looked round for the terrible monster that could make such extraordinary
sounds. The grunts and clattering stopped, and the noise died away in a
long doleful bray, but she could not see where it came from. Having
peered into the dark shadows, Dot went more into the open, and sat with
her back to a fallen tree, keeping an anxious watch all round.

"Perhaps," she thought, "It is the blacks. What would they do if they
found me? What will happen if they have killed my dear Kangaroo?" And she
covered her face with her hands as this terrible thought came into her head.
Soon she heard something coming towards her stealthily and slowly. She
would not look up she was so frightened. She was sure it was some fierce
looking black man, with his spear, about to kill her. She shut her eyes
closer, and held her breath. "Perhaps," she thought, "he will not see
me." Then a cold shiver went through her little body, as she felt
something claw hold of her hair, and she thought she was about to be
killed. She kept her eyes shut, and the clawing went on, and then to her
astonishment she heard an animal voice say in wondering tones:

"Why, it's fur! How funny it looked in the moonlight!"

Then Dot opened her eyes very wide and looked round, and saw a funny
native Bear on the tree trunk behind her. He was quite clearly to be seen
in the moonlight. His thick, grey fur, that looked as if he was wrapped
up to keep out the most terribly cold weather; his short, stumpy, big legs,
and little sharp face with big bushy ears, could be seen as distinctly as
in daylight. Dot had never seen one so near before, and she loved it at
once, it looked so innocent and kind.

"You dear little native Bear!" she exclaimed, at once stroking its head.