Bunyip Land: A Story of Adventure in New Guinea

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

  HOW I HAD A VISITOR IN THE NIGHT.

  The sufferings I had gone through and the excitement must have made mein a feverish state, so that, though I heard the faint noise again andagain, I began to look upon it as dreaming, and nothing which needtrouble me. Even the sight of Jimmy bound to the tree, and now hangingforward with his head sidewise, did not seem to disturb me. It, too,appeared part of a dream, and my eyes kept closing, and a peculiar hotsensation running over my face.

  Then this passed off and my brain grew clear, and it was not a dream,but real, while the thought now began to torment me, that as the savageswere conferring together it must be about how they should put poor Jimmyto death.

  There was the faint noise again, and I glanced at the savage who was myguard, but he had not heard it apparently, for he was chipping andcarving away at the handle of his waddy, only looking up from time totime at his fellows with their prisoner.

  I wanted to turn myself round and look in the direction whence the soundcame, for I felt now that it was no fancy, but that Gyp had been reallywith me, and that this was he forcing his way to my side again.

  I could not turn, though, without giving myself great pain, for now mywrists and ankles were fearfully swollen and tender, so I lay still,waiting and wondering why the dog was so long.

  Then the rustling ceased altogether, and I was beginning to think thatthe dog had failed to get through and would come round to the front,when there was a faint rustle once more, and I was touched on theshoulder.

  But it was not by Gyp's paw; it was a small black hand laid upon me;while, on looking up, there in the dim light was the face of the boy Ihad encountered on the previous day, or whenever it was that I wasstruck down.

  He showed his teeth and pointed to the savage on guard, laying his handupon my lips as if to stay me from making any sound. Then he looked atmy wrists and ankles, touching them gently, after which he laid his handvery gently on the back of my head, and I knew now why it was that I wassuffering such pain.

  For, lightly as he touched me, it was sufficient to send a keen agonythrough me, and it was all I could do to keep from crying out.

  The boy saw my pain, and looked at me half wonderingly for a few momentsbefore stooping low and whispering in my ear.

  I felt so sick from the pain that I paid little heed to his words; butwhisper or shout it would have been all the same, I could not haveunderstood a word.

  So faint and strange a sensation came over me that all seemed dim, andwhen I once more saw clearly I was alone and the crowd of blacks haddisappeared, taking with them Jimmy--if it had not all been a dream dueto my feverish state.

  Just then, however, a couple of blacks came up with the boy straight tothe door of the hut, and while the latter stood looking on, the menapplied a roughly made plaster of what seemed to be crushed leaves to myhead, and then examined my wrists and feet, rubbing them a little andgiving me intense pain, which was succeeded by a peculiar, dull warmsensation as they pressed and kneaded the joints.

  While they were busy the boy went off quickly, and returned with ahandful of plum-like fruit, one of which he placed to my dry lips, and Ifound its acid juice wonderfully refreshing.

  They all left me soon after, and I saw the boy go and join a tall,peculiar-looking savage, who was marked with tattoo lines or paint in away different to the rest, and these two talked together for a longwhile, gesticulating and nodding again and again in my direction, as ifI was the subject of their discourse.

  The effect of the attention to my injuries was to produce a sensation ofdrowsiness, resulting in a deep sleep, which must have lasted a verylong time, for when I awoke it was in the dark, and I was not startlednow on hearing the snuffling noise and feeling myself touched by Gyp,who, after silently showing his pleasure, lay down with his head upon mychest once more, and seemed to go to sleep.

  I made an effort to raise my hand to stroke him, but the pain was toogreat, and soon after it was I who went to sleep, not Gyp, and when Iawoke it was daybreak and the dog was gone.

  I was better that morning, and could take more interest in all that wenton. I saw the tall, peculiar-looking savage go by the hut door at adistance, and I saw the boy go up to him and pass out of sight.

  Soon after a couple of blacks brought me some food and water, of which Ipartook eagerly.

  Later on the boy came with the same two men as on the previous day, andmy head was once more dressed and my limbs chafed.

  Then I was left alone, and I lay watching once more the savages comingand going in a slow deliberate way. I noticed that there were a goodmany women and children, but if ever they attempted to come in thedirection of the hut where I lay they were angrily driven back.

  Some of the women appeared to be occupied in domestic work, preparingsome kind of bread, others busily stripped the feathers from some largebirds brought in by men who seemed to have been hunting.

  I noticed all this feeling calm and restful now, and I was lyingwondering whether Jack Penny and the doctor would find out where I was,when I heard a scuffling noise, which seemed to come from a hut wherethere was a crowd of the people standing.

  Then there was a repetition of the scene I had previously witnessed,Jimmy being brought out, kicking, struggling, and full of fight.

  The blacks seemed to want to drag him to the tree where I had seen himtied, but to this Jimmy objected strongly. The way in which he buttedat his captors, and kicked out like a grasshopper, would have been mostlaughable had I not been anxious, for I felt sure that it would resultin his hurting some one, and being rewarded with a blow on the head or aspear thrust.

  I grew so excited at last as the struggle went on that I waited tillthere was a moment's pause when Jimmy and his captors were drawingbreath for a fresh attack, and shouted with all my might--

  "Jimmy! be quiet!"

  My guard, for there was still one at the door, jumped up and stared in,while Jimmy and his captors looked in my direction.

  Jimmy was the first to break silence by shouting loudly: "Mass Joe!Mass Joe!"

  "Here!" I shouted back; but I repented the next moment, for Jimmyuttered a yell and made a bound to run towards where he had heard thesound.

  The result was that one savage threw himself down before the prisoner,who fell headlong, and before he could recover, half a dozen of theblacks were sitting upon him.

  My heart seemed to stand still, and I felt that poor Jimmy's end hadcome, but to my delight I could see that our captors were laughing atthe poor fellow's mad efforts to escape, and I shouted to him onceagain:

  "Be quiet! Lie still!"

  There was no answer, for one of the men was sitting on Jimmy's head; buthe ceased struggling, and after a while the blacks rose, circled abouthim with their spears, and a couple of them began to push my companiontowards the tree to which he had before been bound.

  "Jimmy no fight?" he shouted to me.

  "Not now," I shouted back. "Wait."

  "All rightums," cried Jimmy: "but gettum waddy back, gibs um bang,bang--knockum downum--whack, whack--bangum, bangum!"

  This was all in a voice loud enough for me to hear, as the poor fellowallowed his captors to bind him to the tree, after which he hung hishead and pretended or really did go to sleep.

  Towards evening I saw the blacks take Jimmy some food, and some wasbrought to me; and as I sat up and ate and drank I saw thestrangely-marked savage and the boy come into the centre of the space bythe huts, and lie down near Jimmy, who behaved a good deal after thefashion of some captured beast, for he raised his head now and then,utterly ignoring those who were around, and staring straight before him.But in his case it was not right away toward the forest, but in thedirection of the hut where I was confined, and even at the distancewhere I lay I could read the eagerness in the black's countenance as hewaited to hear me speak.

  It was getting fast towards sundown, and I was wondering how long theywould leave Jimmy tied up to the tree, and fighting hard to get r
id ofan idea that kept coming to me, namely, that the savages were feeding usand keeping us for an object that it made me shudder to think about,when I noted a little excitement among the people. There was some loudtalking, and directly after about a dozen came to my prison and signedto me to get up.

  I rose to my knees and then tried to stand, but my ankles were still sopainful that I winced. By a stern effort, though, I stood up, and asturdy black on either side took my arms and hurried me to a tree closeby the one where Jimmy was tied.

  As we crossed the opening I saw the boy and the tall painted savagestanding by the door of a hut on one side, the latter holding a longspear tasselled with feathers, and I supposed him to be the chief, orperhaps only the doctor or conjuror of the village.

  Jimmy's delight knew no bounds. He shouted and sang and laughed, andthen howled, with the tears running down his cheeks.

  "Hi, yup! Jimmy glad as big dingo dog for mutton bones!" he cried."How quite well, Mass Joe? Jimmy so glad be with you. Seems all overagain, Mass Joe, and Jimmy knock all black fellow up and down--make umrun, run. Whatum, Mass Joe--legs?"

  "Only with being tied up so tightly, Jimmy. They're getting better. Myhead is the worst."

  "Head um worse, Mass Joe! Show Jimmy black debble hurt um head. Jimmywhack um, whack um too much can't say kangaroo."

  "No, no! wait a bit, Jimmy," I said, as the blacks bound me to the tree."We must watch for our time."

  "Watch?" said Jimmy; "watch? Doctor got um watch clock. Tick, tick,tick!"

  "Where is the doctor?" I said.

  "Jimmy don't know little bitums. Doctor go one way. Mass Jack-JackPenny-Penny, one way find Mass Joe. Jimmy-Jimmy, go one way find MassJoe. Jimmy-Jimmy find um. Hooray! Nebber shall be slabe!"

  "I hope not, Jimmy," I said, smiling. "So the doctor and Jack Penny andyou all went to find me, and you were seized by the blacks?"

  "Dats um--all lot take um way," cried Jimmy. "Only Jimmy find Mass Joe.Come along a black fellow. All jump atop Jimmy. Jimmy fight um, kickum--play big goose berry strong black fellow. Too much big coward big.Topper, topper, Jimmy head um. Go sleep um. Bring um here."

  "Too many of them, and they hit you on the head and stunned you?"

  "Hiss! 'tunned Jimmy. Hiss! 'tunned Jimmy. Send um all asleep. Topperhead."

  "Never mind the topper they gave you, Jimmy. We'll escape and find ourfriends."

  "Don't know um," said Jimmy dolefully. "Bad good black fellow got nomuttons--no grub--no wallaby. Eat Mass Joe--eat Jimmy."

  "Do you think they are cannibals, Jimmy?" I said excitedly.

  Jimmy opened his mouth and his eyes very wide and stared at me.

  "I say, do you think they are cannibals? How stupid! Do you think theyeat man?"

  "Yes; 'tupid, 'tupid. Eat man, lot o' man. Bad, bad. Make um sick,sick."

  I turned cold, for here was corroboration of my fear. This was why theywere treating us well instead of killing us at once; and I was turning ashuddering look at the circle of black faces around me when Jimmyexclaimed:

  "Sha'n't ums eat Jimmy. No, no. Jimmy eat a whole lot fust. No eatMass Joe. Jimmy killum killum all lot."

  I stood there tightly bound, talking from time to time to the black,happier in mind at having a companion in my imprisonment, and trying tomake him understand that our best policy was to wait our time; and thenwhen our captors were more off their guard we could perhaps escape.

  "No good 't all," said Jimmy, shaking his head. "Go eat um, Mass Joe,poor Jimmy. Make up fat um--fat um like big sheep. No run at all,catch fas'."

  "Not so bad as that, Jimmy," I said, laughing in spite of my position atthe idea of being made so fat that we could neither of us run.

  Just then there was a movement among our captors, and having apparentlysatisfied themselves with a long inspection of their prisoners they wereevidently about to take us back to our prisons.

  "Jimmy gib all big kick?" said the black.

  "No, no," I cried, "go quietly."

  "Jimmy come 'long Mass Joe?" he said next.

  "If they will let you," I replied; "but if they will not, go back toyour own place quietly."

  "Mass Joe no kind poor Jimmy," he whimpered. "Want kick um. Mass Joesay no."

  "Wait till I tell you, Jimmy," I replied. "Now go quietly."

  He made an attempt to accompany me, but the blacks seized him sharplyand led him one way, me the other; and as the sun set and the darknessbegan to come on, I lay in my hut watching the boy and the tall paintedchief talking earnestly together, for I could not see Jimmy's prisonfrom inside my own.

  I felt lighter of heart and more ready to take a hopeful view of myposition now that my sufferings from my injuries were less, and that Ihad a companion upon whom I could depend. But all the same I could nothelp feeling that my position was a very precarious one. But when I wascool and calm I was ready to laugh at the idea about cannibalism, and tothink it was the result of imagination.

  "No," I said to myself as I lay there, "I don't think they will kill us,and I am certain they will not eat us. We shall be made slaves and keptto work for them--if they can keep us!"

  As I lay there listening to the different sounds made in the villagedropping off one by one in the darkness, I grew more elate. I was inless pain, and I kept recalling the many instances Jimmy had shown me ofhis power to be what he called "cunning-artful." With his help I feltsure that sooner or later we should be able to escape.

  Drowsiness began to creep over me now, and at last, after listening tothe hard breathing of the spear-armed savage whose duty it was to watchme, I began to wonder whether Gyp would come that night.

  "I hope he will," I said to myself. "I'll keep awake till he does."

  The consequence of making this determination was that in a very fewminutes after I was fast asleep.

  Just as before I was wakened some time in the night by feeling somethingtouch me, and raising my arm for the first time made the faithful beastutter low whines of joy as I softly patted his head and pulled his ears,letting my hand slip lower to stroke his neck, when my fingers came incontact with the dog's collar, and almost at the same moment with astiff scrap of paper.

  For a moment my heart stood still. Then, sitting up, I caught the dogto me, holding his collar with both hands, touching the paper all thewhile, but afraid to do more lest the act should result indisappointment.

  At last I moved one hand cautiously and felt the paper, trembling thewhile, till a joyous throb rose to my lips, and I rapidly untied a pieceof string which tightly bound what was evidently a note to the dog'scollar.

  Gyp whined in a low tone, and as I loosened him, grasping the note in myhand, I knew that he gave a bit of a skip, but he came back and nestledclose to me directly.

  I needed no thought to know that the note was from the doctor, who mustbe near. Perhaps, too, Gyp had been night after night with that samenote, and I had been too helpless to raise a hand and touch his neckwhere it had been tied.

  The doctor was close by, then. There was help, and I would once more befree to get back safe to my dear mother.

  I stopped there and said half aloud:

  "Not yet--safe to try once more to find him."

  What was I to do?

  I could not read the note. I opened it and moved my fingers over it asa blind person would, but could not feel a letter, as I might haveknown.

  What was I to do?

  Gyp would be going back. The letter would be gone, while the doctormight not know but what it had been lost.

  What should I do?

  There was only one thing, and that was to tie my handkerchief, my tornand frayed silk handkerchief, tightly to the dog's collar.

  "He will know that I am here, and alive," I said to myself. "I wish Icould send him word that Jimmy is here as well."

  I tried hard to think of some plan, but for a long time not one wouldcome.

  "I have it!" I said at last; and rapidly taking off the handkerchi
ef Itied two knots fast in one corner.

  "Perhaps he will understand that means two of us," I said; and I wasabout to fasten it to the dog's collar, when there was a noise outsideas of some one moving, and Gyp dashed away from me and was gone.

  "Without my message," I said to myself in tones of bitterdisappointment, as all became silent again.

  To my great joy, though, I heard a faint panting once more, and Gyptouched my hand with his wet nose.

  "I'll be safe this time," I remarked, as I rapidly secured and tied theknotted handkerchief, ending by fondling and caressing the dog, I was sooverjoyed.

  "Go on, dear old Gyp," I cried softly; "and come back to-morrow nightfor an answer. There, good-bye. Hush! don't bark. Good-bye!"

  I patted him, and he ran his nose into my breast, whining softly. Thenafter feeling the handkerchief once more, to be sure it was safe, Iloosened the dog and he bounded from me. I heard a rustling in thecorner, and all was silent, while I lay there holding the note tightlyin my pocket and longing for the day to come that I might read all thatmy friends had to say.