like animals
evidently freshly killed, and then held out his bark basket or bag.

"What for?" cried Norman.

"Good eat. Good, nice;" and then as, seeing there was no danger, the
ladies came forward, the black went to Aunt Georgie, and held the bag to
her. "Good, cook, fire," he said. "Big white Mary. Little white
Marys--" Then he stopped short looking at Mrs Bedford, as if puzzled
what to call her. But a gleam of intelligence shot across his face, and
he cried, "Other white Mary."

"He's brought these for us to eat," said Rifle.

"Good eat," said the black. "Big white Mary gib soff damper."

He nodded and smiled triumphantly from one to the other.

"Put away the guns," said the captain angrily. "Here, I cannot have
this black crow haunting our camp. He'll be bringing his tribe to
pester us. What would you do, Jack?"

"Don't know yet," said Uncle Jack. "What has he brought in his bag?"

"Some kind of fruit," said Rifle, who had joined his aunt in the
inspection of the contents of the bag, as she thrust in her hand, and
snatched it away again with a cry of disgust.

"Good eat; good eat. Roastum fire," said the black indignantly, and
pouncing upon a couple of large, fat, white objects which the lady had
dropped, he ran with them to the fire, and placed them close to the
embers, afterwards going through a pantomime of watching them, but with
gesticulations indicative of delight.

"Why, they're big fat grubs," cried Norman.

"Of course," said the captain. "I have heard that they eat them. And
these other things?"

He turned over the two dead animals.

"Good eat," cried the black; and he rubbed the front of his person, and
grinned as broadly as nature would allow him to spread his extensive
mouth. Then, turning to Aunt Georgie, "Big white Mary gib soff damper?"

The lady snorted loudly, and looked as if she would never give him
another piece; but she drew her knife, and cut off a goodly-sized piece
of a loaf, and held it out once more on the point of the knife.

Shanter took the bread without hesitation.

"No tick a knife in um," he cried laughing. "Shanter no 'fraid."

Then taking his bread, he went off to a short distance, and sat down to
eat it, while a meal was prepared for the travellers, who then settled
down to rest till the heat of the day was past.

But after a few minutes the boys were on their feet again, and ready to
explore about the outskirts of the patch of woodland chosen fo