“We never think of such a thing,” answered Mrs Hugh; “our hats are lined with pith, and broad-brimmed, and we do not mind a few freckles.”
The young ladies, acting on their mother’s suggestion, took their sunshades, which, it must be confessed, were not altogether useless, although their cousins did very well without them.
They had got a short distance from the house, when Evelina uttered a scream and pointed to a large animal with a long tail, pointed nose, and short arms, which came hopping along at a great rate towards them.
“Oh! what’s that monster?” she exclaimed. “How can we get out of its way?”
“That’s only our tame kangaroo, Jumper,” answered Janet, laughing. “He is a great pet; he has been out with Sandy all the morning, and is now coming to pay his respects to us.”
The kangaroo, which was upwards of five feet high, came bounding along, moving himself by the wonderful muscular power of his long hind-legs, though he had in addition to carry his tail, which he lifted off the ground when moving; this tail, however, assisted him to rest when he reached his young mistresses and waited to receive the piece of bread they had brought to give him. Close behind came an animal on four legs.
“Oh! here comes another horrid creature,” cried Adela. “A wolf! a wolf!”
“No; we have no wolves here. That is our kangaroo dog Bruce. He and Jumper are great friends, though he would run down, and kill any of Jumper’s relatives without the slightest remorse. Here, Bruce, Bruce.”
A magnificent dog, a mixture of a Saint Bernard and greyhound, came up and licked Mary’s and Janet’s hand, and attempted to treat their cousins in the same way. The young ladies, not liking his looks, started back, and it was some time before they could be persuaded to pat him on the head. Although Janet called Jumper and Bruce to accompany them, the latter only obeyed; the former bounded towards the house.
“The rogue has gone to see what he can get in the kitchen; if he can catch Biddy off her guard, he’ll snatch up anything he can find, and be away with it,” observed Mary.