CHAPTER ELEVEN.
VISITED BY MORE BLACKS ON OUR MARCH--WONDER AT OUR THUNDER-MAKERS--APERMANENT CAMP FORMED--MUDGE AND I SET OFF TO EXPLORE THE WAY--PULLINGODISPOSES OF HIS GARMENTS--CROSS A RIVER--REACH THE FOOT OF THE RANGE--PULLINGO MEETS HIS SON QUAQUAGMAGU--HIS DETERMINATION TO LEAVE US--THECAVERN OF THE MOON--A NATIVE LEGEND--OBSERVE THE NATIVES WORSHIPPINGBEFORE THE CAVERN--DESERTED BY PULLINGO--WE PROCEED WITHOUT HIM--ENTER ARUGGED REGION--SKELETON OF THE BUSHRANGER--CAMP UNDER A ROCK--OUR WATEREXHAUSTED.
We travelled on for several days, happily escaping any molestation fromthe natives. A few came near us, to whom Pullingo explained that wewere merely passing through the country, and that we wished to be onfriendly terms with the black men,--but at the same time that wepossessed the power, with our wonderful thunder-makers, of destroyingall our enemies. Now and then an individual bolder than his companionswould come up to us while we were on the march, or when we wereencamped, for the purpose of examining the said thunder-makers, as theycalled our firearms, more closely; but when they did so they gazed atthem with the utmost astonishment and awe in their countenances, andquickly took their departure, evidently thinking it not safe to remainin the neighbourhood of such formidable beings. All this time evenPullingo himself had never ventured to touch a firearm, so that he hadno idea how the explosion was produced. The greater number of theblacks we saw, however, scampered off as soon as they caught sight ofus.
The country over which we passed was very similar to that I have beforedescribed. One evening, as we were passing over a higher hill thanusual, we caught sight in the far distance of a blue range of mountains,which it was very clear we must cross to get to the southward. How highit really was we could not decide, but it appeared of considerableelevation, and, we feared, would prove rugged and barren.
When we were encamped that evening, after my mother and Edith hadretired to their hut, my father expressed his fears to Mudge and me thatthey might suffer much inconvenience and hardship, if not danger, inpassing over it. "I wish that I had shown more resolution in preventingmy poor mates from going away in the long-boat," he observed; "had Iinduced them to wait till the stormy season was over, they might haveaccomplished the voyage in safety, and we should by this time probablyhave been succoured by a vessel from Sydney, and saved the fatigue ofthis long journey."
"You acted for the best, sir," observed Mudge; "and perhaps thedifficulties we have to go through may not be so great as youanticipate. However, I have been thinking over the matter, and if youwill allow me and one other person to set out, with Pullingo as a guide,supposing we can induce him to accompany us, we will explore the route,while you remain encamped in some eligible position near water with therest of the party, where you can obtain abundance of game. Doyle is acapital shot, and sure amply to supply your larder. We, havingascertained the best road to take, will return for you; and perhaps onthe other side of the range we may fall in with settlers, from whom wemay obtain horses on which Mrs Rayner and your daughter could performthe rest of the journey. Two or three men can often make their wayeasily in a region through which a larger party would find it difficultif not impossible to proceed."
"I am indeed most grateful to you for your offer," said my father; "butwhom do you propose taking with you? I confess that, for the sake of mywife and daughter, I am unwilling to weaken our party, in case thenatives should visit our camp, and, seeing only a few men, might betempted to molest us."
As soon as I had heard Mudge's proposal, I determined if I could toaccompany him. "Let me go," I exclaimed. "I can endure as much fatigueas any one; and though I can use my rifle to some effect, the blacks,looking upon me only as a boy, would not consider that I added to thestrength of the party: and thus you will retain five men besidesyourself, while I think I shall be of as much assistance to Mudge as anyone else."
"I shall be very happy to have you, Godfrey," said Mudge, "if yourfather approves of your going; indeed, I had thought of proposing thatyou should accompany me. What do you say, Captain Rayner? I willdefend him with my life, should he be exposed to danger--not that Ithink we shall have to encounter any. And we may depend, I think, onour guns for supplying ourselves with food."
My father considered the matter, and, greatly to my satisfaction,finally agreed to let me accompany Mudge. He explained the plan to mymother the next morning, observing: "We allowed Godfrey to go to sea,and surely he will have to encounter no greater danger by accompanyingso sensible and determined a fellow as Mudge, than he would have had torun constantly while performing the duties of his profession."
The matter being settled, we lost no time in making our preparations.We had some alterations to make in the contents of our packs, that wemight each carry a sufficient store of the articles we were most likelyto require. We took an ample supply of powder and shot, a tinder-boxapiece, the most portable food we possessed, and bottles to containwater, with a pocket-compass and a spy-glass, and an additional pair ofshoes. We had also a kettle to boil water for making our tea, and a tincup apiece to drink it out of, with a spoon, a plate apiece, and acouple of knives and forks. Our camp equipage, though not elaborate,was as complete as we desired. Our legs were encased in strong gaiters.
We left our party encamped on the summit of a mound, from which theycould obtain a view on every side; while the trees, with the addition ofsome stockades placed between them, would enable them effectually todefend themselves against any attack of the natives. At the foot of themound ran a stream with several deep water-holes in its course, whichwere not likely ever to become dry; while the trees along its marginwere frequented by various descriptions of birds. Thus an abundantsupply of food could always be obtained.
Between it and the range was a more thickly wooded country than we hadhitherto passed through, and of some extent, which prevented us fromseeing the character of the ground beyond. Through this we should haveto make our way. We should, however, have some distance to go before wecould reach the actual base of the hills.
Pullingo, as far as we could ascertain, had no objection to accompanyingus; and besides our guns, we each had a brace of pistols, an axe, and along knife.
At early dawn, after a hearty breakfast, all the party having got up towish us good-bye, we set out. The clearness of the atmosphere deceivedus, and it took us some time before we entered the forest. The rays ofthe sun, as they gleamed through the trees, showed us the direction wewere to take. Mudge went first, and I followed, for there was often notroom between the numberless creepers which hung down from the boughs tomake our way two abreast.
Pullingo had, I observed, for some days past been giving signs that hewas becoming tired of the routine of our life, so different from thatwhich natives are accustomed to lead. He now, instead of going ahead,lagged behind, merely pointing in the direction we were to take, andwhich we knew perfectly well without his assistance. Directly weentered the forest I saw him making all sorts of extraordinary gestures,and after going on a little way I observed that he had taken off hisshirt. A minute afterwards, what was my surprise on turning round tosee him holding his trousers in his hand; then, flourishing them for aninstant in the air, he pitched them on to the bough of a tree, wherethey hung fluttering in the breeze, while he bounded forward, as ifdelighted at finding himself free of the garments which had so longproved irksome to him. I hailed Mudge, and asked him whether he oughtnot to be told to go back and get his clothes.
"Let him alone," was the answer; "he is only following the bent of hisnature; he is perfectly welcome to run naked if he likes, though Isuspect that when we come to cross the tops of the hills he will besorry that he got rid of them."
So strange, however, were the black's antics, that I began to fear hehad lost his senses. He shouted and laughed, and tumbled head overheels, and skipped, and jumped about in the most extraordinary manner,as if rejoicing in his regained freedom.
"I suppose he fancies that his clothes will hang there till he comesback, when he intends to appear decentl
y, I hope, at the camp," Iremarked.
"I don't think he troubles himself about the future," answered Mudge;"he just now feels as much satisfaction at being without his clothes, asyou or I would in getting a warm bath and putting on a clean shirt andtrousers."
We were some time in making our way through the forest, Pullingo nottaking any special trouble to pick out the best path. We had expectedalmost immediately to commence our ascent of the mountain, but onemerging from the forest we saw before us a valley, with a broad streamflowing through it. By the rapidity of the current we judged that itmade a direct course to the sea; and it was evidently far too deep toallow us to hope that we could wade across it.
We pointed it out to Pullingo, who had now become a little more quiet,and asked him how he proposed to cross the river. He at once turnedback, and going towards a huge old stringy-bark tree which stood outsome way from the rest, stripped off two large pieces of bark, which heinvited us to assist in carrying down to the water's edge. He then,looking about, got some long grass of a peculiar nature, with which hequickly manufactured some strong twine; then bending up the ends of thebark, which yielded easily to the pressure he bestowed on it, and usinga pointed stick as an awl, he soon sewed them together. Both pieceswere treated in the same way. He then got some clay from the bank ofthe river and stuffed it into the ends; and thus in a wonderfully shorttime had manufactured two canoes. From some small pieces of bark and apole, which he cut with my axe, he also speedily formed a couple ofpaddles.
We had all along intended, it will be remembered, should we meet withrivers, to make some canoes for crossing them; but he, in less than aquarter of the time that we should have employed in making one, hadformed two which would answer the purpose--though I should not, I own,have liked to undertake a long trip in one of them. He signed to Mudgeto get into one, while he seated himself in the other, beckoning me tofollow, which I did without hesitation, though the water reached almostup to the gunwale. We were quickly across; then he drew the canoescarefully up the bank, and placed them side by side, showing how herecollected that we might require them on our return.
We had been much deceived as to the distance; and we found that we hadstill some way to go before we got actually among the ranges we had totraverse. How wide they might be we could not tell; it might take us aday or two, or several days, to cross them.
The evening found us making our way over a tolerably level country, thehills which we thought so near in the morning being still at somedistance. Here and there vast eucalypti of enormous growth werescattered about, towering to the sky; some decayed and hollow, withtheir limbs scathed by lightning, and their bark hanging down in longstrips, like ragged giants, others still covered by sombre foliage.
We were struck by Pullingo's manner; he kept looking about him, not asif the region were strange to him, but as if he were searching forsomething.
The shadows of the tall trees continued increasing in length; at lastMudge proposed that we should forthwith encamp, and accordingly madePullingo understand that we intended doing so. He nodded his consent toour proposal, and at once began to collect bark for a lean-to and woodfor a fire. Relieving ourselves of our packs, we assisted him, and hadsoon erected our shelter for the night, close to the trunk of one of theenormous trees I have described. These arrangements being made, we tookour guns, and in the course of a few minutes had shot as many birds aswe required for our supper and breakfast.
On returning to our camp we saw, to our surprise, Pullingo seated on theground opposite another black, on whose knees his hands rested, whilethey gazed into each other's faces. They were talking earnestlytogether, as if they had matters of the greatest importance tocommunicate. As we drew near enough to distinguish the features of thestranger black, we recognised our old acquaintance, Pullingo's son,Quaquagmagu. So deeply were they engaged, they did not even perceiveour approach; and as we had no wish to disturb them, we retired to adistance to wait till they had finished their conversation. Finding,however, that we might wait till midnight, and as we wished to get ourpigeons plucked and roasted, we once more drew near. At lengthperceiving us, they sprang to their feet; when Pullingo exclaimed,"Son--Quaquagmagu--me, me!"
"Of course we recollect him," said Mudge, shaking him by the hand. Idid the same, apparently much to the young man's satisfaction.
"And what brought your son here?" inquired Mudge, as if he knew that itwould be useless to put the question to Quaquagmagu.
"All, all," answered Pullingo, shaking his head; and he poured forth atorrent of words which we could not understand.
At length, however, we made out, chiefly by signs, that something waswrong at home--either that his children were ill, or that his wife hadrun away; at all events, that he wished to return northward. This wasto us a serious announcement, as we had greatly depended on hisassistance for traversing the country. It had, however, been tolerablyevident that he had got tired of acting as our guide; indeed, few of thewild natives can ever be depended upon for associating with the whitesfor any length of time. Only the younger men, who get graduallyhabituated to civilised customs, will ever remain faithful to the dutiesthey undertake. Pullingo was no exception to the rule.
"Will it be necessary for us to turn back?" I asked.
"Certainly not," answered Mudge; "we can make our way very well withouthim, and as it is important for the sake of your mother and sister thatwe should undertake the journey, I say, by all means let us push on."
"I am perfectly ready to do so," I answered; "indeed, I very much doubtwhether Pullingo knows anything about the mountains, and I suspect thatfrom the first he had no intention of conducting us over them. Isuppose, however, that he does not intend to leave us at once?"
"Little fear of that while we have the pigeons roasting at the fire,"observed Mudge. "Perhaps during the evening we shall be able to learnmore about the matter; however, in the meantime we must make him and hisson assist us in plucking the birds, for I am getting pretty sharp set."
Pullingo and Quaquagmagu very willingly obeyed our directions,especially as they were to benefit by the task, and we quickly had adozen pigeons and parrots roasting on as many spits.
"And so, Pullingo, you intend to leave us to make our way over the hillsby ourselves! That is not treating us properly," observed Mudge.
The black hung down his head, as if he had understood every word thatwas said, and then with a sigh pointed northward.
"But why couldn't you have told us this before?" asked Mudge.
Pullingo pointed to his son, to intimate that he had brought himintelligence which made him wish to return.
"And has he come all this way by himself?" asked Mudge, making signs atthe same time to explain his meaning.
The black intimated that he had not come alone, but that several of histribe had accompanied him, for some object or other which we could notmake out. We were puzzled also to discover how Quaquagmagu had knownwhere to find his father. It showed us that the blacks had some secretmeans of communicating with each other of which we were ignorant.
We sat by our camp-fire endeavouring to hold a conversation withPullingo. His stock of words was but small; though, considering thetime he had been with us, it was wonderful that he had gained themeaning of so many. We both eked them out by signs, in making use ofwhich the black was singularly clever. Our aim was to ascertain theobject for which Quaquagmagu and his companions had come into that partof the country, but we were for a long time excessively puzzled tounderstand the meaning of Pullingo's words and gestures. It hadsomething to do with the moon, and also with a large cavern; but whetherthey had come to worship the moon, or some object in the cavern, wecould not clearly make out.
It was not till long afterwards that I understood what he wished to tellus. In the early days of the world, the moon, who was then a verybeautiful young woman, lived happily in the midst of the forests throughwhich we had lately passed. It was her custom to take up her abode in alarge cave in the side of the
mountain we were approaching. Here shewould have remained till the present day, had she not, by the envy ofsome evil spirits, been driven from earth, and condemned to exist onlyin the night up in the sky. The stars, the blacks believe, are thetears of regret which the moon sheds when weary of her banishedcondition. When she gains a certain position in the sky, however, sheis able to look down upon her former well-beloved abode, on which she iswont to shed a brilliant light; unless her enemies, by means of cloudswhich they send across the heavens, deprive her of the only pleasure sheenjoys in her solitary existence.
Those of her mortal relatives who still regard her with affection, makea point of paying an annual visit to the place she loved so well when onearth; and it appeared that a large party had been made up by Pullingo'stribe with this object in view. The ceremony, if so it could be called,was, we understood, to take place the following night.
Anxious as we were to push forward, we would not have allowed ourselvesto be stopped by such an object; but as the cavern existed some way upthe mountain, we thought that we should probably not be able to get muchbeyond the spot. Our curiosity, indeed, had been excited by whatPullingo had told us, and we were glad of an opportunity of witnessinganything like a religious ceremony performed by the blacks; for, fromwhat we had heard of them, we supposed that they were utterly destituteof anything approaching to religion.
At length Mudge told Pullingo that it was time to turn in. We retiredto our hut, leaving him and his son to creep under a lean-to they hadput up. Though we believed that we could thoroughly trust his honesty,and that our lives also would be safe while he was near us, we agreedthat it would be prudent not to let him suppose that we should both beasleep at once. Accordingly, after Mudge lay down I walked about with agun in my hand, to show that we were on the watch; and when I did go tosleep, I made a pillow of my knapsack, and held a pistol in my hand.
We were awakened in the morning by the loud cry of our friend the"laughing jackass." As Pullingo and Quaquagmagu had eaten up theremainder of the birds we had shot, we immediately started to obtain afresh supply. This was not difficult to do, and we soon killed enoughto feed all hands and to enable us to carry some with us for the nextday's journey. Then shouldering our muskets, we set out with our facesto the hill, the two blacks accompanying us.
"Perhaps Pullingo is, after all, sorry for having intended to desert us,and will still continue our guide," I observed.
"Not much chance of that," answered Mudge. "Depend on it, he'll takeFrench leave whenever it suits his convenience."
Still, I was inclined to believe that the native would prove faithful.Neither he nor his son, however, offered to carry our packs; thoughPullingo chatted as usual, and seemed in a particularly merry mood.
In the afternoon, after having stopped for dinner,--when we fed ourattendants with the produce of our guns,--we were already among thespurs of the mountains, amid which the trees were of even more giganticgrowth than lower down. Instead of ascending abruptly, we foundourselves in a valley with a gentle slope, penetrating far into therange.
As the sun was now setting, we agreed to camp under a tall tree by theside of a stream flowing down the valley, which would supply us withwater. We had shot some birds on our way, so we at once set to work tocollect bark for our hut and wood for our fire. Pullingo and his sonassisted us; but we observed that they did not put up a lean-to forthemselves. We were busily engaged in preparing our birds for supper,when, after we had spitted them, on looking round we found that ourblack companions had disappeared.
"I suppose they will come back for their share," observed Mudge.
Even when the birds were roasted they did not return, so we ate oursupper and prepared to take our rest. The moon, by this time, had risenhigh in the sky, and was shedding her beams on the precipitous side ofthe valley a little way below us. I was on the point of dropping off tosleep, Mudge having agreed to keep watch, when I was aroused by a chorusof strange, unearthly cries.
"Depend upon it, these must proceed from our black friends, who arepaying their respects to the cavern of the moon," observed Mudge. "Ithought just now I caught sight of some figures moving over the ground.Probably Pullingo and his son are among them. Let us go and see whatthey are about."
I willingly agreed. Strapping on our packs, which we were too wise toleave behind, we proceeded in the direction from which the sounds came,knowing that the light of the fire would enable us to find our way backto the camp without difficulty. In a short time we caught sight of anumber of dark figures forming a semicircle in front of a cavern, theentrance to which was surrounded by trees and numberless creepersclinging to the rock. The men were dancing in their usual strangefashion, leaping and springing, and twisting their bodies into all sortsof curious attitudes; singing at the same time at the top of theirvoices. Suddenly, at a signal from their fugleman, they all droppeddown on their knees and began to creep towards the cavern, rubbing theirnoses every now and then on the ground. Thus they continued movingabout in front of the cavern, no one apparently daring to approach toonear the entrance.
As we were unwilling to be discovered, which we thought would be thecase should they on rising face about in our direction, we slowlyretreated towards our camp. On looking back, we saw that they werestill crawling about on hands and knees; and as the spectacle was ratherhumiliating than interesting, we did not feel inclined to watch theirfurther proceedings.
After lying down I was very soon asleep. When Mudge called me, he toldme that the shouting and singing had been going on ever since, and thatneither Pullingo nor his son had returned.
"They'll come back, however, before morning," I observed.
I was wrong, for when I awoke they were not visible; nor, as far as ourtelescope could enable us to distinguish objects, was a black to beseen. We had several birds remaining, and we cooked them; still fullyexpecting that Pullingo and his son would return for breakfast. We ateour portion, keeping the remainder for them; but after waiting for sometime, they did not make their appearance.
"It would be useless to lose more time," observed Mudge at length. "Itis very evident that Pullingo and Quaquagmagu have taken French leave,and gone off with their companions. The chances are that we shall seeno more of them. If the old fellow changes his mind, which perhaps hemay do when he recollects the pleasant roasts with which we suppliedhim, he can easily track us along the valley."
"I can scarcely fancy that he would have gone off without wishing usgood-bye," I observed. "We'll give him another chance: I'll fire off mygun, which I suppose he will understand as a signal that we are on themarch."
"Don't throw away a shot for so uncertain an object," answered Mudge."Let us look out for the birds; we may as well carry as much food as wecan into the mountains, in case we should find none there."
I followed Mudge's advice; and looking about, soon caught sight of amagnificent cockatoo, at which I let fly and brought it to the ground,the echoes of the report reverberating down the valley. "If our blackfriend is in the neighbourhood he must have heard that shot," Iobserved. Returning with my prize, we packed up our traps, stuffing theroast pigeons into our kettle, which Mudge carried, while I hung theunplucked bird outside my pack.
"Forward!" cried Mudge, and we turned our faces up the mountain.
We soon got into a region very different from any we had as yet metwith. Wild, rugged, and barren rocks rose around us, and a stuntedvegetation alone appeared in the gorges along which we made our way.Still we pushed on, steering by our compass, which told us that we werekeeping a pretty direct course to the southward. Fortunate it was thatwe had brought food with us, for not a bird appeared, nor did we see ananimal at which we could get a shot. We, of course, carefully noted theway, not only that we might know it again, but to judge whether it couldbe easily traversed by animals. As yet we agreed that a sure-footedhorse could easily get along, rugged as the way was, and steep in someplaces. At length we came to the steep side of a mountain, over whichwe ourselve
s, laden as we were, might be able to make our way, though itwas very certain that no horse could either ascend or descend it withsafety. I proposed, notwithstanding, that we should climb it.
"We'll not do that if it can be avoided," answered Mudge. "It may takeus less time to get over it, but it will be more advantageous to ourfriends if we can make our way either to the right or left."
We looked about and soon found a route to the right, which appearedpracticable, as far as we could see; but where it would lead us to, wecould not tell.
"There's nothing like trying," observed Mudge; "and a perpendicularprecipice alone should stop us."
He was right; and after proceeding about a mile to the eastward, wedescended again into a valley which led in the direction we wished totake. A cascade which came tumbling down the rock tempted us to stop,although no trees from the bark of which we could form a hut were to beseen. The shrubs, however, which grew in the neighbourhood of the fallafforded us a supply of firewood. As we could find no cave or hollowfor a sleeping-place, we cut down a quantity of boughs, and arrangedthem so as to screen ourselves from the cool breeze which blew along thevalley; but, from the dry appearance of the grass, and our own previoussensations, we judged that the place was hot enough during the day, whenthe sun beat down into it.
We soon had our kettle boiling; and having eaten some of our coldpigeons--which, by the way, were rather high by this time--we drank ourtea, and lay down to sleep, with our firearms by our sides. There wasnot much chance of our being interfered with by natives, and we alsoconcluded that no dingos were likely to find their way into a regiondestitute of all other animals. There is no country in the world,indeed, in which a traveller can rest so securely at night, provided nonatives attack him, as in Australia. Perhaps I might except the riskfrom snakes; but these are only to be met with in the hotter spots, andeven the venomous ones seldom bite unless attacked. Dreary as was theaspect of the region in which we were encamped, compared with thescenery to which we had been accustomed, we slept, however, withoutfear; and the next morning, having taken a shower-bath in the waterfall,we breakfasted, and set off in good spirits.
"No signs of Master Pullingo," observed Mudge. "He might have found itdifficult to track us over the rocky ground, even had he wished it; butI suspect that he has gone away north with his friends, and that weshall not again set eyes on him."
We trudged on along the bottom of the gorge, the heat as the sun roseand beat down into it becoming greater and greater till it was almostinsupportable. The scenery became still wilder as we advanced, and muchmore arid; often bare rocks alone were to be seen on either hand, withonly the most stunted vegetation, and no signs of water. We travelledon till noon, when we stopped under the shade of a rock to eat ourfrugal meal. We had, of course, filled our bottles in the morning, andtherefore did not suffer from thirst, though we had been compelled toexhaust a large portion of their contents.
Hitherto the route we had fortunately hit upon was practicable forhorses, though in many places the riders would have to dismount in orderto proceed with safety. The day was well advanced when, as we weremaking our way through a narrow gorge, we came upon the bones of a largeanimal; which, upon examination, proved to be those of a horse--pickedcompletely clean, however, by birds or insects.
"This shows that some traveller has been trying to make his way throughthis defile; and if he came from the southward, it should encourage usto hope that the route is practicable for four-footed beasts," observedMudge.
"Yes," I remarked; "but also, I fear, it makes it probable that there isbut little water or herbage, and that the poor animal must have diedfrom hunger and thirst. And look there! see, here are the bit andstirrups, and the ironwork of the saddle. The rider must have found itnecessary to desert his steed without attempting to preserve them. Lookthere! under the cliff are also part of a knapsack and other things."
We hurried on to the spot at which I pointed. There lay a gun, a braceof pistols, a tinder-box, a clasp-knife, powder-horn, the brass of ashot-belt, and many other articles. The knife attracted my attention--it was exactly like one I had lost; and taking it up, what was mysurprise to see my own initials on the small plate in the handle, whichI had myself cut.
"That powder-horn is one I have used," observed Mudge; "I left it in thestore, intending to fill it. Let me see,--it was the very day beforethe bushrangers paid us a visit. I have no doubt that the horse was oneridden by the fellow who escaped, and that he must have been making hisway across the mountains when the animal fell down and died."
"If so, he must have been very hard pressed, or he would not have lefthis gun and ammunition, on which he depended for subsistence, behindhim," I observed.
"You are right, Godfrey; and I have no doubt he must have been overtakenby sickness, or been starved to death." Immediately after, Mudgeexclaimed,--"See! there is a piece of cloth hanging in that bush aboveour heads; perhaps it was intended as a signal to any passer-by, or hasbeen blown there by the wind. I'll take off my knapsack and climb tothe top; there appears to be a broad ledge, from which I may get a viewdown the gorge, and perhaps discover the most practicable path for us tofollow."
Mudge did as he proposed; when, getting his head above the level of theledge, he turned round and exclaimed,--"It is as I expected. There liesthe skeleton of the unhappy wretch, picked as clean as the bones of hishorse. He must have climbed up here for the purpose of looking abouthim, and sunk down and died. Not an article of clothing remains; theants and birds must have carried that off."
"Heaven grant that his fate may not be ours!" I could not help mentallyexclaiming.
Mudge having looked round the ledge, and taken a glance along thevalley, now rejoined me. We had no time to lose, and were glad to getaway from the remains of the unhappy man and his steed. The powder-hornwas empty; and as we did not wish to add to the weight of our knapsacks,we left that and the other articles, with the exception of my knife,which I put in my pocket. We were very doubtful at times whether anyhorse could get over the rough ground along which we made our way.
At last, night approaching, we were obliged to encamp in a wild anddesolate spot, the least satisfactory we had as yet stopped at. Theonly shelter we could find was under an overhanging rock; such bushes aswe could see not affording us the means of building a hut or putting upany protection against the night wind, which blew keenly across theheights. We managed, however, to cut a sufficient quantity of dry woodto light a fire, at which to boil the tea-kettle and cook our lastremaining bird. It was somewhat high, but we ate a portionnotwithstanding, reserving some for breakfast next morning. We had nowonly a few mouthfuls of water at the bottom of our bottles, and, as faras we could judge from the appearance of the country to the southward,which presented a succession of rocky heights, it might be long beforewe could replenish our store. We had still, however, some preservedmeat and flour and a small quantity of biscuit, which we had hithertocarefully husbanded; and we hoped before that was exhausted to get intoa region where game and fruits of some sort could be found. We did not,therefore, allow our spirits to be depressed. It was a great thing tobe conscious that we were performing an important duty; and I especiallyfelt very thankful that my mother and Edith had not been induced toattempt crossing the mountains on foot before we had explored the way.
The place we had chosen was, at all events, dry enough, and we hoped, bycreeping close under the rock, not to suffer much from the cold.
Having said our prayers,--which, I may here observe, we always did bothmorning and evening,--we recommended ourselves to the care of ourheavenly Father, and fearlessly lay down to rest.
CHAPTER TWELVE.
JOURNEY ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN-RANGE--WE MOUNT HIGHER AND HIGHER--I NEARLYGIVE IN--REACH THE HIGHEST RIDGE--DESCEND BY A RUGGED VALLEY--BENIGHTED--TAKE SHELTER IN A CAVERN--VISIT FROM DINGOS--DISCOVER APITCHER-PLANT--KILL A ROCK KANGAROO--JOURNEY CONTINUED FOR A MONTH--POWDER AND SHOT EXPENDED--MUDGE SINGS TO KEEP UP OUR SPIRITS--FOUND BY ASHEPHER
D'S HUT-KEEPER--NIGHT AT THE HUT--ARRIVE AT CAPTAIN HUDSON'SSTATION--WELCOMED--HIS FATHER'S JOY AT HEARING THAT HARRY IS ALIVE--IBECOME ILL--LILY'S FATHER--EXPEDITION UNDER HIM TO ASSIST OUR PARTY--NURSED BY LILY--I RECOVER--ARRIVAL OF OUR PARTY--MY FATHER SETTLES NEARCAPTAIN HUDSON--MUDGE AND I LEAVE THE NAVY--WE BECOME PROSPEROUSSETTLERS--CONCLUSION.
We had not as yet undergone any intolerable physical sufferings fromwant of food or water since we landed in Australia; we had always foundsufficient water to drink, and an abundance of game. But as we trudgedon during the next day, we began to fear that our endurance might be putto a severe trial. Our bottles were empty, our fresh animal foodexhausted; and we were afraid to eat the salt pemmican, for fear ofstill further increasing the thirst from which we were suffering.
Wild, rocky ridges alone appeared before us, rising higher and higher.Still we went on, cheered with the hope that we should soon reach thehighest ridge, and that then we might descend to a more fertile region.Sometimes we had to make our way along the summit of precipices;sometimes to descend into rocky valleys; and then, again, to mount uprugged heights. Still, it was our belief that for the whole of thedistance a sure-footed steed would be able to make its way. Weourselves might possibly have taken a shorter route; but even thoughsore pressed we kept our main object steadily in view. We looked abouton every side for patches of verdure, a sure sign of the neighbourhoodof water; but we could see none to tempt us to swerve from our course.
"I suppose that the bushranger must have been making his way to thenorthward, and had already passed over this barren region, when heperished," observed Mudge. "Were it of any great extent, he would nothave attempted it; and I hope that before long we shall meet with water,and some four-footed beasts or feathered fowl to afford us food."
"But how do you account for his powder-flask being empty?" I asked.
"He probably had gone to the south," answered Mudge; "and having made anunsuccessful raid on some of the out-settlers, had been pursued and hardpressed, and had taken to the mountains, in the hope of making hisescape, before he had been able to replenish his stock of ammunition.Perhaps he intended to pay us another visit. However, conjectures onthe subject must be fruitless; only, it shows us that if he could get asfar as the place where he died, we, in good health and strength, mayhope to make our way over the ground, rough as it may be, till we canfind water and food."
We thus kept up our spirits with the anticipation of soon getting out ofour difficulty. Still, in the aspect of the country there was nothingto encourage us. Except when we were traversing a gorge or narrowvalley, the air was pure and exhilarating, and gave strength to ourmuscles; but they were pretty well tried, I must confess.
I was gratified by the remarks Mudge made to me. "You get on capitally,Godfrey," he said. "I haven't heard a grumble come out of your mouth,and you look cheerfully at the bright side of things. It is the bestplan for making your way through the world; of that I am convinced,though I haven't always followed it. But stick you to it, lad. Youwill, I hope, be actuated by a higher motive; that is, to put your trustin God's love and mercy. Whatever occurs, he has promised to look afterthose who honestly trust him. I say honestly, for he won't have anyhalf-and-half trust. I don't think we should expect that he will attendto the cries of those who forget him when they think themselves safe andprosperous, and only pray for help when they are in trouble. I haveoften thought on that subject, and have tried to say my prayers all themore heartily when things have been going smoothly and pleasantly withme."
I agreed with Mudge, and told him that I would try to remember hisadvice. We talked on this and on many other subjects when the groundwould allow of our walking abreast; but sometimes I had to walk behindhim, while he pioneered the way, and more frequently we could only thinkof the road and the means of getting along it. There was, indeed, asmay be supposed, very little plain sailing; but then we had time enoughto talk when we were encamped.
We had seen a ridge before us which we hoped would prove the highest weshould have to cross, and that afterwards we should find ourselvesdescending gradually into the plains to the southward. Our great aimwas to get over it some time before dark, so that we might gain a lowerlevel for camping; and, as we hoped, find water, even though we mightnot succeed in killing any bird or beast for supper.
We had both become very silent; in truth, I found my tongue clinging tothe roof of my mouth, and a dry, painful sensation in the throat. Iobserved a peculiar hollowness in Mudge's voice, too, and I wasconscious that my own also sounded unusual. Still it would not do togive in, and we were not so far gone yet as to think of doing that. On,therefore, we went, though not without suffering. My knees felt weak,and I breathed with difficulty; but I would not tell Mudge this, lest itshould discourage him.
At length, however, I could hold out no longer. Suddenly, when twentyyards or so behind Mudge--for I had lately lagged somewhat--I foundmyself sinking to the ground, not far from the summit of a ridge atwhich we had been aiming. He went on, not knowing what had happened; Ifollowed him with my eyes, though I could neither cry out nor move. Hereached the top, and looked eagerly out to the southward; then he tookoff his hat and waved it, shouting out, "I see a fine open countryahead."
His voice revived me, and getting on my feet, I tottered forward to joinhim. He saw my weakness, and came to help me up to the top of theridge. I felt greatly revived at the knowledge that our chiefdifficulty had been surmounted. Mudge stopped a little to consider thepath it would be most advisable to take down the mountain, and thenproposed proceeding. Looking at me, however, he saw that I was not ableto exert myself as usual.
"Let me carry your pack, Godfrey," he said; "it won't make muchdifference to me, as most of the way will be down-hill, and it willrelieve you. I advise you also to munch a little biscuit and pemmican;you'll get it down in time, though at first you may find it difficult toswallow."
I declined; but he insisted that I should try, and taking out some ofthe food, made me put it into my mouth.
"Perhaps our bottles may contain a little water, and that will helpyou," he observed.
I shook my head, for I knew mine was empty. He looked at his, and foundhalf a cupful I believe that he had saved it for such an emergency. Itand the fresh air, and the knowledge that we might hope soon to bebetter off than at present, had a magical effect, and I felt able tocontinue the journey.
We went on and on, rapidly descending, till we reached the edge of aprecipice.
"This won't do," observed Mudge; "but we will keep along to the left,where the ground slopes more than it does here, and perhaps we shallreach a practicable valley."
He was not mistaken; and we soon found ourselves in a valley, which,though stem and wild as those on the other side of the mountain, wouldlead us, we hoped, into a more fertile region. Night rapidlyapproached, however, while we were still surrounded by barren rocks, soduring the little time daylight remained we looked about to find asleeping-place.
We were expecting to be compelled to rest without any shelter, whenMudge, who was a little way on up the side of the mountain, criedout,--"Here is a cavern; it will shelter us, at all events, from thecold wind and dew; though I am afraid we must go without a fire--or ourtea, seeing that we have no water to boil even if we could make one."
I followed him, and groping our way we found ourselves in a large archedcavern in the slope of the mountain. It was apparently of no greatdepth, but would afford us, at all events, ample accommodation; and weaccordingly crept in. We ate a little more pemmican and biscuit, thoughI had the greatest difficulty in swallowing my share. We then, gropingabout, discovered two soft places, beds of sand, a short distance apart.Mudge chose one, and I lay down on the other.
"Go to sleep quickly, Godfrey," said Mudge; "it is the best thing youcan do; you'll find yourself stronger in the morning. We'll start atdaylight, and enjoy a capital breakfast--when we find it."
I did my best to follow his advice, and succeeded better than I couldhave
expected. I must have slept for a considerable time, when I awokewith a start, and saw by the light of the moon, which streamed into thecavern, Mudge sitting up with his pistols in his hands, and staring, asI fancied, wildly before him.
"What's the matter?" I exclaimed, under the idea that he was stillasleep and fancied that he saw something terrible.
"Look there! look there!" he answered. "Can those be wolves, orjackals, or hyenas? or what other prowling creatures of night are they,with staring eyeballs, at the entrance of the cavern? Be prepared,Godfrey; for I verily believe they are about to rush in and attack us."
I now distinguished in the gloom a dozen or more animals with fieryeyes, as it seemed to me, staring fiercely at us. I say animals, thoughI could only make out the heads of most of them; but one elevated on aslight mound above the rest showed me what they were.
"I am very sure there are none of the animals you mention in thiscountry," I answered, more awake than Mudge. "I believe they are onlycowardly dingos; and a shout, or, at all events, a shot, would send themto the right-about. Fire, and you'll see I am not mistaken," I shoutedat the top of my voice.
He discharged his pistol, the report of which echoed loudly through thecavern; and, as I expected, the dingos--for such they were--instantlyturned tail and scampered away, uttering cur-like yelps, which left nodoubt as to their character.
"I believe I was half asleep," said Mudge, "or I should have known whatthese yelping brutes were. They might have proved somewhat annoying hadthey attacked us unawares; but I don't think they'll come back. In casethey should, I'll keep one eye open; but do you go to sleep again,Godfrey--I am sorry you should have been disturbed."
I did not trouble myself much about the dingos, as I felt pretty surethey would not attack human beings, and I very soon followed Mudge'sadvice.
I cannot say, when I awoke in the morning, that I felt as rested as Icould have wished. My mouth was as dry as a dust-hole, and thesensations in my throat were very distressing. However, I managed toget on my feet; and the moment there was sufficient daylight to enableus to see our way, we recommenced our descent.
As I walked on,--or I may say, stumbled on,--Mudge still insisting oncarrying my knapsack, we eagerly looked about for water; but though wesaw shrubs and even trees, not the most tiny streamlet could wediscover. I felt sure that I could not put anything into my mouth untilI had taken some liquid to moisten my parched throat; and Mudgeconfessed that he felt much as I did, though his strength was lessimpaired than mine. We had passed a number of trees, which we examinedeagerly in the hope of finding some juicy fruit, but in vain.
"What would I not give for a handful of strawberries or figs!" I couldnot help exclaiming.
"I shouldn't object to a dozen ripe pears or apples," said Mudge; "butnone of these trees are likely to afford us what we want."
We were thus trying to keep up our spirits, for it was a hard matter todo so, when my eye fell on a curiously-shaped tree. Growing on it waswhat at first I thought was fruit, though of a remarkable form. Makingour way towards it, we discovered that what we took to be fruit were inreality leaf-formed cups, some with lids, others open; and our joy canbe imagined when, on taking hold of one of them, some clear liquid ranover the rim. I did not stop to consider whether it was real water; butimmediately putting the cup to my lips, I drained it to the bottom. Howdeliciously cool and refreshing it tasted!--no water from thefountain-head of the purest stream could have been more so--though ithad a somewhat sweetish taste.
Mudge followed my example; and between us we had drunk the contents ofseveral of these small cups, when he whispered, half to himself, "Iwonder whether it is really water, or something poisonous!"
"I am very sure that it is wholesome," I could not help answering; "itwould be ungrateful in us to doubt it. Providence has placed a tree inthis dry spot for the purpose of supplying man, and perhaps some of hisother creatures, with the chief necessary of life."
"Or perhaps it may be to nourish the tree," observed Mudge.
"That may be true; and both objects, as is often God's intention, arethus answered," I remarked.
"Then let us sit down under it and be thankful; and now we'll eat somepemmican and biscuit," exclaimed my companion, "and get a littlestrength into our bodies."
We did so, and felt greatly refreshed; and before we again started wedrank some more cupfuls of the liquid. Near at hand we met with severaltrees of the same description, to which we again applied. Indeed, Ifelt that I could go on drinking all day without being satisfied.
Thoroughly recovered, we now looked about for birds, that we might havea substantial supper at night. Suddenly we caught sight of a creaturewhich, startled by our approach, bounded out from behind a bush where itwas feeding. It was a kangaroo of tolerable size; but, unlike the largekangaroos we had before seen, it went leaping away up the hill with asmuch ease as they make their way along the plain. The appearance of theanimal at this spot showed that we were likely to see others, so, thoughthat one had escaped, we were not without hopes of having some meat fordinner. We kept our eyes about us more vigilantly than ever. We sawalso a few birds, but they kept at a distance from us. Of course, hadwe not been anxious to push on, we might have been able to get at them,and might possibly also have got up with the kangaroo we first saw.
Trees of various descriptions now began to appear, and shrubs of largesize; among others were several nettle-trees, twenty feet in height atleast. There was no mistaking their leaves. Once before, though I hadforgotten to mention it, I had had my hands severely blistered by merelytouching them. Their power of injury, indeed, is proportionate to theirsize.
We kept along the side of the hill, on the probability of startinganother kangaroo; resolved to chase it either up or down the slope,should we fail to kill it at the first shot. We accordingly kept ourguns ready to fire; looking, as we walked along, for morepitcher-plants, in case we should fail to find water.
We had gone on for some distance, and I was again beginning to feelexcessively thirsty, when we saw before us a valley, by following whichwe hoped that we might reach the foot of the mountain-range. We weremaking our way into it, when, just before us, another kangaroo startedup from the sunny spot where it had been basking, and looked round atus, doubtful, apparently, which direction to take. We thought that itwould go up the hill; but instead of doing so, it came bounding towardsus. I felt sure that I should hit it, when suddenly it took a leap overa precipice on our right. I immediately fired, and so did Mudge, butnot before the animal had taken its spring. In consequence, over theprecipice it went, and rolled down the steep slope towards the bottom ofthe valley. Uncertain at first whether either of us had really hit it,I handed my gun to Mudge, and looked out for a place where I could makemy descent. Scrambling down, I was not long in reaching the kangaroo.The poor creature was still living, and tried to raise itself, as ifabout to fight in its defence; but my knife soon put it out of pain.
Wishing to carry our prize to the spot on which we had been standingwhen we shot it, as the place was convenient for camping, I dragged itto the foot of the precipice, and fastened round it a long vine which Ifound growing close at hand; with this, having climbed to the top of therock, I without difficulty hauled it up--just as Mudge, who had goneround to assist me, came back.
The animal we had so fortunately killed was about four feet long,including the tail; which was, however, very nearly half that length.Its fur was of a purplish hue, warming into a rich rusty red towards thetail. It had strong, powerful claws on its hinder feet, almostconcealed by the thick hair around them. We did not, however, stop longto examine it, but, taking out our knives, quickly skinned and cut itup. This done, we lost no time in collecting wood, lighting a fire, andsetting a joint to roast; while we toasted some thin slices to satisfythe immediate cravings of our hunger.
As soon as we had done so, Mudge started to look for water, leaving meto attend to the roast, and to watch that no hungry dingo carried offour st
ore of meat. "Depend upon it, that animal can't have livedwithout water; and if its home is near here, water is not likely to befar off," he observed. So, though it still wanted a couple of hours ormore to sunset, we were so weary that we agreed it would be wise to stopwhere we were.
After I had seen that the meat was roasted, I employed myself, whilewaiting for Mudge's return, in cutting some poles and collecting bark toform our hut; keeping my eye, however, on the fire. It was fortunatethat I did so, for while I was cutting down a small tree, partly hid bya bush, I caught sight of one of our canine visitors of the previousnight--or, at all events, an animal of the same species, the abominabledingo--stealing cautiously towards the carcass of the kangaroo. Isprang out, axe in hand, hoping that the intruder would await my coming.He did so for an instant, unwilling to lose the feast he had expectedto enjoy; but just before I reached him he turned round and ran offyelping, disappointed of his prey.
The animal was shaped like a common dog; was of a reddish-brown colour,with a sharp muzzle, and ears short and erect, its tail pendent andbushy, and its eyes small and cunning.
We afterwards had a great deal of trouble with these dingos, which areclever creatures, hunting in packs, and committing fearful depredationson the flocks of the settlers. To preserve our meat, I hung it up onthe bough of a small tree, at a height no dingo could reach; feelingvery sure that otherwise it would be carried off during the night.
I had begun to be somewhat anxious at Mudge's long absence, when atlength I heard his voice, singing as he came along; and presently heclimbed up to the plateau with both our bottles and the kettle he hadtaken with him full of water.
"We may consider the difficult part of our journey over, and bethankful," he said, as he got up to me. "A stream flows down the sideof the mountain, and instead of running towards the ocean, it takes, asfar as I could see, a due southerly course; so that we may travel alongits banks, and be sure not only of water, but of plenty of birds, whichare certain to frequent the locality during the morning and evening."
This was good news; and the ample supply of meat we enjoyed restored ourstrength and raised our spirits. We washed it down with I don't knowhow many cups of tea; which, though we had no milk, was not the lessenjoyable. To prevent any dingos from unpleasantly smelling at usduring the night, we fixed a number of sticks into the ground around oursleeping-place, and before turning in made up as large a fire as wecould find fuel for. Its warmth, at that altitude, was pleasant, if notabsolutely necessary.
We had a capital breakfast the next morning off some more of the rockkangaroo, and then packed up the more delicate portions to carry withus. "Forward!" cried Mudge; and setting our faces down the valley, wecontinued our course. We had still some hundred feet to descend, andeven then we were not on a level plain, as, when looking from themountain, we had supposed the country below us to be. The river on ourleft went rushing and foaming onwards, showing that the descent it wasabout to make was still considerable.
We were not disappointed in our expectations of finding abundance ofgame as we travelled on by the side of the river, for three days ormore; after which it turned towards the eastward on its course to theocean.
After this we proceeded southward, crossing several rivers and numerousstreams. Most of the latter were fordable. We passed over the riversin canoes, such as I have before described. For a considerable distancewe had a lofty range of mountains on our right; and we had to make ourway over some of the smaller ranges, but with much less difficulty thanover the first we had crossed.
Perseveringly we trudged onwards, over table-lands and wide-extendingplains and across valleys. All these rivers, streams, mountains, hills,plains, table-lands, and valleys have long since been named andthoroughly explored; while towns and villages have sprung up on thebanks of the rivers, numerous flocks and herds are pastured on theplains and downs, and thousands of industrious settlers people thecountry. But in those days the black man, the kangaroo, the emu, andthe dingo ranged in unrestrained freedom over the land. If names therewere, they were such only as were given by the aboriginal inhabitants tothe regions they claimed as their own.
We frequently met with natives; but as we were always on our guard, andavoided giving them offence, we were never annoyed by them. We fell inwith most of them while we were on the march, so that we proceededonwards and saw them no more; while the few who on rare occasionsvisited us at our camp in the evening, were always friendly. When wekilled a kangaroo or emu, we gave as much of the meat as we could spareto any of the black men who were near; and we always found that food wasthe most acceptable gift we could bestow.
We had been nearly a month on our journey from the time we had left myfather's camp. That space of time may appear short to those who arereading our adventures; but to us it seemed a long period, especially aswe felt deeply anxious to send relief to our friends, whose stock ofpowder and shot might, we feared, be exhausted before we could return.Mudge observed that my father would probably send back to obtainsupplies from the store we had left behind; but I reminded him that themen who went could only carry enough for themselves, and that withoutbeasts of burden it would be impossible to relieve their wants in thatway, while it was very certain that the natives could not be induced toact as carriers.
As yet we had met with no signs of civilised life; and as we had broughtno quadrant, we were unable to calculate, with anything like accuracy,the number of miles we had performed each day. We could only guess,therefore, how far off we were from the most northern settlements. Ourpowder and shot, on which our very existence depended, was rapidlydiminishing; and should that become exhausted, we should be at the mercyof the natives, and have to trust to them for supplying us with food, aswe had great doubts whether we could trap any birds or beasts.
Though we had occasionally picked a few wild fruits, the supply was veryuncertain, and we often had to go a considerable distance withoutfinding any. The most nourishing was a fruit larger than a Spanishchestnut, and with a similar taste. It grew on a tree with beautifulgreen and pinnated foliage, contrasting strikingly with the dark leaveswhich give so sombre a hue to the Australian forests. We found three tofive seeds in pods of considerable size, growing solitary and pendent.Had we been able to obtain a sufficient supply of these nuts, we might,with the aid of the cabbage-palms, and the leaves of a species of sorreland other plants we met with, have been able to support existence on avegetable diet.
On examining our stores one evening, as we sat in our camp, we foundthat we had between us not more than half-a-dozen charges of powder andshot. We had still some pemmican, but our biscuit had long beenexhausted; and we had but a few pinches of tea, although we had for sometime been enjoying that refreshing beverage in a very diluted state.
"We must not despair," said Mudge,--"we have been preserved hitherto;and we must trust to Him who has all along taken care of us, to enableus to reach our journey's end in safety. We must husband our powder andshot; we must live on pemmican and sorrel on alternate days, unless wecan make sure of hitting the game we meet with; and I trust that weshall thus run no risk of starving, for a week to come."
The cheerful way in which Mudge spoke revived my spirits; and the nextmorning we trudged courageously on, determined not to be daunted byanticipated difficulties. Still, we were sorely tried when we missedtwo kangaroos which we made sure of hitting. At length, having expendedseveral charges of powder and shot on as many small birds, we found, oneevening, that our ammunition had come to an end.
"Cheer up, Godfrey!" exclaimed Mudge, after I had been silent for sometime; "I'll sing you a song, to show you that I am still in good heart,as you ought to be;" and he began trolling forth a sea-ditty which hehad often sung on festive occasions on board the _Heroine_.
He had got through three or four verses, when we were somewhat startledby hearing an English hail. Soon after we had replied to it, havingsprung to our feet, a voice exclaimed, "Hallo, mates! where have youdropped from?" and we saw emerging from th
e gloom the figure of a whiteman, in the rough dress of a shepherd, with a gun in his hand and abrace of pistols in his belt. As I caught sight of him, the thoughtcrossed my mind that he was a bushranger; but we rushed forward,notwithstanding, without asking who or what he was, and grasped him bythe hand, when a few words sufficed to tell him what he wanted to know.
"And have we really got near the settlements?" asked Mudge eagerly.
"The nearest, I suppose, you would call a settlement, is not more thanabout five miles away to the southward," answered the man; "but mine andmy mate's hut is less than a quarter of a mile off, and you will bewelcome there if you like to strike camp and come along with me. Ourtea-kettle is boiling, and the damper will be cooked by the time we getthere. I am the hut-keeper; and my mate, the shepherd, had just pennedthe sheep and made all snug for the night, when I caught sight of theglare of your fire. Says I to my mate, `It's some of them natives, andthey'll be trying to steal a sheep, or do some other mischief; at allevents, I'll go and see what they're about.' When I heard that jollysong of yours, sir, I soon knew all was right, though I did wonder howyou came to be out here."
Mudge, who was perfectly satisfied that the man was what he representedhimself to be, at once accepted his invitation; and emptying our kettle,we quickly slung that and our other traps on our backs, and prepared toaccompany the shepherd.
"Stay, mates, we'll put out the fire first," he said; "we don't knowwhere the sparks may be carried to if left alone: they might soon setthe whole country in a blaze."
Having taken this precaution, we walked briskly along with our newfriend. We soon reached a low shingle-roofed slab hut, from which acouple of dogs issued, barking furiously on hearing the footsteps ofstrangers. The hut-keeper's voice quickly silenced them, when they camefawning up to him, licking even our hands when they discovered that wewere whites. Our companion ushered us into his hut, which consisted ofone smoke-begrimed room, containing a clay fireplace, two rough bunks inthe corner, and a table and couple of stools in the centre. The kettleon the wood fire was bubbling and hissing merrily.
Our guide's "chum," as he called him, presently came in from thesheepfold, and gave us a hearty welcome. He was as rough-looking as hiscompanion, but scarcely rougher than Mudge, with his unshaven beard, hismoustache, and long hair; and I, though I had not a beard and moustacheto boast of, must have looked pretty rough too.
Our hosts gave us the best they had: fresh damper, broiled mutton, andtea. The captain, as they called their master, allowed no spirits, but,they acknowledged, took good care that they were well supplied withnecessaries; and if we would stop another day they would give usplum-pudding for dinner. We, of course, said that we were anxious to goon to the station as soon as possible, that we might obtain horses toreturn to our friends. The captain, they said, would give us everyassistance in his power. He had a herd of cattle, as well as sheep,with several horses, though whether he would be able to spare the horsesthey could not tell; but he would probably try and obtain them for usfrom the next station, a dozen miles or so farther off.
We were still, we found, a hundred and fifty miles, at least, fromSydney; so that, had not the settlers established stations to thenorthward, we should have had a long journey to perform before we couldobtain assistance. They were more ready to hear the accounts we had togive than to say anything about themselves; indeed, when once or twiceMudge inquired how long they had been in the colony, and why they cameout, they made evasive answers, and turned the subject. They were, inreality, convicts; assigned servants, who received no wages, but wereallowed thus much of liberty as long as they behaved themselves well.
As soon as supper was over, they advised us to turn in, observing thatthey should have to be up before daybreak to breakfast, that theshepherd might take his sheep at early dawn to their pasture, at somedistance from the hut. They offered us their bunks, but we declined;for two reasons: one was, that they looked excessively black and dirty;and the other, that, being long accustomed to sleep on the bare ground,we would not turn them out of their beds. We accordingly lay down onthe floor, with our knapsacks as pillows, with a feeling of securitywhich we had not for long enjoyed; and knowing that one of the faithfuldogs was watching at the door, we were soon fast asleep. When I awoke,I saw the hut-keeper kneading a damper, which he put under the ashes ofthe already kindled fire. I need not say that I would rather not havewitnessed the operation.
I did not open my eyes again till he summoned us to breakfast, when wewere joined by the shepherd, who had gone out to see that his sheep weresafe. Our meal being quickly despatched, he bade us farewell and againsallied forth, to let his sheep out of their pen; when the hut-keeperasked us if we were inclined to stop a while, or go on to the captain's.We, of course, expressed a wish to set off at once, and begged him toshow us the way.
"I can't go with you, as I have to help my chum to attend to some sicksheep," he said, "and to look after the hut; but you can't mistake it ifyou keep due south, over yonder rise with the three big trees at the topof it, and then make for a stream you will see shining in the distance.There's a bridge over it, which leads to the station."
The directions being sufficiently explicit, we set off without fear oflosing our way. A walk of rather more than an hour's duration broughtus in sight of the stream, with a plank-bridge thrown over it; on which,as we got nearer, we saw two black men. They were not, however, such aswe had been accustomed to meet with, but were decently clothed.Saluting us civilly in English with "Good morning, friends," they toldus that this was the station of which we were in search, and that if wewent on a little farther we should find the master, who would be glad tosee us.
Passing some huts, we soon saw before us a low, bungalow-lookingbuilding, with a broad verandah. Directly afterwards there issued fortha middle-aged gentleman, who advanced towards us. "Glad to see you, myfriends, wherever you come from," he said, putting out his hand. "Youlook as if you had had a long tramp of it. I take it you are ready forbreakfast. Come in at once. We were just upon the point of sittingdown when I caught sight of you from the window."
"Thank you, sir," answered Mudge. "Your shepherds, at whose hut weslept, gave us some breakfast; but we accept your hospitality, as, formy part, I should be ready for a little more; and so, I dare say, willmy friend Rayner,--at all events, midshipmen have the credit of beingable to stow away two or three meals in succession withoutinconvenience, and we have been on short allowance for some days past."
"What, are you naval officers?" exclaimed the captain, eyeing usattentively. "I thought so from the way you spoke. However, come in.You can tell me all about yourselves afterwards; it doesn't come up tomy notions of hospitality to bother strangers with questions before theyhave eaten, and drunken, and rested themselves after their journey."
Saying this, our host led the way into a neat parlour, where two ladieswere seated at table; one evidently his wife, the other very young. Ilooked from her to the elder lady, then, springing forward, I put out myhand and exclaimed, "Mrs Hudson!"
She shook it with a look of surprise; then, turning round, I added,"Captain Hudson, I am sure it is you, sir;" and looking at the younglady, I said, "I don't know your name, but I remember you very wellindeed, and have never forgotten you since I was on board the_Hopewell_, off the coast of Patagonia, two years ago."
After I had shaken Captain Hudson by the hand, the young lady, who hadrisen from her chair, came forward to greet me, saying, "I remember themidshipman who paid us a visit, but I should not have recognised you;yes, yes--I remember your eyes and your features now;" and she smiledvery sweetly.
"I thought I had seen your face before," I heard Mudge saying, asCaptain Hudson was shaking him warmly by the hand.
Our host and hostess now pressed us to sit down to breakfast, but Icould scarcely eat anything for thinking of the information we had togive them. A word whispered in my ear from Mudge--"Don't say anythingyet"--made me cautious, for he was too wise not to think that it wouldbe
dangerous to communicate such joyful intelligence too suddenly, andthat it was important to break it to the captain first. We had a greatdeal to tell about our adventures, however.
Captain Hudson then informed us that soon after we fell in with him theship had come across to Sydney, where, on account of Mrs Hudson'shealth, he had given up the command, and determined to settle on shore.Finding an acquaintance who happened to be in Sydney, and who wished togive up this station, he came on here. "For though so far in advance ofthe other settlers," continued Captain Hudson, "I was sure that, by theproper management of my assigned servants, and by treating the blacksjudiciously, we should be as safe here as near other stations. I havenot been mistaken; and we have already succeeded in partly civilisingseveral young natives, who seem perfectly happy and contented, and areready to perform any light labour to which I put them."
When we told Captain Hudson that the object of our journey was to carryassistance to our friends, he at once volunteered to do all in his powerto obtain horses, provisions, and trusty men to accompany us back."Though I cannot go myself," he said, "I have a friend in theneighbourhood who will, I am sure, take great pleasure in accompanyingyou, and in whom you may thoroughly rely, as few men have travelled morein the wilds than he has, or are so well able to manage the natives."
I saw the young lady look up at Captain Hudson as he spoke, but whatthat look betokened I could not then understand. All this time we were,of course, burning to tell him that his son was alive; though, had heknown it, he could scarcely have been more anxious to send assistance toour friends than he was already. It occurred to me, indeed, that, tosave him and Mrs Hudson the anxiety of waiting for Harry's arrival, itmight be better to say nothing about him. How dreadful it would beshould any accident have happened to him in the meantime, or should allour party have perished! Not that we dared contemplate such acontingency for two moments together. It did, however, when I felt atall depressed, flash across my mind; but I put it from me as toohorrible to dwell on; besides which, it seemed like ingratitude to God,who had so far protected us.
As soon as breakfast was over, I mentioned my idea to Mudge; but heconsidered that we ought to tell the captain that we had found a whiteboy among the savages, apparently of the age of his son--that he hadbeen long with us, and had become perfectly civilised, and, from hisamiable qualities, a great favourite. Captain Hudson might thus drawhis own conclusions.
The captain soon afterwards joined us, when Mudge cautiously introducedthe subject; notwithstanding which he was almost overcome withagitation.
"We ought not to raise your hopes too high, sir," said Mudge; "butstill, neither Captain Bracewell nor any one on board the ship had anydoubts on the subject."
"How can I thank my merciful Father in heaven for his boundless kindnessto me!" exclaimed the captain. "I will carefully prepare my dear wife,but in her delicate state of health it will require great caution; and Imust beg you, therefore, not to utter a word to any one else."
This, of course, we promised to do; and we were surprised at theself-command which the captain afterwards exhibited in presence of MrsHudson.
We had made inquiries about our ship, but she had not visited Sydneybefore Captain Hudson had been last there, and he had heard nothing ofher. This satisfied Mudge that he was not in duty bound to go there tolook for her.
Captain Hudson, notwithstanding the agitation of his mind, observed ourtattered condition, and insisted on rigging us both out in new, strongclothes suited for our object. These were put on after a thorough bathin the stream hard by. Mudge also had got shaved by the captain's blackcook, an African who had accompanied him on shore, and who was barber,sheep-shearer, tailor, carpenter, and I don't know how many other tradesbesides.
Captain Hudson, in the meantime, had sent off to the friend he spoke of,who soon afterwards arrived on horseback. He was a handsome,middle-aged man, of a peculiarly grave and melancholy countenance, butwith a keen eye, and who appeared, by his bearing and manners, to havebeen an officer. He at once, on hearing our account, agreed toaccompany us, and to organise an expedition to carry such provisions ashe thought would be necessary, with horses for the conveyance of mymother and sister, as well as my father, and any of the rest of theparty who might be unable to walk.
I felt in high spirits, and perfectly ready to set off on the followingmorning. Towards evening, however, I suddenly became very ill, whenMrs Hudson insisted on my going to bed; and next morning I was utterlyunable to rise. But, of course, the expedition could not be delayed onmy account.
I was unconscious, so I was afterwards told, for some time; and when Iregained my senses I found that the party had long since started. Myfear was that while I had been in delirium I might have talked of HarryHudson, and I was thankful to find that such had not been the case.Mrs Hudson watched over me with as much care as my own mother couldhave done, and I often saw tears dropping from her eyes--when I knewthat she was thinking of her own boy, whom she supposed to have beenlost.
As I got better, Lily, for such was the name of the young lady--she was,as I could not help telling her, a sweet white English Lily; not likeone of the Australian lilies, with grand blossoms of rich crimson, sixinches in diameter, growing on stalks twenty feet high--Lily was myconstant companion. Every day that I was in her company I admired hermore and more--but I must not talk about that just now. She was, Isuspected, the daughter of the leader of the expedition, who, for somereason--not a dishonourable one--was compelled to live a secluded lifein Australia. Two more months passed away, when one afternoon a man onhorseback appeared, bringing the joyful intelligence that our party wereclose at hand, and all well. I saw that Mrs Hudson was greatlyagitated, and I now knew that the captain had been gradually preparingher for the appearance of their son.
It is beyond my power to describe the meeting; I know a great many of uscried with joy, and I am not ashamed to say that I did so. My dearmother and Edith had borne the journey well, though they had been hardpressed for some weeks, and had become very anxious before theappearance of the expedition sent to succour them.
Captain Hudson received our party with unbounded hospitality, havingprepared a residence for those who could not be received into his ownhouse. I was delighted to find that my father had arranged to take astation within a few miles of that of Captain Hudson, who promised toafford him that assistance which, as a new-comer, he of course greatlyrequired.
Mudge, who, as soon as he could communicate with England, madearrangements for quitting the service, got a grant of land, and settlednear us. Being only a midshipman, I had simply to discharge myself,without any other formality; as did Tommy Peck. The rest of the crewwere so enamoured of the country that they remained with us, and turnedstockmen; most of them becoming at length successful settlers.
Harry, of course, married Edith; and Lily became my wife. This eventhappened a long time ago, and it might not increase the interest of myreaders if I were to say that it is long since our wives becamegrandmothers.
We all flourished, as I am firmly convinced people will do who, seekingguidance from above, act with due judgment and discretion, takingadvantage of the experience, as well as warning from the failure, ofothers. We, of course, had those ups and downs which all settlers inAustralia must meet: dingos carried off our sheep, and the rot visitedthem; the blacks were troublesome, and droughts and blights occurred;bush-fires occasionally took place, and our wool brought lower pricesthan we had hoped for. But, notwithstanding, in the long run we wereblessed with prosperity, and had ample reason to be thankful that we hadbeen preserved from the numerous dangers we had encountered, and that wehad been guided to the shores of Australia.
THE END.
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Twice Lost Page 11
