KANGAROO HUNT. 291 



conscious of danger, moaning piteously under 

 the unmerciful fangs of the hounds : its eyes, 

 dim with tears, seeming to upbraid the hunter for 

 his cruelty. No one can behold the tragic scene 

 without feeling pangs of regret, as the dogs 

 worry the animal until the hunter dismounts, 

 and passing his knife across the creature's throat, 

 the crimson stream flows, and the fixed glassy 

 eye indicates the termination of life. 



One day, while hunting kangaroos over the 

 ranges, we started a female, reposing during the 

 heat of the day under a tree ; she was soon seized 

 and destroyed by the dogs. A short distance 

 further on the same range, we came upon a large 

 male kangaroo, which bounding away, we had a 

 fine chase after him over stumps of trees, bushes, 

 loose wood, and rocks, and found these impedi- 

 ments, over a naturally irregular ground, any 

 thing but safe ; but the horse I rode was ac- 

 customed to such places, and, being sure-footed, 

 he carried me safe over all difliculties in sufficient 

 time to witness the death-struggle. The kan- 

 garoo had been arrested in his progress by the 

 hounds, on ascending a steep acclivity. When 

 descending a hill these animals make surprising 

 leaps, and bound with great speed also upon level 

 ground ; but when ascending a hill they are soon 

 captured. The dogs had judiciously divided 



