Page 65 - Mobile Magic

65
‘Look at this, Ronnie-girl, these marks here indicate how fast the little fella was going, they’re speedy when they hop - like a kangaroo. It went through the clearing here ... forty five centimetres between each leap ...’
She couldn’t see anything that looked like tracks, and watched in amazement as he crawled straight into a teatree thicket.
‘... then it slowed down in the dense undergrowth, here, walking on all four feet. These shallow digs are where it’s been grubbing for roots, mushrooms or insects.’
‘Wow, that’s ... interesting,’ Saffron searched for something to say. ‘Are you likely to find it in there now?’
‘It’s juuuust possible, they build grassy nests in the undergrowth and hide during daylight. We’ll have more hope of finding them in the dark when they’re active.’
‘What?' exclaimed Saffron. ‘You’re not going to be here at night are you?’
‘Oh, didn’t your parents mention it? We'll all be here. We’ve got a picnic supper packed by Tom ... spotlights, night-glasses ... whatever. It’s just over an hour before sunset, I’ll keep on tracking 'till then.’
Saffron was feeling very tired, she was not sure she could manage this. She muttered to herself, 'I have such responsible parents - they send their kids out into the bush at night with a couple of loonies and don’t even tell them what’s happening; oh well ... keeps life interesting I suppose.'