THE EXPLORING EXPEDITION SETS OUT--PASSAGE OVER THE MOUNTAINS--
PRECAUTION AGAINST THE NATIVES--WITNESS A CORROBBEREE--ESCAPE FROM THE
BLACKS--THE PARTIES SEPARATE.
The captain was anxious to commence, without a moment's delay, his
proposed exploring expedition. He intended to form two parties, so as
to inspect a large tract of country in a short time.
Naturally, his brother would have taken one, and he the other; but Mr
Berrington was so little accustomed to bush-life, that the captain
persuaded him to remain at home, and to let Mr Hayward lead the other
party.
Hector, who had no great liking for Mr Hayward, begged that he might
accompany his uncle.
Sandy would have liked to follow his master, but his duties kept him at
home.
"Mr Berrington is a verra gude gentleman, but he kens little about
farm-work as yet, and I canna trust him," he observed.
The captain took the most trustworthy of the men, thus making up his
party to four. Paul, Harry, and Reggy accompanied Mr Hayward, and with
the addition of Bendigo, who was likely to prove very useful, their
party was complete.
They were all well mounted, Paul having Old Bolter to ride. Their
equipment was simple in the extreme. They each carried their rifles and
pistols, with a good supply of ammunition, small shot and bullets, axes
and long knives, a blanket to sleep in at night, and a tin pannikin;
while between them they had a kettle for boiling water, a camp oven, two
large canvas water-bags, a store of tea, salt and pepper, some flour in
a bag, with a thick piece of canvas for kneading it, while sugar and all
other luxuries were dispensed with.
Their dresses were red shirts, thick duck trousers, broad-brimmed hats,
blucher boots, and leggings, with a strap round the waist to hold the
axe and pouch containing matches, knife, and other small articles.
Their course was to be towards the west and north-west. The first four
or five days they were to travel together, after this they were to
separate, the captain keeping a little to the northward of west and then
circling round to the southward; and Mr Hayward travelling to the
southward of west and circling round to the northward; and then to
return towards the spot from whence they had started. They would thus
explore a wide extent of country, and would, they hoped, find a suitable
spot for forming a fresh location.
The boys were in high spirits, forgetting all their previous troubles.
The expedition they were undertaking was exactly what they had often
talked about doing alone, without any grown-up person. However, Mr
Hayward always made himself so completely one of them that they were
glad of his society.
The country they passed over during the first two days they were well
acquainted with, and they met with no adventures. The first night they
stopped at a hut on their most remote out-station. Beyond this they
reached a lofty range, on the opposite side of which their explorations
were to commence. As it rose in the distance it appeared to be no
formidable barrier, but as they got near, lofty cliffs or precipices,
and steep slopes covered with brushwood, seemed to rise out of the
plain, such as must present an almost insuperable obstacle to the
progress of the horses. Hector declared that no human being could
surmount them.
"We must get up somehow or other, and with our horses too," answered
Captain Berrington, laughing.
In a short time they found a dry channel down which a torrent had made
its way, and by this they proceeded, still keeping in their saddles. At
length, however, they had to dismount to climb a steep slope among rocks
and trees. Now they turned to the right, now to the left, now they had
to descend a shoulder of the mountain, now to ascend again, the captain
carefully marking the way by barking the trees, or, where there were no
trees, by piling up fragments of rocks.
The eastern was fortunately the worst side of the range. The descent on
the west side down a moderate slope brought them into an undulating
park-like plain, covered with grass sprinkled over with the ever-present
blue and white gum-trees, while just before them appeared an open patch
of green plain, offering a tempting feed to cattle.
Smoke ascending from two or three shepherds' huts in the distance showed
that this part of the country was already occupied. They had,
therefore, to proceed until they could reach an unclaimed district. The
last night the party were together they camped in a wood on the borders
of a river in which, though its course was dry, there were several
water-holes within half a mile of each other.
As they had ridden on all day without water for the horses they halted
early. The captain, however, would not allow a fire to be lighted until
nightfall, lest its smoke might attract the attention of the blacks,
who, although they might not venture to attack them, would watch their
future movements, and perhaps, if unfriendly, cause them some annoyance.
At night there would be less risk of a fire being seen, unless by any
one coming close up to the camp, providing the flames were not allowed
to ascend to any great height. The horses, as usual, were hobbled near,
and they were sure not to stray away from the good grass and water.
As usual, the captain and Paul, who were the best shots of the party,
took their guns to provide supper and breakfast, no difficult task, as
parrots, pigeons, and other birds abounded. They brought back an ample
supply, with the addition of a wallaby and a bandicoot. The larger
portion of the latter animals would serve as a supper for the dogs. The
boys had taken off the edge of their appetites with some cold damper,
which they had brought in their pouches, and some wild fruit they had
met with, but were very glad when the captain allowed them at last to
light the pile of sticks they had collected, to put on the kettle, and
to begin roasting the game. Harry and Reggy undertook to make some
fresh dampers, Paul to attend to the camp oven, while Hector was set to
turn the spits. The rest of the party were clearing the ground round
the fire, bringing water, looking after the horses, and putting up some
slabs of bark to serve as a shelter for the night. All hands were "as
busy as bees," as Harry remarked.
Supper over--the last they expected to take together for some weeks--
most of the party prepared for rest. The fire was allowed to smoulder,
but no fresh sticks were put on, and they believed that even should any
natives be in the neighbourhood they would not have discovered the camp.
Harry proposed, before turning in, taking a bath in another water-hole,
a short distance down the bed of the river, as they did not quite like
the idea of bathing in the one from which they were to fill their kettle
and water-bottles the next morning. The sun had only just disappeared,
though darkness was rapidly coming on. However, there was the moon
which would enable them to see their way. They could not possibly lose
it by returning along the bank of the river; but as the scrub was
tolerably open and the ground hard, they settled to make their way
through it instead of trudging over the soft sand in the bed of the
stream.
They had got near the water-hole when they saw a number of small lights
moving among the trunks of the trees, now appearing, now disappearing.
"Why, those must be fire-flies," cried Reggy.
"They are far too red and bright for that," whispered Paul; "don't speak
above your breath. The lights come from the fire-sticks carried by
natives, they always move about with them by night, and they are
gathering round the water-hole. See! there are others coming from an
opposite direction, they are either going to have a corrobberee or a
fight, perhaps both; we must take care not to be discovered. They are
so intent on what they are about, however, that they are not likely to
observe us."
"I should like to see what they are going to do," said Reggy. "We need
not retreat, I suppose?"
"Oh, no! let us stop," said Harry. "They will not find us out if we
keep quiet."
"We had better be off," remarked Hector, somewhat alarmed; "they may
knock us all on the head."
"No, no," replied Harry, "we have our arms, and we are not going to run
away from a few blacks; I vote we stay and see what is going forward."
Paul consented, though he felt it would be more prudent to return to the
camp and warn their friends of the neighbourhood of the natives.
Concealed by some low bushes they remained where they were, and could
see all that was going forward. Suddenly all was dark, but the sound of
the natives' voices showed that they were still near where they had
first been seen. Presently bright flames burst up from the ground--a
fire had been lighted, but no one could be seen.
"They are between us and the fire," whispered Paul.
"I hope they are not coming this way," said Hector.
"No fear of that," answered Harry.
A minute elapsed, when Hector uttered an exclamation in a voice so loud
that it was a wonder it did not betray them.
"Oh, look there! look there! what can those horrid things be?"
As he spoke, at the opposite side of the fire there appeared what looked
exactly like a band of dancing skeletons leaping and twisting in the
most grotesque fashion. At the same time wild shrieks, cries, and
shouts rose from a hundred voices, intended to represent singing,
accompanied by the rattling of musical instruments, and the slapping of
their parchment-like skins by the older natives rose in the night air.
Now all the legs on one side would go up, now those on the other, now
the arms would be thrown above the grinning skulls, now they would be
placed akimbo, now they would sink close to the ground with bended
knees, now spring up into the air. Indeed, they assumed in succession
every possible attitude, all moving together as if pulled by one string.
Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, they vanished from sight.
Reggy was on the point of crying out when Paul put his hand on his
mouth.
"Can those be real skeletons?" inquired Hector.
"Oh, dear, no!" whispered Paul; "they are merely blacks who have painted
their bodies in that curious fashion. They are holding one of their
corrobberees. They will keep it up all night, and little rest we shall
get while they are howling and shrieking in this fashion."
The boys, however, remained some time watching the strange, weird scene.
It would be difficult to describe the various antics performed by the
savages. So amused were the lads that they forgot how time passed; but
Paul at length suggested that they should find their way back. It was
no easy matter to do so through the thick wood, although they were
assisted in steering their course by the noise behind them. At last
they reached the bank of the river, when they were able to make better
progress. They found the captain and the rest of the party very anxious
about them. The noise of the natives had reached the camp, and it was
feared that they might have fallen into their hands. Bendigo advised
that they should start before daybreak.
"Black fellow sleep then; no come after us," he said.
The captain resolved to follow Bendigo's advice, but not to separate
until they had proceeded some little way farther westward; so that the
blacks, when they should discover their trail, would be influenced by
the number of persons forming the party, and not venture to follow them.
A strict watch was, of course, kept during the night. Paul, his
brother, and cousins, notwithstanding the noise, slept like tops. At
the hour proposed the horses were caught and the party mounted.
The explorers crossed the bed of the river some way to the north, at a
distance from the blacks' camp, and, as the ground was level, were able
to make good progress. At noon they stopped at a water-hole, which,
though very muddy, enabled them to give a draught to their horses; but,
unless it could be filtered, they felt no inclination to drink it
themselves, their water-bottles being full. A fire was lighted, and
some pigeons and other birds shot and cooked.
The two parties now separated, the captain pointing out the course Mr
Hayward was to take, while he struck more to the northward. What
adventures might they not encounter before they again met!