The Dingoes and Other Tales Author:Robert Bruce General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1875 Original Publisher: Printed at Advertiser and Chronicale offices Subjects: Poetry / General Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you... more » get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: But often ahasing far in vain The kangaroo upon the plain ; For swift as arrow from a bow Bounds off the startled flying doe ; But should it be a Boomer, old, Of little speed, but strong and bold, They quickly close and cluster round, And drag him fiercely to the ground, But not before he has, indeed, Caused many of his foes to bleed. For tho' soon beaten in the race He clutches in his dread embrace The foremost of the mongrel hounds, Inflicting ghastly, gaping wounds, And forcing from each blood-stained jowl The sudden frightened yelping howl. But vain his efforts; at his throat, And clinging to his shaggy coat, His gaunt assailants close around, And lay him lifeless on the ground. But to the Dingoes -- they saw nought In shape of game that could be caught, Until they spied, high on a limb, Quite out of reach of harm from them, A fine old ring-tail'd possum, that Seemed quite intent on getting fat, By supping heartily on leaves, Regardless of the canine thieves, Which glared on him with longing glance, Altho' they knew they had no chance Of feeding on his carcass fat, The " possum " would take care of that. They like the fox, in Esop's fable, That said, because it was not able To reach the grapes, that they were green, And pass'd on with a look of spleen. Our brace of Dingoes cantered on, And said the brute was carrion ; Which looking down with cunning glance, Hoped they would have a fruitless dance, And that they both might 'scape nightmare, By reaso...« less