Dot and the Kangaroo Read online

  CHAPTER I

  Little Dot had lost her way in the bush. She knew it, and was veryfrightened.

  She was too frightened in fact to cry, but stood in the middle of alittle dry, bare space, looking around her at the scraggy growths ofprickly shrubs that had torn her little dress to rags, scratched herbare legs and feet till they bled, and pricked her hands and arms asshe had pushed madly through the bushes, for hours, seeking her home.Sometimes she looked up to the sky. But little of it could be seenbecause of the great tall trees that seemed to her to be trying to reachheaven with their far-off crooked branches. She could see little patchesof blue sky between the tangled tufts of drooping leaves, and, as thedazzling sunlight had faded, she began to think it was getting late, andthat very soon it would be night.

  The thought of being lost and alone in the wild bush at night, took herbreath away with fear, and made her tired little legs tremble under her.She gave up all hope of finding her home, and sat down at the foot ofthe biggest blackbutt tree, with her face buried in her hands and knees,and thought of all that had happened, and what might happen yet.

  It seemed such a long, long time since her mother had told her that shemight gather some bush flowers whilst she cooked the dinner, and Dotrecollected how she was bid not to go out of sight of the cottage. Howshe wished now that she had remembered this sooner! But whilst she waspicking the pretty flowers, a hare suddenly started at her feet andsprang away into the bush, and she had run after it. When she found thatshe could not catch the hare, she discovered that she could no longersee the cottage. After wandering for a while she got frightened and ran,and ran, little knowing that she was going further away from her home atevery step.

  Where she was sitting under the blackbutt tree, she was miles away fromher father's selection, and it would be very difficult for anyone tofind her. She felt that she was a long way off, and she began to thinkof what was happening at home. She remembered how, not very long ago, aneighbour's little boy had been lost, and how his mother had come totheir cottage for help to find him, and that her father had ridden offon the big bay horse to bring men from all
the selections around to helpin the search. She remembered their coming back in the darkness; numbersof strange men she had never seen before. Old men, young men, and boys,all on their rough-coated horses, and how they came indoors, and what anoise they made all talking together in their big deep voices. Theylooked terrible men, so tall and brown and fierce, with their roughbristly beards; and they all spoke in such funny tones to her, as ifthey were trying to make their voices small.

  During many days these men came and went, and every time they were moresad, and less noisy. The little boy's mother used to come and stay,crying, whilst the men were searching the bush for her little son. Then,one evening, Dot's father came home alone, and both her mother and thelittle boy's mother went away in a great hurry. Then, very late, hermother came back crying, and her father sat smoking by the fire lookingvery sad, and she never saw that little boy again, although he had beenfound.

  She wondered now if all these rough, big men were riding into the bushto find her, and if, after many days, they would find her, and no oneever see her again. She seemed to see her mother crying, and her fathervery sad, and all the men very solemn. These thoughts made her somiserable that she began to cry herself.

  Dot does not know how long she was sobbing in loneliness and fear, withher head on her knees, and with her little hands covering her eyes so asnot to see the cruel wild bush in which she was lost. It seemed a longtime before she summoned up courage to uncover her weeping eyes, andlook once more at the bare, dry earth, and the wilderness of scrub andtrees that seemed to close her in as if she were in a prison. When shedid look up, she was surprised to see that she was no longer alone. Sheforgot all her trouble and fear in her astonishment at seeing a big greyKangaroo squatting quite close to her, in front of her.

  THE KANGAROO FINDS DOT]

  What was most surprising was that the Kangaroo evidently understood thatDot was in trouble, and was sorry for her; for down the animal's nicesoft grey muzzle two tiny little tears were slowly trickling. When Dotlooked up at it with wonder in her round blue eyes, the Kangaroo did notjump away, but remained gazing sympathetically at Dot with a slightlypuzzled air. Suddenly the big animal seemed to have an idea, and itlightly hopped off into the scrub, where Dot could just see it bobbingup and down as if it were hunting for something. Presently back came thestrange Kangaroo with a spray of berries in her funny black hands. Theywere pretty berries. Some were green, some were red, some blue, andothers white. Dot was quite glad to take them when the Kangaroo offeredthem to her; and as this friendly animal seemed to wish her to eat them,she did so gladly, because she was beginning to feel hungry.

  After she had eaten a few berries a very strange thing happened. WhileDot had been alone in the bush it had all seemed so dreadfully still.There had been no sound but the gentle stir of a light, fitful breezein the far-away tree-tops. All around had been so quiet, that herloneliness had seemed twenty times more lonely. Now, however, under theinfluence of these small, sweet berries, Dot was surprised to hearvoices everywhere. At first it seemed like hearing sounds in a dream,they were so faint and distant, but soon the talking grew nearer andnearer, louder and clearer, until the whole bush seemed filled withtalking.

  They were all little voices, some indeed quite tiny whispers andsqueaks, but they were very numerous, and seemed to be everywhere. Theycame from the earth, from the bushes, from the trees, and from the veryair. The little girl looked round to see where they came from, buteverything looked just the same. Hundreds of ants, of all kinds andsizes, were hurrying to their nests; a few lizards were scuttling aboutamongst the dry twigs and sparse grasses; there were some grasshoppers,and in the trees birds fluttered to and fro. Then Dot knew that she washearing, and understanding, everything that was being said by all theinsects and creatures in the bush.

  All this time the Kangaroo had been speaking, only Dot had been toosurprised to listen. But now the gentle, soft voice of the kind animalcaught her attention, and she found that the Kangaroo was in the middleof a speech.

  "I understood what was the matter with you at once," she was saying,"for I feel just the same myself. I have been miserable, like you, eversince I lost my baby kangaroo. You also must have lost something. Tellme what it is?"

  "I've lost my way," said Dot; rather wondering if the Kangaroo wouldunderstand her.

  "Ah!" said the Kangaroo, quite delighted at her own cleverness, "I knewyou had lost something! Isn't it a dreadful feeling? You feel as if youhad no inside, don't you? And you're not inclined to eat anything--noteven the youngest grass. I have been like that ever since I lost my babykangaroo. Now tell me," said the creature confidentially, "what your wayis like, I may be able to find it for you."

  Dot found that she must explain what she meant by saying she had "losther way," and the Kangaroo was much interested.

  "Well," said she, after listening to the little girl, "that is just likeyou Humans; you are not fit for this country at all! Of course, if youhave only one home in one place, you _must_ lose it! If you made yourhome everywhere and anywhere, it would never be lost. Humans are no goodin our bush," she continued. "Just look at yourself now. How do youcompare with a kangaroo? There is your ridiculous sham coat. Well, youhave lost bits of it all the way you have come to-day, and you're nearlyleft in your bare skin. Now look at _my_ coat. I've done ever so muchmore hopping than you to-day, and you see I'm none the worse. I wonderwhy all your fur grows upon the top of your head," she saidreflectively, as she looked curiously at Dot's long flaxen curls. "It'ssuch a silly place to have one's fur the thickest! You see, we have verylittle there; for we don't want our heads made any hotter under theAustralian sun. See how much better off you would be, now that nearlyall your sham coat is gone, if that useless fur had been chopped intolittle, short lengths, and spread all over your poor bare body. I wonderwhy you Humans are made so badly," she ended, with a puzzled air.

  Dot felt for a moment as if she ought to apologise for being so unfitfor the bush, and for having all the fur on the top of her head. But,somehow, she had an idea that a little girl must be something betterthan a kangaroo, although the Kangaroo certainly seemed a very superiorperson; so she said nothing, but again began to eat the berries.

  "You must not eat any more of these berries," said the Kangaroo,anxiously.

  "Why?" asked Dot, "they are very nice, and I'm very hungry."

  The Kangaroo gently took the spray out of Dot's hand, and threw it away."You see," she said, "if you eat too many of them, you'll know toomuch."

  "One can't know too much," argued the little girl.

  "Yes you can, though," said the Kangaroo, quickly. "If you eat too manyof those berries, you'll learn too much, and that gives you indigestion,and then you become miserable. I don't want you to be miserable anymore, for I'm going to find your 'lost way.'"

  The mention of finding her way reminded the little girl of her sadposition, which, in her wonder at talking with the Kangaroo, had beenquite forgotten for a little while. She became sad again; and seeing howdim the light was getting, her thoughts went back to her parents. Shelonged to be with them to be kissed and cuddled, and her blue eyesfilled with tears.

  "Your eyes just now remind me of two fringed violets, with the morningdew on them, or after a shower," said the Kangaroo. "Why are youcrying?"

  "I was thinking," said Dot.

  "Oh! don't think!" pleaded the Kangaroo; "I never do myself."

  "I can't help it!" explained the little girl. "What do you do instead?"she asked.

  "I always jump to conclusions," said the Kangaroo, and she promptlybounded ten feet at one hop. Lightly springing back again to herposition in front of the child, she added, "and that's why I never havea headache."

  "Dear Kangaroo," said Dot, "do you know where I can get some water? I'mvery thirsty!"

  "Of course you are," said her friend; "everyone is at sundown. I'mthirsty myself. But the nearest water-hole is a longish way off, so wehad better start at once."

  Little Dot got up with an effort. After her long run and fatigue, shewas very stiff, and her little legs were so tired and weak, that after afew steps she staggered and fell.

  The Kangaroo looked at the child compassionately. "Poor little Human,"she said, "your legs aren't much good, and, for the life of me, I don'tunderstand how you can expect to get along without a tail. Thewater-hole is a good way off," she added, with a sigh, as she lookeddown at Dot, lying on the ground, and she was very puzzled what to do.But suddenly she brightened up. "I have an idea," she said joyfully."Just step into my pouch, and I'll hop you down to the water-hole inless time than it takes a locust to shrill."

  Timidly and carefully, Dot did the Kangaroo's bidding, and found herselfin the cosiest, softest little bag imaginable. The Kangaroo seemedoverjoyed, when Dot was comfortably settled in her pouch. "I feel as ifI had my dear baby kangaroo again!" she exclaimed; and immediately shebounded away through the tangled scrub, over stones and bushes, over drywater-courses and great fallen trees. And all Dot felt was a gentlerocking motion, and a fresh breeze in her face, which made her socheerful that she sang this song:--

  If you want to go quick, I will tell you a trick For the bush, where there isn't a train. With a hulla-buloo, Hail a big kangaroo-- But be sure that your weight she'll sustain-- Then with hop, and with skip, She will take you a trip With the speed of the very best steed; And, this is a truth for which I can vouch, There's no carriage can equal a kangaroo's pouch. Oh! where is a friend so strong and true As a dear big, bounding kangaroo?

  "Good bye! Good bye!" The lizards all cry, Each drying its eyes with its tail. "Adieu! Adieu! Dear kangaroo!" The scared little grasshoppers wail. "They're going express To a distant address," Says the bandicoot, ready to scoot; And your path is well cleared for your progress, I vouch, When you ride through the bush in a kangaroo's pouch. Oh! where is a friend so strong and true As a dear big, bounding kangaroo?

  "Away and away!" You will certainly say, "To the end of the farthest blue-- To the verge of the sky, And the far hills high, O take me with thee, kangaroo! We will seek for the end, Where the broad plains tend, E'en as far as the evening star. Why, the end of the world we can reach, I vouch, Dear kangaroo, with me in your pouch." Oh! where is a friend so strong and true As a dear big, bounding kangaroo?