The kangaroo followed him up and seized Dad by the shirt. Joe evinced
signs of timidity. He lost faith in Dad, and, half jumping, half falling,
he landed on the ground, and set out speedily for a tree. Dad lost the
stick, and in attempting to brain the brute with his fist he overbalanced
and fell out of the saddle. He struggled to his feet, and clutched his
antagonist affectionately by both paws--standing well away. Backwards and
forwards and round and round they moved. "Use your knife!" Anderson
called out, getting further away himself. But Dad dared not relax his
grip. Paddy Maloney ran behind the brute several times to lay him out
with a waddy, but each time he turned and fled before striking the blow.
Dad thought to force matters, and began kicking his assailant vigorously
in the stomach. Such dull, heavy thuds! The kangaroo retaliated, putting
Dad on the defensive. Dad displayed remarkable suppleness about the hips.
At last the brute fixed his deadly toe in Dad's belt.
It was an anxious moment, but the belt broke, and Dad breathed freely
again. He was acting entirely on the defensive, but an awful consciousness
of impending misfortune assailed him.
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