"Are you from Sydney way, Mr. Halbert?" said Sam.
"Indeed," said the young man, "I have only landed in the country six weeks. I have got three years' leave of absence from my regiment in India, and, if I can see a chance, I shall cut the army and settle here."
"Oh!" said Alice, "are you a soldier, Mr. Halbert?"
"I have that honour, Miss Brentwood. I am a lieutenant in the Bengal Horse Artillery."
"That is delightful. I am a soldier's daughter, and Mr. Buckley here also, as you know, I suppose."
"A soldier's daughter, is he?" said impudent Jim. "A very fine girl too!"
Sam, and Jim too, had some disrespectful ideas about soldiers' riding qualities; Sam could not help saying,—
"I hope you will be careful with that mare, Mr. Halbert; I should not like a guest of ours to be damaged. She's a desperate brute,—I'm afraid of her myself."
"I think I know the length of her ladyship's foot," said Halbert, laughing good-naturedly.
As they were speaking, they were passing through a narrow way in a wattle scrub. Suddenly a blundering kangaroo, with Rover in full chase, dashed right under the mare's nose and set her plunging furiously. She tried to wheel round, but, finding herself checked, reared up three or four times, and at last seemed to stand on her hind legs, almost overbalancing herself.