pon she had to
defend herself from dogs and men--the long sharp claw in her foot.
Whilst she held the dog in her arms, she raised her powerful leg, and
with that long, strong claw, tore open the dog's body. The dog yelped
in pain as the Kangaroo threw it to the ground, where it lay rolling in
agony and dying; for the Kangaroo had given it a terrible wound. The
other dogs were still some distance below, and the cries of their
companion caused them to pause in fear and wonder, while the black men
could be seen advancing in the dim light, flourishing their spears and
boomerangs. It was impossible to retreat that way; and where Dot and
her Kangaroo were, they were hemmed in by a rocky cliff and the deep
black chasm. The Kangaroo saw at a glance where lay their only chance
of life. She picked up Dot, placed her in her pouch, and without a
word leaped forward towards that fearful gulf of darkness and foaming
waters. As they neared the spot, Dot saw that the hunted animal was
going to try and leap across to the other side. It seemed impossible
that with one bound she could span that terrible place and reach the
sedged morass beyond; and still more impossible that it should be done
by the poor animal with heavy Dot in her pouch. Again Dot cried, "Oh!
darling Kangaroo, leave me here, and save yourself. You can never,
never do it carrying me!"

All she heard was something like "try," or "we'll die." She could not
make out what the Kangaroo said, for the crashing of the waterfall, the
whistling of the wind, and the scattering of stones as they dashed
forward, made such a storm of noises in her ears. She could see when
they reached the grassy fringe of the precipice, where the Kangaroo was
able to quicken her pace, and literally seemed to fly to their fate.
Then came the last bound before the great spring. Dot held her breath,
and a feeling of sickness came over her. Her head seemed giddy, and
she could not see, but she clasped her hands together and said, "God
help my Kangaroo!" and then she felt the fearful leap with the rush
through the air.

Yes! they had reached the other side. No! they had not quite: what
was the matter? What a struggle! Stones falling, twigs and grasses
wrenching, the courageous Kangaroo fighting for a foothold on the very
brink of the precipice. What a terrible moment! Every second Dot felt
sure they would fall backward and drop deep into the gully below, to be
dashed to pieces on the r