e was no moon, but the stars were very bright, proving the
clearness of the atmosphere. Now and then I stopped and gazed up at
them, admiring their beauty, and thinking how greatly increased must be
our powers of comprehension before we should understand all about them.
I must have been standing thus silent and quiet for some time, when,
casting my eyes down on the earth, I thought I saw an object moving
slowly among some brushwood or scrub at a little distance. I stood
still a minute longer, and just as I was moving the creature came out of
the scrub. It was a dingo, I had little doubt of that; I was on the
point of lifting my gun to my shoulder to fire, when probably seeing me,
it ran quickly back. I instantly went after it, hoping to get a fair
shot at the other side of the scrub, which was but a small patch of
underwood. I felt sure that he would go through it, and followed. I
worked my way along--no difficult matter where the scrub is open, as it
generally is out here--and once more caught sight of the creature
stealing cautiously away at no great distance. They are cunning beasts,
those dingoes. Often I have knocked one over, and left him for dead,
when after a little time, turning round, I have seen him stealing off;
but the moment he saw that he was observed, dropping down and looking as
dead as before. I was sure that I should hit the dingo and prevent him
coming again to visit our sheep; so I raised my gun to fire. At that
instant I received a blow on the side of my head, which would have
brought me to the ground had its strength not been broken by a bough.
My hand was on the trigger, and I fired my gun. A man stood before me,
and closing, attempted to wrench the weapon out of my hand. I had too
firm a hold of it, however, for I was a stronger man than he. He was
active though, and tried all sorts of ways to get the better of me.
Finding that he could not succeed, he uttered several coos--a sound
heard a long way in the bush, and just then coming into use among the
settlers. Again he closed with me, so that I could not strike him with
my gun, while he tried with his legs to trip me up. I thought that it
was now high time for me to cry out; so I shouted at the top of my
voice, as loud as if I was hailing a ship at sea in a gale of wind. It
rather astonished my friend, I suspect; especially when I dropped my
gun, and seizing him in my arms, lifted him off the ground. He begged
me to let him go. "