Chapter Fourteen.
“Can’t find way back.”
It was long before sunrise when the boys rose to see after Shanter, expecting to find him still lying down, but he was up and over by the water-hole examining the huge kangaroo.
“Mine mumkull kangaroo,” he said, as the boys came up, and then, “Baal.”
“Didn’t you kill it, Shanter?” said Norman, smiling. “Baal. Who kill boomer? Big hole all along.” He pointed to the terrible wound in the animal’s head caused by the shots Tim had fired. And as the black spoke he examined the knob at the end of his nulla-nulla, comparing it with the wound, and shook his head.
“Baal make plenty sore place like dat. Go all along other side make hole. Baal.”
He stood shaking his head in a profound state of puzzledom as to how the wound came, while the boys enjoyed his confusion. Then all at once his face lit up.
“Bunyip mumkull boomer. All go bong.”
“You should say all go bong Tam. Why, can’t you see? Tim shot him while he was holding your head under water.”
“Eh? Marmi Tim shoot? What a pity!”