hey were all busy gossiping, or discussing the great
berry or digestion questions.

It was towards evening when they reached an open plain, and here they
met an Emu. As both Dot and the Kangaroo were thirsty, they asked the
Emu the way to a waterhole or tank.

"I am going to a tank now," replied the Emu; "let us proceed together."

"Do you think it will be safe to drink to-night"; enquired the Kangaroo
anxiously.

"Well, to tell the truth," said the Emu lightly, "it is likely to be a
little difficult. There is a somewhat strained feeling between the White
Humans and ourselves just now. In consequence, we have to resort to a
little strategy on our visits to the tanks, and we avoid eating anything
tempting left about at camping places."

"Are they laying poison for _you_?" asked the Kangaroo in horrified tones.

"They are doing something of the kind, we think," answered the Emu
airily, "for some of us have had most unpleasant symptoms after picking
up morsels at camping grounds. Several have died. We were quite
surprised, for hitherto there has been no better cure for Emu
indigestion than wire nails, hoop iron, and preserved milk cans. The
worst symptoms have yielded to scraps of barbed wire in my own case. But
these Emus died in spite of all remedies."

"But I heard," said the Kangaroo, "that Emus were protected by the
Government. I never understood why."

"We are protected," said the huge bird, "because we form part of the
Australian Arms."

"So do we," said the Kangaroo, "but we are not protected."

"True," said the bird, "but the Humans can make some money out of you
when you are dead, whereas we serve no purpose at all, excepting alive,
when we add a charm to the scenery; and, moreover, each of our eggs will
make a pound cake. But the time will come, friend, when there will be
neither Emu nor Kangaroo for Australia's Arms; no creature will be left
to represent the land but the Bunny Rabbit and the Sheep."

"I hate sheep!" said the Kangaroo, "they eat all our grass."

"You have not studied them as we have," answered the Emu. "They are most
entertaining. We have great fun with them, and we've learnt some capital
sheep games from those dogs Humans drive them with. It's really exciting
to drive a big mob, when they want to break and scatter. We were chasing
them, here and there, all over the plain to-day."

"I don't like sheep!" said Dot, "they are so stupid."

"So they are," agreed the Emu, "and that is