up to us, and then
yawned and stretched himself out.

"Here I am," said Jack Penny, involuntarily imitating his dog. "Here,
where's that chap Jimmy? He was to watch with me, wasn't he? Is it
time?"

"Time! Yes," I said impatiently. "You ought to have been here two
hours ago. He'll have to look out, won't he, doctor, for that tiger or
wild man."

"Yah! stuff!" said Jack with a sneer. "I sha'n't see no--hullo! what
has Gyp found? Look, there's something there."

We all turned to see the dog, which had picked up some scent about
half-way between the fire and the edge of the circle of light. He ran
at once to the thick bushes, barked angrily, and then followed the scent
round and round the fire at the distance of about twenty yards, ending
by dashing right off into the forest depths, his bark growing fainter as
we listened.

"I say, ought we to follow Gyp?" said Jack Penny.

"If we wish to lose our lives," replied the doctor. "You see, Joe, it
has gone right off."

"But I don't like Gyp to go off after anything and not follow him,"
cried Jack Penny. "He's a good dog, you know. What is it he's after?"

"Some savage beast that has been haunting us all night," cried the
doctor. "I should like to follow Gyp, but it would be madness, my lads,
and--hark, what's that?"

I felt cold as a most unearthly howl came from a long distance away.

"Is--is that him?" said Jack, whose eyes looked round and large.

"Dat big bunyip," said a voice that made us start, for Jimmy had come up
from the dark camp unperceived. "Eat black fellow, white man, anyfing."

No one replied to Jimmy's piece of information, and we listened for some
minutes till a faint rustling, heard first by the black, who stood ready
to hurl his spear, made us all place a finger on the trigger.

But it was only caused by the dog, who soon after came into sight, with
his tail between his legs, and his hair bristling with terror.

He ran right to his master and stood behind him, shivering and whining,
as he stared in the direction from which he had come.

"Gyp see big bunyip!" cried Jimmy. "Gyp find a bunyip!"

"I say," said Jack; "it's my watch now. I s'pose you two are going to
lie down."

"Frightened, Jack?" I said maliciously.

"P'r'aps I am, and p'r'aps I ain't," said Jack stoutly. "I should say I
felt frightened if I was; but if you two were going to watch I wouldn't
go away and leave you with a big beast like that about. He must