beautiful little deer
that started up in our very path.

My shot seemed to alarm the whole forest and set it in an uproar: birds
shrieked, monkeys chattered, and to right and left there was a rushing
crackling noise, as of big creatures seeking flight. There was a
deep-mouthed howl, too, away on our right that made me look anxiously at
the doctor.

"I don't know, Joe," he replied, as if in answer to a spoken question.
"There may be tigers here, and leopards, and old men of the woods, big
as ourselves. It is new land, my lad, so don't look to me for
information."

"Dat big bunyip," said Jimmy in a scared whisper. "Take black fellow--
kill um, eatum."

Just then we heard the same beating noise that had fallen upon our ears
the previous day.

"Dat big bunyip beat um gin," whispered Jimmy, with a curious
awe-stricken look in his countenance.

"'Taint," said Jack Penny slowly. "I don't believe in bunyips. If it
was a bunyip beating his gin, she'd holloa out like hooray, and squeak
the leaves off the trees."

"'Fraid squeak," said Jimmy eagerly, as he caught Jack's meaning.

"Well, perhaps Jimmy's right," said the doctor slowly; "and as I've
never seen a bunyip the present is a favourable opportunity, and we can
interfere to stop him from too severely castigating his wife. Come,
Jimmy, lead on."

Jimmy's jaw dropped, but his hand stole to his waistband, from which he
drew his waddy, talking slowly the while, till, seeing the doctor make a
movement towards him, he turned round and darted into the bush.

"He won't stop till he gets back to the village," drawled Jack.

"He won't go farther than the first big tree," I said, laughing. "He's
watching us now, I'll be bound."

"Then you and I will have to meet the bunyip, Joe," said the doctor.
"Are you coming, Penny?"

"Yes, I'll come," said Jack quietly. "I should like to see a bunyip.
Come along."

Jack went on--not first, for Gyp started before him and, guided by the
noise, we pushed on amongst the dense growth, finding the earth grow
moister beneath our feet; and then all at once it seemed as if the big
trees had come to an end and we were in a lighter place.

"There's the water," I cried, as I caught sight of a flash.

"You'll be in it here directly, same as I was," drawled Jack. "I say,
doctor, ain't this the sort of place big snakes like?"

"Hush!" whispered the doctor; and pressing back the thick growth we
advanced cautiously, and following hi