"Come down from the tree," shouted Fred, "and we will give you quarter and kind treatment."
There was no answer; we listened, but not a movement was to be heard. An old parrot, that was perched high upon a blasted tree, attempted to imitate our cry, but he got no further than the first word, and that appeared to puzzle him so much that he gave up in despair and remained mute with disgust.
"He is like the flying Dutchman," cried Smith, a slight superstitious feeling beginning to creep over him.
"Give him a shot, then, and see if he cannot be brought down," Fred said.
I saw that Smith had no particular relish for the duty, but for fear that we should laugh at him he raised his gun and discharged one barrel.
The leaves flew as though the tree had been struck by a whirlwind. A small branch was cut off by the bullet and fell to the ground; but no sign of an enemy was manifest.
"It's no use," cried Smith, with a lengthened visage. "We might waste all our ammunition and the result would still be the same. It's no human being in that tree."
"We'll see," replied Fred, briefly, and he aimed his rifle near the top of the tree, and fired.
Not near as many leaves fell as at Smith's discharge, but the effect was more astonishing. The tree swayed back and forth as though some one was moving in its centre, and from amidst the dense foliage a voice exclaimed,--
"Here, Smith," cried Fred, "there is a cockney countryman of yours up there."
"See ye hanged first, and then I von't," repeated the voice in the tree.
"Then we shall have to send another bullet into the tree to start you."
"If ye don't cut hout of these diggins, yer'll wish that ye had," replied our defiant acquaintance.
"Once for all, will you surrender?" was demanded.
"See ye blasted fust," was returned, in a dogmatical manner.
Fred let fly another bullet into the tree, and this time with remarkable success; for suddenly a singular-looking genius, with wonderful long legs, and those dressed in untanned skins of the kangaroo, hair side out, tumbled from the tree, feet foremost, and with bounds which I thought no human being capable of, sprang over the bushes and attempted to escape, which he no doubt would have done, as we were too much surprised to think of checking his career with a bullet, had not the hound, with a yell of satisfaction, followed in pursuit.