Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/144

 126 am now quite reconciled to the irregularities of a settler's life, and can sit as contentedly among these things as if they were the handsomest paintings, or the most elegant articles of furniture arranged in the most fashionable order.

3rd.—The crows have been attacking my newly-sown wheat. Their character for depredations of this kind is just as bad as in England or Ireland. I must shoot some of the rogues, pour encourager les autres.

I had an agreeable surprise to-day; Letty produced two prints of butter made from the goat's milk; and, notwithstanding this deterioration of the milk, or abstraction of their allowance, the two kids are thriving. I shall write for two more of them to the Cape; there they will cost about ten shillings each, and here they are worth from £3 to £5 each. I shall have a mare also from the same place, which will cost only £6 or £7, though her value here will be from £50 to £70.

6th.—I was induced to leave my plough this day for the sake of training my young dog at the kangaroo chase, and caught one after a long run. Have I ever detailed this chase to you? I believe not. You advance silently, watching in every direction, and when you see a kangaroo, you immediately run in the direction of him, hallooing on the dogs, which follow the game by view as far as the ground is clear. The sportsmen then wait patiently, half an hour or an hour, until the return of the dogs, which is sooner or later according to the length of the chase. The dogs are examined in the mouth to see if they have fur or blood, or the smack of kangaroo, which is something like that of bay leaf: if the indications of murder be upon them, they are desired to "show" the game, and in "showing" it the excellence of the dog is exhibited. One of ours being desired to "show," set off at a trot. We all followed at the same pace in a straight line for a mile, at the termination of which he brought us to the dead kangaroo. But I expect some lucky day to be at a