before, Bill's obvious good nature would have been ample
passport to Finn's confidence and friendship. But all that had been
changed, and everything and everybody strange was now suspect to
Finn.

The Wolfhound was the first to wake in the very early morning of
the day following that of his arrival at the boundary-rider's
gunyah. His movement waked Jess, and together they stretched and
walked round the camp. Then Finn trotted off towards the denser
bush which lay some hundreds of yards eastward of the camp. Jess
ran with him for perhaps a score of yards, and then, determined not
to lose sight of her man's abode, she turned and trotted back to
camp. This surprised Finn, but did not affect his plans. He noted a
warm little ridge some distance ahead, which looked as though it
contained rabbit earths. This spot he approached by means of a
flanking movement which enabled him to reach it from the rear,
moving with the care and delicacy of a great cat. As he peered over
the edge of the little ridge, he saw three rabbits performing their
morning toilet, perhaps a score of paces beyond the bank. He eyed
the bunnies with interest for about a minute, and then, having
decided that the middle one carried the most flesh, he pursed
himself together and leaped. As he landed, ten or a dozen paces
from the rabbits, they separated, two flying diagonally for the
bank, and the middle one leaping off ahead, meaning to describe a
considerable curve before reaching its earth. But Finn was
something of an expert in the pursuit of rabbits and, besides being
very fleet, had learned to wheel swiftly, and to cut off corners.
Two seconds later that rabbit was dead and, holding it firmly
between his great jaws, Finn had started off at a leisurely trot
for the camp.

As Finn arrived beside the gunyah, Bill appeared at its entrance,
yawning and stretching his muscular arms.

"Hullo there, Wolf," he said lazily; "early bird catches the worm,
hey? Good on ye, my son."

Finn had stopped dead at sight of the man, and now Jess bounded
towards him, full of interest. Finn dropped the rabbit before her,
quite prepared to share his breakfast with the kangaroo-hound. That
had been his intention, in fact, in bringing his kill back to camp.
But to his surprise Jess snatched up the rabbit and wheeled away
from him.

"Come in here, Jess! Come in!" growled the man sharply. "Come in
here, an' drop it."

Whereupon, Jess trotted docilely up to the humpy, and l