We had not been a day at sea before our black follower was in trouble.
As a matter of course the men began joking and teasing him about the
awkward manner in which he wore his sailor's suit, asking him if it
wouldn't be better to have a coat of white paint over him instead, as
being cooler and less trouble, and the like.
All this Jimmy took with the greatest of equanimity, grasping the men's
meaning very well, and very often throwing himself flat on the deck and
squirming about, which was his way of showing his delight. But it was
absolutely necessary that all this banter should come from the
Englishmen. If one of the Malay sailors attempted such a familiarity,
Jimmy was furious.
"Hi--wup--wup!" he exclaimed to me after one of these bouts; "dirty
fellow, brown fellow no good. Not white fellow, not black fellow. Bad
for nothing."
One afternoon the doctor and I were sitting forward watching the
beautiful heaving waves, and talking over the plans we intended to
follow when we landed, and we had agreed that a small party was far more
likely to succeed than a large one, being more suitable for passing
unnoticed through the country. We had just arrived at the point of
determining that we would engage six natives at a friendly shore village
to carry our baggage and act as guides, when the noise of some trouble
aft arose, and we turned to see a Malay sailor lying upon the deck, and
Jimmy showing his teeth fiercely, waddy in hand, after having given the
man what he afterwards called "a topper on de headums."
We ran up, fearing more mischief, for Jimmy could fight fiercely when
roused; and we were just in time, for as the doctor reached the Malay
the man had scrambled up, drawn his knife, and rushed at the black. But
before he could strike, the doctor showed me what wonderful strength of
arm he possessed, by seizing the Malay by the waistband and arm and
literally swinging him over the low bulwark into the sea.
"That will cool his passion," said the doctor, smiling. "I'm sorry I
did it though, captain," he said the next minute; "these men are very
revengeful."
"Too late to say that," cried the captain roughly. "Here, hi! man
overboard! Never mind the boat: he swims like a fish."
This was plain enough, for the Malay was making his way swiftly through
the water, and the captain ran aft with a coil of rope to throw to him
from the stern.
I ran too, and could see that as the man struck the water in a peculiar
fashion, he held his knife open in his hand, and was thinking whether he
would use it when the captain threw the rope, the light rings uncoiling
as they flew through the air and splashed the water.
"Here, look out!" cried the captain; but the man did not heed, but began
to beat the water furiously, uttering a strange gasping cry.
"Look, doctor!" I cried, pointing, and leaning forward.
A low hiss escaped his lips as he, too, saw a dull, indistinct something
rising through the transparent sea.
"Yah, hi! Bunyip debble fis!" shouted Jimmy excitedly. "Bite sailor,
brown fellow. Hoo. Bite!"
The black gave a snap and a shake of the head, and then taking the long
sharp knife the doctor had given him from his belt, he tore off his
shirt and, it seemed to me, jumped out of his trousers. Then the sun
seemed to flash from his shiny black skin for an instant, and he plunged
into the sea.
The exciting incidents of that scene are as plain before me now I write
as if they had taken place yesterday. I saw the body of the black
strike up a foam of white water, and then glide down in a curve in the
sunlit sea, plainly crossing the course of the great fish, which had
altered its course on becoming aware of the second splash.
The Malay knew what he was doing, for ignoring the help of the rope he
allowed himself to drift astern, seeing as he did that the shark's
attention had been drawn to the black.
"He knows what he's about," said the captain. "If he laid hold of that
there rope, and we tried to draw him aboard, that snipperjack would take
him like a perch does a worm in the old ponds at home. Here, lower away
that boat, and I'll go and get the whale lance."
Away went the skipper, while the men lowered the boat; and I was so
intent upon the movements of the great fish that I started as the boat
kissed the water with a splash.
The shark was about ten feet long and unusually thick; and as it kept
just below the surface the doctor and I could watch its every movement,
guided by the strange but slow wave of the long, curiously-lobed tail.
"Now, you brown fellow, you come on. Knife, knife!"
As Jimmy shouted out these words he raised himself in the water and
curved over like a porpoise, diving right down, and at the same moment
the shark gave a sweep with its tail, the combined disturbance making so
great an eddy that it was impossible to see what took place beneath the
surface. Then all at once there was a horrible discoloration in the
sea, and I drew back, holding on by the bulwarks with both hands to keep
myself from falling. For, as the water grew discoloured, so did the air
seem to glow before my eyes. I was sick and dizzy; the deck seemed to
rise in waves, and a curious kind of singing noise in my ears made
everything sound distant and strange. There was a strange despairing
feeling, too, in my heart, and my breath came thick and short, till I
was brought partly to myself by hearing a voice shouting for a rope, and
then the mist gradually cleared away, and I became aware of the fact
that the boat was moving before me, and that the round, shiny black face
of Jimmy was close at hand.
A few minutes later both Jimmy and the Malay were aboard, the former
throwing himself flat on his back to rest, for he was panting heavily
after his exertions.
"Big bunyip debble, Mass Joe," he sputtered; "swim more stronger Jimmy,
but no got knife. Tick black fellow knife in um lot o' time. Tick it
in him frontums, tick it in ums back ums tight, and make um dibe down
and take Jimmy much long ways."
"Why didn't you leave go of the knife, my man?" said the doctor.
"Leave go dat big noo knife?" cried Jimmy sharply. "Let bunyip fis have
dat noo knife?"
Jimmy did not finish, but shook his head from side to side, so that
first one black ear went into the puddle of water on the deck, then the
other, while his lips parted in a tremendously long grin, which seemed
to say, "Black fellow knows better than to do such a stupid thing as
that."
Then, as if made of india-rubber, Jimmy drew his heels in, gave a
spring, and leaped to his feet, running to the side, and then throwing
up his arms with delight.
"Dere um is, Mass Joe; turn up him under frontums like fis on hook an'
line."
For there was the monster making an effort to keep in its normal
position, as it swam slowly round and round, but always rolling back,
and rising helplessly every time it tried to dive.
"Jimmy sorry for you," cried the black. "Plenty good to eat like much
muttons. Go down boat bring him board."
"Well, I don't know about good meat, blackee, but we may as well have
his head to boil out his jaws," said the captain, who was standing
looking on, whale lance in hand.
"Go down and put him out of his misery, captain," I said, "and take me
too."
"Oh! all right, my lad," he said, laughing. "You may do the job if you
like."
"May I?"
"To be sure," he said; and I jumped down into the boat, after he had
lowered himself, bear fashion, on to one of the thwarts.
"Here, send out one of the sailors," said the doctor. "I'll go too."
One of the men returned to the deck, looking rather glum, and the doctor
took his place, while I sympathised with that sailor and wished that the
doctor had not spoken, for I felt sure that he had come down into the
boat to take care of me, and it made me feel young and childish.
But I did not show my annoyance, I am glad to say; and a minute later
the men gave way, and the boat glided slowly towards where the shark had
drifted--I all the while standing up in the bows, lance in hand, full of
the desire to make use of it, and feeling a cruel, half savage sensation
that it would be exceedingly pleasant to drive that lance right home.
"Now my water Saint George the Second," cried the doctor banteringly;
"mind you slay the sea-dragon."
"Mind what you're after, youngster," said the captain. "Give it him
close below the gills; a good dig and then draw back sharp."
"All right!" I cried back to the captain, for I was offended by the
doctor's chaff; it made me feel small before the men. Then, recalling
what I had read that a harpooner would do under such circumstances, I
shouted: "Give way, boys!"
I'd have given something to have been back on board the schooner just
then, for a roar of laughter greeted my command, and I felt that I was
very young, and had made myself rather ridiculous, while to add to my
discomfiture the men obeyed my order with such energy that the boat gave
a jerk, and I was nearly sent back in a sitting position on the foremost
man.
There was another laugh at this, and the doctor said drily:
"No, no, my lad; the lance is for the shark, not for us."
I recovered my balance without a word, and planting my feet firmly wide
apart, remained silent and looking very red, while I held my weapon
ready.
It was an old rusty affair, with a stiff pole about eight feet long, and
was used by the captain for killing those curious creatures which no
doubt gave rise to the idea of there being such things as tritons or
mermen--I mean the manatees or dugongs that in those days used to swarm
in the warmer waters of the Eastern Australian coast.
"Keep it up, my lads; pull!" said the captain, who had an oar over the
stern to steer. "We must get back soon."
I thought this was because the shark, which had ceased to swim round and
round, was now laboriously making its way with the current at the rate
of pretty well two miles an hour; but as the captain spoke I could see
that he was scanning the horizon, and I heard the doctor ask if anything
was wrong.
"Looks dirty," he growled; and I remember wondering half-laughingly
whether a good shower would not wash it clean, when the skipper went on:
"Gets one o' them storms now and then 'bout here. Now, my lads; with a
will!"
The water surged and rattled beneath my feet, and I was forgetting my
annoyance and beginning to enjoy the excitement of my ride; and all the
more that the shark had once more stopped in its steady flight, and was
showing its white under parts some fifty yards away.
"Ready, my lad!" cried the captain. "I'll steer you close in. Give it
him deep, and draw back sharp."
I nodded, and held the lance ready poised as we drew nearer and nearer,
and I was ready with set teeth and every nerve tingling to deliver the
thrust, when _whish_! _splash_! the brute gave its tail a tremendous
lash, and darted away, swimming along with its back fin ploughing the
water, and apparently as strong as ever.
"Only his flurry, my lad. Pull away, boys; we'll soon have him now."
The men rowed hard, and the boat danced over the swell, rising up one
slope, gliding down another, or so it seemed to me.
"He'll turn up the white directly," cried the captain. "Take it coolly
and you'll have him. I'll put you close alongside, and don't you miss."
"Not I, sir," I shouted without turning my head, for it seemed such a
very easy task; and away we went once more, getting nearer and nearer,
till the back fin went out of sight, came up again, went out of sight
the other way, and then there was the shining white skin glistening in
the sun.
There was another swirl and the shark made a fresh effort, but this time
it was weaker and the boat gained upon it fast.
"Now, boys, pull hard, and when I say `In oars,' stop, and we'll run
close up without scaring the beggar. Pull--pull--pull--pull! Now! In
oars!"
The men ceased rowing, the boat glided on from the impetus previously
given, and I was just about to deliver a thrust when the wounded
creature saw its enemy, and as if its strength had been renewed, went
off again with a dart.
"Look at that," cried the captain. "Never mind, he's not going to get
away. We'll have him yet."
"We seem to be getting a long way from the schooner," I heard the doctor
say, and I turned round upon him quite angrily.
"Oh!" I cried, "don't stop. We nearly had him that time."
"Well, you shall have another try, my boy," said the captain. "Pull
away."
We were going pretty fast all the time, and again and again we drew
near, but always to be disappointed, and I stamped my foot with anger,
as, every time, the brute darted off, leaving us easily behind.
"Better let me have the lance, Joe," said the doctor smiling.
"No, no," I cried. "I must have a try now."
"Let him be," growled the captain; "nobody couldn't have lanced him if
he'd tried. Now look out, lad! Steady, boys! In oars! Let's go up
more softly. That's the style. We shall have him this time. Now you
have him, lad; give it him--deep."
All these words came in a low tone of voice as the boat glided nearer
and nearer to where the shark was swimming slowly and wavering to and
fro, and in my excitement I drew back, raising the lance high, and just
as the monster was about to dash off in a fresh direction I threw myself
forward, driving the point of the lance right into the soft flesh,
forgetful of my instructions about a sharp thrust and return, for the
keen lance point must have gone right through, and before I realised
what was the matter I was snatched out of the boat; there was a splash,
the noise of water thundering, a strangling sensation in my nostrils and
throat, and I was being carried down with a fierce rush into the depths
of the sea.