When the next morning broke, Joseph found himself as blind as before.
It was a sad trial to him. "So many things to be done, and I not able
to work," sighed Joseph.
"The boys and I and Sally will do our best, and may be, in a day or two
you will be able to see," answered Sarah. "You've often said, `God's
will be done;' we must say it now, husband."
"Yes, Sarah, yes, I do say it. And how is the poor black fellow?" asked
Joseph.
"His foot seems terribly bad. I wish there was a doctor to look to it,
or I am afraid that he will never walk again; I've kept on bathing it,
and he bears the pain wonderfully."
Early in the day, Sam returned with the tobacco and other stuff for
washes, and he and old Mat set to work to mix them, and to wash the
diseased sheep. While they were at work, a horseman was seen drawing
near to the station, but not from the direction the master would come.
It proved to be young Mr Harlow. He had heard of the distemper having
broken out among his neighbour's sheep, and wished to know what was to
be done to prevent its spreading.
On learning of the accident which had happened to Rudge, he went in to
see him. "I have studied as a surgeon, and may, I hope, be of use to
you," he said. "From what I see, I have great hopes that you will soon
recover with the help of remedies I will apply."
Joseph thanked him, and begged that he would look at Troloo's foot.
"This is a more difficult case, but the natives' hurts heal so rapidly,
that I have little doubt that he also will soon be well," he observed.
It is not necessary to describe the means he employed. He rode over
every day, though his time was of great value, and in the course of a
few days, Joseph declared that he could once more see light and people
moving about. Troloo's foot was also nearly well. "A white man's would
have taken twice the time," Mr Harlow observed.
Troloo, however, showed no desire to go away; "Black fellow lub Jo, work
for Jo," he said.
Of course Rudge was very glad to get his assistance, though he knew that
he could not depend long on him, and that any moment he might set off
again by himself. He could help with the sheep, but cattle have such a
dislike to black men that they will not let one come near them.
When Mr Ramsay arrived, he highly approved of all Rudge had done, and
was much concerned to hear of his blindness, though Mr Harlow assured
him that he would soon recover his sight, as he shortly did. Joseph and
his wife were very grateful to Mr Harlow.
"Do not thank me, I am but making a right use of the talents God has
given me," he answered.
He brought with him a number of small books and tracts, and told Joseph
that he should be glad to have them lent to all the neighbouring
shepherds and stockmen. "We will also meet together for prayer and
reading God's word, when next I come over," he said.
This was done; and not only old Mat but several other shepherds and
hut-keepers came to Joseph's hut which he had prepared for them. This
was the beginning of a Church in the wilderness, for after this, Mr
Harlow often came to the station, and the Miss Harlows rode over and
brought books and pictures for the children and work for Sally, and
stopped to show her how to do it, and also to teach the children to
read.
Joseph and Sarah were very grateful. They had long felt that though
they were getting good wages and saving money, it was a sad thing not to
have their children taught nor be able to go to a place of worship.
"Sam is not so bad a scholar, and Bobby and Sally read pretty well, but
Nancy and Bill and Mary will have little chance of getting any
learning," said Joseph to Mr Harlow. "If we could have a master
sometimes, it would help us; and then when there is less work to be
done, the elder children can help the younger; but generally they come
home so tired that all they can do is to take their suppers and go to
bed."
Mr Harlow promised that he would talk the matter over with Mr Ramsay,
and see what could be done for the children on his and the neighbouring
runs. In the meantime, he left some small books and tracts, which could
be carried in the pocket and read at spare moments.
It was a joyful day to Joseph Rudge and to his wife and children when he
was able to say that he could see as well as ever. They did not forget
to thank God who had been thus kind to them.
"It would have been terrible if you had been struck blind all alone in
the forest," said Sarah, "I have often thought of that, and what a mercy
it was that you found the black."
"Yes indeed, wife," answered Joseph, "I might have been drowned, too, if
I had tried to cross the creek by myself. One thing I know, and I often
thought of it while I was without sight, that God orders all things for
our good, though we do not always see the why and the wherefore things
are done."
It took a long time before the sheep were quite cured of the distemper
and the flocks were allowed to mingle as before.
Sam and Bob and old Mat had worked very hard, but they could not have
got on alone, if Tom Wells had not been sent to help them. Tom was a
first-rate rider, and a fair stockman, so he was sent to look after the
cattle. He was lodged in old Mat's house. He had been thus employed
only a day or two, when Peach managed to meet him.
"Stock keeping better than bullock driving, lad, eh?" were the first
words Peach uttered.
"I should think so, mate," said Tom.
"More profit to be made of it," observed Peach.
"Wages is wages," observed Tom. "If I agree for so much, I take it, and
must be content; if I take more than that, it's robbery to my mind, and
with that I've no business."
"Oh those are Rudge's notions, he's been putting you up to that sort of
stuff," remarked Peach, with a look of contempt; and then he muttered,
"But I'll be even with him and you too."
"They are the notions of all decently honest men," said Wells, turning
away from the tempter.
Peach was not a man to give up a plan he had once formed. As he could
not get the help of Rudge and Wells, he tried other means to get
possession of his master's cattle. He had always made friends, as far
as he could, with the blacks, a tribe of whom often pitched their tents
near his hut. He was a sober man, and did not mind parting with his
rum. All sober men are not good men, though drunkenness rarely fails to
lead to crime and punishment. He had looked out for the blacks, and had
told them that they must help him to get the cattle. They had managed
from time to time to drive off a few calves.
As has been said, cattle have a fear of blacks, and, scenting them at a
long distance, scamper off as soon as they draw near.
Thus Peach could not get much help from his friends. He now set off
again on horseback to pay them a visit; for they were camped some miles
away. He took care to go provided with presents, a few coloured
handkerchiefs and knives, and a few other things.
On his way, his horse put his foot into a hole, and fell. Peach was
thrown over his head. He was not much hurt, so he got up, and catching
his horse, mounted again.
"Now I am on you I will pay you off, you brute," he exclaimed, thrashing
the poor animal with his heavy whip. The horse dashed on for some way,
then stopped short. He was dead lame. In vain Peach tried to make him
move. To return would have taken longer than to go on; so dismounting,
he led on the animal, hoping to reach the blacks' camp before
night-fall. He went on and on, and it grew darker and darker, till he
thought that he should have to camp out. He had no fancy to do that by
himself. There were no wild beasts in the country to fear, and he would
have told any one who asked him, that he did not believe in ghosts and
spirits and such-like gentry; still there was something he did not like
when he was all alone in the dark woods at night. His conscience was
not at ease. There were strange sounds and sights he could not make
out. He had no almighty Friend to whom he could offer up a prayer for
protection; no wonder that he was a coward. He still went on, though he
could hardly find the way; when on a sudden he stopped, and as he leaned
forward, staring with wide open eyes and hair on end, he saw a blazing
fire in the midst of an open glade, and on the farther side a hideous
band of skeleton forms dancing and twisting and turning in all sorts of
ways. Now, after leaping about furiously for a moment, they would on a
sudden disappear, and not one was to be seen.
For a minute or more all was quiet, and Peach hoped that he had seen the
last of them; when like a flash they all came back and jumped about as
before. He stood trembling with fear, he would have run away if he
could, but where was he to run to?
This fearful show went on for some time, when the most fearful shrieks
and yells were heard.
"Why I do believe it's the black fellows dancing a corroborree," he
muttered to himself. "What a fool I was! Now they yell! I make out
their voices."
Leading his horse, which was more frightened at the shrieks than he had
been by the sight of the skeletons, he walked into the middle of a group
of blacks. He now saw by the light of the fire, which was made to blaze
up brightly, that on the front of each of the men a skeleton was painted
with white chalk. These were seen when the light of the fire fell on
them, but when they turned round and only their black backs were towards
the fire, they seemed to have gone away altogether. He knew that it
would not do to show the anger he felt at the fright they had given him.
He stood quiet, therefore, with some of the old men looking on till the
dance was over. He was known to most of the natives, who welcomed him
in the odd jargon in which the white settlers and blacks talk to each
other.
"He would tell them by-and-by what he had come to see them about, and in
the meantime he had some presents to make," he said.
The delight of the savages at getting the handkerchiefs and knives was
very great. He told them that there were more for them if they would do
what he wished. He then called some of the elders round him, and told
them what he advised them to do. He told them that he was the black
fellows' friend, as they had proof, but that the other white men in
those parts were their enemies, and that they should drive them away if
they could, or kill them, and that then, they might have all their sheep
and cattle for themselves. The poor savages seemed to understand this
sort of reasoning, and promised to do as he advised. He sat up till a
late hour talking with them. The whole party then lay down in the
"gunyio," or camp, with a few boughs or sheets of bark over their heads
as their only covering, though most of them had bright fires burning at
their feet outside. It was some time before Peach's busy brain would
let him go to sleep. At last he went off, and began to snore. Not long
after, a black might have been seen passing close to him. "Oh you one
white villain!" he exclaimed, shaking his head at him, "you call black
man savage, you ten times worse; but black fellow teach you that you no
more clever than he."
Saying this, the black disappeared among the trees around.