Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/83

 me of. I had barely time to grasp a long spear which lay near me, open the gate, and jump on his back without saddle or bridle. As I cleared the enclosure, two other horsemen, mounted in like fashion, rode on with me, separating after a few seconds, into the scrub. Trusting myself entirely to my steed, thanks to my Irish education in horse-riding, I stuck on, now grazing a tree, now stooping under a branch, now down a deep ravine, over fallen timber, rushing madly on with the wild cry of the dogs in our rear, for they were loosed immediately on our starting. I had cleared a fence with one hand, holding firmly by the mane and the other poising my spear, ready for action, when my horse snorting, with head towards the ground, intimated to me that the enemy was near. I raised my spear and drove it through the dingoe, but the headlong speed at which we went made me lose my balance, and I came tumbling over on my foe. Two or three dogs coming up at the moment soon, however, finished him, and I had scarce regained my feet ere Blenheim had returned quietly to my side, he having shot past when I fell. At other times, even with bridle and saddle, it was a difficult matter to mount him; now he stood quietly steady for me, and did the same ever afterwards.

The chase continued for some time with considerable success, and ere we returned to the station we made such an inroad into their numbers as rendered them innocuous to the flocks of Blenheim for many a day. These and the waringalls are a horrid plague to