different
from all other animals; make me popular and wonderfully run after by
five this afternoon."

Up jumped Nqong from his bath in the salt-pan and shouted, "Yes, I
will!"

Nqong called Dingo--Yellow-Dog Dingo--always hungry, dusty in the
sunshine, and showed him Kangaroo. Nqong said, "Dingo! Wake up, Dingo!
Do you see that gentleman dancing on an ash-pit? He wants to be
popular and very truly run after. Dingo, make him so!"

Up jumped Dingo--Yellow-Dog Dingo--and said, "What, _that_
cat-rabbit?"

Off ran Dingo--Yellow-Dog Dingo--always hungry, grinning like a
coal-scuttle--ran after Kangaroo.

Off went the proud Kangaroo on his four little legs like a bunny.

This, O Beloved of mine, ends the first part of the tale!

He ran through the desert; he ran through the mountains; he ran
through the salt-pans; he ran through the reed-beds; he ran through
the blue gums; he ran through the spinifex; he ran till his front legs
ached.

He had to!

[Illustration: This is a picture of Old Man Kangaroo when he was the
Different Animal with four short legs. I have drawn him gray and
woolly, and you can see that he is very proud because he has a wreath
of flowers in his hair. He is dancing on an outcrop (that means a
ledge of rock) in the middle of Australia at six o'clock before
breakfast. You can see that it is six o'clock, because the sun is just
getting up. The thing with the ears and the open mouth is Little God
Nqa. Nqa is very much surprised, because he has never seen a Kangaroo
dance like that before. Little God Nqa is just saying, "Go away," but
the Kangaroo is so busy dancing that he has not heard him yet.

The Kangaroo has n't any real name except Boomer. He lost it because
he was so proud.]

Still ran Dingo--Yellow-Dog Dingo--always hungry, grinning like a
rat-trap, never getting nearer, never getting farther--ran after
Kangaroo.

He had to!

Still ran Kangaroo--Old Man Kangaroo. He ran through the ti-trees; he
ran through the mulga; he ran through the long grass; he ran through
the short grass; he ran through the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer;
he ran till his hind legs ached.

He had to!

Still ran Dingo--Yellow-Dog Dingo--hungrier and hungrier, grinning
like a horse-collar, never getting nearer, never getting farther; and
they came to the Wollgong River.

Now, there was n't any bridge, and there was n't any ferry-boat, and
Kangaroo did n't know how to get over; so he stood on his legs and
h