indoors and worked restlessly at her household
duties.

"It breaks my heart to see my wife do that," said the taller man, who
carried a gun. "All day long she comes out and looks for the child.
One knows, now, that the poor little one can never come back to us,"
and as the big man spoke there was a queer choking in his voice.

The younger man did not speak, but he patted his friend's shoulder in a
kindly manner, which showed that he too was very sorry.

"Even you have lost heart, Jack," said the big bushman, "but we will
find her yet; the wife shall have that comfort."

"You'll never do it now," said the young fellow with a mournful shake
of the head. "There is not an inch of ground that so young a child
could reach that we have not searched. The mystery is, what could have
become of her?"

"That's what beats me," said the tall man, who was Dot's father. "I
think of it all day and all night. There is the track of the dear
little mite as clear as possible for five miles, as far as the dry
creek. The trackers say she rested her poor weary legs by sitting
under the blackbutt tree. At that point she vanishes completely. The
blacks say there isn't a trace of man, or beast, beyond that place
excepting the trail of a big Kangaroo. As you say, it's a mystery!"

As the men walked towards the bush, close to the place where Dot had
run after the hare the day she was lost, neither of them noticed the
fuss and scolding made by a Willy Wagtail; although the little bird
seemed likely to die of excitement.

Willy Wagtail was really saying, "Dot and her Kangaroo are coming this
way. Whatever you do, don't shoot them with that gun."

Presently the young man, Jack, noticed the little bird. "What friendly
little chaps those wagtails are," he said, "and see how tame and
fearless this one is. Upon my word, he nearly flew in your face that
time!"

Dot's father did not notice the remark, for he had stopped suddenly,
and was peering into the bush whilst he quietly shifted his gun into
position, ready to raise it and fire.

"By Jove!" he said, "I saw the head of a Kangaroo a moment ago behind
that iron-bark. Fancy it's coming so near the house. Next time it
shows, I'll get a shot at it."

Both men waited for the moment when the Kangaroo should be seen again.

The next instant the Kangaroo bounded out of the Bush into the open
paddock. Swift as lightning up went the cruel gun, but, as it exploded
with a terrible report