Page:Journals of Several Expeditions Made in Western Australia.djvu/228

 having been impeded by the wanderings five or six times, on which we halted. We saw plenty of game, but one of our dogs was tired with his last chase, the other lame; at length, on our coming out of a large thicket, on the verge of a very wide open space, two kangaroos dashed away before us. *Sulphur," stimulated by the sight, and forgetting his fatigue, was at the heels of one of them in a moment. "Phillis" took the other, which made for some wooded land on the left, in the mazes of which it soon left its pursuer. "Sulphur," in the meanwhile, had driven his prey first far to the right, and now in a long sweep was turning it to the bush out of which "Phillis" was just emerging. All was decided; the poor thing, finding itself surrounded, was compelled to turn to bay. Kenny, always alive in the hunt, was soon on the spot, and finished the existence of his victim as it was hugging one of the dogs, who stood erect in his front, too much out of breath to hide, while the other hung on its haunch.

I never saw a chase so completely from beginning to end before; our booty proved a large buck, of about 130lbs. I need not mention that we had not kangaroo dogs; the mode of their hunt, and their want of scent, is sufficiently explanatory on that head,—the one was a fine Cape greyhound the other a small lurcher bitch; though the former had been used to the work, it was the first time the other had ever seen a kangaroo, and her want of experience proved her a deep rip in the belly.

We were now again overwhelmed with abundance, and as all the party seemed inclined to profit by our good fortune, we a second time halted for the purposes of cooking; for water, we all walked in different directions,—at the distance of about