Continuation of Stuart's Journal--A Hopeless Situation.
We stayed at the lagoon all day, and in the evening, fortunately, a
party of the natives came in. They were timid at first, but the old
man and Onkimyong could make themselves understood, and they
gradually gained confidence. They had never seen a white man before,
although I am now pretty well burnt black by the sun. My two natives
showed off their bow-and-arrow shooting with great pride. They told
the others how the Warlattas, who seemed to have turned their
attention to the new-comers also, had been beaten off and killed.
"These natives explained that they lived on a creek to the
south-east, and when I heard that I made sure that I should at last
escape. When the old man found out where they came from and that I
intended to accompany them, he would not go any further, and nothing
could induce him to alter his intention of going back. Onkimyong,
however, who was very fond of me, and being young had not so much
superstition, said that he would stay with me and go wherever I went.
"The blacks were on a hunting expedition, and had come to the lagoon
on purpose to fish; so we remained there a few days and the old man
returned to the lake.
"When we started we went to the south-east, and the country rapidly
changed its character, becoming scrubby and barren. That night we
camped at a salt lake, obtaining some water, slightly brackish for
drinking, from a native well dug some distance back. Next day our
course was through wretchedly poor and barren country. When we
rested for a time I noticed an outcrop of quartz; my position in the
party had ostensibly been that of geologist, and I went over to
examine it, for before we left there had been some vague rumours that
gold had been discovered in the southern part of the colony. I broke
up some of the stone with a large one, and found that it was
auriferous. This discovery did not elate me in any way. If I had
found a mountain of gold, of what value would it be to me?
"Continuing our journey we reached water again that night, apparently
a small soakage spring. The blacks told Onkimyong that we should
camp at a small creek the following night with some brackish water in
it, and that the next night there was water in a clay pan, and the
following night we should reach their main camp. This proved to be
the case, and we found their home to be on the bank of a fine creek,
running round the foot of a tall hill. I now looked upon my escape
as secure, for surely this large creek, well defined and supplied
with water, must run down south to settled country, and I could
follow it easily. Alas! I was doomed to disappointment!
"The Warlattas had not been seen for some time, and, unluckily for
them, they selected the second night after our arrival for an attack.
"It was brilliant moonlight, and the blacks were holding a corroboree
in our honour, when one of the gins shrieked out that the Warlattas
were on them. The fire-sticks were visible coming on swiftly, and
they had evidently reckoned on taking the camp by surprise. I had
been very careful of my ammunition, but I thought I could spare one
charge. I called to Onkimyong, and told him to tell the blacks not
to be frightened; then, as the Warlattas approached, shouting and
yelling, I fired straight at them. The effect was instantaneous--the
onslaught stopped at once. It must have completely surprised them to
find themselves suddenly confronted by me in this new place. Before
they could recover from their surprise Onkimyong and I were at work
with our bows and arrows. This completed the rout, and they turned
and ran; Onkimyong shouted to the natives and rushed in pursuit,
followed by some who had recovered from their terror. I did not go
with them, but I think they did good execution.
"There was great rejoicing over this defeat of their enemies, and I
felt very glad that the attack should have been made when it was.
Seemingly, since we had beaten them off at the lake they had devoted
all their attention to this poor tribe. The next day I ascended the
mountain, and from the top saw that in the direction I wanted to go
there was nothing but a vast scrub. The creek, too, seemed to
disappear soon after passing the mountain; and this I soon found out
was the case. It ran completely out in a sandy waste of scrub. The
blacks asserted that it never re-formed, and that there was no water
either to the south or east, and that nothing lived there but snakes.
I tried over and over again but always had to return, half dead with
thirst and fatigue. One old man said that he had heard of a big rock
down south where there was a hole with water in it. But this I
imagine was only a tradition, as from the top of the hill I could
discover no sign of it, and wherever I penetrated I found always the
same arid and barren scrub and sand. Being thus disappointed in my
efforts south and east, I thought that I might follow the creek up
and come to some available strip of country. Judging by its
direction the creek, if it headed far enough away, must be east of
the prickly grass desert.
"As the Warlattas always came down the creek I could not induce one
of the natives to accompany me. Even Onkimyong was afraid to face
it. With little care about my fate I therefore started alone. I
followed the creek for a long distance, finding it well watered, and
that a beaten track ran beside it. This turned off, and on following
the creek further I found that it ran out; I therefore returned and
followed the track. In course of time this led me to a swamp of
great tea-trees which it skirted. After following this swamp
half-way round the track left it and went amongst some rocks. They
were basaltic, and in a short time they closed in in a perfect wall
and I lost all trace of the track I had been following. Again and
again I tried to find it, but the rough basalt cut my feet to pieces
and the track could not be followed over the rocks. I had to rest
for a time to get my feet well, and fortunately there was plenty of
game about the creek, which apparently re-formed on the northern side
of the swamp. I now determined to follow this creek up again, and
did so, until at last it died out in a desert forest. At one place I
saw a number of trees marked, apparently by the Warlattas. I made
several excursions east of the creek, but I was always confronted by
a dense and impenetrable scrub."
"Poor fellow!" said Brown at this point. "Fancy his being so near
his companion Murphy and yet to miss him."
"I can well understand his inability to get along through those
basalt rocks, but I don't understand how he did not see the
Warlattas' track at the lagoon of the marked trees."
"If you remember," replied Brown, "the track was not very plain close
to the lagoon."
"I had at last to give up in despair" (went on the journal), "and
make my way as best I could back to the mountain. How long I was
away I cannot say, for I lost count. It seemed to me weeks, but I
think it was about a fortnight.
"I was now thoroughly convinced of the hopelessness of my situation,
and determined to return to the lake and finish my weary life amongst
the tribe there, devoting my time to teaching them what I could.
"Onkimyong was delighted to see me back. I rested for some time, as
I had two or three things to do before leaving. One was to show the
natives how to build a stone barricade, and the other was to inscribe
my initials in some place where it was bound to be seen by any whites
who might hereafter come. I selected a place at the foot of the hill
for the barricade, and set the blacks to work, under the
superintendence of Onkimyong. From its position and altitude I
concluded that any whites coming to the place would naturally ascend
the hill to obtain a good survey of the surrounding country; I
therefore inscribed my initials and the date of the year on a rock on
the summit, doing the work with the aid of the knife I had found in
the cave. I lingered on for some time longer in the hope that the
Warlattas would make another attempt, and this they did the night
before we were going to leave.
"Fortunately their approach was discovered in ample time, and I had
my men all concealed behind the barricade. The Warlattas approached
very cautiously, not with the confidence of their first attempt. We
allowed them to come pretty close, and then commenced to play on them
with our arrows. As soon as I saw them waver and halt, I gave a
signal agreed upon, and the natives swarmed out and attacked them
with their clubs and spears.
"There seemed to be no hesitation this time, with one accord the
Warlattas fled. The pursuers did much more execution than the first
time, as they had a better start. I hope now the Warlattas have
received another check.
"Onkimyong and I started back the next day, we followed our tracks
back again, as I felt curious about the gold-bearing reef. When we
came to it I examined it thoroughly, and I then found that it was,
what seemed to me, of fabulous richness. I laughed aloud. Here was
I with a fortune at my feet, and it was of no more value to me than
worthless flints. It was the very mockery of riches!
"In time we arrived at the lake, and met with a great welcome, as
they had given us up as lost. I had been in fear that the Warlattas,
finding I was away, might have attempted another assault, but they
had not put in an appearance.
"I have now quite relinquished any hope I had left of finding my way
back by my own exertions, and can only pray that some other exploring
party with better fortune may come here before I die."