Part 2 (2/2)

Every creature in the bush weeps that they should have come to take the beautiful bush away froaroo were full of tears, and she cried too, as she thought of all that the poor aniaroo,” she said, ”if I ever get home, I'll tell everyone of how you unhappy creatures live in fear, and suffer, and ask thearoo sadly shook her head, and said, ”White Humans are cruel, and love to murder We must all die But about your lost way,”

she continued in a brisk tone, by way of changing this painful subject; ”I've been asking about it, and no one has seen it anywhere Of course someone ht one to ask” Then she dropped her voice, and ca down until her little black hands hung close to the ground, she whispered in Dot's ear, ”They say I ought to consult the Platypus”

”Could the Platypus help, do you think?” Dot asked

”I _never_ think,” said the Kangaroo, ”but as the Platypus never goes anywhere, never associates with any other creature, and is hardly ever seen, I conclude it knows everything--it must, you know”

”Of course,” said Dot, with so is,” continued the Kangaroo, onceher nose ”The only thing is, I can't bear the Platypus; the sight of it gives me the creeps: it's such a queer creature!”

”I've never seen a Platypus,” said Dot ”Do tell me what it is like!”

”I couldn't describe it,” said the Kangaroo, with a shudder, ”it seems made up of parts of two or three different sorts of creatures None of us can account for it It must have been an experiment, when all the rest of us were made: or else it was made up of the odds and ends of the birds and beasts that were left over after ere all finished”

Little Dot clapped her hands ”Oh, dear Kangaroo,” she said, ”do takelike that in aroo ”The animals in the Ark said they were each to be of its kind, and every sort of bird and beast refused to admit the Platypus, because it was of so many kinds; and at last Noah turned it out to swim for itself, because there was such a row That's why the Platypus is so secluded Ever since then no Platypus is friendly with any other creature, and no animal or bird is more than just polite to it They couldn't be, you see, because of that trouble in the Ark”

”But that was so long ago,” said Dot, filled with compassion for the lonely Platypus; ”and, after all, this is not the same Platypus, nor are all the bush creatures the saaroo, ”and some say there was no Ark, and no fuss over the matter, but that, of course, doesn't make any difference, for it's a very ancient quarrel, so it o to the Platypus we had better start now; it is a good tiaroo

CHAPTER IV

”Good-bye, Kookooburra!” cried Dot, as they left the cave; and the bird gave her a nod of the head, followed by a wink, which was supposed toHe would have spoken, only he had sed but part of the Snake, and the rest hung out of the side of his beak, like an old man's pipe; so he couldn't speak It wouldn't have been polite to do so with his beak full

Dot was so rested by her sleep all night that she did not ride in the Kangaroo's pouch; but they proceeded together, she walking, and her friend et too far ahead This was very difficult for the Kangaroo, because even the smallest hops carried her far in front After a tied that the friendly animal should hop a few yards, then wait for Dot to catch her up, and then go on again This she did, nibbling bits of grass as she waited, or playing a little game of hide-and-seek behind the bushes

Sometimes when she hid like this, Dot would be afraid that she had lost her Kangaroo, and would run here and there, hunting round trees, and clusters of ferns, until she felt quite certain she had lost the kind aniaroo would bound into view, landing right in front of her Then Dot would laugh, and rush forward, and throw her araroo, with a quiet sainst Dot's curls, and they were both very happy So, although it was a long and rough way to the little creek where the Platypus lived, it did not seeully, that had high rocky sides, with strangely shaped trees growing between the rocks But, by the streaht they must be in fairyland; it was so beautiful In the dark hollows of the rocks onderful ferns; such delicate ones that the little girl was afraid to touch therow far away from the sun, and as she peeped into the hollows and caves where they grew, it see shown the secret store-house of Nature, where she kept all the ht of the world A soft carpet seey aroo why the earth was so soft, and was told that it was not earth, but the dead leaves of the tree-ferns above the ti

Then Dot looked up, and saw that there was no sky to be seen; for they were passing under a forest of tree-ferns, and their lovely spreading fronds ht that careen glass

All up the slender stems of these tall tree-ferns were the most beautiful little plants, and many stems were twined, fro ferns--the fronds of which were so fine and close, that it seemed as if the tree-fern rapped up in a lovely little fern coat Even cru tree-ferns, did not look dead, because so to them, and made the out with pleasure at all she saw; especially when little Parrakeets, with feathers as green as the ferns, and gorgeous red breasts, came in flocks, and welcomed her to their favourite haunt; and, as she had eaten the berries of understanding, and was the friend of the Kangaroo, they were not frightened, but perched on her shoulders and hands, and chatted their aroo did not share Dot's enthusiasully She said it was pretty, certainly, but a bad place for kangaroos, because there was no grass

For her part, she didn't think any sight in nature so lovely as a big plain, green with the little blades of new spring grass The gully was very showy, but not to her mind so beautiful as the other

Then they caled melodiously as it rippled over stones in its shallow course, or crept round big grey boulders that rapped in thick led flowers of the pink and red wild fuchsia, or the creareat blossoms of the rock lily Dot ran down the strea the rocks and ferns, and the sun shone down on the gleahts in Dot's wild curls The Kangaroo, too, was veryonderful things she could do in that way; and sometimes they paused, side by side, and peeped down upon some still pool that showed their two reflections as in a h woke the silence in happy peals, until reen-and-red Parrakeets flew out of the bush to join in the fun

[Illustration: DOT AND THE KANGAROO ON THEIR WAY TO THE PLATYPUS]

When they had followed the streaully opened out into bush scrub The little Parrakeets then said ”Good-bye,” and flew back to their favourite tree-ferns and bush growth; and the Kangaroo said, that as they were nearing the home of the Platypus, they ht warn the creature of their approach and frighten it ”We shall have to be very careful,” she said, ”so that the Platypus will neither hear nor smell you We will therefore walk on the opposite shore, as the ill then bloay froer chattered over rocky beds, but slid between soft banks of earth, under tufts of tall rushes, grasses, and ferns, and soon it opened into a broad pool, which was s trees, and the graceful ferns and rushes of the banks, were all reflected in the water, so that it looked to Dot like a strange upside-down picture This, then, was the hohtened, because she thought she was going to see so, she hid a little way froe of the pool, but she was able to see all that happened

The Kangaroo evidently did not enjoy the prospect of conversing with the Platypus She kept on fidgetting about, putting off calling to the Platypus by one excuse and another: she was decidedly ill at ease