look at this ring longingly, so she pulled itoff, and begged that it might be added to the other decorations. It wasinstantly given the place of honour--over the entrance and above thepiece of milk tin.
This gift from Dot caused an immediate flow of conversation, becauseevery bird was pleased to have something to talk about. They all beganto say how beautiful the beads were. "Quite too lovely!" said one. "Whata charming little Human!" exclaimed another. "Just the finish that ourbower required," was a general remark, and a great many kept exclaiming,"So tasteful!" "So sweet!" "How elegant!" "Exquisite!" "It's a love!""It's a dear!" and so on. A great deal more was said, but the oldestbower bird, thinking that all the adjectives were getting used up, toldthe frogs and crickets to start the music again, so as to keep theexcitement going, and all further observations were drowned in thenoise.
Presently the younger birds flew down to the bower, and began to playand dance. Like a troop of children, they ran round and round the bower,and to and fro through it, gleefully chasing each other. Then they wouldassemble in groups, and hop up and down, and dance to one another inwhat Dot thought a rather awkward fashion; but she was thinking of theelegance and grace of the Native Companions, who can make beautifulmovements with their long legs and necks, whilst these little bowerbirds are rather ungainly in their steps.
What amused her was to see how the young cock birds showed off to thelittle hens. They were conceited fellows, and only seemed happy whenthey had five or six little hens looking admiringly at their everymovement. At such times they would dance and hop with great delight; andthe little hens, in a circle round them, watched their hops and stepswith absorbed interest. Immensely pleased with himself, the young dancerwould fluff out his feathers, so as to look as big as possible, andafter strutting about, would suddenly shoot out a leg and a wing, firston one side and then on the other, then spring high into the air, and doa sort of step dance when his feet touched the earth again. Endless werethe tricks he resorted to, to show off his feathers and dancing to thebest advantage; and the little hens watched it all with silentintentness.
In the meantime the frogs and crickets stopped to rest, and Dot couldhear the conversation of some of the old birds perched near her. Alittle party of elderly hens were discussing the young birds who weredancing at the bower.
"I must say I don't admire that new step which is becoming so popularamongst the young birds," said one elderly hen; and all her companionsrustled their feathers, closed their beaks tightly, and nodded theirheads in various ways. One said it was "rough," another that it was"ungainly," and others that it was "unmannerly."
"As for manners," said the first speaker, "the bower birds of this daycan't be said to have any!" and all her companions chorused, "No,indeed!"
THE BOWER BIRDS]
"In my young day," continued the elderly hen, and all the group weresighing, "Ah! in our young days!" when a young hen perched on a boughabove them, and interrupted pertly, "Dear me! can't you good birds findanything more interesting to talk about than ancient history?" At thisthe groups of gossips whispered angrily to one another "Minx!" "Hussy!""Wild Cat!" etc., and the rude young bird flew back to her companions.
"What I object to most in young birds," said another elderly hen,"is their appearance. Some of them do nothing all day but preen theirfeathers. Look at the over-studied arrangements of their wing flights,and the affected exactness of their tail feathers! One looks in vain forsweetness and simplicity in the present-day young bower birds."
"Even that is better than the newer fashion of scarcely preening thefeathers at all," observed yet another of the group. "Many of the youngbirds take no pride in their feathers whatever, but devote all theirtime to studying the habits of out-of-the-way insects." A chorus ofdisapproval from all present supported this remark. "Studies thatinterfere with a young hen's appearance should not be permitted," saidone bird.
"What is the good of knowing all about insects, when we live on berriesand fruit?" asked another.
"The sight of insects gives one the creeps!" said a third.
"I am thankful to say all my little hens care for nothing beyond playingat the Bower and preening their feathers," said an affectionate bowerbird mother, "They get a deal of attention paid to them."
"No young Satin Bird would look at a learned little bower-hen," said thebird who had first objected to untidy and studious young hens. "For mypart, I never allow a chick of mine even to mention insects, unless theyare well-known beetles!"
Dot thought this chattering very stupid, so she went round a bush towhere the old fathers of the bower birds were perched. They were graveold fellows, arrayed in their satin blue-black plumage, and she foundthem all, more or less, in a grumbling humour.
"Birds at our time of life should not have to attend parties," saidseveral, and Dot wondered why they came. "How are you, old neighbour?"said one to another. "Terribly bored!" was the reply. "How long must westay, do you think?" asked another. "Oh! until these young fools havefinished amusing themselves," answered its friend. The only satin birdswho seemed to Dot to be interested in one another, were some engaged indiscussing the scarcity of berries and the wrongs done to bower birdsby White Humans destroying the wild fig and lillipilli trees. Thisgrievance, and the question as to what berries or figs agreed best witheach old bower bird's digestion, were the only topics discussed with anyanimation.
Dot soon tired of listening to the birds, and returned to the Kangaroo,who asked her if she cared to stay any longer. The little girl said shehad seen and heard enough, and, judging by this one, she didn't care forparties.
"Neither do I," whispered the Kangaroo; "they make me feel tired; and,somehow, they seem to remind one of everything one knows that's sad, inspite of all the gaiety."
"Is it gay?" enqui
red Dot, hesitating a little in her speech, for shehad felt rather dull and miserable.
"Well, everyone says it's gay, and there is always a deal of noise, so Isuppose it is," answered the Kangaroo.
"I'd rather be in your pouch, so let us go away," entreated Dot; andthey left the bower place without any of the birds noticing theirdeparture, for they were all busy gossiping, or discussing the greatberry or digestion questions.
It was towards evening when they reached an open plain, and here theymet an Emu. As both Dot and the Kangaroo were thirsty, they asked theEmu the way to a waterhole or tank.
"I am going to a tank now," replied the Emu; "let us proceed together."
"Do you think it will be safe to drink to-night"; enquired the Kangarooanxiously.
"Well, to tell the truth," said the Emu lightly, "it is likely to be alittle difficult. There is a somewhat strained feeling between the WhiteHumans and ourselves just now. In consequence, we have to resort to alittle strategy on our visits to the tanks, and we avoid eating anythingtempting left about at camping places."
"Are they laying poison for _you_?" asked the Kangaroo in horrified tones.
"They are doing something of the kind, we think," answered the Emuairily, "for some of us have had most unpleasant symptoms after pickingup morsels at camping grounds. Several have died. We were quitesurprised, for hitherto there has been no better cure for Emuindigestion than wire nails, hoop iron, and preserved milk cans. Theworst symptoms have yielded to scraps of barbed wire in my own case. Butthese Emus died in spite of all remedies."
"But I heard," said the Kangaroo, "that Emus were protected by theGovernment. I never understood why."
"We are protected," said the huge bird, "because we form part of theAustralian Arms."
"So do we," said the Kangaroo, "but we are not protected."
"True," said the bird, "but the Humans can make some money out of youwhen you are dead, whereas we serve no purpose at all, excepting alive,when we add a charm to the scenery; and, moreover, each of our eggs willmake a pound cake. But the time will come, friend, when there will beneither Emu nor Kangaroo for Australia's Arms; no creature will be leftto represent the land but the Bunny Rabbit and the Sheep."
"I hate sheep!" said the Kangaroo, "they eat all our grass."
"You have not studied them as we have," answered the Emu. "They are mostentertaining. We have great fun with them, and we've learnt some capitalsheep games from those dogs Humans drive them with. It's really excitingto drive a big mob, when they want to break and scatter. We were chasingthem, here and there, all over the plain to-day."
"I don't like sheep!" said Dot, "they are so stupid."
"So they are," agreed the Emu, "and that is what puzzles me. What is itabout the sight of sheep that excites one so? When one gets into a bigflock, one has to dance, one can't help oneself. We had a great dance ina flock to-day, and the lambs would get under our feet, so I'm sorry tosay a good many of them were killed."
"Men will certainly kill you, if you do that," said Dot.
"We know it," chuckled the Emu; "that is why the tank is not quite safejust now. But this evening I will show you a new plan by which to learnif Humans are camped at a tank, or not. We have played the trick withgreat success for several nights."
Conversing thus, the Emu, the Kangaroo, and Dot wandered on until theEmu requested them to wait for a few minutes, whilst it peeped at thetank, which was still a long way off.
It presently returned and said that it felt quite suspicious, becauseeverything looked so clear and safe. "From this point of high ground,"said the bird, "you can watch our proceedings. I will now give thesignal and return to my post here."
The Emu then ran at a great pace along the edge of the plain, andemitted a strange rattling cry. After disappearing from sight for atime, it returned hurriedly to where Dot and her friend were waiting.
"Now, see!" said the Emu, nodding at the distant side of the plain.
Dot's eyes were not so keen of sight as those of an Emu; but she thoughtshe could see something like a little cloud of dust, far, far awayacross the dry brown grass of the plain. Soon she was quite sure thatthe little cloud was advancing towards her side of the plain, and in thedirection of the tank. As it came nearer she could see the bobbing headsof Emus, popping up above the dust, and she could see some of the birdsrunning round the little cloud.
"What is the cause of all that dust?" she asked the Emu.
"Sheep!" it answered with a merry chuckle.
"But what are the Emus doing with the sheep?" asked Dot and theKangaroo, now fully interested in the Emu's manoeuvre.
"They are driving them to water at the tank," said the bird, highlydelighted with the scheme. "The sheep will soon know that they are nearwater, and will go to it without driving. Then we shall watch, and ifthey quietly drink and scatter, it will be safe for us, but if they seeanything unusual and break, and run--well, we shan't drink at the tankto-night. There will be Humans and dogs there, and we don't cultivatetheir society just now."
"Really that is the cleverest thing I have heard for a long time," saidthe Kangaroo, full of admiration for the trick. "How did you jump tothat conclusion?"
"The idea sprang upon us," answered the Emu, with an immense hop in theair, and a dancing movement when it came to the ground again. "Dear me!"it exclaimed, "the sight of those sheep is beginning to excite me, and Ican hardly keep still! I wonder what there is so exciting about sheep!"
Dot could now see the advancing flock of sheep, with their attendant mobof Emu, quite well. The animals had got scent of the water, and withcontented bleatings were slowly moving with a rippling effect across thedusty plain. The mob of Emu soon left the sheep to go their own way,and, grouped in a cluster, watched, with bobbing heads, every movementof the flock.
Dot, the Kangaroo, and the Emu looked towards the tank with silentinterest. "I'm stationed here," whispered the bird, "to give a warningin case there is any danger in this direction. Emus are posted all roundthe tank on the same duty."
Dot could see the whole scene well, for beyond a few low shrubs on theopposite side of the sheet of water, there was no sheltering bush nearthe great tank which had been excavated on the bare plain.
THE EMUS HUNTING THE SHEEP]
Onward came the sheep, and quite stationary in the distance remained theEmu mob. Just as the first sheep were descending the deep slope of thetank, a Plover rose from amongst the bushes with a shrill cry. The Emustarted at the sound, and whispered to the Kangaroo, "There'll be nodrink to-night: watch!"
The cry of the Plover seemed to arrest the advance of the timid sheep:they waited in a closely-packed flock, looking around. But presently theold leader gave a deep bleat, and they moved forward towards the water."Shriek! Shriek!" cried the Plover from the bushes, screaming as theyrose and flew away; and suddenly the flock of sheep broke and hurriedback to the open plain. At the same instant Dot could hear the sharpbarking of a sheep dog, a noise that produced an instant effect on thecreatures she was with. With lightning speed the Kangaroo had popped herinto her pouch and was hopping away, and the Emu was striding with itslong legs as fast as it could for the cover of the Bush.
Just as they entered the Bush shelter, Dot peeped out of the pouch,across the plain, and could see the mob of Emu in a cloud of dust,running, and almost out of sight.
When they had reached a place of safety, the friendly Emu bid theKangaroo and Dot good-night. "We shall have to go thirsty to-night," itsaid, "but there will be a heavy dew, and the grass will be wet enoughto cool one's mouth. That pretty trick of ours was such a success thatit is almost worth one's while to lose one's drink in proving it."Turning to Dot it said, "You will be able to tell the big Humans that weEmus are not such fools as they think, and that we find their flocks ofsilly sheep most useful and entertaining animals."
Chuckling to itself, the Emu strode off, leaving Dot and the Kangaroo topass another night in the solitude of the Bush.