“Let’s!” agreed her mate. “Won’t our mothers be angry with us when the crowd of them run cackling back to camp with news that we’ve gone astray again! But there’ll be only the usual grumbles when they see all the fish and duck-eggs we’ll bring home.”

“Yes, and the guzzling men are not going to snatch the pick of them, either,” said her mate determinedly.

“Not this time, the guzzling crows! Aren’t men just the last things left in the bush? They think they are mighty as mountains, but all they are good for is skiting and guzzling and snoring. Come on, let’s go up to the big rock and forget them.”

They almost jumped on the deflated Red Kangaroo when they turned and leapt down the bank. With a second to spare he ducked down beside the bank as they leapt over him amongst the reeds.

Laughing and joking, they now took their time wading up the creek, and as the reeds began to thin out Red Kangaroo, cautiously following, grew hotly eager to lay his hands upon these two attractive girls, as desirable as any he had ever seen. And soon they would be at his mercy. It was obvious now they were not going to meet anyone else. He grinned maliciously. He would teach them something more about men. They were wading in just the direction he would have chosen. Stealthily he followed, seeking a chance to pounce.

It did not come for quite a time, and he was growing savage when the big rock loomed up amongst the timber ahead. He grinned with wicked delight, for he recognized that high rock jutting across the creek beside the dense patch of scrub growing right down to the creek bank here. For only two mornings ago he had drunk water there, and enjoyed a meal of duck-eggs from a nest amongst the reeds. He knew that scrub, for he had hidden there, and he knew more, that in the depths of that scrub there was a handy little cave. He had found it when chasing a carpet snake for a meal; the snake had led him right to the cave.

Now he realized that the river must take a great bend. Two days ago when he had been drinking by the rock he did not know that this reedy creek ran down to the river only a mile away—and he had not dreamed that a large camp was so close by. But now he knew that the dense scrub ahead of him pointed the way to the foothills. And the Warrumbungles—and home!

Those girls were now at his mercy—if he could only control himself a while longer. Searchers would take a long time to trace them here, and longer yet to trace them through that gloomy scrub. If only his good fortune would hold but a very few days, even hours longer, he would get clear away!

With tigerish eyes he crouched amongst the reeds, wishing these two joking, irritating girls would separate, if only for a moment.