A lonely Night--We make acquaintance with the Natives--Waiting for
a Ship--We start for the North--A long hard Journey.
The loneliness of the night that soon closed around us was such as I had
never experienced before. Every strange sound or cry of a night-bird
startled us from our uneasy sleep on the sand: both of us were heartily
glad when daylight banished some of the unknown terrors that had haunted
us through the hours of darkness.
After our meagre meal of biscuit and water, I proposed that we should
make an excursion a short distance inland, and find out what sort of a
place it was where we were abandoned. Paul agreed; and this I must
confess here, that, although in after adventures we took opposite sides,
and to avenge a great wrong I had to consent to his death, yet during
the first years of our miserable exile Paul was the best companion a man
could have had.
We hid our water and provisions in a secure place, as we only intended
to make a short excursion; then we climbed the low rocks at the back of
the beach and found ourselves on a sandy flat, covered with coarse wiry
grass. Beyond was a thicket or close forest of low trees and towards
this we made our way, Paul armed with the hatchet and I with the
cutlass.
We found the thicket barren and grassless, and beyond again was an
opening in which we saw, as we thought, a large village of white huts.
We listened, but hearing no sound we advanced cautiously towards it. We
soon found out our mistake. What we supposed were huts were big mounds
of earth built up, as I now know, by a large light-coloured ant. Paul
climbed up on the highest of one of these, which was nearly ten feet,
and from the top called to me that he could see a low range of hills in
the distance, then he came down hastily and whispered that he saw smoke
rising a short distance away.
After talking the matter over we agreed that, as we were bound to come
in contact with the inhabitants at some time or other, it would be just
as well to have it over at once, so we advanced with outward boldness in
the direction of the smoke. I confess that my heart sank at the thought
of meeting these savage and formidable giants, who were reported to have
killed and eaten many of the Company’s sailors, but I kept a good face
and we were soon close to the place. We came upon them unexpectedly, for
they were squatting round two or three fires cooking shell-fish. They
raised a great hubbub when they saw us, and most of them ran away, but
some raised their lances in a threatening manner.
Both Paul and I gained courage when we saw these Indians, for they were
not giants at all, being rather undersized, with thin legs and arms.
They were black and quite naked. We shouted to them, and, having read
of such things, I broke off a green bough and held it up. This appeared
to please them for they lowered their lances, and after some delay
allowed us to approach. One of them then gave a peculiar cry, and the
rest of the tribe, including the women and children, approached timidly
from their hiding-places.
Conversation was of course impossible, but we made them understand at
last that we wanted to find out where they obtained their fresh water.
They led us to a sandy patch of ground where there was an old tree with
white bark. Here a hole had been dug and covered with boughs. On tasting
the water it proved to have a somewhat sweet flavour but was quite fit
to drink.
Thus relieved of one of our chief causes of anxiety, we determined to
make friends with these wretched Indians and, if possible, live with
them until another discovery-ship visited the coast; for I believed in
the warning whisper of the sailor. I can never understand why my life
was spared. Not on account of my youth, for a poor ship’s boy, younger
than I, was hanged. However, it matters little now.
I pass over the time we spent on this portion of the coast, vainly
waiting for the ship that never came. We accustomed ourselves to go
without clothes, like the Indians, and they taught us to hunt and what
roots and berries were fit to eat. On the other hand our cutlass and
tomahawk were very useful, as they had only tools of blunt stone. We
kept our clothes carefully, in case of being rescued, but in the course
of nearly two years this hope grew faint, and then a bold project
entered my head. I began to think that to the north this great Terra
Australis must run up very close to Java, and that, if we could make our
way there, we might be able to cross by the aid of a raft or canoe to
some of the islands and get in the track of the Company’s ships.
Moreover, the blacks, pointing to the north, had told us that up there
lived people who wore clothes. Not like ours, but still they did not go
naked. Inquiring still further I found that these people lived on the
same land that we were on, the natives being confident that there was no
big water to cross. They had never seen these people themselves, as
they were a long way off, but they had heard of them from other Indians.
Paul was quite ready to go, when I confided my plan to him, for life
amongst these poor Indians was of the most sordid kind, and we could not
stand the torment of the swarms of flesh-flies, as could the Indians.
They had, however, been very kind to us; for, after all, they could have
murdered us at any time and secured the cutlass and hatchet, which they
much coveted.
I consulted with Paul how we could reward them, and we finally smashed
up the old water-keg, which was now almost useless, and breaking the
iron hoops into convenient lengths for knives, distributed them amongst
the men of the tribe, who were more delighted with this than if we had
given them wallets full of gold.
We had vessels chopped out of soft wood for carrying water, we had
learnt how to make fire with two sticks, one old man was coming with us
as far as he knew the country, and they gave us a stick with notches cut
on it which would ensure our friendly reception by the neighbouring
tribe, of whom we had met some members when on our hunting excursions.
So we left these poor Indians, who had succoured us in our misery and
helplessness, and but for whom we would have died of starvation on that
barren coast. They wept and wailed when we turned our faces to the north
and left them, for these Indians are like children, easily moved to show
emotion, either of anger or grief.
The old man stayed with us three days, then he returned, and we were
left alone with an unknown world before us. We journeyed but slowly, for
we had to hunt for our food as we went, and that consisted mostly of
roots and small vermin, although now and again we managed to secure a
large and singular animal which, although possessing four legs,
progresses on its hind ones alone, in a series of astounding leaps. It
was the time of year when there are many thunder-storms, so that we did
not suffer from want of water, and this was of great assistance, for in
this dry and hot climate thirst is to be greatly dreaded. We passed
through the territory or hunting-grounds of the tribe next to where we
had been living without seeing any but a few scattered males, who, as
they knew of our existence, did not trouble us or express surprise.
It was a rough journey and we were nearly starved several times. At last
we came to a tribe who displayed great hostility at our appearance
although none of the others had done so. In fact one tribe had
entertained us most hospitably for many months during which it rained
incessantly. These Indians, however, would not let us approach them,
although it seemed to me that they displayed more fear than anything
else.
This made me think that perhaps we were drawing near to the
neighbourhood of the strange people who, being evidently more civilized,
would in all probability be feared by these other Indians. This I
afterwards discovered to be the case.
We found it much harder travelling amongst these hostile or frightened
tribes than before, also the days were much hotter and the sun now went
right over our heads at noonday so that we had no shadows, which
frightened Paul, although usually a bold fellow enough. Moreover, he
began to be afraid that we were approaching the country of the giants
who had slain the Company’s sailors, and I confess that I had my fears
of it as well. We fared miserably, as I said before, for not only had we
to hunt for a living, but the Indians of these parts are extremely
treacherous, and would follow us for miles, seeking an opportunity to
drive their lances at us, and another weapon they had, made of bent
wood, which made a whirring noise as it flew, and was very hard to
avoid. Fortunately, we had now acquired as much practice as these
savages, and I warrant they did not come off best in any fair encounters
that we had.
Still, it was weary work having to be always on the watch, and dragged
us down sorely. At times we followed the sea-shore, when the sandy
formation of the coast allowed it, then again we would be forced back
into a desolate region of rocks and thickets.
It must have been two years after leaving the place where we were
marooned that we came to a hilly, broken region, whereon there were many
of the trees that grow straight up for nearly fifteen or twenty feet and
then have tops like bunches of grass. The blacks, our first friends, had
taught us how to find out the eatable parts of these trees so that we
fared better; and, strange to say, in that region we found no
inhabitants, nor traces of any. No old camps, no marks of their stone
tomahawks on the tree trunks, no traces of man at all. Although this
made us wonder it was a great relief to us; and on that account game was
plentiful, there being no Indians to keep the animals in check. So we
grew stronger and in better heart, travelling slowly and resting often.
The weather was delightfully fine and water plentiful. In this country
there is very little difference in the seasons, save that one part of
the year is wet and the remainder dry. The rain comes from the
north-west, and during the dry months the wind blows from the exactly
opposite direction, namely, the south-east.