154 
ALMOST HUMAN 
holding the kangaroos’ label, and he was annoyed when he received the 
customary warning to keep one eye on the animals and one on his work. 
He scorned the idea of being afraid of kangaroos — he always prided 
himself upon his fearlessness. So he filled his pipe with his usual 
deliberation, and then proceeded to combine business with pleasure. He 
began painting, but as the label was much taller than himself he had to 
stand on tiptoe and stretch as far as possible to reach the top of it. He 
had not done much of its surface before he heard a strange grunting 
noise behind him like “Hun-n-n!” To his guilty conscience it said un- 
mistakably: “Mr. Le Souef does not allow smoking during working 
hours!” so the next minute his idol lay shattered at his feet. When 
he discovered that it was not an accusing superior, but an old man 
kangaroo, he was as annoyed as he was alarmed. There was no hope 
of safety in flight, for any attempt at a run would be the signal for a 
knock-down blow. To leave the post at all would mean that he must 
fight a champion boxer in the open. There was not much shelter in the 
post, which was perhaps eight inches broad, but still, it had a distinctly 
useful value for dodging purposes, so the old man nimbly slipped round 
to the other side. The kangaroo hopped after him, but he was by 
that time again at his starting point. They changed their tactics. 
Each took a stand at one side of the post, and began a sparring match. 
The old man tried repeatedly to hit the kangaroo in the face, but he was 
far too practised a boxer to be caught unawares, and his face was 
shielded every time. “I was like a drunk after a keyhole,” he said 
afterwards, “the only thing I was sure of was missing the mark!” 
Then he remembered that the hand that held the post also held a brush 
wet with red paint. Here was a most effective weapon! The happy 
thought came that if he could dab that wet paint into the animal’s eyes 
he would be defeated absolutely, and so he pointed steadily in that direc- 
tion. The fun began in real earnest. The animal seemed to divine 
the intention of the man, and he was as determined to save his face as 
the man was to paint it. They again began the fun of chasing each 
other around that strictly circumscribed area, the man constantly 
jabbing with his brush, and the animal defending himself from it most 
cleverly. He had the whole of the creature’s breast a flaming scarlet 
without once touching the spot that was to free him from his uncomfort- 
able predicament. Next to the bear the kangaroo is the finest boxer 
in the animal world, and its guard is well-nigh perfect. “He guarded 
so well,” said the painter, “that it was nearly ten minutes before I landed 
him one with the wet brush right between the eyes and finished his little 
game.” As the paint began to trickle down the kangaroo instinctively 
