lt such a very little girl. She
was a little sad, and the Kangaroo, after a short sigh, continued her
way.

As they neared the bottom of the gully the Kangaroo became extremely
cautious. She no longer hopped in the open, but made her way with little
leaps through the thick scrub. She peeped out carefully before each
movement. Her long, soft ears kept moving to catch every sound, and her
black sensitive little nose was constantly lifted, sniffing the air.
Every now and then she gave little backward starts, as if she were going
to retreat by the way she had come, and Dot, with her face pressed
against the Kangaroo's soft furry coat, could hear her heart beating so
fast that she knew she was very frightened.

They were not alone. Dot could hear whispers from unseen little
creatures everywhere in the scrub, and from birds in the trees. High up
in the branches were numbers of pigeons--sweet little Bronze-Wings; and
above all the other sounds she could hear their plaintive voices crying,
"We're so frightened! we're so frightened! so thirsty and so frightened!
so thirsty and so frightened!"

"Why don't they drink at the water-hole?" whispered Dot.

"Because they're frightened," was the answer.

"Frightened of what?" asked Dot.

"Humans!" said the Kangaroo, in frightened tones; and as she spoke she
reared up upon her long legs and tail, so that she stood at least six
feet high, and peeped over the bushes; her nose working all round, and
her ears wagging.

"I think it's safe," she said, as she squatted down again.

"Friend Kangaroo," said a Bronze-Wing that had sidled out to the end
of a neighbouring branch, "you are so courageous, will you go first to
the water, and let us know if it is all safe? We haven't tasted a drop
of water for two days," she said, sadly, "and we're dying of thirst.
Last night, when we had waited for hours, to make certain there were
no cruel Humans about, we flew down for a drink--and we wanted, oh! so
little, just three little sips; but the terrible Humans, with their
'bang-bangs,' murdered numbers of us. Then we flew back, and some were
hurt and bleeding, and died of their wounds, and none of us have dared
to get a drink since." Dot could see that the poor pigeon was suffering
great thirst, for its wings were drooping, and its poor dry beak was
open.

The Kangaroo was very distressed at hearing the pigeon's story. "It is
dreadful for you pigeons," she said, "because you can only drink at
ev