a spring forward, startling them by its suddenness and
the extent of ground it cleared. Away he went, moving with similar
springs, at a rate fleet as that of the deer. In vain Larry and the men
with the dray shouted and ran after him with their guns. He was out of
range before they could lift them to their shoulders. Larry said that
possibly a mob might be come upon before long. In another hour or so,
as they were travelling along a somewhat stony ridge, a large number of
creatures were seen in the fertile valley below them. Some were lying
stretched at length on their sides, some were frisking about, round and
over each other, and others were sitting up, sedately watching the rest.

"Hurra, now! There's the mob I told you of!" shouted Larry. "If we had
but the dogs and the master's rifle, we'd have more kangaroo steaks for
supper than we'd eat in a week."

He could scarcely restrain himself from leaving his bullocks and giving
chase; he made a start indeed, but checked himself in time, seeing that
the probable result would have been the upsetting of his dray and the
destruction of most of its cargo. The young Gilpins with Sam found
their way down the hill, hoping to ride down one of them; but the quick
scent and keen eyes of the animals discovered their approach, and in an
instant all were up on their feet and tails ready for a start--the
mothers picking up the young joeys and putting them into their pouches--
and off went the entire herd down the valley, springing along in the
most curious fashion, till they were out of sight.

Sam Green's open eyes of astonishment were very amusing. "Well! I
always did think that animals had four legs, and there they go just two
and a tail, a-skipping like grasshoppers over the ground. Well, well,
well!" he continued ejaculating till they disappeared. "There they go;
there they go! There's nothing I won't believe after that!"

Their adventures as they travelled on were to be singularly few, they
thought. Now a dingo or wild dog, now a toombat or opossum, made its
appearance, and created matter of interest and inquiry. One evening,
after they had camped on the borders of a wide plain, containing fine
sheep-runs, which they were to cross the next day, the brothers led on
their horses to find better feed than appeared near at hand; and, having
tethered them, they sat down to talk over the future, and to commune
with themselves. Their heads had been resting on their ha