40 AUSTRALIA AND THE AUSTRALIANS. 



green grass, has been terribly surprised to find himself 

 in the hands of an officer, having been tracked every 

 step of the way. Their cleverness in this respect is 

 the admiration of all the people of Australia. 



A sprig or leaf, lately fallen from a tree, pressed 

 more deeply into the grass than it would have been if 

 left wholly to itself ; straws pointing in a certain 

 direction; dried thistles, or fern, lately cracked off, and 

 a hundred other things, all taken into account, indi- 

 cate to these sharp-eyed fellows that their " game " 

 has passed that way. 



In some cases these trackers will ride at full gallop 

 over the green and through a village, seeing tracks all 

 the way as easily as we would trace them if they 

 had been made in fresh snow, while to the white man 

 no traces can be seen. Their gift in this respect is 

 very extraordinary. 



When any one is lost in the bush the white people 

 rely with the utmost confidence on the "black 

 tracker." 



Captain Grey relates how his watch had fallen from 

 his pocket when galloping through the scrub, and over 

 ground of the very worst sort for tracking. " I told 

 ' Kaiber,' my native, of it, and he immediately set out 

 to find it, by retracing our steps. Within a very short 

 time my watch was restored to my pocket." 



