lained that kangaroos were getting scarce
where he was camped; while our paddocks were full of them. Joe started
a mob nearly every day, as he walked round overseeing things; and he
pondered. Suddenly he had an original inspiration--originality was
Joe's strong point. He turned the barn into a workshop, and buried
himself there for two days. For two whole days he was never "at
home,", except when he stepped out to throw the hammer at the dog for
yelping for a drink. The greedy brute! it was n't a week since he'd
had a billyful--Joe told him. On the morning of the third day the
barn-door swung open, and forth came a kangaroo, with the sharpened
carving knife in its paws. It hopped across the yard and sat up, bold
and erect, near the dog-kennel. Bluey nearly broke his neck trying to
get at it. The kangaroo said: "Lay down, you useless hound!" and
started across the cultivation!, heading for the grass-paddock in long,
erratic jumps. Half-way across the cultivation it spotted a mob of
other kangaroos, and took a firmer grip of the carver.

Bluey howled and plunged until Mother came out to see what was the
matter. She was in time to see a solitary kangaroo hop in a drunken
manner towards the fence, so she let the dog go and cried, "Sool him,
Bluey! Sool him!" Bluey sooled him, and Mother followed with the axe
to get the scalp. As the dog came racing up, the kangaroo turned and
hissed, "G' home, y' mongrel!" Bluey took no notice, and only when he
had nailed the kangaroo dextrously by the thigh and got him down did it
dawn upon the marsupial that Bluey was n't in the secret. Joe tore off
his head-gear, called the dog affectionately by name, and yelled for
help; but Bluey had not had anything substantial to eat for over a
week, and he worried away vigorously.

Then the kangaroo slashed out with the carving-knife, and hacked a junk
off Bluey's nose. Bluey shook his head, relaxed his thigh-grip, and
grabbed the kangaroo by the ribs. How that kangaroo did squeal!
Mother arrived. She dropped the axe, threw up both hands, and
shrieked. "Pull him off! he's eating me!" gasped the kangaroo. Mother
shrieked louder, and wrung her hands; but it had no effect on Bluey.
He was a good dog, was Bluey!

At last, Mother got him by the tail and dragged him off, but he took a
mouthful of kangaroo with him as he went.

Then the kangaroo raised itself slowly on to its hands and knees. It
was very white and sick-looking, and Mo