The Gilpins and their Fortunes | Page 8

of ground it
cleared. Away he went, moving with similar springs, at a rate fleet as
that of the deer. In vain Larry and the men with the dray shouted and
ran after him with their guns. He was out of range before they could lift
them to their shoulders. Larry said that possibly a mob might be come
upon before long. In another hour or so, as they were travelling along a
somewhat stony ridge, a large number of creatures were seen in the
fertile valley below them. Some were lying stretched at length on their
sides, some were frisking about, round and over each other, and others
were sitting up, sedately watching the rest.
"Hurra, now! There's the mob I told you of!" shouted Larry. "If we had
but the dogs and the master's rifle, we'd have more kangaroo steaks for
supper than we'd eat in a week."
He could scarcely restrain himself from leaving his bullocks and giving
chase; he made a start indeed, but checked himself in time, seeing that
the probable result would have been the upsetting of his dray and the
destruction of most of its cargo. The young Gilpins with Sam found
their way down the hill, hoping to ride down one of them; but the quick
scent and keen eyes of the animals discovered their approach, and in an
instant all were up on their feet and tails ready for a start--the mothers
picking up the young joeys and putting them into their pouches-- and
off went the entire herd down the valley, springing along in the most
curious fashion, till they were out of sight.

Sam Green's open eyes of astonishment were very amusing. "Well! I
always did think that animals had four legs, and there they go just two
and a tail, a-skipping like grasshoppers over the ground. Well, well,
well!" he continued ejaculating till they disappeared. "There they go;
there they go! There's nothing I won't believe after that!"
Their adventures as they travelled on were to be singularly few, they
thought. Now a dingo or wild dog, now a toombat or opossum, made its
appearance, and created matter of interest and inquiry. One evening,
after they had camped on the borders of a wide plain, containing fine
sheep-runs, which they were to cross the next day, the brothers led on
their horses to find better feed than appeared near at hand; and, having
tethered them, they sat down to talk over the future, and to commune
with themselves. Their heads had been resting on their hands for some
time, when Arthur, looking up, saw a creature approaching from a
distance. That it was an emu they guessed at once. They sat still, afraid
of frightening it away. It stalked leisurely on towards their horses, not
noticing them. Its head seemed fully six feet from the ground, at the
end of a long neck; its legs were thick, to support its fat, tub-shaped
body, of a brownish-black colour. Reaching the horses, it stopped,
made a curious noise, which sounded like "Boo!" in their faces, and
which caused them to start back. James and Arthur, thinking that their
steeds would have broken their tethers, jumped up, when the emu,
having satisfied his curiosity, turned round and trotted off, at a pace
which showed that he had no fear of being pursued.
Towards the close of the day the travellers, after crossing an elevated
down, saw before them a silvery stream running through a wide valley
towards the east, its banks fringed by a variety of trees; while not far
from them, amid a grove of fruit trees, appeared a pretty
dwelling-house, with a verandah running round it, and near at hand,
barns, sheds, stables, and other outhouses. A closer inspection showed
them that there were carpenters' and blacksmiths shops; indeed, it was a
complete farm establishment on a large scale.
As riding on, in advance of the dray, they reached the door, a stout,
hearty-looking old gentleman came out to meet them, and welcomed

them in the most cordial manner. Their horses were quickly unsaddled
and turned into a paddock, and they themselves conducted into the
house, and introduced to the members of the family as late arrivals
from the old country. All welcomed them; and they were soon seated at
a well-covered supper-table, surrounded by the various inmates of the
house. The young strangers were surprised to find that the letter of
introduction they brought had not been read, and that the kindness they
were receiving was quite independent of anything that might be said in
their favour. It was not till the next day that the old Mr Prentiss alluded
to it. "We received you, young gentlemen, as strangers," he remarked;
"but I little thought how much I owed you