_ CHAPTER FOUR. PETS--A RAMBLE THROUGH THE SCRUB--ROB ACTS THE HERO--SEES A LURKING BLACK--THE PARTY HURRY HOMEWARDS--ALARMING INTELLIGENCE BROUGHT BY PAUL
As much of the time of the young Berringtons was likely to be taken up by their newly-arrived cousins, it was arranged that they and Mr Hayward should make holiday. As soon, therefore, as Mary and Janet had finished their household duties they invited their cousins to take a walk round the gardens, which they had not yet seen, and along the bank of the river.
"We can show you some pretty views," said Mary.
"You shall see all our pets," added Janet.
"Pray take your sunshades, girls," murmured Mrs Berrington, who had just come out of her room. "Without them you will spoil your complexions to a certainty, and perhaps suffer from a _coup-de-soleil_. You do not let your daughters go out without them?" she added, turning to her sister-in-law.
"We never think of such a thing," answered Mrs Hugh; "our hats are lined with pith, and broad-brimmed, and we do not mind a few freckles."
The young ladies, acting on their mother's suggestion, took their sunshades, which, it must be confessed, were not altogether useless, although their cousins did very well without them.
They had got a short distance from the house, when Evelina uttered a scream and pointed to a large animal with a long tail, pointed nose, and short arms, which came hopping along at a great rate towards them.
"Oh! what's that monster?" she exclaimed. "How can we get out of its way?"
"That's only our tame kangaroo, Jumper," answered Janet, laughing. "He is a great pet; he has been out with Sandy all the morning, and is now coming to pay his respects to us."
The kangaroo, which was upwards of five feet high, came bounding along, moving himself by the wonderful muscular power of his long hind-legs, though he had in addition to carry his tail, which he lifted off the ground when moving; this tail, however, assisted him to rest when he reached his young mistresses and waited to receive the piece of bread they had brought to give him. Close behind came an animal on four legs.
"Oh! here comes another horrid creature," cried Adela. "A wolf! a wolf!"
"No; we have no wolves here. That is our kangaroo dog Bruce. He and Jumper are great friends, though he would run down, and kill any of Jumper's relatives without the slightest remorse. Here, Bruce, Bruce."
A magnificent dog, a mixture of a Saint Bernard and greyhound, came up and licked Mary's and Janet's hand, and attempted to treat their cousins in the same way. The young ladies, not liking his looks, started back, and it was some time before they could be persuaded to pat him on the head. Although Janet called Jumper and Bruce to accompany them, the latter only obeyed; the former bounded towards the house.
"The rogue has gone to see what he can get in the kitchen; if he can catch Biddy off her guard, he'll snatch up anything he can find, and be away with it," observed Mary.
The menagerie was in the flower-garden, where several of their pets which could not be allowed to remain at liberty were confined. Among the prettiest was a flying squirrel, a little animal with beautiful fur, its legs united by a membrane which enables it to float from the treetops to the ground without injury, then to run up the trunk of another, once more to descend, and thus make its way along. Poor little "Fussy!" its habits were nocturnal, and it had been accustomed to roam about at large in the house; but Captain Berrington, fearing that it might disturb his guests, had turned it out of doors to live with several other animals which his children had tamed.
The young ladies had made their way along a path which had been cut through the scrub, close to the banks of the river, that Mary might show her cousins the views she had spoken of. They had been joined by Rob and Edgar, who considered that they could not let them go so far from home without an efficient escort.
"With such valiant guards we may, I think, venture further than we have been accustomed to," said Mary. "We shall have to stoop now and then to get under the vines, or squeeze ourselves between the trunks of the trees. We have no wild animals to fear, and need only be careful not to tread upon a snake."
"A snake!" exclaimed Evelina. "Oh, how dreadful! Let's go home."
"Oh, come on," cried Bob, "I'll clear the road, and kill any snakes which may show their ugly heads."
Flourishing his hatchet, which he drew from his belt, he proceeded to cut away the vines and any branches which impeded their way.
Their progress was of course slow, but Rob asserted that they would soon come out into a more open spot, when they would be able to walk as fast as they liked. The air beneath the shade of the tall trees was deliciously cool compared to the hot atmosphere of the open ground; and even Evelina acknowledged that it was very pleasant. She had not gone far, however, before she shrieked out to Mary--
"You said there were no savage creatures! Look at this monster; it will kill us all!"
"Why, that's only an iguana. It has no teeth, and wouldn't bite you if it had. I'll try and catch it, and you shall have it for dinner; it makes an excellent stew," exclaimed Rob, who heard her cry out.
The iguana, a large species of lizard, was, however, far too quick for Rob, and was away out of sight before he got up to the tree on which he had seen it. Edgar manfully kept up with him, but having no weapon except a clasp knife, he could render but little service in clearing the road. Rob was shouting to the girls to "come on," when suddenly he himself stopped short.
"Edgar, did you see any one?" he asked, in a low voice.
"Yes, a hideous black face; it popped down immediately behind the bushes."
"We had better not go on, then; for though many of the blacks are friendly hereabouts, yet others who come from a distance are very treacherous."
Not stopping to hear more, Edgar scampered away to tell the ladies, who, as soon as they heard the alarming intelligence, began to beat a retreat. They were quickly overtaken by Rob, who had not only seen a black man, but a bundle of spears, and was fully satisfied of the danger of remaining longer in the scrub.
Mary was the first to recover herself. "After all, the boys may have mistaken the stump of a tree for a native; or if they did see a black, he may have come with no bad intentions," she observed; "we need not give up our walk in consequence."
However, her cousins looked so frightened that she led them directly out of the scrub towards the kitchen, garden, intending to go round under a trellis work, which had a thick hedge on the outside, and at that hour of the day afforded a pleasant shady walk. They were passing along that part which was nearest the open ground when they heard the tramp of a horse's hoofs galloping at fall speed, and directly afterwards Paul shouting out to Harry--
"Where's our father?"
"He has gone off with Uncle Frank to Gibson's station," answered Harry. "But what's in the wind?"
"The blacks have shown their ugly faces again, not far off. I caught sight of a mob of them just before I passed Jenkins's hut, and when stopping to leave a message I could nowhere find him. The blacks have evidently been there, and, I am afraid, have killed him. I did not stop to search longer, but came on to tell father, that he might send over to Ogilvie to set the police after them."
"I'll ride Bolter, and get Reginald to come with me," answered Harry.
"Reginald! He's no use; he will never keep up with you, and the chances are that he is pitched off before you have galloped a mile. Get Mr Hayward or Sandy to go with you," said Paul.
"They are both away just now," answered Harry; "but why can't you get a fresh horse and go yourself?"
"Look here," the girls heard Paul say; "one of the black fellows dashed a spear, and gave me this ugly scratch on the side, and I should be foolish to attempt riding so far. I must go in and get mother to doctor it."
The young ladies, on hearing this, were naturally much alarmed. Mary was about to call to her brothers, but they were already beyond hearing; so she, followed by the rest of the party, hastened to the house that she might break the intelligence to her mother. _