Page:The Boy Travellers in Australasia.djvu/405

Rh was fully aware of his impending fate. He scratched an account of the occurrence on a tin dish that lay within his reach; when he was found his body was so charred and blackened that it would not have been recognized as the remains of a man had it not been for the tin dish that told the horrible story. The tree which fell on him was of a kind that has the peculiarity of smouldering slowly and leaving nothing but a track of white ashes on the ground.'

"Each of us had brought his dinner, tied at the back of his saddle; and after looking on a while at the drafting, we went to a spring near by and heartily enjoyed our meal. It consisted simply of beef and bread, and was eaten from the fingers in a very primitive way. Soon after dinner we rode back to the station, leaving the stockmen and their assistants to bring up the drafted animals, while the rest were let loose again.

"On our return we saw a young emu, the famous bird that is sometimes called the Australian ostrich. Fred and I started after him, but we might as well have tried to run down a railway-train; he left us out of sight in less than ten minutes, although we were on fairly good horses. Mr. Watson said the speed and endurance of these birds was really wonderful; he had often tried to run them down, but had only succeeded in a single instance, and that by a sudden spurt when the bird was frightened. Hunters on fleet horses sometimes run down these birds, and they can also be overtaken by swift-footed dogs.

"He said the funny thing was that the emu struggles along as though just ready to drop dead with exhaustion, keeping not far from ten yards in front of the horse, and regulating his speed according to that of his pursuer. Doctor Bronson said he was like the jack-rabbit of our Western plains, that will keep about the same distance in front of a dog, no matter how fast the latter may run.

"The bones of the emu contain an oil which is used by the natives for curing sprained sinews and swollen joints. It has remarkable qualities, as it is said to sweat through the side of a glass bottle; the natives believe that if applied to the joints of a person who has not reached maturity, it will soften the bones and render them brittle.

"Soon after losing sight of the emu we roused up a flock of wild turkeys; one of the stockmen carried a gun, and by circling in the direction of the birds he got near enough to bring down two of them. They are very shy of persons on foot, but can be approached on horseback with comparative ease."