The Kangaroo Hunters; Or, Adventures in the Bush

by Clarence Young

  CHAPTER XVI.

  The Mother and Child.--The Interior of the Country.--AnotherCataract.--The Pilgrim Troop.--The Difficult Ascent.--The FrilledLizard.--The Mountain-range.--The Kangaroo-chase.--The Pass of Erin.

  But it was not till they had left the bloody field many miles behindthem that the woman recovered so far from her fear and stupefaction asto be able, by signs and half-understood words, to indicate to them thatshe was friendless and homeless; and that Peter would kill her, the lastof her family; and from the report of Wilkins, and other sources ofinformation, Mr. Mayburn concluded that it was the custom of thesenorthern people to live in families, or _clans_, rather than in tribesof many, one man being the head of the house, if we may so speak ofthose who rarely have a house; but who live, like the beasts of thefield, in the open air, unless driven by the rains to take shelter incaves.

  From the woman they learnt that her name was Baldabella, and that of herchild was Nakinna. She was young, and her features were not unpleasant;her eyes were brilliant, and her voice soft and musical; nor was shedisfigured in any way, except that through the gristle of her nose shewore a fish-bone. The only garment she wore when she was discovered, wasa short cloak of the skins of opossums, sewed neatly together and pinnedround her neck with a pointed bone. When they drew the canoes ashore atthe close of the day, on a narrow strand, Baldabella looked with wonderon the arrangements made for the night, and the process of broilingbirds and roasting eggs at the fire, and drew away when invited topartake of the strangely-cooked food. Then she plunged her fingers intothe mud at the edge of the water, and soon went up to Margaret, and putinto her hand some small gray reptiles resembling slugs. Margaret shrankfrom the feast, shaking her head; but the woman put one into her ownmouth, and swallowed it living with great relish, crammed one into themouth of the child, and then returned to hunt for more.

  Jenny held up her hands to express her abhorrence; Ruth stared at thewoman with terror, evidently looking on her as a kind of sorceress; andO'Brien laughed, as he said, "Well, nurse, you need not be so muchdisgusted; I dare say these snails taste as well as the ugly oysterswhich we are cannibals enough to swallow alive."

  "Oysters, Master Gerald," answered nurse, reprovingly, "are eat bydecent Christian people; and I see no harm in them, specially withpepper and vinegar; but these things are varmint. Our ducks in Englandwould hardly touch them."

  "A duck is not a fastidious feeder, nurse," said Margaret, "and I wouldnot answer for its nicety in this matter. But this poor stranger prefersthe food she has been accustomed to, and we have no right to scoff ather taste. If she remain with us, no doubt, in time, she will conform toour habits."

  For many days longer they continued their uninterrupted voyage up theriver, the widow becoming daily more at home with her protectors.Margaret clothed her in one of her old dresses, with which she was muchdelighted, and in other respects she began to adopt the customs of herstrange protectors. She voluntarily discarded her nose ornament; shebathed herself and her child daily; she at length ate the same food, andimitated the manners of her friends.

  Margaret made light dresses for the little Nakinna, who rapidly caughtthe English names for the objects around her, and from her the motherlearnt many words. But it was with deep concern that Mr. Mayburn saw theperfect indifference with which Baldabella regarded the religiousworship of the family. She looked at first much astonished to see menand women kneel down, and to hear the solemn prayers pronounced by Mr.Mayburn; but she soon turned carelessly away to dig for worms, or tocollect sticks for the fire.

  Not so the little Nakinna; for, after observing the devotions two orthree times, she walked up to Margaret, knelt down by her, lifted up herlittle hands, and seemed to listen with interest, though she could notyet understand. This act of docility and obedience was very gratifyingto her kind instructress, who anxiously wished for the time when amutual understanding might render it possible to communicate to theseheathens a knowledge of the truth.

  "Can it be possible, Wilkins," said Mr. Mayburn, "that these wretchednatives are so lost as not even to acknowledge a Supreme Being! not evento 'see God in clouds, and hear Him in the wind!' not to feel that theremust be a spiritual Ruler of the universe?"

  "Why, to my fancy, master," answered Wilkins, "t' men folks isn'taltogether dull chaps; but them poor jins just get all their senseknocked out on their heads. Poor bodies! they're no better off nor dogsnor asses. They work fra' morn to night, and hug heavy loads, and getkicks and short allowance for their pains."

  There was a crushed, subdued look about the woman that renderedWilkins's assertion not improbable; but Margaret hoped that, by kindtreatment, the dormant intellect of the native might be developed.

  At length the river became more difficult of navigation, the stream morerapid, and encumbered with fallen rocks, while rapids and fallscompelled them to land continually among thick jungles, or on the narrowstrand below precipitous cliffs. A mountain range was now visible beforethem, and they concluded that they must soon reach the source of thefriendly river, when they should have to abandon the canoes for a lesssafe and convenient mode of travelling.

  "We cannot stand walking again," said Gerald. "Couldn't we carry thecanoes forward awhile? and perhaps we might have the luck to fall inwith another river. What a grand thing it would be if we could find oneflowing to the east or the south, that we might run easily down thestream without any hard work."

  "That is not very probable, Gerald," said Arthur, "when we are yet sofar from the central part--what we may strictly term the interior of thecountry. But we will certainly spare ourselves the labor of carryingaway our canoes when we leave the water; for there can be no difficulty,in such a richly-wooded region, in procuring materials for makingcanoes, if we should need them. The noise of the waters seems to growlouder, and I fear we are again approaching some great cataract, whichwill probably, like the last we encountered, terminate all hopes ofboating. I propose that we should at once make for yonder niche in thecliffs, and unlade the canoes. Wilkins and I will then row up as high aswe can in a lightened canoe, to endeavor to find out a mode of ascendingfrom this deep gully."

  "If we are to land," said Gerald, "it will be easy enough to climb thesewooded heights."

  "Easy for you, my boy," said Arthur, "especially if you had noencumbrances; but think of papa, and Margaret, Baldabella and her child,and all the bags and bundles which constitute our wealth. We mustendeavor to discover an easier road, and in the mean time we willdisembark at this convenient spot."

  Mr. Mayburn and Margaret remonstrated with Arthur for exposing himselfand Wilkins to more danger than the rest, but were at length persuadedthat the expedition could be executed with more safety and success by asmall party; and two of the canoes, with all the stowage, were thereforelanded in a shady nook, while the two men rowed on in the third boat.Margaret and her father waited uneasily, but the two boys amusedthemselves by penetrating into the woods, to seek birds; Jack cut downbranches of trees, and formed them into spears, arrows, or forks; Jennyand Ruth cooked some birds, and Baldabella, armed with a spear, wadedinto a shallow creek of the river near them, and speared two large fish,of the species they called the fresh-water cod. Still everybody thoughtthe hours went slowly, and were truly glad to see the light canoegliding swiftly down the stream with Arthur and Wilkins, who drew itashore; then Arthur said,--

  "If possible, we must make our way along the banks, for the river iseven now dangerous of ascent, and at no great distance our voyage wouldbe entirely arrested by a cataract, similar to that we encountered soonafter our reaching the mainland. Wilkins and I, after mooring our canoeto the mangroves, climbed to the heights, and found we were then only atthe base of successive ranges of hills, which terminated in high-peakedmountains, apparently inaccessible. From these hills flowed manyrivulets, which unite at the grand cataract and form this river."

  To make further progress in their journey, it was therefore necessarythat they should reach the country above the high rocky banks of
theriver, and Arthur said that on their return they had noticed one placewhere it might be possible for the whole party to ascend; though thepath must necessarily be one of difficulty.

  They dined on roast birds and broiled fish, and then began an activepreparation for walking. Every thing that was worth transporting wasreduced to as small a compass, and made as portable as possible; thecanoes were reluctantly abandoned, and then the long train, headed, asusual, by Arthur, set out; Baldabella quietly taking her place in theline, bearing her child on her shoulder, and resting on her longfish-spear.

  "I could fancy we were the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness,"said Gerald.

  "You will please to recollect, Gerald," said Hugh, "that the Israelitesexceeded us in number in a _trifling_ degree, extending to hundreds ofthousands, we are told; and then, though Arthur is doubtless a cleverfellow, he cannot be such a guide as the wise and gifted Moses."

  "The Israelites had a more infallible Guide," said Mr. Mayburn, "thaneven their great leader Moses, until by discontent and disobedience,they rejected the Holy One. Let us take warning, my children, lest weshould, in like manner, forget the certain protection which our HeavenlyFather extends to all his faithful people."

  They slowly wound along the narrow strand, sometimes sunk in mud,sometimes climbing over mounds of pebbles or piles of drift-wood,anxiously examining the thick matted woods which covered the precipitouscliffs, and even occasionally intercepted their path. For some time theydespaired of finding any spot favorable for the purpose of reaching thelevel ground; till Arthur pointed out the place which he had previouslynoticed, where the banks had given way, and a great fall of rocks hadformed a sort of sloping staircase, less encumbered with the brushwood,and less abrupt than they had expected.

  "If we ever succeed in reaching the height," said Arthur, "this must beour path. The strong must lead the way, and aid in drawing up thefeeble. These drooping creepers will be convenient to cling to, that wemay not lose the ground we have made. Give me your hand, Meggie."

  With many a slip downwards, a scream, and a rending of garments, thewomen were dragged up through the almost perpendicular wood. Baldabellaalone, erect and firm in foot, despised assistance. She disencumberedherself of all loose drapery, and clasping her child, she stepped among,under, or over the bushes, with speed and safety; and long before themen had reached the height, she had quietly resumed the garb of hersex, and was seated to wait for the arrival of the less-practisedclimbers. They were scarcely all assembled, weary and tattered, at thehead of the cliff, when Ruth, who was the last, suddenly uttered apiercing shriek, and rushed down into the matted bush again, pursued byJack, who captured and brought her back, struggling and exclaimingagainst his interference.

  "Oh, Jack, man, let me be," cried she; "didn't thou see 't? It's anuncanny place, this. I seed it mysel', Jack; it were a little auldfairy, grinning at me, wi' a long tail."

  Jack was too enlightened to have any dread of a fairy, even with a longtail; and he persisted in bringing up Ruth, pale and trembling, to therest of the party, though she continued to cry out, "Yonder she sits!Jack, honey! keep out on her way; she'll charm thee."

  As soon as the boys heard Ruth's story of the tailed fairy, they ranwith great glee to the spot she pointed out, and there, perfectly calmand immovable, they beheld the old fairy, in the form of a veryextraordinary lizard. It was seated on its tail, apparently undismayedby the presence of observers; and Mr. Mayburn was called to the spot toexamine the new discovery. The length of the body might be five inches,but the tail was twice that length; the color yellowish brown and black.It was scaly and frightful, and its human-like face, prominent eyes,long claws, and plaited ruff, might well terrify the ignorant andsuperstitious.

  "I recognize the creature," said Mr. Mayburn, "from the descriptiongiven by more than one traveller, to be the _Chlamydosaurus Kingii_,peculiar to Australia. The frill which surrounds its head, extendingeven to the chest, and folded in plaits, points out the distinctspecies. This ruff is a curious membrane, which can be expanded, bymeans of slender transverse cartilages, at the will of the animal, whenit is roused to anger."

  "Then observe, papa," said Gerald, "how indignant it is at ourimpertinent remarks. See how it spreads its broad frill, and shows itssharp teeth, as if it wished to bite us. Must I knock it down?"

  "Truly, Gerald," answered Mr. Mayburn, "my curiosity would overcome thefeelings of humanity, and I should be tempted to desire to obtain thecreature; but I see Arthur shakes his head at the suggestion. And, afterall, we have no right to slaughter the unoffending animal."

  Baldabella, on whose ears Mr. Mayburn's words fell in vain, looked withglittering eyes on the reptile, and raising her spear said in her newlanguage, "Baldabella eat him." But the lizard, with an instinct ofdanger, ran swiftly up the tree, assisted by its hooked claws, andescaped the blow. When far above any fear of attack, it again calmly satdown, looking down on the baffled woman with a frightful sarcastic grin.

  "There now!" said Ruth, "didn't I tell ye she were uncanny? She heardall 'at were said, as sure as we're here." For Ruth's conviction of itssupernatural rank was not to be shaken by Mr. Mayburn's scientificdemonstration.

  After satisfying their curiosity in looking at the frilled lizard,Arthur called on his forces to resume their march. Before them now layrich green hills, rising gradually above each other, and intersected byclear streams, flowing into the river they had left. These hills werethe first steps to mountains which rose, high and rugged, even to theclouds. The hills, though tedious, would not be very difficult toascend; but how to pass the mountains they could not yet judge.

  The mountain-range ran, as far as the eye could reach, from north-eastto south-west, and completely intercepted them in the road they desiredto pursue. To pass them, if possible, must therefore be their aim; or avast deal of time must be lost in making a circuitous course.

  "We will ascend the hills, at all events," said Arthur, "and look roundus. We may, perhaps, find some natural pass. We might even try akangaroo-path, which must be found, for, see what herds of the animalsare bounding along under the lofty trees on the hills."

  "Oh, do let us have a kangaroo-hunt, Arthur!" exclaimed Hugh. "We arehungry, and kangaroo meat would fill us; and therefore, papa, we have aright to kill and eat."

  "Let's see ye set about it," said Wilkins. "They're sharper fellows norye think on, them kangaroos, my lad. They're a match for most folks,barrin' ye have dogs, or follow them up till they fall tired, andthat'll maybe, not be for half a day. I ken a good deal ofkangaroo-hunting; but I'se not clear that them there chaps is so shy asdown-country beasts; ye see, they'll niver like have clapped eyes atopon a man, and they'll not ken man's crafty ways."

  "To the disgrace of human nature," said Mr. Mayburn, "what Wilkinssuggests is true: wherever he is recognized by the brute creation, theyinstinctively

  'Shun the hateful sight of man.'"

  "Well, sir," said Gerald, "that is, I suppose, because the ignoble fearsthe noble--the coward the brave."

  "And you may add, Gerald, the slave his tyrant," continued Mr. Mayburn."It is ever thus with

  'Man, proud man! Dressed in a little brief authority.'"

  "But, papa," said Hugh, "we are in need of food, and you must allow thatit is more humane to destroy one kangaroo than a dozen cockatoos orpheasants."

  "I agree with Hugh, papa," said Margaret. "We will, if possible, contentourselves to-day with taking one life."

  Armed with spears and throwing-sticks, bows and arrows, and oneboomerang which Baldabella had found, and which no one but herself couldyet use, the hunters preceded Mr. Mayburn and Margaret. By thedirections of the experienced Wilkins, they spread along in a line, toguard the foot of the hill; for he said the animal always took adownward course when it was alarmed, for, as its fore-feet never touchthe ground in its greatest speed, it has more time in a descent to drawup the hind legs, to make the immense spring, than it could have with anascent before it.

 
No sooner had the timid animals seen the strange forms of the huntersthan they started off with such incredible speed, that no oneunacquainted with their habits could have believed that their flight wasa series of jumps, and that their fore-feet never touched the ground. Intheir confusion, some of the animals tried to penetrate the rank of thehunters, while some fled to the right or to the left. The spears andarrows showered amongst them, and more than one beast carried off theweapon sticking in him. But it was the boomerang of Baldabella which,after complicated and mysterious evolutions, struck and stunned a largeanimal, which Wilkins presently despatched with his knife.

  Arthur then recalled the hunters, saying, "We will have no moreslaughter. This large animal will supply us with as much meat as we canconsume while it remains fresh, and it would be wanton to slay more."

  The rear rank then joined them. The body of the kangaroo, suspended on along pole, was shouldered by Wilkins and Jack, and the march wasresumed. They ascended and descended several hills, till night andfatigue compelled them to rest in a little hollow, where a cooking-firewas made, and they supped with great enjoyment on venison steaks; and,like the early inhabitants of the world, before luxury and artificialwants had enervated them, they slept beneath the canopy of heaven, amongthe everlasting hills.

  "Get up, Arthur," cried Hugh, early next morning. "Get up, and come tosee our mountain-pass. Gerald discovered it, and therefore we propose toname it the 'Pass of Erin.'"