A A' 



angar 



dently stumbled upon a track worn by 

 the kangaroos in going to and from their 

 feeding-ground ; and as it was just as 

 evident that when disturbed they would 

 make off by their accustomed route, I 

 decided to post myself here with the 

 breech-loader and wait events, while R. 

 went forward with the rifle, and made the 

 attempt to stalk the herd. I should have 

 been very pleased to have undertaken the 

 latter part of the programme myself, as 

 R. proposed ; but while I was as anxious 

 as any " new chum " could be to shoot a 

 kangaroo, I was still more anxious that the 

 kangaroo should be shot, and I was well 

 aware that my Rocky Mountain experi- 

 ence of deer-stalking might fail me in 

 a new country and against a new game, 

 while R., who was an expert bushman, 

 would make no mistakes. So I put a cou- 

 ple of fresh cartridges in my Manton and 

 waited patiently. It was quite half an 

 hour before Wilkinson and I saw R. again. 

 Then he was crawling slowly down the op- 

 posite bank toward the feeding herd, tak- 

 ing advantage of every stump and every 

 tussock of grass, and even wriggling along 

 flat upon his stomach where the cover was 

 too thin to afford protection otherwise. 

 The kangaroos seemed to be browsing in 



190 



