We had only about three miles to go if we could have flown like birds;
but the way lay in and out of rocks, with quite a little precipice to
descend at times, so that the journey must have been double that length.
The hope of a good meal, however, made us trudge on, and after a few
stops to rest I saw that we must now be nearing the shore, for the
ground was much more level.
So different did it appear, though, that I hardly recognised some of it,
and had it not been for Ebo I am sure we should have gone astray; but,
savage like, he seemed to have an unerring instinct for finding his way
back over ground he had been over before, and we had only to look back
at him if we were in front for him to point out the way with the
greatest of confidence.
We were trudging on in front, talking in a low tone about making another
expedition into the mountainous part, in the hope of finding it, the
higher we climbed, more free from risk of meeting natives, and we were
now getting so near the shore that we could hear the beat of the waves
upon a reef that lay off our hut, and sheltered the boat from being
washed about, when all of a sudden, as we were traversing some low,
scrubby bushes which were more thorny than was pleasant, Ebo suddenly
struck us both on the shoulder, forcing us down amongst the leaves and
twigs, and on looking sharply round we saw that he had dropped our
splendid specimens, and, wild-eyed and excited, he was crouching too.
"Why, Ebo," began my uncle; but the black clapped his hand upon his
mouth, and then pointed to the shore in front.
I felt my blood turn cold; for there, not fifty yards away, and dimly
seen through the shade of leaves, was a party of about fifty New Guinea
men, with a couple of dozen more in three canoes that were lying just
outside the reef. They were a fierce-looking lot, armed with spears,
axes, and clubs, and they were gesticulating and chattering fiercely
about our boat.
I heard my uncle utter a groan, for it seemed as if the labours of all
these months upon months of collecting were wasted, and that specimens,
stores, arms, everything of value, would fall into the hands of these
savages. He was perfectly calm directly after, and crouched there with
his gun ready for a chance, should there be any necessity for its use;
but he knew that it was useless to attempt to fight, all we could do was
to save our lives.
After about half an hour's talk the savages embarked, taking our boat in
tow behind one of their canoes, and we saw the bright water flash as the
paddles beat regularly, and the men sent their craft along till they
swept round the headland west of the bay and were gone.
"Oh, uncle!" I cried, as soon as we were safe.
"It is very hard, Nat, my boy," he said sadly; "but it might have been
worse. We have our lives and a little ammunition; but the scoundrels
have wrecked my expedition."
"And we have no boat, uncle."
"Nor anything else, Nat," he said cheerfully. "But we have plenty of
pluck, my boy, and Ebo will help us to make a canoe to take us to the
Moluccas, where I dare say I can get some merchant to fit us out again.
Well, Ebo," he cried, "all gone!"
"Man--kill--gone," repeated Ebo, shaking his spear angrily, and then he
kept repeating the word Owe--boat, as we went down to the shore.
"Let's see if they have left anything in the hut, Nat," said my uncle.
"We must have food even if we are stripped."
We turned through the bushes and made our way into the little
arbour-like spot beside the stream where Ebo had built our hut beneath a
splendid tree, when, to our utter astonishment, we found that the
savages had not seen our little home, but had caught sight of the boat,
landed and carried it off, without attempting to look for its owners.
No one had been there since we left, that was evident; and pleased as we
were, our delight was more than equalled by Ebo's, for laying down our
specimens, this time more carefully, he refreshed himself with a dance
before lighting a fire, where a capital meal was prepared, which we
thankfully enjoyed as we thought of the benefits we received by having
the forethought to carry everything out of the boat and placing it under
cover for fear of rain.
The savages then had taken nothing but our boat, and the next thing was
to set to work to construct another, for my uncle said he should not
feel satisfied to stay where we were longer, without some means of
retreat being ready for an emergency.
Before lying down we managed to ask Ebo what he thought of our being
able to build a canoe that would carry us and our luxuries. For reply
he laughed, pointed to our axes and to the trees, as if to say, What a
foolish question when we have all the material here!
I was so wearied, and slept so heavily, that I had to be awakened by my
uncle long after the sun was up.
"Come, Nat," he said, "I want you to make a fire. Ebo has gone off
somewhere."
I made the fire, after which we had a hasty breakfast, and then worked
hard at skin making--preserving all our specimens.
The day glided by, but Ebo did not come, and feeling no disposition to
collect more, in fact not caring now to fire, we had a look round to see
which would be the most likely place to cut down a tree and begin
building a boat.
"It is lucky for us, Nat," said my uncle, "that Ebo belongs to a nation
of boat-builders. Perhaps he has gone to search for a suitable place
and the kind of wood he thinks best; but I wish he would come."
Night fell and no Ebo. The next morning he was not there; and as day
after day glided by we set ourselves to work to search for him, feeling
sure that the poor fellow must have fallen from some precipice and be
lying helpless in the forest. But we had no success, and began to think
then of wild beasts, though we had seen nothing large enough to be
dangerous, except that worst wild beast of all, savage man.
Still we searched until we were beginning to conclude that he must have
been seen by a passing canoe whose occupants had landed and carried him
off.
"I don't think they would, uncle," I said, though; "he is too sharp and
cunning. Why, it would be like seeking to catch a wild bird to try and
get hold of Ebo, if he was out in the woods."
"Perhaps you are right, Nat," said my uncle. "There is one way, though,
that we have never tried, I mean over the mountain beyond where you shot
that last bird. To-morrow we will go across there and see if there are
any signs of the poor fellow. If we see none then we must set to work
ourselves to build a canoe or hollow one out of a tree, and I tremble,
Nat, for the result."
"Shall we be able to make one big enough to carry our chests, uncle?"
"No, Nat, I don't expect it. If we can contrive one that will carry us
to some port we must be satisfied. There I can buy a boat, and we must
come back for our stores."
We devoted the next two days to a long expedition, merely using our guns
to procure food, and reluctantly allowing several splendid birds to
escape.
But our expedition only produced weariness; and footsore and worn out we
returned to our hut, fully determined to spend our time in trying what
we could contrive in the shape of a boat, falling fast asleep, sad at
heart indeed, for in Ebo we felt that we had lost a faithful friend.