Pushing forward, we soon reached the spot he spoke of. Our new
companion, after examining the ground, told us that the bushrangers had
been there, and after watering their horses had ridden on, as he
supposed they would, and that we need have no apprehensions of an attack
from them.
We soon hobbled the horses in the usual fashion, fastening their legs
together with leathern straps in such a way as to make it impossible for
them to move beyond a slow walk, so that if they were inclined to stray
they could not go far.
Toby quickly lighted a fire, while the stranger by our advice rested
near it. Guy and I taking our guns went out in different directions in
search of game, which is usually to be found near a water-hole in
Australia. We soon came back, Guy with a brace of pigeons and I with
three parrots, so that we had ample food for all hands. As we had
damper and tea, we enjoyed a satisfactory meal which greatly revived our
new friend. While we were seated round the fire--Toby watching the
horses--the stranger inquired if we were related to Mr Strong. This
led us to give him a brief sketch of our history.
"May I ask your name?" he said. "Mine is Norman Bracewell."
"And ours is Thurston," said my brother. "What! Guy Thurston?"
exclaimed Bracewell, leaning forward and grasping Guy's hand; "I thought
from the first that I knew your features. We were at school together.
`Little Guy' we used to call you, and you haven't forgotten me?"
"No indeed!" said Guy warmly, "you always stood my friend when the big
fellows tried to bully me, and I have a perfect recollection of your
countenance. I have often wished to know what had become of you, but
could only hear that you had gone abroad."
"I thought of writing to let you know, in case you should ever come out
to Australia; but I fancied that that was so unlikely and the chances of
meeting you so small that I did not carry out my intention. You must
stop at my hut. The longer you stay the better. We will have many a
talk about old times and I think I can put you up to all sorts of
information which will be useful to you in the country. To tell you the
truth, I doubt if you will find your cousin, Mr Strong, as I heard that
he had gone northwards to occupy a new station, some hundreds of miles
off, and if so you will probably find no one to give you a welcome at
his house except some old hut-keeper."
On hearing this, Guy and I gladly agreed to stop a few days with
Bracewell until we could obtain some definite information as to the
movements of our cousin.
We told him of our meeting with the two bee-hunters.
"This proves that there are some natives in the neighbourhood. They may
be honest, but they may also be ill-disposed, as are many of the blacks
in this region. I advise that we keep a strict watch at night, and I
offer to stand guard part of the time," observed Bracewell.
We agreed to keep a watch, but after the trying time he had gone through
we thought that he ought to have a quiet night's rest so as to be the
better able to continue his journey the next morning.
Toby had put up a rough hut of boughs, which would afford two of us at a
time sufficient shelter from the night air. Of rain there was no fear.
Toby erected a hut for himself with a few boughs stuck upright in the
ground, which formed all the protection he required.
I undertook to keep the first watch, and I promised my brother that I
would call him when I could no longer remain with my eyes open. From
past experience we knew that it would not do to trust Toby, who would be
very certain to be down as soon as he found that our eyes were off him.
Guy and Bracewell were quickly asleep and I commenced walking to and
fro, keeping a look-out on every side and sometimes stopping to throw a
few sticks on the fire. I could see the horses safely feeding hear at
hand, and so perfect was the silence which reigned around that I could
not fancy that there was any real necessity for keeping awake. Still,
as I had undertaken to do so, I should not have felt justified in lying
down. I should probably have let the fire out, and the smoke from that
was at all events useful to keep mosquitoes and sandflies somewhat at
bay. Should the fire go out it was no more than possible that a pack of
dingoes might creep up, and while we were in darkness drive the horses
away, or carry off our saddle-bags, or tear our saddles and
sleeping-rugs to pieces. I persevered therefore, stopping every now and
then to amuse myself by looking up at the star-lighted sky and trying to
make out the various constellations, conspicuous among which was the
brilliant cross of the southern hemisphere. Except the occasional croak
of a frog, the cry of a night bird, or the chirp of a cricket, not a
sound had reached my ears; when suddenly, as I was watching the moon
rising above the rocks on one side of the camp, the most unearthly
shrieks and yells rent the air. Guy, awakening, started to his feet.
"What's the matter?" he exclaimed. "I dreamed that savages were upon
us, and expected the next moment to have a spear through me."
"I haven't seen any savages, but those sounds seem scarcely human, I
wonder Bracewell hasn't been awakened by them. We must rouse up Toby
and learn what he thinks they are."
The fearful noise still continued. We stood with our arms ready
expecting every moment to see a herd of savages rush in upon us, for
that the sounds were produced by natives we could have no doubt. We
quickly made Toby spring to his feet.
"What's all that noise about?" asked Guy.
"He-he-he, ho-ho-ho! dat corroborree," answered Toby who did not appear,
as we expected would be the case, at all astonished at the uproar.
Bracewell at length awoke and confirmed what Toby had said, that the
savages were indulging in one of their native dances.
"I should like to go and see it," I exclaimed; "can we do so without
risk of being discovered?"
Taking Toby to guide us, while Bracewell remained in camp, we set out.
We were scarcely prepared for the strange and weird sight which we saw
as we looked over some low bushes we had just reached. Before us was an
open glade, beyond which the moon was rising brightly. In the centre of
the glade burned a fire. Seated on the ground were a number of figures
rattling sticks together. Suddenly there burst forth out of the
darkness a score of skeleton-like figures who threw themselves into
every possible attitude, now stretching out their legs, now springing up
and clapping their hands, and all the time shrieking, laughing and
singing, and following a big black fellow who acted as fugleman and
stood on one side with stick in hand to direct the proceedings.
Not for a moment did they cease, though every now and then we might have
fancied that they had disappeared had we not distinguished their black
backs turned towards us. We watched until we grew weary of the sight,
but the dancers appeared in no way tired; and as we saw no chance of
their giving in, we retreated to our own camp, pretty well tired out and
assured that they would not molest us during the night.