“‘There are the kangaroos,’ said Mr. Syme; ‘we will go in on one side of the clump, and give them a chance to make a run.’
“Following his directions, we spread out into a somewhat extended line and approached the bunch of timber from the northern side. The dogs began to show uneasiness, but were held in check by their young masters, who spoke to them in very emphatic tones.
“We advanced a short distance into the bushes, keeping in line as well as we could. Suddenly there was a great stir and a series of sounds, as though some one was pounding violently on the ground with a club.
“‘There they go!’ shouted Mr. Syme. ‘Let off the dogs!’
“Evidently the dogs understood what he said, as they did not wait for the permission of their young masters. Away they went at full speed after the kangaroos. There must have been twenty or thirty of the latter making off across the plain in a southerly direction, but run as fast as they did, the dogs could not keep up with those high-jumping creatures. The speed was something prodigious. Our whole party started in full gallop behind the dogs, the horses seeming to enter into the spirit of the race quite as much as did their riders.
“There wasn’t much chance for conversation during this run, but the young man who was acting as my escort managed to tell me that we would have a race of about three miles. ‘The kangaroo always runs for water,’ he said; ‘and the nearest water in that direction is about three miles away. They’ll fetch up at a small pond and make a stand there.’
“THERE THEY GO!” SHOUTED MR. SYME.
“I learned afterward that this was a peculiarity of the kangaroo, to seek water whenever he is pursued. The country over which we rode was not the smoothest in the world, being broken in some places by rocks, and encumbered by fallen timber in others. Here is where the jumping powers of the kangaroo came in handily, as he could clear rocks and logs with the utmost facility, and he had the ability to select a comparatively smooth spot to come down upon. His jumping is done with the muscles of his very powerful hind legs. He doesn’t use his fore legs at all in walking or jumping, employing them principally as hands and arms, very much as the American squirrel uses his paws. He can give a tremendous hug with his fore legs, and that is one of his methods of fighting.