Although the Kangaroo was longing to hear the reason why so many Bush
creatures had collected round Dot whilst she was away, she was too
anxious to carry her to Willy Wagtail before nightfall to wait and
enquire what had happened. Dot, too, was so excited at hearing that her
way home had been found, that she could only think of the delight of
seeing her father and mother again. So the Kangaroo had hopped until she
was tired and needed rest, before they spoke. Then Dot described the
Trial, and made the Kangaroo laugh about the Cockatoo Judge, but she did
not say how it had all ended because the Kangaroo had forgiven Dot for
Humans making rugs of her fur, boots of her skin, and soup of her tail.
She was afraid of hurting her feelings by mentioning such delicate
subjects. The Kangaroo never noticed that anything was left out, because
she was bursting to relate her interview with Willy Wagtail.
She told Dot how she had found Willy Wagtail near his old haunt; how
that gossiping little bird had told all the news of the Gabblebabble
town and district in ten minutes, and how he had said he believed he
knew Dot by sight, and that if such were the case he would show Dot and
the Kangaroo the way to the little girl's home. Then Dot and the
Kangaroo hurried on their way again, the little girl sometimes running
and walking to rest the kind animal, and sometimes being carried in that
soft cosy pouch that had been her cradle and carriage for all those
days.
It was quite dusk by the time they arrived at a split-rail fence, and
heard a little bird singing, "Sweet pretty creature! sweet pretty
creature!"
"That is Willy Wagtail making love," said the Kangaroo, with a humorous
twinkle in her quiet eyes. "Peep round the bush," she said to Dot, "and
you'll see them spooning."
[Illustration: THE KANGAROO CARRIES DOT OUT OF COURT]
Dot glanced through the branches, and saw two wagtails, who looked very
smart with their black coats and white waistcoats, sitting on two posts
of the fence a little way off. They were each pretending that their
long big tails were too heavy to balance them properly, and they seemed
to be always just saving themselves from toppling off their perch.
Occasionally Willy would dart into the air, to show what an expert in
flying he was; he would shoot straight upwards, turn a double somersault
backwards, and wing off in the direction one least expected. Afterwards
he would return to his post as calm and cool as if he had done nothing
surprising, and say "Pretty pretty Chip-pi-ti-chip!" that name meaning
the other wagtail. Then Chip-pi-ti-chip showed off _her_ flying, and
they both said to one another "Sweet pretty creature!"
At the sound of Dot and the Kangaroo's approach "Chip-pi-ti-chip" hid
herself in a tree, and Willy Wagtail, not knowing who was disturbing
them, scolded angrily; but when he saw the Kangaroo and the little girl,
he gave them the most cordial greeting, and wobbled about on a rail as
if he must tumble off every second.
"This is Dot," said the Kangaroo a little anxiously, and rather
breathless with the speed she had made.
"Just as I had expected!" exclaimed Willy Wagtail, with a jerk of his
tail which nearly sent him headlong off the rail. "I should know you
anywhere, little Human, though you do look a bit different. You want
preening," he added.
This last remark was in allusion to Dot's appearance, which certainly
was most untidy and dirty, for, beyond an occasional lick from the
Kangaroo, she had been five days without being tidied and cleaned.
"I couldn't do it better," said the Kangaroo apologetically.
"It doesn't matter at all," said Dot, putting her tangled curls back
from her eyes.
"Well! I know where you live," gabbled off the Wagtail. "It's the second
big paddock from here, if you follow the belt of the sheoak trees over
there. It's a house just like those things in Gabblebabble township.
There's a yellow sheep dog, who's very good tempered, and a black one
that made a snap at my tail the other day. There is an old grey cart
horse, an honest fellow, but rather dull; and a bay mare who is much
better company. There is a little red cow who is a great friend of mine,
and she had a calf a few days before you were lost. Dear me!" exclaimed
the gossiping bird, "what a fuss there has been these five days over
trying to find you! I've been over there every day to see the sight.
Such a lot of Humans! and such horses. I enjoyed myself immensely, and
made a lot of friends amongst the horses, but I didn't care so much for
the dogs; I thought them a nasty quarrelsome lot.
"I went with the whole turnout to see the search. Goodness! the
distances they went, and the noise and the big fires they made, it _was_
exciting fun! They brought over some black Humans--'Trackers' is what
they are called, at least the Mounted Troopers' horses told me so (my
word! the Troopers' horses are jolly fellows!) Well, these black
trackers went in front of each party just like dogs, with their heads
to the ground, and they turned over every leaf and twig, and said if
a Human, a horse or a kangaroo had broken it or been that way. They
found your track fast enough, but one evening it came to an end quite
suddenly, and weren't they all surprised! I heard from a Trooper's
horse--(such a nice horse he was!)--that the trackers and white Humans
said it was just as if you had disappeared into the sky! There was just
a bit of your fur on a bush, and nothing anywhere else but a Kangaroo's
trail. No one could make it out."
"That was when I took you in my pouch!" exclaimed the Kangaroo.
"Now," said the Wagtail, "most of them have given up the search. Just
this evening Dot's father and a few other Humans came back, and the
yellow sheep dog told me the last big party is to start at noon
to-morrow, and after that there will be no more attempt to find Dot.
Only the sheep dog said he heard his master say he would go on hunting
alone, until he found her body. I haven't been over there to-day," wound
up the bird, "they are all so miserable and tired, it gave me the blues
yesterday."
"What are we to do? It is quite dark and late!" asked the Kangaroo.
"You had better stay here," counselled the Wagtail. "One night more or
less doesn't matter, and I don't like leaving Chip-pi-ti-chip at
night-time. She likes me to sing to her all night, because she is
nervous. I will go with you to-morrow morning early, if you will wait
here until then."
"Having found your lost way so far!" said the Kangaroo to Dot, "it would
be a pity to risk losing it again, so we had better wait for Willy
Wagtail to guide us to-morrow."
To tell the truth, the Kangaroo was very glad of the excuse to keep Dot
one night more before parting from her. "It will seem like losing my
little Joey again, when I am once more alone," she said sadly.
"But you will never go far away," said Dot. "I should cry, if I thought
you would never come to see me. You will live on our selection, won't
you?"
But the Kangaroo looked very doubtful, and said that she loved Dot, but
she was afraid of Humans and their dogs.
[Illustration: DOT'S FATHER ABOUT TO SHOOT THE KANGAROO]
After a supper of berries and grass, Dot and the Kangaroo lay down for
the night in a little bower of bushes. But they talked until very late,
of how they were to manage to reach Dot's home without danger from guns
and dogs. At last, when they tried to sleep, they could not do so on
account of Willy Wagtail's singing to his sweetheart, "Sweet pretty
creature! Sweet pretty creature!" without stopping, for more than five
minutes at a time.
"I wonder Chip-pi-ti-chip doesn't get tired of that song," said Dot.
"She never does," yawned the Kangaroo, "and he never tires of singing it."
"Sweet pretty creature," sang Willy Wagtail.