and placed on the ground.

'Now watch me closely,' said Bunyip Bluegum. He sprinkled the Puddin'
with sugar, made several passes with his hands, and pronounced these
words--

[Illustration]

'Who incantations utters
He generally mutters
His gruesome blasts and bans
But I, you need not doubt it,
Prefer aloud to shout it,
Hey, Presto! Pots and Pans.'

Out sprang Bill and Sam and set about the puddin'-thieves like a pair of
windmills, giving them such a clip-clap clouting and a flip-flap
flouting, that what with being punched and pounded, and clipped and
clapped, they had only enough breath left to give two shrieks of despair
while scrambling back into Watkin Wombat's Summer Residence, and banging
the door behind them. The three friends had Puddin' secured in no time,
and shook hands all round, congratulating Bunyip Bluegum on the success
of his plan.

'Your noble actin',' said Bill, 'has saved our Puddin's life.'

'Them puddin'-thieves,' said Sam, 'was children in your hands.'

'We hear you,' sang out the Possum, and the Wombat added, 'Oh, what
deceit!'

'Enough of you two,' shouted Bill. 'If we catch you sneakin' after our
Puddin' again, you'll get such a beltin' that you'll wish you was
vegetarians. And now,' said he, 'for a glorious reunion round the camp
fire.'

And a glorious reunion they had, tucking into hot steak-and-kidney
puddin' and boiled jam roll, which, after the exertions of the day, went
down, as Bill said, 'Grand'.

'If them puddin'-thieves ain't sufferin' the agonies of despair at this
very moment, I'll eat my hat along with the Puddin',' said Bill,
exultantly.

'Indeed,' said Bunyip Bluegum, 'the consciousness that our enemies are
deservedly the victims of acute mental and physical anguish, imparts, it
must be admitted, an additional flavour to the admirable Puddin'.'

'Well spoken,' said Bill, admiringly. 'Which I will say, that for
turning off a few well-chosen words no parson in the land is the equal
of yourself.'

'Your health!' said Bunyip Bluegum.

The singing that evening was particularly loud and prolonged, owing to
the satisfaction they all felt at the recovery of their beloved Puddin'.
The Puddin', who had got the sulks over Sam's remarks that fifteen goes
of steak-and-kidney were enough for any self-respecting man, protested
against the singing, which, he said, disturbed his gravy. '"More eating
and less noise" is my motto,' he said, and he called Bill a