We were soon on the way towards the interior again, and the doctor and I
had set to work trying to obtain some information from Ti-hi, and also
from Aroo, another intelligent looking follower who had been one of the
prisoners made by the captain of the burnt schooner.
It was hard work, but we were daily getting to understand more and more
of the commoner words of conversation, and by degrees we managed to make
out that the reason why we had not come upon any native village was that
the nearest was still many days' journey distant, but that if we changed
our course and went down to the sea-shore we should soon find signs of
occupation.
But I felt that this would be of no use, for if my father had been
anywhere on the coast he must have come in contact sooner or later with
one or other of the trading vessels, whose captains, even if they could
not bring him away on account of his being a prisoner, would certainly
have reported somewhere that they had seen a white captive, and the news
must have spread.
"He must be right in the interior somewhere," I said; "and I'm sure we
can't do better than keep on."
"I think you are right, Joe," said the doctor thoughtfully.
"I feel sure I am," I said. "I don't expect to find him directly; but I
mean to go on trying till I do."
"That's the way to find anybody," said Jack Penny. "You're sure to find
'em if you keep on like that. Come along."
Jack went off; taking great strides as if he expected to be successful
at once; but he did not keep up the pace long, but hung back for me to
overtake him, saying:
"I say, Joe Carstairs; does your back ever ache much?"
"No," I said; "very little. Only when I'm very tired."
"Ah! you ain't got so much back as I have," he said, shaking his head.
"When you've got as much as I have you'll have the back-ache awfully,
like I do. I say, I wonder where old Jimmy has got to."
"He's close at hand somewhere," I said. "Depend upon it he has not gone
far. If the truth were known," I continued, "he's walking along abreast
of us, just hidden in the bushes."
"Think so?" said Jack dubiously.
"I'm about sure of it," I replied.
"I ain't," said Jack. "I'm afraid he's gone right away back; and we've
offended him so that we sha'n't see him any more."
"You keep your opinion, Jack, and I'll keep to mine. I say, I wonder
what that noise is!"
"Noise! Birds," said Jack.
"No, no! That dull murmur. There, listen!"
"Wind in the trees."
"No, I'm sure it is not!" I exclaimed. "There! it is gone now. It is
like far-off thunder."
"Water," said the doctor, who had closed up with us unperceived. "I've
been listening to it, and it sounds to me like a waterfall. Depend upon
it we shall find that the river comes down over some pile of rocks, and
if we were clear of the forest and could take a good look round we
should find that the country is growing mountainous on ahead."
It seemed during the next day's journey that the doctor was right, for
we were certainly ascending, the land growing more rugged and toilsome,
but at the same time far more beautiful and full of variety. In place
of always journeying on through thick forest or park-like stretches, we
now found our way was among stony ridges and long heavy slopes, with
here and there a lovely valley, so full of beauty that I used to think
to myself that perhaps we should find my father had built himself a hut
in some such place as this, and was patiently going on with his
collecting.
We had seen nothing of Jimmy for three days, and though I suspected him
of being close at hand, and coming to our camp at night stealthily in
search of food, it really began to appear as if he had left us for good,
when an adventure towards evening showed us who was correct in his
surmise.
"I don't think much of the doctor's waterfall," Jack said to me, in his
dry drawling way.
"Why, we haven't seen it!" I replied.
"No, nor we ain't going to, seemingly. It's wind amongst the trees."
"Don't be so obstinate," I said, listening intently to hear the heavy
thunderous murmur still, now I listened for it, though I had not seemed
to notice it before.
"There ain't no waterfall," he replied, "or we should have seen it
before now."
"Perhaps the shape of the land keeps us from getting near it, or perhaps
the wind drives the sound away."
"Or perhaps the sound drives the wind away, or perhaps the--Look out,
Joe, look out!"
Jack Penny leaped aside nimbly, and I followed his example, hardly
escaping, while the man in front of me, less quick in his motion
consequent upon his having a load upon his head, was sent flying by a
great slate-coloured buffalo which had suddenly charged us from behind a
clump of trees where it had been lying.
It all happened so quickly that I had not time to think of my gun, while
the doctor was fifty yards behind, and could not have fired had he been
able to see, for fear of hurting us.
The great beast had stopped for a moment after sending our bearer
flying, and then, seeing him down, snorted a little, lowered his head,
and would doubtless have tossed and trampled him to death had there not
suddenly come a whirring whizzing noise from some bushes in a hollow on
our right, when something struck the buffalo a heavy blow upon the
muzzle, making it turn up its head, utter a furious roar, and charge at
the bushes.
This was my opportunity, and taking a quick aim I fired, and heard the
bullet strike with a heavy thud, when the buffalo seemed to drop upon
its knees on the steep slope, and literally turned a somersault,
crashing with a tremendous noise into some trees; and then, to my
astonishment, rising again and going off at a lumbering gallop.
It did not go far, for just then there was the sharp crack of the
doctor's piece, and once more the buffalo fell heavily, to lie
struggling, while, to my astonishment I saw a familiar black figure
bound out of the bushes, catch up the boomerang he had thrown, and then
race after the buffalo, which he reached just as the doctor also came up
and put it out of its misery by a merciful shot in the head.
"Jimmy killum! Jimmy boomerang killum!" shouted the black, dancing on
the prostrate beast, while Jack and I were busy helping the poor bearer
to his feet, and making sure that though stunned he was not seriously
hurt.
"No," said the doctor. "No bones broken. It's wonderful what some of
these savage races will bear."
He ceased his examination and gave the poor fellow a friendly clap on
the shoulder, while, after lying down for a time in the new
camping-ground, close up to the welcome supply of meat, the injured man
was sufficiently recovered to sit up, and eat his share of roast buffalo
flesh.
Some delicious steaks which we cooked proved very welcome to us by way
of a change, but we did not commence without a few words with Master
Jimmy, who was all smiles and friendliness now with everybody, till the
doctor said, pointing to the abundant supply of meat:
"No more bad illness, Jimmy. You are not to eat much."
"Jimmy won't eat not bit!" he cried viciously. "Go in a bush and starve
a deff."
"There, sit down and eat your supper!" said the doctor sternly; "and no
more nonsense, please."
The black looked at him in a sidelong fashion, and his fingers played
with the handle of his waddy, which was behind him in his waistband, and
then he quailed beneath the doctor's steady gaze, and sat down humbly by
the camp fire to cook and eat what was really a moderate quantity for an
Australian black.
Next morning we were off at daybreak, our way lying up a narrow ravine
for a short distance, and then between a couple of masses of rock, which
seemed to have been split apart by some earthquake; and directly we were
through here the dull humming buzz that we had heard more or less for
days suddenly fell upon our ears with a deep majestic boom that rose at
times, as the wind set our way, into a deafening roar.
I looked triumphantly at Jack Penny, but he only held his head higher in
the air and gave a sniff, lowering his crest directly after to attend to
his feet, for we were now in a complete wilderness of rocks and stones,
thrown in all directions, and at times we had regularly to climb.
"It is useless to bring the men this way," the doctor said, after a
couple of hours' labour; but as he spoke Ti-hi called a halt and pointed
in a different direction, at right angles to that which we had so far
followed, as being the one we should now take.
The sun had suddenly become unbearable, for we were hemmed in by
piled-up stones, and its heat was reflected from the brightly glistening
masses, some of which were too hot even to be touched without pain,
while the glare was almost blinding wherever the rocks were crystalline
and white.
"I say, is that a cloud?" said Jack Penny, drawing our attention to a
fleecy mass that could be seen rising between a couple of masses of
rock.
"Yes!" cried the doctor eagerly, as he shaded his eyes from the sun's
glare; "a cloud of spray. The falls are there!"
"Or is it the wind you can see in the trees?" I said, with a look at
Jack Penny.
"Get out!" retorted that gentleman. "I didn't say I was sure, and
doctor isn't sure now."
"No, not sure, Penny," he said; "but I think I can take you to where
water is coming down."
We felt no temptation to go on then, and willingly followed our guides,
who pointed out a huge mass of overhanging rock right in the side of the
ravine, and here we gladly halted, in the comparatively cool shade, to
sit and partake of some of the buffalo strips, my eyes wandering
dreamily to right and left along the narrow valley so filled with
stones.
I was roused from my thoughts about the strangeness of the place we were
in and the absence of trees and thick bush by the doctor proposing a bit
of a look round.
"We are getting up among the mountains, Joe," he said; "and this means
more difficult travelling, but at the same time a healthier region and
less heat."
"Oh, doctor!" I said, wiping my forehead.
"Why, it couldn't be any hotter than it is out there!" said Jack.
"Come with us, then, and let's see if we can find a fresh way out.
Perhaps we may hit upon a pass to the open country beyond. At all
events let's go and see the falls."
We took our guns, leaving all heavy things with the blacks, who were
settling themselves for a sleep.
The sun's heat almost made me giddy for the first hundred yards, and
either my eyes deceived me or Jack Penny's long body wavered and shook.
But we trudged laboriously on over and among masses of rock, that seemed
to be nearly alive with lizards basking in the sun, their curious coats
of green and grey and umber-brown glistening in the bright sunshine, and
looking in some cases as if they were covered with frosted metal as they
lay motionless upon the pieces of weatherworn stone.
Some raised their heads to look at us, and remained motionless if we
stopped to watch them, others scuffled rapidly away at the faintest
sound, giving us just a glimpse of a quivering tail as its owner
disappeared down a crevice almost by magic.
"Don't! don't fire!" cried the doctor, as Jack suddenly levelled his
piece.
"Why not?" he said in an ill-used tone. "I daresay they're poison and
they ain't no good."
The object that had been his aim was an ash-grey snake, rather short and
thick of form, which lay coiled into the figure of a letter S, and held
its head a few inches from the rock on which it lay.
"If you wish to kill the little vipers do it with a stick, my lad.
Every charge of powder may prove very valuable, and be wanted in an
emergency."
"I say," said Jack Penny, dropping the butt of his piece on the rock,
leaning his arms upon it, and staring at the speaker. "You don't think
we are likely to have a fight soon, do you?"
"I hope not," said the doctor; "but we shall have to be always on the
alert, for in a land like this we never know how soon danger may come."
"I say, Jack," I whispered, "do you want to go back?"
"No: I don't want to go back," he said with a snort. "I don't say I
ain't afraid. P'r'aps I am. I always thought our place lonely, but it
was nothing to these parts, where there don't seem to be no living
people at all."
"Well, let's get on," said the doctor, smiling; and we threaded our way
as well as we could amongst the chaotic masses of stones till we were
stopped short by a complete crack in the stony earth, just as if the
land had been dragged asunder.
As we stood on the brink of the chasm, and gazed down at the bottom some
hundred feet below, we could see that it was a wild stony place, more
sterile than that we had traversed. In places there were traces of
moisture, as if water sometimes trickled down, and where this was the
case I could see that ferns were growing pretty freely, but on the whole
the place was barrennesss itself.
It seemed to have a fascination though for Jack Penny, who sat down on
the edge and dangled his long legs over the rock, amusing himself by
throwing down pieces of stone on to larger pieces below, so as to see
them shatter and fall in fragments.
"Snakes!" he said suddenly. "Look at 'em. See me hit that one." He
pitched down a large piece of stone as he spoke, and I saw something
glide into a crevice, while another reptile raised itself up against a
piece of rock and fell back hissing angrily.
We were so high up that I could not tell how big these creatures were,
but several that we noticed must have been six or seven feet long, and
like many vipers of the poisonous kinds, very thick in proportion.
I daresay we should have stopped there amusing ourselves for the next
hour, pitching down stones and making the vipers vicious; but our
childish pursuit was ended by the doctor, who clapped Jack on the
shoulder.
"Come, Jack," he said, "if we leave you there you'll fall asleep and
topple to the bottom."
Jack drew up his legs and climbed once more to his feet, looking very
hot and languid, but he shouldered his piece and stepped out as we
slowly climbed along the edge of the chasm for about a quarter of a
mile, when it seemed to close up after getting narrower and narrower, so
that we continued our journey on what would have been its farther side
had it not closed.
Higher and higher we seemed to climb, with the path getting more
difficult, save when here and there we came upon a nice bare spot free
from stones, and covered with a short kind of herb that had the
appearance of thyme.
But now the heat grew less intense. Then it was comparatively cool, and
a soft moist air fanned our heated cheeks. The roar of the falls grew
louder, and at any moment we felt that we might come upon the sight, but
we had to travel on nearly half a mile along what seemed to be a steep
slope. It was no longer arid and barren here, for every shelf and
crevice was full of growth of the most vivid green. For a long time we
had not seen a tree, but here tall forest trees had wedged their roots
in the cracks and crevices, curved out, and then shot straight up into
the air.
The scene around was beautiful, and birds were once more plentiful,
dashing from fruit to flower, and no doubt screaming and piping
according to their wont, but all seemed to be strangely silent, even our
own voices sounded smothered, everything being overcome by the awful
deep loud roar that came from beyond a dense clump of trees.
We eagerly pressed forward now, ready, however, to find that we had a
long distance to go, and the doctor leading we wound our way in and out,
with the delicious shade overhead, and the refreshing moist air seeming
to cool our fevered faces and dry lips.
"Why, we're walking along by the very edge," said Jack Penny suddenly.
"This is the way;" and stepping aside he took about a dozen steps and
then the undergrowth closed behind him for the moment, but as we parted
it to follow him we caught sight of his tall form again and then lost
it, for he uttered a shrill "Oh!" and disappeared.
"Doctor! quick!" I cried, for I was next, and I sprang forward, to stop
appalled, for Jack was before me clinging to a thin sapling which he had
caught as he fell, and this had bent like a fishing-rod, letting him
down some ten feet below the edge of an awful precipice, the more
terrible from the fact that the river seemed to be rushing straight out
into the air from a narrow ravine high upon our right, and to plunge
down into a vast rocky basin quite a couple of hundred feet below.
As I caught sight of Jack Penny's face with its imploring eyes I was for
the moment paralysed. He had tight hold of the tree, which was only
about half the thickness of his own thin wrists, and he was swaying up
and down, the weight of his body still playing upon the elastic sapling.
"I can't hold on long, Joe Carstairs," he said hoarsely. "I'm such a
weight; but I say I ain't a bit afraid, only do be quick."
The doctor had crept to my side now, and he reached out his hand to
grasp Jack, but could not get hold of him by a couple of feet.
"Can't you reach?" the poor fellow gasped.
"No, not yet," the doctor said sharply; and his voice seemed quite
changed as he took in the position; and I saw him shudder as he noted,
as I had done, that if Jack fell it would be into the foaming basin
where the water thundered down.
"Be quick, please," panted Jack. "I can't do nothing at all; and I
don't--think--I could swim--down there."
"Don't look down," roared the doctor, though even then his voice sounded
smothered and low.
Jack raised his eyes to ours directly, and I seemed to feel that but for
this he would have been so unnerved that he would have loosed his hold.
"Now," cried the doctor, "the tree's too weak for you to cling to it
with your legs. Swing them to and fro till we catch hold of you."
Jack looked at me with a face like ashes; but he obeyed, and it was
horrible to see the sapling bend and play like a cart-whip with the
weight upon it. Each moment I expected it to snap in two or give way at
the roots; but no: it held fast, and Jack swung to and fro, and danced
up and down over the awful gulf till he was within our reach.
"Now!" shouted the doctor to me. "Both together."
I did as he did, clutched at Jack's legs as they swung up to us; held
on; and then we threw ourselves back, dragging with all our might.
"Let go! let go!" roared the doctor to Jack.
"I daren't, not yet," he cried, with his head hidden from us, that and
his body being over the gulf, while we had his legs over the edge of the
rock.
"But the tree is drawing you away from us," shouted the doctor. "Let
go, I say."
All this time it was as though Jack Penny were made of india-rubber, for
as we pulled his legs it was against something elastic, which kept
giving and drawing us back.
For a few moments it seemed doubtful whether we should save him, for our
hold was hastily taken and none of the best, and I felt the cold
perspiration gathering in my hands and on my brow. Then just as I felt
that I must give way, and the doctor's hard panting breathing sounded
distant and strange through the singing in my ears, our desperate
tugging prevailed over even the wild clutch of one who believed himself
in deadly peril. Jack's hands relaxed, and we all fell together amongst
the bushes, but safe.
No one spoke, and the dull sound of panting was heard even amidst the
roar of the falling waters. Then the doctor got up, looking fierce and
angry, and seizing Jack by the collar he gave him a shake.
"Look here," he said. "I'll have no more of it. Next time you get into
danger, you may save yourself."
"Thank ye, doctor," said Jack, sitting up and rocking himself softly.
"I might just as well have gone as be treated like this. You might have
taken hold of a fellow's clothes, both of you. You've about tore the
flesh off my bones."
The doctor turned away to look at the great waterfall, evidently amused
by Jack's dry drawling speech; and I sat and looked at my companion,
while he looked at me, and spoke out so as to make me hear above the
roar of the torrent.
"I say, Joe Carstairs, I didn't seem to be very much frightened, did I?"
"No," I said. "You bore it very bravely."
"Mean it?"
"Of course," I said.
"That's right; because I did feel awfully queer, you know. I don't mind
that though so long as I didn't show it."
"How did you manage to get into such a pickle?" I said.
"Oh, I don't know," he drawled, still rubbing himself gently. "I was
wandering forward to get a good look at the waterfall, and then my legs
seemed to go down. I only had time to grip hold of that tree, and then
I was swinging about. That's all. Let's have a look at the water,
though, all the same."
We followed the doctor, going cautiously along till we found him
standing gun in hand gazing from a bare spot right out at the huge
tumbling body of water, which made the very rocks on which we stood
tremble and vibrate as it thundered down.
In one spot, half-way down what looked to be a terribly gloomy chasm, a
broad beam of sunlight shone right across the foam and fine spray that
rose in a cloud, and from time to time this was spanned by a lovely
iris, whose colours looked more beautiful than anything of the kind that
I had before seen.
I could have stood for hours gazing at the soft oily looking water as it
glided over the piled-up rocks, and watched it breaking up into spray
and then plunge headlong into the chaos of water below; but the doctor
laid his hand upon my shoulder and pointed upwards, when, leading the
way, he climbed on and on till we were beyond the rocks which formed the
shelf over which the water glided, and here we found ourselves at the
edge of a narrow ravine, along which the stream flowed swiftly from far
beyond our sight to the spot where it made its plunge.
We were in comparative quiet up here, the noise of the fall being cut
off by the rocks, which seemed to hush it as soon as we had passed.
"Let us get back, my lads," the doctor said then; "I don't think we
shall advance our business by inspecting this grand river;" and so
leaving the water-worn smooth rock of the ravine, we retraced our steps,
and at last, hot and fainting almost with the heat, reached the little
camp, where our black followers were eagerly looking out for our return.
"Where's Jimmy?" I said as I glanced round; but no one knew, and
supposing that he had gone to hunt something that he considered good to
eat I took no further notice then, though the doctor frowned, evidently
considering that he ought to have been in camp. Gyp was there though,
ready to salute his master, who lay down at once, as he informed me in
confidence, to rest his back.
We were only too glad to get under the shelter of the great overhanging
rock, which gave us comparative coolness, situated as it was beneath a
hill that was almost a mountain, towering up in successive ledges to the
summit.
The walk, in spite of the excitement of the adventure, had given us an
excellent appetite, and even Jack Penny ate away heartily, looking
self-satisfied and as complacent as could be.
"Why, what are you laughing at, Jack?" I said, as I happened to look
up.
"I was only smiling," he whispered, "about my accident."
"Smiling--at that!" I exclaimed. "Why, I should have thought you would
have been horrified at the very thought of it."
"So I should if I had been a coward over it, Joe Carstairs; but I
wasn't--now was I?"
"Coward! No," I said, "of course not. Here, fill my cup with water."
We were sitting pretty close to the edge of our shelter, which really
might have been termed a very shallow cave, some twenty feet above the
level; and as I spoke I held out the tin pannikin towards Jack, for the
heat had made me terribly thirsty. The next moment, though, something
struck the tin mug and dashed it noisily out of my hand, while before I
could recover from my astonishment, the doctor had dragged me backwards
with one hand, giving Jack Penny a backhander on the chest with the
other.
"Arrows!" he whispered. "Danger! There are savages there below."