crawling on all fours where the country was open, and frequently
stopping, while Lizzie went noiselessly forward and reconnoitred,
before beckoning to us to advance again. The direction in which she
led us lay at the base of the hills, which on one side bounded the
little plain and its bay, and though we could form but a crude idea of
where we were going, owing to the thickness of the undergrowth, yet it
was sufficiently evident that the young lady was one of nature's
tacticians, and meditated a flank blow at her unfortunate relatives.
Proceeding, we came at last within a stone's throw of the beach, and
could hear the mimic waves rolling on the sand, at no great distance,
on our right hand. Lizzie now pointed to a small belt of vine shrub
that lay in front of us, and indicated that immediately outside it were
the 'gunyahs', or huts; and, "plenty you shoot," she added showing her
white teeth as she grinned with glee at the thoughts of the cheerful
surprise she had prepared for her old companions. We were not
thoroughly on the 'qui vive', for we thought this unknown bay would be
the very spot in which the blacks were likely to seclude any prisoners
from the 'Eva', and accordingly willingly followed the lithe figure of
our little guide, as she wound her way through the tangled brake, like
a black snake, and with a facility that we in vain attempted to
imitate. The troopers--who had reduced their clothing to a minimum,
for their sole vestment consisted of a forage-cap and
cartridge-belt--wound along as noiselessly as Lizzie; but we poor
whites--with our flannel shirts and other complicated paraphernalia
that custom would not permit us to dispense with in the matter-of-fact
way they were laid aside by our sable allies--were getting into
continual trouble; now hitched up helplessly by a lawyer vine, whose
sharp prickles, like inverted fish-hooks, rent the skin; now crawling
unsuspiciously against a tree-ants' nest, an indiscretion that the
fierce little insects visited with immediate and most painful
punishment; or else, becoming aware, by unmistakable symptoms, that we
were trying to force a passage through a stinging tree-shrub. Whenever
we thus came to grief, Lizzie would stop, turn round, and wave her arms
about like a semaphore, indicative of impatience, contempt mingled with
pity and warning.
Luckily for us, the belt of scrub was not of great extent; Lizzie had
already reached its edge, and was peering cautiously through, and we
were struggling along, each after his own fashion, when bang went a
carbine, the bullet of which we distinctly heard whistle over our
heads, and turning round we got a glimpse of Jack, the roughrider, hung
up in a vine, one of whose tendrils had fired off his weapon; and had
just time to hear him exclaim, "If I'd only been mounted, this wouldn't
have happened," before we broke cover, and all further concealment
being now unnecessary, rushed recklessly on to the encampment.
But we were too late to capture any of the men, for I need hardly tell
the reader that never had we intended to make use of the curt arguments
that Lizzie had relied upon for cutting off the abrupt exit of her
quondam friends; it would be quite time enough to commence a system of
reprisals when it was ascertained that the blacks had actually been
guilty of any atrocity. At present it was mere surmise on our part,
and putting altogether on one side the natural reluctance to shed
blood, an aggressive policy would have been an unwise one, engendering,
as it infallibly would, a bad feeling against any other luckless
mariners whom the winds and the waves might in time to come cast upon
the inhospitable shores of Hinchinbrook Island.
The sudden report of Jack's carbine, which occasioned a momentary halt,
and the few seconds required to burst through the scrub, afforded
sufficient time for the male portion of the encampment to make their
escape at speed, in different directions, some taking to the water,
where they were picked up by the fishermen in the canoes; others diving
into the nearest cover, and being lost to sight without hope of
recovery. The women and children followed the tactics usual on such
occasions, and flung themselves into a heap, similar in colour and
contour to that described in a previous chapter, when we searched the
Herbert River. The same thing took place again exactly; we sat down in
a circle round them, waiting for the deafening "yabbering" to die away,
which "yabbering" burst forth in all its pristine discord, whenever one
of the party made the slightest movement. Time and patience, however,
had the desired effect, restoring tone to their not over sensitive
systems, and at the expiration of half an hour, we could distinguish
sharp, bead-like black eyes peering at us out of the mass, which had
now sunk into silence, but burst out again louder than ever, when
Lizzie made her appearance from one of the gunyahs--perhaps the
paternal roof, who knows?--where she had retired, swelling with
indignation, and as sulky as a whole team of mules. Finding that no
one took any notice of her, and half an hour's reflection having, I
suppose, convinced her, that if she wanted to make a display before her
relations, now was the time, her ladyship came slowly up to the circle,
and commenced an attack on poor Dunmore, as she knew him best. To
transcribe her words would be impossible, for she put in a native
sentence whenever she found herself at a loss for an English one, but
the burden of her plaint was this:--
"Plenty d--d fooly fellow, white fellow"--a string of Hinchinbrook
vernacular--"Baal you been shoot 'em like 'it dingo"--more
Hinchinbrook, but evidently, from the accompanying gestures, indicative
of intense disgust--"Baal mine take any more along of black fellow
camp"--half sobs--"Baal mine care suppose you fellow all go like 'it--"
And she summarily consigned us to the bottomless pit, as the only place
at all suited for such stupid idiots who could refrain from shooting
blacks when so grand an opportunity presented itself. Her eyes flashed
fire as she delivered herself of her woes, and at the concluding
sentence she stamped her little foot, and flinging a short waddy she
held, with remarkable dexterity and no mean force, into the midst of
the sable mass, she turned round to depart with the dignity of a
tragedy queen, when Dunmore jumped up, caught her, and holding her
wrist, walked off a little way from us.
"You like 'it one fine fellow red shirt, Lizzie? Mine give you one
with 'plenty long tail'. Baal any other gin along of camp have shirt
like 'it you; and when piccaninny sit down" (for there was a prospect
of her presenting Ferdinand with a little pledge of affection), "mine
give that fellow two budgeree flour-bag shirts, suppose only you good
fellow girl Lizzie."
Evidently, Dunmore knew the way to the young lady's heart--we nicknamed
him "Faust" afterwards--for at the mention of the red shirt, with the
lengthy tails, her eyes lost their fierceness, and the allusion to the
piccaninny completed his victory, and changing at once from one extreme
to the other, as only a black or a child can, Miss Lizzie took her seat
in the circle, lighted her pipe, commenced nodding to, and chatting
most affably with, her relatives, and looking so kind, that it seemed
impossible to believe that an intense longing for bloodshed and cruelty
had so shortly before lurked in the breast of the pretty, smiling
little savage who was now beside us.
During the task of pacifying Lizzie, the "heap" had again sunk into
comparative silence, and only a confused murmur was audible from its
depths. Allowing no time to be lost, Dunmore said to Lizzie--who was
puffing out huge mouthfuls of smoke, greatly to the astonishment of the
other gins, who looked as if they expected to see her suddenly blaze
up--
"Lizzie, you ask, suppose they been see any white fellow on island?
White fellow in plenty big canoe. That fellow canoe been come like 'it
shore. You tell them, 'Baal white fellow hurt you, suppose you been
show, where brother belonging to him sit down.' You tell them that,
Lizzie."
Lizzie proceeded with the greatest gravity, and evidently with an
overwhelming sense of self-importance, to put the required questions,
whilst we anxiously awaited her replies.
"Well, what they been say?" exclaimed Dunmore at last, when there was a
momentary break in the conversation.
I should imagine that the vernacular of the Hinchinbrook Islanders was
not pre-eminently adapted for the noble intricacies of diplomatic
intrigue. In the first place it contains but few words, and none
representing any number higher than five, so that even the courtly
nobleman now presiding over Foreign Affairs, would find the smooth flow
of his amenities subjected to rude shocks; and as for expressing any
large number either in words or figures--say, for instance, the Alabama
indemnity of three millions--to do so, would tax to the utmost the
genius of the late Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lizzie, in her first
flash of pride, as representing a plenipotentiary armed with
extraordinary powers, had commenced negotiations with the dignity and
slowness of speech adapted to so exalted a personage. But the shrill
chorus which emanated from the audience was decidedly antagonistic to
grave deliberation, and the anxious curiosity of the woman superseding
the self imposed role of the diplomatist, our envoy lost the pompous
tone she had first adopted, and a volley of queries and replies was
exchanged so rapidly, and with such appalling shrillness, that we
onlookers ran a great risk of being either deafened, or driven out of
our senses. At the first slackening of the wordy warfare, Dunmore put
his questions, and then Lizzie said--
"Baal there been any white fellow along of here."
"You been sure, Lizzie, ask suppose they been see any big fellow canoe."
Again the same hideous noise now took place, but I will not tire my
readers with too minute a description of a scene with which they must
now be pretty conversant, suffice it to say, that what with the real or
pretended stupidity of the gins, and the imperfect English of our
interpreter, we were more puzzled at the conclusion of the debate than
we had been at its commencement.
"Had they seen a vessel?"
"Oh yes, big fellow, with wings like 'it bird."
"How long ago?"
"Plenty long time ago."
"One moon ago?"
"Yes, one moon ago."
"Sure it was one moon?"
"No, thought it must be one day ago, and plenty smoke sit down along of
big canoe."
Altogether the skein was too tangled for us to attempt to unravel it.
They had seen vessels evidently, both sailing ships and steamers, but
whether it was yesterday, or ten years back, there were no means of
ascertaining; but to make certain that we were not being deceived, we
instituted a strict overhaul of the gunyahs, in hopes of finding
something that might give us a clue to the fate of the missing men.
When we broke up our circle for this purpose, the component parts of
the "heap" assumed an upright posture, and it was remarkable to witness
the awe with which they regarded Lizzie. At first they seemed afraid
to approach her, and stood some five yards distant, watching her whilst
she puffed out the smoke from her relighted pipe, and posed herself in
an attitude of becoming superiority, for she saw clearly enough that
the happy moment for making an impression had arrived. Gradually they
drew closer and closer, and at last, three of the eldest gins going
down on all fours, crept slowly up until close in front of her, when
they stopped, and buried their withered old faces in the sand at her
feet. After enjoying their humiliation for a few seconds, she
condescended to speak to them, and very shortly they were all
chattering away on the most amicable terms.
Meanwhile the gunyahs or native huts, and the camp, had been thoroughly
searched, but without bringing to light anything European, except a few
bottles, and a pint pot which had been accidentally left behind by one
of the party on the occasion of Lizzie's abduction. The gunyahs were
better constructed than usual, and consisted of saplings bent in an
arch and covered with tea-tree bark, a great improvement on all the
native dwellings we had hitherto seen, which were generally little
better than a rude screen against the wind. But our time was precious,
for we carried but little provision; and we could not afford to loiter
about, even in so pleasant a spot as this little bay; so, after
dispatching a hasty dinner, we started off afresh, to the immense
relief of the gins, and got out of the valley by another pass, which
Lizzie showed us. I must not forget to mention one ludicrous
circumstance, which convulsed us with laughter. The gins showed such
curiosity about Lizzie's pipe, that she handed it round and made them
each take a puff. Their expressions, when the pungent smoke caused
them either to sneeze, cough, or choke, were most laughable; and I have
no doubt that it is still a matter of wonder to them, and a fruitful
source of debate over the camp-fires, what pleasure the white man can
find in filling his mouth with smoke, apparently with no better object
than to puff it out again as soon as possible. Our course now lay due
south, and the travelling was much the same as in the morning, that is
to say, as bad and as fatiguing as it well could be. Lizzie said she
could take us to another bay, where there were sure to be more blacks;
and so we trudged patiently along under her guidance, with the sun
blazing down so fiercely that the carbine-barrels became quite heated.
Our new path was very similar to the last one, seeming to come to an
abrupt termination, but really shooting off at an angle, and leading
down to a bay, which opened out to our view about five o'clock, and did
not present nearly so pretty an appearance as the one we had just left,
for the ground seemed swampy, and the beach was a nasty muddy
mangrove-flat. We were also disappointed in not finding any blacks;
but as there is nothing so bad that it has not some redeeming quality,
so this dreary-looking swamp had its advantages, for the trees were
loaded with Torres Straits' pigeons, and sea-crabs were abundant. This
would enable us to lay in an extra day's provisions, and to extend our
search, if necessary, before visiting the 'Daylight', from which vessel
we were now separated by more than twenty miles of unknown country,
inclusive of a mountainous range. We determined not to shoot any
pigeons that night, for they would only keep the less time; and having
lit our fire by the side of a small creek, we had supper, and were soon
sleeping the sleep of the weary, the watch having instructions to call
us at an early hour for the purpose of replenishing our larder before
the birds took their departure for the mainland.
A pint pot of tea swallowed--what a blessing it is that this glorious
beverage is so portable that abundance can always be carried--three of
us sallied forth with our carbines, from which we had extracted the
bullets and substituted shot, each taking a different direction, the
troopers guaranteeing a crab breakfast, and Lizzie cutting and peeling
wooden skewers to roast the game on; for in this climate nothing will
keep beyond a few hours, unless partially cooked. I struck away
towards the left with the intention of making the mangroves as soon as
possible, where I knew I should find plenty of birds. The walk of the
day previous had made me a little stiff; but I felt lightly clad,
without the heavy blanket, which I had left in camp; and, by way of
getting rid of the stiffness, I started off at a run and soon reached
my destination, where I sat down until there was sufficient daylight to
enable me to see the game. As I rested on the root of a tree,
perfectly motionless, I saw something large moving among the mangroves;
but the dawn was as yet so uncertain that I could not distinguish
whether it was a human being or not.
"If that is a black fellow," I thought, "he's worth all the pigeons put
together, and I'll wait quietly to try and capture him," for the object
I saw was moving in the direction my companions had taken; and if it
were a native, he would be certain to return by the road he had come,
when he heard the firing. Sitting still, waiting for anything or
anybody, when waited on yourself by hungry mosquitoes, may be agreeable
enough to Mr. Fenimore Cooper's typical Red Indian, but I can safely
say that it is anything but pleasant work to a thin-skinned Englishman.
Daylight had now fully come, and I was beginning to hesitate as to
whether I had not better bag some of the birds that were fluttering
over my head, and get out of the swamp as fast as I could, when I heard
the distant report of a gun, and said to myself, "Well, I'll give the
nondescript five minutes more, and if it doesn't turn up by then, I'll
blaze away at the pigeons." Half the allotted time had barely elapsed,
when another report broke the stillness of the morning, and immediately
afterwards I heard a rustling among the mangrove-leaves, and a slight
crackling, as though some heavy weight were passing over the arched
roots. I stayed quiet, almost breathless, as the noise came nearer and
nearer, and, turning my head, I peered through the bush behind which I
had taken up my quarters, and saw a fine-looking black gliding
cautiously from one to another of the interlaced mangroves. He was
evidently quite unsuspicious of any danger in front, and kept all his
faculties concentrated on the direction in which he had heard the
carbine-shots, which now followed each other rapidly, as the two
gunners fired at the birds as fast as they could load.
"Now," thought I, "if I can only cut you off so as to keep you between
me and them, I am pretty certain to capture you, my friend;" and,
judging my time, I rushed from behind my bush, and was within ten yards
of him before he saw me. In his amazement he dropped the long
fish-spear with which he was armed, stood one moment undetermined, and
then made his way, with the greatest agility, from tree to tree, not
back towards my friends, as I had fondly hoped, but straight for the
bay. I followed as fast as I could, but he went two paces to my one.
I confess I felt sorely tempted to handicap him with a charge of small
shot, lodged somewhere about the calves of those lean legs that were
carrying him over the roots with such provoking rapidity, and have
often wondered since why I refrained; but I did, and continued to
scuttle after him, now slipping down and barking my shins, now nearly
losing my carbine, and often compelled to sprawl on all fours. He was
now forty or fifty yards ahead of me, and I was nearly giving up the
useless chase, when an unforeseen accident turned the tables in my
favour, and caused me to push on with redoubled vigour. As we
approached the bay, the whole of the roots and lower portions of the
mangroves became thickly studded with oysters, whose shells, sharp as
razors, cut the bare feet of the fugitive; while, on the contrary, they
proved of assistance to me by preventing my thick boots from slipping
off the treacherous roots. I now gained ground as fast as I had
previously lost it, and made certain of capturing my prisoner on
arriving at the end of the mangroves, through which I could already
catch glimpses of the sea. Animated by the thoughts of bringing a
captive into camp, from whom we should probably gain valuable
information, I jumped from tree to tree in hot pursuit, and when the
bay opened out clearly, I was only a short distance in the rear.
"Now I've got you," I muttered, as the black fellow jumped on to the
last stool of roots, and as I was eagerly following, holding my breath
for a tussle; when, to my intense mortification, he plunged headlong
into the sea, leaving me disconsolate and out of wind, to get back as
best I could. I waited until his head reappeared, which was not until
he had put a good thirty yards between us, and, pointing my carbine,
shouted to him to return or I would fire. It was quite useless. He
went quietly out seaward, and at the last, when I turned unwillingly to
retrace my steps, I saw his black head bobbing about on the calm
surface. When, after a series of involuntary feats on the mangrove
rope, I again stood on 'terra firma', all the pigeons had left; and I
was compelled to make my way back to camp, empty-handed, muddy, cut
about the shins, and with my boots almost in tatters. "So much,"
thought I, "for trying to catch a black fellow single-handed."
My companions had shot plenty of pigeons, after roasting which we
started for the interior of the island, and without meeting with
anything beyond the ordinary routine of bad bush and mountain
travelling; certainly encountering nothing that would justify me in
inflicting a prolix description upon the reader--we arrived late on the
following evening at the rendezvous, found the 'Daylight' safely at
anchor, and thus completed one portion of our search, without having
obtained the faintest clue to an elucidation of the mystery of the
'Eva'.
The pilot reported that, to the best of his belief, no blacks had
succeeded in making their escape to the mainland; several canoes had
attempted to cross, but they had been seen and intercepted, though none
of their occupants had been captured. One canoe he had taken
possession of, and now showed us, which was, I think, the most
primitive piece of naval architecture any of us had seen. Canoe it
could hardly be called, for it was only a sheet of bark curled up by
the action of fire; the bow and stern formed by folding the
extremities, and passing a tree-nail, or, rather, a large skewer,
through the plaits. When placed in the water, the portion amidships,
which represented the gunwale, was not four inches above the surface,
and so frail that no European could have got into it without a capsize,
though the black fellows are so naturally endued with the laws of
equilibrium that they can stand upright in these tiny craft, and even
spear and haul on board large fish.
We slept in the hold of the 'Daylight' that night, after making all
arrangements for a start at early dawn. We trusted that the Cleveland
Bay party would have performed their portion of the task, and
thoroughly overhauled the southern part of the island, and fully
expected to fall in with them on the following day.
Our road lay through most abominable country--stony, precipitous, and
in places covered with dense vegetation. The traces of blacks were
abundant, and we could travel but a short distance without falling in
with some of the numerous camping-places. In many of these, the fires
were still smouldering, but the inhabitants had cleared out, most
probably warned by those whom the whale-boat had intercepted. Each
camp was subjected to a rigid scrutiny, but without revealing anything
European, except fragments of bottles, to which we attached no
importance, for they were probably flung over-board by some passing
vessel, and carried ashore by the tide. These are highly valued by the
blacks, who do not use them for carrying water, but break them, and
scrape down their spears with the fragments.