CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
HOW I NEARLY HAD AN ARROW TO DRINK.
We were soon on the way towards the interior again, and the doctor and Ihad set to work trying to obtain some information from Ti-hi, and alsofrom Aroo, another intelligent looking follower who had been one of theprisoners made by the captain of the burnt schooner.
It was hard work, but we were daily getting to understand more and moreof the commoner words of conversation, and by degrees we managed to makeout that the reason why we had not come upon any native village was thatthe nearest was still many days' journey distant, but that if we changedour course and went down to the sea-shore we should soon find signs ofoccupation.
But I felt that this would be of no use, for if my father had beenanywhere on the coast he must have come in contact sooner or later withone or other of the trading vessels, whose captains, even if they couldnot bring him away on account of his being a prisoner, would certainlyhave reported somewhere that they had seen a white captive, and the newsmust have spread.
"He must be right in the interior somewhere," I said; "and I'm sure wecan'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 Imean 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 successfulat once; but he did not keep up the pace long, but hung back for me toovertake 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 gonefar. If the truth were known," I continued, "he's walking along abreastof 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'veoffended 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 wonderwhat 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 islike far-off thunder."
"Water," said the doctor, who had closed up with us unperceived. "I'vebeen listening to it, and it sounds to me like a waterfall. Depend uponit we shall find that the river comes down over some pile of rocks, andif we were clear of the forest and could take a good look round weshould find that the country is growing mountainous on ahead."
It seemed during the next day's journey that the doctor was right, forwe were certainly ascending, the land growing more rugged and toilsome,but at the same time far more beautiful and full of variety. In placeof always journeying on through thick forest or park-like stretches, wenow found our way was among stony ridges and long heavy slopes, withhere and there a lovely valley, so full of beauty that I used to thinkto myself that perhaps we should find my father had built himself a hutin some such place as this, and was patiently going on with hiscollecting.
We had seen nothing of Jimmy for three days, and though I suspected himof being close at hand, and coming to our camp at night stealthily insearch 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 hissurmise.
"I don't think much of the doctor's waterfall," Jack said to me, in hisdry 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 heavythunderous murmur still, now I listened for it, though I had not seemedto notice it before.
"There ain't no waterfall," he replied, "or we should have seen itbefore now."
"Perhaps the shape of the land keeps us from getting near it, or perhapsthe 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, hardlyescaping, while the man in front of me, less quick in his motionconsequent upon his having a load upon his head, was sent flying by agreat slate-coloured buffalo which had suddenly charged us from behind aclump of trees where it had been lying.
It all happened so quickly that I had not time to think of my gun, whilethe doctor was fifty yards behind, and could not have fired had he beenable to see, for fear of hurting us.
The great beast had stopped for a moment after sending our bearerflying, and then, seeing him down, snorted a little, lowered his head,and would doubtless have tossed and trampled him to death had there notsuddenly come a whirring whizzing noise from some bushes in a hollow onour right, when something struck the buffalo a heavy blow upon themuzzle, making it turn up its head, utter a furious roar, and charge atthe bushes.
This was my opportunity, and taking a quick aim I fired, and heard thebullet strike with a heavy thud, when the buffalo seemed to drop uponits knees on the steep slope, and literally turned a somersault,crashing with a tremendous noise into some trees; and then, to myastonishment, rising again and going off at a lumbering gallop.
It did not go far, for just then there was the sharp crack of thedoctor's piece, and once more the buffalo fell heavily, to liestruggling, while, to my astonishment I saw a familiar black figurebound out of the bushes, catch up the boomerang he had thrown, and thenrace after the buffalo, which he reached just as the doctor also came upand put it out of its misery by a merciful shot in the head.
"Jimmy killum! Jimmy boomerang killum!" shouted the black, dancing onthe prostrate beast, while Jack and I were busy helping the poor bearerto his feet, and making sure that though stunned he was not seriouslyhurt.
"No," said the doctor. "No bones broken. It's wonderful what some ofthese savage races will bear."
He ceased his examination and gave the poor fellow a friendly clap onthe shoulder, while, after lying down for a time in the newcamping-ground, close up to the welcome supply of meat, the injured manwas sufficiently recovered to sit up, and eat his share of roast buffaloflesh.
Some delicious steaks which we cooked proved very welcome to us by wayof a change, but we did not commence without a few words with MasterJimmy, who was all smiles and friendliness now with everybody, till thedoctor 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 starvea deff."
"There, sit down and eat your supper!" said the doctor sternly; "and nomore nonsense, please."
The black looked at him in a sidelong fashion, and his fingers playedwith the handle of his waddy, which was behind him in his waistband, andthen he quailed beneath the doctor's steady gaze, and sat down humbly bythe camp fire to cook and eat what was really a moderate quantity for anAustralian black.
Next morning we were off at daybreak, our way lying up a narrow ravinefor a short distance, and then between a couple of masses of rock, whichseemed to have been split apart by some earthquake; and directly we werethrough here the dull humming buzz that we had heard more or less fordays suddenly fell upon our ears with a deep majestic boom that rose attimes, as the wind set our way, into a deafening roar.
I looked triumphantly at Jack Penny, but he only held his head higher inthe air and gave a sniff, lowering his crest directly after to attend tohis feet, for we were now in a complete wilderness of rocks and stones,thrown in all directions, and at times we had regularly to clim
b.
"It is useless to bring the men this way," the doctor said, after acouple of hours' labour; but as he spoke Ti-hi called a halt and pointedin a different direction, at right angles to that which we had so farfollowed, as being the one we should now take.
The sun had suddenly become unbearable, for we were hemmed in bypiled-up stones, and its heat was reflected from the brightly glisteningmasses, some of which were too hot even to be touched without pain,while the glare was almost blinding wherever the rocks were crystallineand white.
"I say, is that a cloud?" said Jack Penny, drawing our attention to afleecy mass that could be seen rising between a couple of masses ofrock.
"Yes!" cried the doctor eagerly, as he shaded his eyes from the sun'sglare; "a cloud of spray. The falls are there!"
"Or is it the wind you can see in the trees?" I said, with a look atJack Penny.
"Get out!" retorted that gentleman. "I didn't say I was sure, anddoctor isn't sure now."
"No, not sure, Penny," he said; "but I think I can take you to wherewater 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 theravine, and here we gladly halted, in the comparatively cool shade, tosit and partake of some of the buffalo strips, my eyes wanderingdreamily to right and left along the narrow valley so filled withstones.
I was roused from my thoughts about the strangeness of the place we werein and the absence of trees and thick bush by the doctor proposing a bitof a look round.
"We are getting up among the mountains, Joe," he said; "and this meansmore difficult travelling, but at the same time a healthier region andless 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 allevents let's go and see the falls."
We took our guns, leaving all heavy things with the blacks, who weresettling themselves for a sleep.
The sun's heat almost made me giddy for the first hundred yards, andeither 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 seemedto be nearly alive with lizards basking in the sun, their curious coatsof green and grey and umber-brown glistening in the bright sunshine, andlooking in some cases as if they were covered with frosted metal as theylay motionless upon the pieces of weatherworn stone.
Some raised their heads to look at us, and remained motionless if westopped to watch them, others scuffled rapidly away at the faintestsound, giving us just a glimpse of a quivering tail as its ownerdisappeared down a crevice almost by magic.
"Don't! don't fire!" cried the doctor, as Jack suddenly levelled hispiece.
"Why not?" he said in an ill-used tone. "I daresay they're poison andthey ain't no good."
The object that had been his aim was an ash-grey snake, rather short andthick of form, which lay coiled into the figure of a letter S, and heldits 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 anemergency."
"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 thinkwe are likely to have a fight soon, do you?"
"I hope not," said the doctor; "but we shall have to be always on thealert, 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 Iain't afraid. P'r'aps I am. I always thought our place lonely, but itwas nothing to these parts, where there don't seem to be no livingpeople at all."
"Well, let's get on," said the doctor, smiling; and we threaded our wayas well as we could amongst the chaotic masses of stones till we werestopped short by a complete crack in the stony earth, just as if theland had been dragged asunder.
As we stood on the brink of the chasm, and gazed down at the bottom somehundred feet below, we could see that it was a wild stony place, moresterile than that we had traversed. In places there were traces ofmoisture, as if water sometimes trickled down, and where this was thecase I could see that ferns were growing pretty freely, but on the wholethe place was barrennesss itself.
It seemed to have a fascination though for Jack Penny, who sat down onthe edge and dangled his long legs over the rock, amusing himself bythrowing down pieces of stone on to larger pieces below, so as to seethem shatter and fall in fragments.
"Snakes!" he said suddenly. "Look at 'em. See me hit that one." Hepitched down a large piece of stone as he spoke, and I saw somethingglide into a crevice, while another reptile raised itself up against apiece 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, andlike many vipers of the poisonous kinds, very thick in proportion.
I daresay we should have stopped there amusing ourselves for the nexthour, pitching down stones and making the vipers vicious; but ourchildish pursuit was ended by the doctor, who clapped Jack on theshoulder.
"Come, Jack," he said, "if we leave you there you'll fall asleep andtopple to the bottom."
Jack drew up his legs and climbed once more to his feet, looking veryhot and languid, but he shouldered his piece and stepped out as weslowly climbed along the edge of the chasm for about a quarter of amile, when it seemed to close up after getting narrower and narrower, sothat we continued our journey on what would have been its farther sidehad it not closed.
Higher and higher we seemed to climb, with the path getting moredifficult, save when here and there we came upon a nice bare spot freefrom stones, and covered with a short kind of herb that had theappearance of thyme.
But now the heat grew less intense. Then it was comparatively cool, anda soft moist air fanned our heated cheeks. The roar of the falls grewlouder, and at any moment we felt that we might come upon the sight, butwe had to travel on nearly half a mile along what seemed to be a steepslope. It was no longer arid and barren here, for every shelf andcrevice was full of growth of the most vivid green. For a long time wehad not seen a tree, but here tall forest trees had wedged their rootsin the cracks and crevices, curved out, and then shot straight up intothe air.
The scene around was beautiful, and birds were once more plentiful,dashing from fruit to flower, and no doubt screaming and pipingaccording to their wont, but all seemed to be strangely silent, even ourown voices sounded smothered, everything being overcome by the awfuldeep loud roar that came from beyond a dense clump of trees.
We eagerly pressed forward now, ready, however, to find that we had along distance to go, and the doctor leading we wound our way in and out,with the delicious shade overhead, and the refreshing moist air seemingto 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 andthen the undergrowth closed behind him for the moment, but as we partedit to follow him we caught sight of his tall form again and then lostit, for he uttered a shrill "Oh!" and disappeared.
"Doctor! quick!" I cried, for I was next, and I sprang forward, to stopappalled, for Jack was before me clinging to a thin sapling which he hadcaught as he fell, and this had bent like a fishing-rod, letting himdown some ten feet below the edge of an awful precipice, the moreterrible from the fact that the river seemed to be rushing straight outinto the air from a narrow ravine high upon our right, and to plungedown 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 forthe moment paralysed. He had tight hold of the tree, which
was onlyabout half the thickness of his own thin wrists, and he was swaying upand 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 aweight; 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 tograsp 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 quitechanged 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 basinwhere the water thundered down.
"Be quick, please," panted Jack. "I can't do nothing at all; and Idon't--think--I could swim--down there."
"Don't look down," roared the doctor, though even then his voice soundedsmothered and low.
Jack raised his eyes to ours directly, and I seemed to feel that but forthis 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 itwith 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 washorrible to see the sapling bend and play like a cart-whip with theweight upon it. Each moment I expected it to snap in two or give way atthe roots; but no: it held fast, and Jack swung to and fro, and dancedup 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; heldon; 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 andhis body being over the gulf, while we had his legs over the edge of therock.
"But the tree is drawing you away from us," shouted the doctor. "Letgo, I say."
All this time it was as though Jack Penny were made of india-rubber, foras we pulled his legs it was against something elastic, which keptgiving and drawing us back.
For a few moments it seemed doubtful whether we should save him, for ourhold was hastily taken and none of the best, and I felt the coldperspiration gathering in my hands and on my brow. Then just as I feltthat I must give way, and the doctor's hard panting breathing soundeddistant and strange through the singing in my ears, our desperatetugging prevailed over even the wild clutch of one who believed himselfin deadly peril. Jack's hands relaxed, and we all fell together amongstthe bushes, but safe.
No one spoke, and the dull sound of panting was heard even amidst theroar of the falling waters. Then the doctor got up, looking fierce andangry, 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 intodanger, 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 havetaken hold of a fellow's clothes, both of you. You've about tore theflesh off my bones."
The doctor turned away to look at the great waterfall, evidently amusedby 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 theroar 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 mindthat 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 waswandering forward to get a good look at the waterfall, and then my legsseemed to go down. I only had time to grip hold of that tree, and thenI 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 himstanding gun in hand gazing from a bare spot right out at the hugetumbling body of water, which made the very rocks on which we stoodtremble and vibrate as it thundered down.
In one spot, half-way down what looked to be a terribly gloomy chasm, abroad beam of sunlight shone right across the foam and fine spray thatrose in a cloud, and from time to time this was spanned by a lovelyiris, whose colours looked more beautiful than anything of the kind thatI had before seen.
I could have stood for hours gazing at the soft oily looking water as itglided over the piled-up rocks, and watched it breaking up into sprayand then plunge headlong into the chaos of water below; but the doctorlaid his hand upon my shoulder and pointed upwards, when, leading theway, he climbed on and on till we were beyond the rocks which formed theshelf over which the water glided, and here we found ourselves at theedge of a narrow ravine, along which the stream flowed swiftly from farbeyond our sight to the spot where it made its plunge.
We were in comparative quiet up here, the noise of the fall being cutoff 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 weshall advance our business by inspecting this grand river;" and soleaving the water-worn smooth rock of the ravine, we retraced our steps,and at last, hot and fainting almost with the heat, reached the littlecamp, where our black followers were eagerly looking out for our return.
"Where's Jimmy?" I said as I glanced round; but no one knew, andsupposing that he had gone to hunt something that he considered good toeat I took no further notice then, though the doctor frowned, evidentlyconsidering 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 inconfidence, to rest his back.
We were only too glad to get under the shelter of the great overhangingrock, which gave us comparative coolness, situated as it was beneath ahill that was almost a mountain, towering up in successive ledges to thesummit.
The walk, in spite of the excitement of the adventure, had given us anexcellent appetite, and even Jack Penny ate away heartily, lookingself-satisfied and as complacent as could be.
"Why, what are you laughing at, Jack?" I said, as I happened to lookup.
"I was only smiling," he whispered, "about my accident."
"Smiling--at that!" I exclaimed. "Why, I should have thought you wouldhave been horrified at the very thought of it."
"So I should if I had been a coward over it, Joe Carstairs; but Iwasn'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 reallymight have been termed a very shallow cave, some twenty feet above thelevel; and as I spoke I held out the tin pannikin towards Jack, for theheat had made me terribly thirsty. The next moment, though, somethingstruck the tin mug and dashed it noisily out of my hand, while before Icould recover from my astonishment, the doctor had dragged me backwardswith one hand, giving Jack Penny a backhander on the chest with theother.
"Arrows!" he whispered. "Danger! There are savages there below."