The Cookery disturbed.--A Signal-rocket.--A Surprise and
Capture.--Pillage.--The Taste of Gunpowder.--A Fatal Explosion.--The
Contrivances of Necessity.--A Region of Famine.--Renewed Hopes.--An
Unfair Advantage.
A nook was soon cleared, where the family landed, and the light canoes
were drawn close to shore, and moored to the canes. Then the fine rushes
were cut down and spread to form seats for Margaret and her father; and
Arthur, with Wilkins and Jack, set out with guns and bows, leaving Hugh
and O'Brien to guard the encampment. Baldabella then went off with her
spear, and soon pierced several large fish; and while Mr. Mayburn took
out his book, and Margaret talked to Nakinna, Jenny and Ruth made a fire
to broil the fish.
Already the cooking began to smell temptingly, and the hungry little
girl was dancing joyfully about the fire, watching till the repast was
ready, when Baldabella suddenly threw down her spear, started forward,
and laying her hand on Margaret's arm, she held up her finger in an
attitude of warning, and bent forward as if listening. Then drawing a
deep sigh, she whispered through her closed teeth--"Baldabella hear him,
missee; black fellow come--one, two, many--eat missee--eat Nakinna--burn
all!" Then snatching up her child, she gazed wildly round, and her fears
were confirmed a minute after, by the fatal cry ringing through the
reeds, which announced the proximity of the dreaded natives.
The boys, who were rambling about among the bamboos, searching for
nests, at the vexatious sound of the _coo-ee_, left their spoil to hurry
to the encampment, and entreat their father and sister to embark at once
and seek safety; but Mr. Mayburn could not be persuaded to leave the
absent.
"Then let us make a sally to bring them up," said Gerald; "no time
should be lost; we have our bows to defend ourselves, though they
carried the guns with them."
"But they must have heard the _coo-ee_ as well as we did," replied Hugh,
"and, depend on it, they are on the road back to us. I say, nurse, we
must eat our fish cold; just pull that fire to pieces."
Ruth the unlucky, always officious, took a bucket of water and threw it
over the blazing sticks; on which a dark, dense smoke rose up from them
like a column, and the cries of the natives were now heard loud and
triumphant.
"Oh! Ruth, Ruth!" said Hugh, "you have sent up a signal-rocket to them.
Margaret and papa, do step into the canoe; there is more safety on the
river than here."
"I do not see that, Hugh," answered Mr. Mayburn; "the water is so
shallow here, that they could wade to us, and we must not run down the
stream and leave our kind foragers."
A loud rustling and crackling among the reeds prevented more words; the
boys would have sent their arrows into the thicket, but Margaret
besought, and Mr. Mayburn commanded, that they should not begin
aggression, and a few minutes rendered these weapons absolutely useless,
for they were closely surrounded by a numerous tribe of natives,
carrying spears. But the anxious voyagers soon discovered that the
people were peacefully inclined, for they made no attempt to injure the
strangers, but with loud cries and rapidly-uttered words, seemed to
express astonishment rather than anger.
One man took Margaret's large sun-hat from her head and placed it on his
own, which so much delighted the rest, that all the hats of the party
were coolly and speedily appropriated, without any opposition from the
rightful owners, except from Ruth, who tied her bonnet so firmly under
her chin, that the rough attempts of the man to tear it from her head
nearly strangled her, till Margaret stepped forward to relieve her by
loosing the strings.
O'Brien, also, was so indignant when one of the savages came to claim
his hat, that he flung it into the river, but the man leaped in and
rescued it, and at the same time he discovered the canoes, and summoned
his friends vociferously to look on these new treasures. In the mean
time the fish already cooked was devoured by some of the natives, and
the rest revived the fire to cook the remainder of Baldabella's spoil.
Jenny's shawl was next discovered, and appropriated by a bold marauder,
who threw it, in not ungraceful drapery, over his uncovered shoulders.
Another savage stripped from Ruth a large cloak which she had hastily
put on to conceal the basket which contained her last two fowls, which
she held on her arm. This basket was a new prize, and the fowls were
regarded with much curiosity.
"Oh! tell 'em not to twine their necks about, Mistress Baldabella,"
cried Ruth. "Tell 'em what bonnie creaters they are, laying every day,
too."
But Baldabella, shy and fearful, had slunk behind the rest, and Margaret
undertook to point out to the robber the value of the fowls, by showing
him the eggs and caressing the birds. The man grinned, to express that
he understood the explanation, sucked the eggs, and then walked off with
basket and fowls, leaving Ruth in complete despair.
Just at that moment, Arthur issued from among the reeds, and started
back, overcome with amazement and dismay, at the sight of the dark crowd
which thronged the little clearance. He was immediately surrounded, and
before he could offer any effectual resistance, his gun and hat were
taken away, as well as a bag of pigeons that was hung over his arm.
"Baldabella," said he, "ask the chief of the tribe what he wants from
us. We will give him the birds, and some knives and axes; but his people
must then go away, and leave us our canoes and our guns."
Baldabella reluctantly came forward, and bending her head down as she
approached the chief, repeated her message in a submissive tone, and the
savage replied in a long harangue which made the poor woman tremble, and
which she interpreted to her friends, greatly abridged, saying:--"Black
fellow say, he take all: he very angry. Good white friend all
run--fast--go away! Meny, much meny, black fellows come--all very
hungry--eat fish--eat bird--eat all white friend. Go fast,
massa;--missee, good friend, go away!"
This was decidedly sound advice; but under the present circumstances it
was no easy task for the large party to run away. Wilkins and Jack had
joined them, and were immediately seized by the savages, disarmed, and
held fast by their captors. The attack was too sudden to allow them any
opposition, and Jack looked deeply distressed, while Wilkins was
absolutely furious, till a few words from Arthur induced them to submit
with quietness to have their game and their hats taken away from them.
Then the robbers paused, evidently lost in admiration of the complicated
dress of their captives, which they seemed desirous to possess, but were
puzzled how to separate the garments from the wearer, or probably
doubtful whether they did not actually form a part of that anomalous
creature, a white man. It was plain, however, that Baldabella and her
child were of their own race, and the chief went up to her, and
commanded her to follow him, and become one of his jins. The poor woman,
in terror and indignation, refused his request, and turned to flee from
him; the savage immediately seized the child, and the alarmed mother,
supported by Arthur and Hugh, tried in vain to rescue the screaming
girl, till the man, in a violent rage, sprung forward to the river, and
flung the child into the water. But in a moment Hugh leaped in after it,
and brought the half-senseless child to the distracted mother, who had
plunged in after him herself.
But now the chief's attention was diverted from Baldabella to the spoils
of his victims; and some of the men were sent off with baskets,
portmanteaus, knives, axes, guns, and all the precious possessions of
the unfortunate travellers, who momentarily expected to be murdered as
well as pillaged.
When the canoes had been completely ransacked, four of the men carried
them off, while the rest were collected round a skin bag which contained
their valuable ammunition. One of the natives drew out a canister of
gunpowder, forced it open, and filled his mouth with the powder. With
ludicrous grimaces, he spat out the nauseous mixture, and raised his
hand to fling the rest upon the fire. Arthur saw the motion, and calling
on his friends to escape, he rushed up, hoping to arrest the arm of the
ignorant man; but he was too late, and though he retreated the moment he
saw the canister flying through the air, he was prostrated senseless by
the fearful explosion that followed.
The very earth shook beneath their feet, and such of the natives as were
not actually stunned by the shock, fled, with cries of horror, into the
bush, which was already blazing in several places from the burning
fragments of the fire cast in all directions. The emancipated prisoners
had all, with the exception of Arthur, reached in safety the edge of the
river; and though trembling and much shaken, they had not sustained any
injury. Arthur was brought to them perfectly insensible; but in a few
minutes, when water had been plentifully poured over him, he recovered,
and except a nervous tremor that lasted many hours, and the loss of his
hair, which was completely scorched off, no serious consequences
succeeded his perilous accident.
But though temporarily relieved from the presence of the savages, they
were still in the midst of great dangers. The dry blazing reeds rendered
further progress impossible; and they gratefully thanked God that the
little spot they had cleared for their landing now afforded them a
secure refuge.
The wind carried the flames rapidly down the east bank of the river
towards the south; and they waited in great agitation till a path should
be opened for them to proceed. Their anxious silence was interrupted by
the sound of a low musical wail, so expressive of sorrow that it pained
every heart; and on looking round, they saw the dirge proceeded from
Baldabella, who was bending over the body of the native who had perished
in the explosion caused by his own ignorance, and now lay a blackened
corpse on the spot from whence he had flung the canister.
The little girl was kneeling by her mother, seeming to be conscious of
the solemnity of the ceremony, and raising her feeble voice, in
imitation of her mother. Much affected, Mr. Mayburn drew near them, and
briefly and simply explained to the tender-hearted woman the uselessness
of mourning over the hapless dead, and the lesson his sudden fate
afforded to the living; and he begged her to join him in the prayer that
they might all live so watchfully, that the hour of death might never
surprise them unprepared. The plain truths of Christianity had fallen
with good effect on the mind of the grateful and gentle woman, and Mr.
Mayburn hoped earnestly that she and her child had been, by God's mercy,
rescued from darkness.
"And now, let us turn away from this sad spectacle, my good woman,"
continued Mr. Mayburn, "and endeavor to escape from this burning
wilderness, for we all have work to do in the world. Arthur, will you,
with your usual prudence, decide which way we shall turn? The flames are
raging before us, and these savage natives may, at any moment, beset us
from behind. My judgment fails to point out any escape; but, Arthur, I
will pray for God's assistance, that you may be enabled to save us all."
"We may retrace our path up the river--a discouraging journey!" said
Arthur; "or we may wait till the devouring flames have cleared a road
for us; but the delay is perilous. Even should we try to force our way
east, into yon barren desert, destitute as we now are, we should only
obtain a change of evils; and I am reluctant to leave the friendly
river, where alone we can hope to obtain food and water."
Baldabella pointed across the broad river, and said, "Go quick there,
find many root, many nut, no black fellow. Bad black fellow come back
soon, paint all white; very angry, see brother dead; kill all white man,
eat Nakinna, carry away Baldabella! God never come to black fellow."
To cross the river did certainly seem the most desirable plan; but how
to effect the transit was a perplexing question. It was about a hundred
yards across, but, as far as they could judge, not more than from four
to five feet deep at any part; so that the young men would have no
difficulty in wading across; but to the women, and even to Mr. Mayburn,
such an undertaking would be very difficult, if not impossible.
Jack looked round in despair; there were no trees, and even if there had
been any, he had no axe. They examined carefully the field of plunder,
in hopes some tool or utensil might have been overlooked by the
plunderers; but, except the spear of the fallen native, and the
fishing-spear of Baldabella, nothing had been left behind. Wilkins had
fortunately preserved a long knife which he wore under his blouse; and,
from the mysterious form of the dresses, the pockets had escaped being
rifled.
Jack looked joyfully at the knife, and said, "We might cut some of these
thick tall reeds, and make a float for them, Mr. Arthur. I have a few
loose nails in my pocket, and here's a stone with a hole through it; we
can fix a reed handle to it, and then it will make shift for a hammer.
We could easily guide them over on a float of this sort, it's my
opinion."
It was at least desirable to make the experiment; so without delay the
strong bamboos were cut, broken, or torn down; a range of them placed
flat, close together on the ground, connected by transverse bars, which
were fastened somewhat imperfectly with Jack's precious "loose nails." A
quarter of an hour completed this slight frame; in which time the
conflagration, which had run to some distance down the banks of the
river, had left a scorched and smoking clearance, disclosing the bodies
of three more victims, who had not been able to escape the rapid flames.
The boys found also several nests of half-roasted water-fowls, which
they snatched away at some risk from the heated ground, and brought
forward for a needful repast.
"If we had but saved the ropes!" exclaimed Jack. But ropes were not
attainable, nor even that excellent substitute for them, the stringy
bark; and the raft was launched on the river, to be drawn or urged
across by the strong arms of the men. Margaret, at her own request, was
the first to venture on the frail machine, guided on one side by Jack,
and on the other by Wilkins, who waded, and in some places swam, and
brought their charge in safety to the opposite bank, which was covered
with reeds like that which they had left.
In this way the strong men successively brought over Mr. Mayburn and the
two women. Baldabella, with her child on her shoulder and her
fishing-spear in her hand, plunged at once into the water, followed by
Arthur, who insisted on her holding his hand through the deepest part.
Finally, after a sorrowful look at the scene of their losses, and a vain
search for any trifling article of their property, the two boys followed
their friends. Then the disconsolate travellers, forcing their way
through the reedy thicket, stood to gaze with consternation on the wild
barren region that spread before them.
"God has pleased to cast us feeble and destitute into this wide
wilderness," said Mr. Mayburn; "of ourselves, we can do nothing, but He
is mighty to save. He rescued us from the murdering savage, from flood,
and from fire, and He will not suffer us to perish from famine, if we
pray and trust. Let us lift up our hands and voices in thanksgiving and
submission."
The rough convict, the ignorant Baldabella, and the simple child joined
earnestly in the devotions of their more enlightened friends; and
refreshed and hopeful, they rose from their knees, "to walk in faith the
darkling paths of earth."
"If we can but keep near the river," said Margaret, "we cannot perish
for want; and, besides, it seems to lead us in the very path we wish to
follow."
"Fish is better nor starving," said Wilkins; "but I reckon we'se soon
tire on't, if we come on nought better. What's come to t' lass now?"
addressing Ruth, who was weeping.
"I've gone and roven a hole in my boot," sobbed she, "and I don't know
how ever I'se to git it mended."
The boys laughed at the small distress of Ruth; but, after all, it was
no laughing matter for her. To walk over the brush-covered plain, or
among the dry reeds, was a trying exertion even for the well-shod, and
Margaret was dismayed when she considered how this could be accomplished
when their boots should fail. "Yet why dare I doubt?" she said. "See,
Ruth; Baldabella, and even little Nakinna, walk as well as we do, and
they are barefooted. We must not shrink from such small trials as this."
Just then a pair of the splendid bronze pigeons, so unequalled in beauty
by any of their race, winged their flight from the water above the heads
of the travellers; and though they no longer had the means of obtaining
these birds, as delicious in taste as they are lovely in plumage, they
were satisfied to see there were animals in the waste around them.
"These thin bamboos would make capital arrows," said Hugh; "and I have
no doubt we can bend one of these tall canes for a bow, if we had but
the means of stringing it."
"We might, at all events, sharpen some of the canes for spears," said
Arthur, "not only for defence in need, but to be useful if we should be
so fortunate as to encounter a kangaroo, or meet with the burrows of the
wombats."
"What has become of our raft?" asked Margaret "You had there a good
stock of bamboos ready cut."
"With all my nails in them," exclaimed Jack. "What a fool I was not to
remember that in time; now it will be far enough down the river."
It was too true: the raft had already been carried away by the stream
out of their sight; and all deeply regretted their negligence, as they
moved slowly through the entangled scrub, frequently compelled to walk
actually over the low bushes. On the opposite shore of the river they
could still discover the wild flames flying down before the wind, and
leaving behind a black smoking surface.
When wearied with the excitement and toil of the day, they were
compelled to seek rest among the comfortless reeds, they sat down and
looked at each other for some time rather sorrowfully, for the pressure
of hunger had fallen on all. It was Baldabella who first relieved their
distress; with untired energy she went to the river with her spear, and
returned very soon with a large river-cod, and an apron filled with the
fresh-water mussels, now truly prized for their useful shells. A fire
was soon made, the fish was spitted on a sharpened reed, and while it
was roasting, Hugh, with Wilkins's invaluable knife, cut a number of
short thin reeds into chopsticks, as he called them, to enable them to
convey the roasted fish from the reeds on which it was dished to their
mouths. Rude as the contrivance was, and laughable as were the failures
made in using their new utensils, they managed to make a satisfactory
supper, and were content to sleep among the reeds in the open air,
though the nights now felt exceedingly cold.
For several days they continued to toil on along the reedy banks of the
river, over the same cheerless bush, and subsisting on the same
unvarying fish diet. Then the banks became rocky and precipitous, and
the river so difficult of access that it was only at rare openings they
were able to obtain water or fish. But soon after the landscape was
enlivened once more by tall trees. Their path was over the grassy
plains, which were even now, in the winter of the year, gay with bright
flowers. More than once they remarked with thankfulness the track of the
kangaroo, and the chattering of birds gave them hopes of new food, and
they anxiously sought the means of obtaining them.
With what joy they recognized the stringy-bark tree, and gathered the
fibres to twist into bowstrings, and with what triumph did Hugh, the
first who finished the rude weapon, draw his rough string and bring down
pigeons and cockatoos sufficient for an ample meal even to the
half-starved, but which taxed the ingenuity of the women to cook in any
way. They were finally made into what Gerald called a Meg Merrilies
stew, which was cooked in a very large mussel-shell, and even without
salt or vegetables was fully enjoyed by the dissatisfied fish-eaters.
Then they all sat down earnestly to make a complete stock of bows and
arrows; even Baldabella worked hard in twisting the bark for strings,
and when they set out to continue their journey, they felt more
confidence, for they were now provided with the means of obtaining food,
and of defending themselves against hostile attacks; and in another day
they again met with wild oats, and, to the joy of the women, with the
tea-bush. The fig-trees no longer bore fruit, but they were still
covered with their usual inhabitants, flocks of brilliant pigeons,
chattering cockatoos, and the satin-bird, distinguished by its flossy
plumage and dazzling bright eye. Occasionally they still met with the
cucumber melon, a pleasant refreshment when they were weary; and now,
strong in hope, they went on their way, still keeping within sight of
the river.
"Every hour must bring us nearer to some of the most remote settlements
of enterprising squatters," said Margaret, as they rested beneath a
fig-tree one evening; "and all our trials would be forgotten if we could
once more feel the blessing of a roof over our heads and hear the
language of civilized life."
"It'll be a gay bit yet afore we come on 'em, Miss," said Wilkins.
"Folks is not such fools as to squat on bare commons; and there's
another thing ye'll find,--we'se meet a few more of them black dogs yet,
specially if we come on a bit of good land; they're up to that as well
as we are. And now, as things look a bit better, I'd not wonder if
they're nigh at hand."
"I agree with you, Wilkins," said Arthur. "We are now certainly in
danger of encountering tribes of natives, especially as we are on the
track of the kangaroos, a great temptation to them."
"I wish we could see one of the mountebank beasts," said Gerald;
"wouldn't I send an arrow or a spear into him. Take notice, all of you,
I intend to bag the first old fellow that shows his long nose."
A sudden spring from a thicket behind them brought a large kangaroo into
the midst of the circle, and before they had recovered the surprise
sufficiently to take up bows or spears, a succession of rapid bounds had
carried the animal completely beyond their reach.
A burst of laughter from his friends somewhat disconcerted O'Brien, but
with his usual good-humor he said, "Very well; I allow you to laugh
to-night. The fellow took an unfair advantage of me; but wait till
to-morrow."