LOST IN THE BUSH. 27

 

narrow doors opening into little pens into which each sheep is hustled after having been
deprived of his fleecy covering. Although the men are too busy to talk much to each
other, there is a constant hubbub going on, and I regret to say, some swearing and bad
language as the poor frightened animals are dragged one by one to the shearers. When
once held down with a knee pressed upon them, they are generally quiet enough, but
sometimes they shrink or wriggle about in the shearer’s hands, and get a sharp snip which
requires to be daubed with tar to make it heal. <A lot of boys do this standing by the
pens with their pots and brushes, and they make a dab
tushes into its pen, from which they afterwards turn
dock. One sheep with an ugly-looking
close’ up to the children, and
child’s heart grew sick at the sight
wound.

at the cut as the animal

  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 

it out into a big pad-
cut in his neck ran
Libby’s tender
of the bleeding
“Oh! Tommy,
I don’t like it—I
us go.”
Tommy, with an

that poor sheep!
can't bear it—let

“T don’t care if we do,” said
air of kindly giving way toa girl, “the place
smells so; I couldn’t eat my
Let’s go down to the creek.”

with the colour coming

cake here any way.

“No,” said Libby,
and going in her
“ There’s some-
.., wanting bad to do
Do you mind how
told us Jesus did
‘come to Him,
something about

sensitive little face. ’
thing I’ve been
ever since Sunday.
the preaching man
want the children to
and how he said
‘seeking Him early and finding Him, I
want to go and find Him. for e 3 He can’t be far off,
It’s over there, Tommy,” she : said, pointing towards
a belt of gray gum trees and green scrub in the distance.

“How do you know, silly ?”

“’Cos he pointed over there. Oh! he told it all plain enough—not to turn either to the
right or to the left—and ‘straight is the way and narrow the path’ It will be quite
easy to find, and we'll be back soon, so Belle won’t mind. Come, Tommy.”

And the child as usual. got her own way, as hand in hand they set off on their quest...

Six hours later it was ten at night. The intense heat of the day had been followed by a
thunderstorm, and the two frightened, exhausted children were crouching down in a tangled
thicket, into which they had crept for shelter.

“Oh! Tommy, we are lost. Do you think they will ever find us?”

“ Of course they will in the morning,” said the boy bravely. “Don’t you remember when
we were lost before ?”