on a rock, and the moonlight lit all their surroundings like day. To the
right was a deep black chasm, with a white foaming waterfall pouring into
the darkness below. In front was the same wide chasm, only less wide, and
beyond it, on the other side of the great yawning cleft in the earth, was
a wild spread of morass country--a gloomy, terrible-looking place. To the
left was a steep slope of small rocks and stones, leading downwards to the
hollow of sedgy land that fringed the cliffs of the chasm. The only
retreat possible was to pass down this declivity, and try to escape by the
sedgy land, and this is what the black huntsmen had expected. It was a
very weird and desolate place; and everything looked dark and dismal,
under the moonlight, as it streamed between stormy black clouds. In that
light Dot could see the blacks hurrying forward. Already one of the dogs
had far outrun the others, and with wolfish gait and savage sounds, was
pressing towards their place of observation.

The panting, trembling Kangaroo saw the approaching dog, also, and leaped
down from the crag. As she dropped to earth, she stooped, and quickly
lifted Dot out of her pouch, and, almost before Dot could realize the
movement, she found herself standing alone, whilst the Kangaroo hopped
forward to the front of a big boulder, as if to meet the dog. Here the
poor hunted creature took her stand, with her back close to the rock.
Gentle and timid as she was, and unfitted by nature to fight for her life
against fierce odds, it was brave indeed of the poor Kangaroo to face her
enemies, prepared to do battle for the lives of little Dot and herself.

So noble did Dot's Kangaroo look in that desperate moment, standing erect,
waiting for her foe, and conquering her naturally frightened nature by a
grand effort of courage, that it seemed impossible that either dogs or men
should be so cruel as to take her life. For a moment the dingo hound
seemed daunted by her bravery, and paused a little way off, panting, with