Malbrouck s'en va-t-en en guerre,
Ne sait quand reviendra, là-bas——"
As soon as they were out of sight Cassowary turned to my young master, "Oh! boy, we've got to hurry, but first let us call on the Phantom," and she ran up the hill to the fire belt where the doe lay with the soldier watching beside her.
Bolshy followed us, putting his big hand out quite kindly to lay it on my hips, but I always kept a bit ahead of him.
When Cassowary and my young master stood peering through the trees at the white creature on the grass, Dallas broke down and began to cry.
"The brutes!" he said, "to chase a lovely thing like that. Why did they not spare her to brighten the woods? I'd like to shoot them."
"Naughty boy," said Cassowary. "You mustn't shoot even the pot-hunters. Fine 'em or put 'em in jail and educate 'em—Dad will see that they get some humane teaching."
Dallas dashed his tears away. "Do you think that the warden will get them?"
"He'll not sleep till he does. You don't know the warden. That doe is like a child to him. When she was a little fawn she used to run to him and hide her head in his bosom. He's all alone here in the winter, you know—won't he have those men fined to the limit of the law! Deer are out of season now."