tually have imported Bengal tigers and
African lions before trying the commonplace virtues of rabbit-proof
fencing. It was supposed that the persistent efforts of hunters and
boundary-riders had resulted in these wild creatures being driven
well into the back country; and it is certain that, despite an
occasional strange story from bushmen regarding the animals whose
tracks they had come upon in the back-blocks, nothing was ever
actually seen of Jacob Hall's more fantastic importations. It was
said, however, that there were already notable modifications in
certain of the wild kindred of that countryside. There was talk of
wild cats of hitherto unheard-of size and fierceness, and of
dingoes having suggestions about them of the untameably fierce
marsupial wolf of Tasmania. But such talk did not amount to much in
this district, for the rocky ranges of the Tinnaburra country, its
densely wooded gullies, and wild scrub-dotted flats, was almost
entirely in the hands of a few big squatters, who had long since
pre-empted the back-blocks in the hinterland of their stations for
very many miles up country.

Naturally, Finn and Jess knew nothing of these things. To the one
the native denizens of such small portions of the bush of that
neighbourhood as he had ranged were quite sufficiently numerous and
interesting to keep his mind occupied; while Jess, for her part,
was fully engaged in the task of regaining her hold upon mere life.
They lived for themselves, these two; but Jess was deeply
interested in the return of her man to the camp each night, and
Finn was equally keen and interested in his daily foragings and
explorations in the bush of that particular quarter. They neither
of them knew that they themselves were objects of the greatest
interest to a very large circle of the wild folk. But they were.

Within twenty-four hours of the fight with the old-man kangaroo in
the blind gully, the news had gone abroad among all the wild folk
in that strip of bush which surrounded the camp that a redoubtable
hunter had been laid low, and was lying near to death and quite
helpless beside the gunyah. Jess, having always been well fed by
her man, had never been a great hunter of small game; but she had
accounted for a goodly number of wallabies, and had played her part
in the pulling down of a respectable number of kangaroos. And,
though she had seldom troubled to run down the smaller fry, she was
as greatly feared by them as though she l