CHAPTER XVII
Mosquitoes and leeches--I explain pictures--An awkward admission--Mygreat portrait--The stomach as a deity--The portrait a success--Acolossal statue of "H. R. H."--Fish without eyes--A sad reflection--Astrange illusion--A grave danger--I sink a well--"Universal provider"--Asignificant phenomenon--Bruno as accomplice--I find Bruno dead.
I must say I was not very much troubled with mosquitoes in my mountainhome, and as I had endured dreadful torments from these insects whilst atPort Essington and other swampy places, I had good reason to congratulatemyself. Whilst crossing some low country on one occasion I was attackedby these wretched pests, whose bite penetrated even the clay coveringthat protected my skin. Even the blacks suffered terribly, particularlyabout the eyes. I, however, had taken the precaution to protect my eyesby means of leaves and twigs. At Port Essington the mosquitoes wereremarkably large, and of a greyish colour. They flew about literally inclouds, and it was practically impossible to keep clear of them.
The natives treated the bites with an ointment made from a kind of penny-royal herb and powdered charcoal. Talking about pests, in some parts theants were even more terrible than the mosquitoes, and I have known onevariety--a reddish-brown monster, an inch long--to swarm over andactually kill children by stinging them. Another pest was the leech. Itwas rather dangerous to bathe in some of the lagoons on account of theleeches that infested the waters. Often in crossing a swamp I would feela slight tickling sensation about the legs, and on looking down wouldfind my nether limbs simply coated with these loathsome creatures. Theremarkable thing was, that whilst the blacks readily knew when leechesattacked them, I would be ignorant for quite a long time, until I hadgrown positively faint from loss of blood. Furthermore, the blacksseemed to think nothing of their attacks, but would simply crush them ontheir persons in the most nonchalant manner. Sometimes they scorch themoff their bodies by means of a lighted stick--a kind office which Yambaperformed for me. The blacks had very few real cures for ailments, andsuch as they had were distinctly curious. One cure for rheumatism was toroll in the black, odourless mud at the edge of a lagoon, and then baskin the blazing sun until the mud became quite caked upon the person.
The question may be asked whether I ever tried to tell my cannibals aboutthe outside world. My answer is, that I only told them just so much as Ithought their childish imaginations would grasp. Had I told them more, Iwould simply have puzzled them, and what they do not understand they areapt to suspect.
Thus, when I showed them pictures of horse-races and sheep farms in thecopy of the Sydney _Town and Country Journal_ which I had picked up, Iwas obliged to tell them that horses were used only in warfare, whilstsheep were used only as food. Had I spoken about horses as beasts ofburden, and told them what was done with the wool of the sheep, theywould have been quite unable to grasp my meaning, and so I should havedone myself more harm than good. They had ideas of their own aboutastronomy; the fundamental "fact" being that the earth was perfectlyflat, the sky being propped up by poles placed at the edges, and keptupright by the spirits of the departed--who, so the medicine-man said,were constantly being sent offerings of food and drink. The Milky Waywas a kind of Paradise of souls; whilst the sun was the centre of thewhole creation.
I had often puzzled my brain for some method whereby I could convey tothese savages some idea of the magnitude of the British Empire. I alwayshad the _British_ Empire in my mind, not only because my sympathiesinclined that way, but also because I knew that the first friends toreceive me on my return to civilisation must necessarily be British. Overand over again did I tell the childish savages grouped around me what amighty ruler was the Sovereign of the British Empire, which covered thewhole world. Also how that Sovereign _had sent me as a specialambassador_, to describe to them the greatness of the nation of whichthey formed part. Thus you will observe I never let my blacks suspect Iwas a mere unfortunate, cast into their midst by a series of strangechances. I mentioned the whole world because nothing less than thiswould have done. Had I endeavoured to distinguish between the BritishEmpire and, say, the German, I should have again got beyond my hearers'depth, so to speak, and involved myself in difficulties.
Half instinctively, but without motive, I refrained from mentioning thatthe ruler of the British Empire was _a woman_, but this admission droppedfrom me accidentally one day, and then--what a falling off was there! Iinstantly recognised the mistake I had made from the contemptuous glancesof my blacks. And although I hastened to say that she was a mightychieftainess, upon whose dominions the sun never set; and that she wasactually the direct ruler of the blacks themselves, they repudiated herwith scorn, and contemned me for singing the praises of a mere woman. Ihad to let this unfortunate matter drop for a time, but the subject wasever present in my mind, and I wondered how I could retrieve my position(and her Majesty's) without eating my words. At length one day Yamba andI came across a curious rugged limestone region, which was full of caves.Whilst exploring these we came upon a huge, flat, precipitous surface ofrock, and then--how or why, I know not--the idea suddenly occurred to meto _draw a gigantic portrait of her Most Gracious Majesty QueenVictoria_! At this period, I should mention, I was a recognised chief,and periodically--once every new moon--I gave a kind of reception to mypeople, and also to the neighbouring tribes. At this interestingfunction I would always contrive to have some new wonder to unfold. Myvisitors never outstayed their welcome, and I always managed to have anabundance of food for them.
Well, I came upon the cave region a few weeks after my unfortunateblunder about the Queen; and I determined to have my great portrait readyfor the next reception day. Taking some blocks of stone of handy size, Ifirst wetted the surface of the rock and then commenced to rub it, untilI had a pretty smooth face to work upon. This took some time, but whilstI was doing it Yamba got ready the necessary charcoal sticks and pigmentssuch as the blacks decorate themselves with at _corroborees_. I had aslight knowledge of drawing, and climbing up on some projecting stones Icommenced to draw in bold, sweeping outline, what I venture to describeas the most extraordinary portrait of Queen Victoria on record. Thefigure, which was in profile, was perhaps seven feet or eight feet high,and of more than equally extravagant proportions in other respects. Ofcourse, the figure had to be represented entirely without clothing,otherwise the blacks would simply have been puzzled. Now to describe theportrait as much in detail as I dare. The crown was composed of rarefeathers such as only a redoubtable and cunning hunter could obtain; andit included feathers of the lyre-bird and emu. The sceptre was astupendous gnarled waddy or club, such as could be used with fearfulexecution amongst one's enemies. The nose was very large, because thisamong the blacks indicates great endurance; whilst the biceps wereabnormally developed. In fact, I gave her Majesty as much muscle aswould serve for half-a-dozen professional pugilists or "strong men." Thestomach was much distended, and when I state this fact I am sure it willexcite much curiosity as to the reason why.
Well, as the stomach is practically the greatest deity these savagesknow, and as food is often very hard to obtain, they argue that a personwith a very full stomach must necessarily be a daring and skilful hunter,otherwise he would not be able to get much food to put into it.
This extraordinary portrait was finally daubed and decorated withbrilliant pigments and glaring splashes of yellow, red, and blue. I alsoused a kind of vivid red dye obtained from the sap of a certain creeperwhich was bruised between heavy stones. I spent perhaps a week or afortnight on this drawing (I could not give all day to it, of course);and the only persons who knew of its existence were my own children andwomen-folk. After the completion of the great portrait, I went away, andwaited impatiently for my next reception day. When the wonder-lovingblacks were again before me I told them that I had a remarkable pictureof the great British Queen to show them, and then, full of anticipationand childish delight, they trooped after me to the spot where I had drawnthe great picture on the rocks. It is no exagge
ration to say that thecrowd of cannibals stood and squatted in front of my handiwork simplyspeechless with amazement. Eventually they burst out into cries ofwonderment, making curious guttural sounds with their lips, and smackingtheir thighs in token of their appreciation. I pointed out everydetail--the immense size of the great Queen, and the various emblems ofher power; and at last, stepping back from the rock, I sang "God save theQueen," the beautiful national hymn of Great Britain, which I had learnedfrom the two ill-fated girls, and which, you will remember, has the sameair as that of a Swiss song.
The general effect not merely removed any bad impression that might havebeen created with regard to my damaging admission about the sex of thegreat ruler; it more than re-established me in my old position, and Ifollowed up my success by assuring them that her Majesty included in herretinue of servants a greater number of persons than was represented inthe whole tribe before me. Furthermore, I assured them that whilst themountain home I had built was very large (judged by their standard), thehouse of Queen Victoria was big enough to hold a whole nation of blacks.
In order to give you some idea of the nervous horror I had of losingprestige, I may tell you that, far from being satisfied with what I haddone to vindicate the great Sovereign whose special ambassador I wassupposed to be, I soon decided to give yet another demonstration whichshould impress even those who were inclined to cavil--if any suchexisted. I pointed out that whilst the Queen, great and powerful andbeloved ruler though she was, could not lead her warriors into battle inperson, yet she was represented in war time by her eldest son, who was amost redoubtable warrior and spear-thrower, and acted on behalf of hisillustrious mother on all occasions when she could not appear. But asmention of the Prince of Wales called for a demonstration of _his_personality also, I determined to make another experiment inportraiture,--this time in the direction of sculpture. I think it washaving come across a very damp country, abounding in plastic clay, thatput this idea into my head. First of all, then, I cut down a stout youngsapling, which, propped up in the ground, served as the mainstay of mystatue; and from it I fastened projecting branches for the arms and legs.
Round this framework I built up my figure with blocks of clay; and atlength, after, perhaps, three or four weeks' industrious modelling, Icompleted a statue of his Royal Highness which measured about seven feetsix inches in height. The body and limbs were of abnormal development,much on the lines of my representation of his august mother. Fullerdetails would be interesting, but hardly edifying. This statue I"unveiled" at another of my monthly receptions, and, judged by itseffect, it was even a greater success than the colossal portrait of theQueen. A monster _corroboree_ was held alongside the Prince of Wales'sstatue, but, unfortunately, he went to pieces in a day or two, when thefierce sun beat down upon the clay, and cracked it. This gradualdisintegration of the great ruler's deputy vastly amused the blacks, andI eventually had to hasten the Prince's end, lest their mirth shouldcompromise my dignity.
You will hardly be surprised when I tell you that the blacks looked to mefor everything. I was judge, wonder-worker, and arbitrator. Often theywould pick up one of my possessions, and, whilst not exactly coveting it,they would ask for one like it.
Take, for example, the reed flutes which, when played by me, were such asource of joy to the blacks and their children. Well, I was soon calledupon to make flutes for the natives, which I did out of long reeds; butthese instruments only had two holes in them at first, as the blackscould not play them when other holes were added. The great drawback tothese flutes was that the reed dried very quickly and became useless formusical purposes; so I was kept pretty busy, more especially as I did notwant to create jealousy by refusing some and gratifying others.
Although the immediate country in which I established my home was fertileand extremely rich in tropical vegetation, the adjoining ranges were instriking contrast to it; many districts being rugged and slaty andpainfully difficult to traverse on foot. There were, however, manyinteresting natural curiosities which beguiled the time in travelling.
Once I came across a certain kind of spider, whose web was so strong andthick that it only broke under considerable pressure from the finger. Thespider itself was fully two inches or three inches long, and hadformidable claws. Inland fishing, too, I found extremely interesting. Ofcourse, the inland blacks have a very different method of fishing fromthat adopted by the coast tribes. Often the inland people would build afire on the banks of the lagoon, and throw something into the water toattract the fish to the surface. When the fish rose they would promptlybe speared. Some of them weighed as much as ten pounds, and provedexcellent eating. The blacks themselves never inquired how the fish cameinto these inland holes; it was enough for them to know they were thereand were good eating. The usual fish-hooks were of bone; and although Iexperimented with hooks of gold and copper I found them practicallyuseless, and, in the long run, reverted to articles of nativemanufacture. In a certain limestone country, which I struck in thecourse of my wanderings, I discovered some extraordinary caves with water-holes, in which blind fish existed. They certainly had indications ofeyes, but these were hidden beneath a kind of permanent skin covering. Inany case they would have had no use for eyes, because the water-holeswere situated in the most profound darkness. In other caves I discoveredquantities of extraordinary animal-bones, probably of prehistoric origin.
If I have omitted to mention Bruno in connection with every incidentrelated in these pages, it must not be supposed that my faithfulcompanion did not play an important part in my daily life.
He was always with me; but it must be remembered that he was now growingold, and the natives around me were by no means so keen to possess him asthe tribes of Carpentaria had been in the days gone by.
All kinds of extraordinary incidents befell me whilst on the"walk-about." Many a time have I been deceived by mirage. One mostcomplete deception befell me one day whilst Yamba and I were trampingover a stretch of low, sandy country. Suddenly I fancied I descried theboundless ocean in the distance, and with my usual impetuosity rushedfrantically forward in the firm belief that at last we had reached thecoast. Yamba explained that it was only a mirage, but I would not stayto listen, and must have gone miles before I gave up in disgust andreturned to my patient wife. This brings me to another and perhaps stillmore extraordinary illusion. One day whilst Yamba and I were passingthrough one of those eternal regions of sand-hills and spinifex which arethe despair of the Australian explorer, I suddenly saw in the distancewhat I was certain was _a flock of sheep_. There they wereapparently--scores of them, browsing calmly in a depression in a fertilepatch where most probably water existed.
In an instant the old desire to return to civilisation, which I hadthought buried long ago, reasserted itself, and I dashed forward at fullspeed yelling back to Yamba, "Sheep, sheep--where sheep are, men are.Civilisation at last!" When at length I had got near enough for thecreatures to notice me, you may imagine my disgust and disappointmentwhen quite a little forest of tall heads went high into the air, and _aflock of emus_ raced off across the country at full speed. These hugebirds had had their heads down feeding, and not unnaturally, in thedistance, I had mistaken them for sheep.
I think every one is aware that prolonged droughts are of very commonoccurrence in Central Australia, and are mainly responsible for themigratory habits of the aborigines--particularly those of the remotedeserts in the interior. The most terrible drought I myself experiencedwhilst in my mountain home was one that extended over three years, wheneven the lagoon in front of my dwelling, which I had thought practicallyinexhaustible, dried up, with the most appalling results. Justthink--never a drop of rain falling for over three long years, with ascorching sun darting down its rays almost every day! During thisterrible period the only moisture the parched earth received was in theform of the heavy dews that descended in the night. Even these, however,only benefited the vegetation where any continued to exist, and did notcontribute in the slightest
degree to the natural water supply sonecessary for the sustenance of human and animal life. The results wereterrible to witness. Kangaroos and snakes; emus and cockatoos; lizardsand rats--all lay about either dead or dying; and in the case of animalswho had survived, they seemed no longer to fear their natural enemy, man.
Day by day as I saw my lagoon grow gradually smaller, I felt that unlessI took some steps to ensure a more permanent supply, my people mustinevitably perish, and I with them. Naturally enough, they looked to meto do something for them, and provide some relief from the effects of themost terrible drought which even they had ever experienced. Almost dailydiscouraging reports were brought to me regarding the drying up of allthe better-known water-holes all round the country, and I was at lengthobliged to invite all and sundry to use my own all but exhausted lagoon.At length things became so threatening that I decided to sink a well.Choosing a likely spot near the foot of a precipitous hill, I set to workwith only Yamba as my assistant. Confidently anticipating the bestresults, I erected a crude kind of windlass, and fitted it with a green-hide rope and a bucket made by scooping out a section of a tree. Mydigging implements consisted solely of a home-made wooden spade and astone pick. Yamba manipulated the windlass, lowering and raising thebucket and disposing of the gravel which I sent to the surface, with thedexterity of a practised navvy. What with the heat, the scarcity ofwater, and the fact that not one of the natives could be relied upon todo an hour's work, it was a terribly slow and wearying business; butYamba and I stuck to it doggedly day after day.
At the end of a week I had sunk a narrow shaft to a depth of twelve orfourteen feet, and then to my infinite satisfaction saw every indicationthat water was to be found a little lower down. In the course of thefollowing week I hit upon a spring, and then I felt amply rewarded forall the trouble I had taken. Even when the lagoon was perfectly dry, andonly its parched sandy bed to be seen, the supply from our little wellcontinued undiminished; and it proved more than enough for our wantsduring the whole of the drought. I even ventured to provide thedistressed birds and animals with some means of quenching theirinsupportable thirst. A few yards from the well I constructed a largewooden trough, which I kept filled with water; and each day it wasvisited by the most extraordinary flocks of birds of every size andvariety of plumage--from emus down to what looked like humming-birds.Huge snakes, ten and fifteen feet long, bustled the kangaroos away fromthe life-giving trough; and occasionally the crowd would be so excessivethat some of the poor creatures would have to wait hours before theirthirst was satisfied,--and even die on the outer fringe of the waitingthrong. I remember that even at the time the scene struck me as anamazing and unprecedented one, for there was I doing my best to regulatethe traffic, so to speak, sending away the birds and animals and reptileswhose wants had been satisfied, and bringing skins full of water to thosewho had fallen down from exhaustion, and were in a fair way to die. As arule, the creatures took no notice whatever of me, but seemed to realisein some instinctive way that I was their benefactor. Of course I had tocover over the top of the well itself, otherwise it would have beensimply swamped with the carcasses of eager animals and birds.
But, it may be asked, why did I take the trouble to supply everythingthat walked and flew and crawled with water when water was so precious? Amoment's thought will furnish the answer. If I suffered all the animals,birds, and reptiles to die, I myself would be without food, and then mylast state would be considerably worse than the first.
I think the snakes were the most ungrateful creatures of all. Sometimesthey would deliberately coil themselves up in the trough itself, and soprevent the birds from approaching. I always knew when something of thiskind had happened, because of the frightful screeching and general uproarset up by the indignant birds--that is to say, such as had the power toscreech left. I would hurry to the spot and drag out the cause of thetrouble with a forked stick. I never killed him, because there werealready enough of his kind dead on every side. The very trees and grassdied; and in this originated another almost equally terrible peril--thebush fires, of which more hereafter. Talking about snakes, one day I hada narrow escape from one of these ungrateful reptiles. A number of babysnakes had swarmed into the trough, and I was in the very act of angrilyremoving them when I heard a shout of horror from Yamba. I swung round,instinctively leaping sideways as I did so, and there, rearing itselfhigh in the air, was an enormous snake, fully twenty feet long. Yamba,without a moment's hesitation, aimed a tremendous blow at it and smashedits head.
The drought was productive of all kinds of curious and remarkableincidents. The emus came in great flocks to the drinking-trough, andsome of them were so far gone that they fell dead only a few yards fromthe fount of life. I picked up a great number of these huge birds, andmade their skins into useful bed coverings, rugs, and even articles ofclothing. When this terrible visitation was at its height Yamba made acurious suggestion to me. Addressing me gravely one night she said, "Youhave often told me of the Great Spirit whom your people worship; He cando all things and grant all prayers. Can you not appeal to Him now tosend us water?" It was a little bit awkward for me, but as I had oftenchatted to my wife about the Deity, and told her of His omnipotence andHis great goodness to mankind, I was more or less obliged to adopt thissuggestion. Accordingly she and I knelt down together one night in ourdwelling, and offered up an earnest prayer to God that He would sendwater to the afflicted country. Next morning that which seemed to me amiracle had been wrought. Incredible though it may appear, all thecreeks, which until the previous night had been mere dry watercourses foran untold number of months, were rippling and running with themuch-needed water, and we were saved all further anxiety, at any rate forthe time. There may be, however, some scientific explanation of thisextraordinary occurrence.
No sooner had we recovered from the delight caused by this phenomenallysudden change than the rain came--such rain! and the tremendous tropicaldownpour lasted for several weeks. The country soon reverted tosomething like its normal appearance.
The bush fires were extinguished, and even my lagoon came into existenceagain.
Talking about bush fires, we often saw them raging madly and sublimely inthe mountains. They would burn for weeks at a stretch, and devastatehundreds of miles of country. For ourselves, we always prepared for suchemergencies by "ringing" our dwelling--that is to say, laying bare acertain stretch of country in a perfect circle around us. Often we werealmost choked by the intense heat which the wind occasionally wafted tous, and which, combined with the blazing sun and scarcity of water,rendered life positively intolerable.
I now wish to say a few words about Bruno--a few last sorrowfulwords--because at this period he was growing feeble, and, indeed, hadnever been the same since the death of Gibson. Still, I was constantlymaking use of his sagacity to impress the blacks. My usual custom was tohide some article (such as my tomahawk), near the house in Bruno'spresence, and then start off on a tramp accompanied by the blacks.
After we had gone a few miles I would suddenly call a halt, and pretendto my companions that I had forgotten something. Then I would orderBruno to go back and fetch it, with many mysterious whisperings. Thedear, sagacious brute always understood what I wanted him to do, and inthe course of perhaps an hour or two he would come and lay the article atmy feet, and accept the flattering adulation of my black companions withthe utmost calmness and indifference. Bruno never forgot what wasrequired of him when we encountered a new tribe of blacks. He wouldalways look to me for his cue, and when he saw me commence my acrobaticfeats, he too would go through his little repertoire, barking andtumbling and rolling about with wonderful energy.
His quaint little ways had so endeared him to me that I could not bear tothink of anything happening to him. On one occasion, when going througha burning, sandy desert, both he and I suffered terribly from the hot,loose sand which poured between our toes and caused us great suffering.Poor Bruno protested in the only way he could, which was by stop
ping fromtime to time and giving vent to the most mournful howls. Besides, Icould tell from the gingerly way he put his feet down that the burningsand would soon make it impossible for him to go any farther. Itherefore made him a set of moccasins out of kangaroo skin, and tied themon his feet. These he always wore afterwards when traversing similardeserts, and eventually he became so accustomed to them that as soon aswe reached the sand he would come to me and put up his paws appealinglyto have his "boots" put on!
But now age began to tell upon him; he was getting stiff in his limbs,and seldom accompanied me on hunting expeditions. He seemed only to wantto sleep and drowse away the day. He had been a splendid kangaroohunter, and took quite an extraordinary amount of pleasure in thispursuit. He would run down the biggest kangaroo and "bail him up"unerringly under a tree; and whenever the doomed animal tried to get awayBruno would immediately go for his tail, and compel him to stand at bayonce more until I came up to give the _coup de grace_. Of course, Brunoreceived a nasty kick sometimes and occasionally a bite from a snake,poisonous and otherwise. He was not a young dog when I had him first;and I had now made up my mind that he could not live much longer. Hepaid but little attention in these days to either Yamba or myself, and inthis condition he lingered on for a year or more.
One morning I went into the second hut--which we still called Gibson's,by the way, although he had never lived there--when to my dismay andhorror (notwithstanding that I was prepared for the event), I beheld mypoor Bruno laid out stiff and stark on the little skin rug that Gibsonhad originally made for him. I do not think I knew how much I loved himuntil he was gone. As I stood there, with the tears coursing down mycheeks, all the strange events of my wondrous career seemed to risebefore my mind--events in which poor dead Bruno always took an activepart. He was with me on the wreck; he was with me on the island; he waswith me in all my wanderings and through all my sufferings and triumphs.He got me out of many a scrape, and his curious little eccentricities,likes, and dislikes afforded me never-ending delight. But now he wasgone the way of all flesh; and although I had expected this blow for manymonths, I do not think this mitigated my poignant grief. Yamba, too, wasterribly grieved at his death, for she had become most devotedly attachedto him and he to her. I rolled the body of the faithful creature in akind of preservative earth and then in an outer covering of bark. Thisdone I laid him on a shelf in one of the caves where the wild dogs couldnot get at him, and where the body of Gibson, similarly treated, had alsobeen placed.
CHAPTER XVIII
I make a perambulator--Meeting with whites--A dreadful habit--The miracleof Moses--Preparing a demonstration--An expectant audience--Yamba growingfeeble--One tie snapped--Yamba's pathetic efforts--Vain hopes--Yambadying--Nearing the end--My sole desire--A mass of gold--I seek trousersand shirt--An interesting greeting--A startling question--Towards MountMargaret--The French Consul--I reach London.
I always felt instinctively that any attempt at missionary enterprise onmy part would be dangerous, and might besides afford jealous medicine-menand other possible enemies an excellent opportunity of undermining myinfluence.
Sometimes, however, when all the tribe was gathered together, I wouldbring up the subject of cannibalism, and tell them that the Great Spiritthey feared so much had left with me a written message forbidding allfeasting off the bodies of human beings. The "written message" Ireferred to on these occasions was my old Bible. Of course the blacksfailed to understand its purport as a book, having no written language oftheir own; but my manner and words served to impress them.
My natives seemed ever to manifest the keenest interest in the accounts Igave them of the wonderful resources of civilisation; but experienceshowed that I must adapt my descriptions to the intellect of my hearers.For example, I used to tell them that in the great cities ("camps" Icalled them) there was never any real darkness if men chose, becausethere were other lights at command which could be turned off and on atwill. The most effective analogy in this respect was the twinkling ofthe stars in the heavens; but my hearers were greatly amazed to thinkthat such lights could be under the command of man.
The blacks had long since put me down as a great spirit come to visitthem, and they even located by common consent a certain star in theheavens which they decided was at one time my home, and to which I shouldeventually return. Every time I made a false step, I had to devise somenew "miracle" by way of counterblast.
On one occasion I actually made a perambulator for the conveyance ofchildren! It was the very first time that these primitive savages hadseen the principle of the wheel applied to locomotion, and it passedtheir comprehension altogether. With childish delight and an uproar thatbaffles all description, both men and women almost fought with oneanother for the honour of pushing the crude little conveyance about. Theperambulator was made out of logs, and was a four-wheeled vehicle; therims of the wheels being cut from a hollow tree. My blacks were alsomuch amazed at the great size of my mountain home; but their wondermentincreased greatly when I explained to them that some of the buildings inthe great "camps" of the white man were as large as the hills, and muchmore numerous.
Elsewhere I have spoken of the extraordinary system of telegraphy thatexists among the blacks. Well, in the early eighties news began to reachme that numbers of white men had appeared in the north; and in one of mymany long tramps I one day came upon a party of white men engaged inprospecting. I speak of this remarkable meeting thus abruptly becausetheir tent met my gaze in the most abrupt manner possible. It is ever soin the Australian bush.
I found that this party was by no means an isolated one, and I actuallystayed in various camps for a few days, before returning to my mountainhome. I need hardly remark that the white men were far more astonishedto see me than I was at meeting them. Of course I could have joined themand gone back to civilisation, but this I would not do without my nativewife and family. It was in the Kimberley district that I met theseparties of prospectors; and I may here remark that I had for some timebeen aware of the existence of this auriferous region. I learnedafterwards that the Kimberley was geographically the nearest point Imight have made for in order to reach civilisation.
When I settled down again in my mountain home I soon fell into my old wayof living, which was practically identical with that of the blacks, savethat I did not always accompany them when they shifted camp. Parties ofnatives were constantly calling upon me, and would stay perhaps three orfour days at a time. I encouraged these visits, and invariably preparedsome entertainment for my guests,--even going to the extent of providingthem with wives, according to native custom. But, you will ask, wheredid I get wives to hand round in this convenient fashion? A veryinteresting question this, and one which requires a somewhat lengthyanswer. Now, the blacks do not look upon the advent of a female childwith any favour; on the contrary, they frequently get rid of it at oncein order to save themselves the trouble of taking it with them when onthe walk-about.
As I was always very fond of children, I decided to try and put a stop tothis dreadful habit of child-murder, so I made it known far and wide thatparents could pass their girl-babies on to me, and I would rear and lookafter them. The result of this widely-advertised offer was that I soonhad quite an orphan asylum established--an institution which was valuableto me in many ways. Quite apart from the satisfaction I derived fromknowing I had saved these children from a terrible death, I was lookedupon as a kind of prospective father-in-law on a gigantic scale, andyoung men came from all parts to treat with me for wives.
As I have said before, my regular reception days were held at the newmoon.
My visitors, as well as my own people, gradually grew to have quite areverence for the Bible; but I am afraid it was not on account of thesacredness of the book, but rather owing to the wonderful things itcontained, and which were interpreted by me in such a way as would appealdirectly to the primitive minds of these people.
Oftentimes I made mistakes. For instance, what seemed to interest themen
ormously was the story of how Moses struck the rock and obtained amiraculous supply of water. Anything in the way of fresh water procuredin the desert interested them keenly. Only, unfortunately, they flooredme by asking me to accomplish a similar miracle!
Another Bible story which brought me some discomfiture was about Balaamand his ass. Now, when I decided to tell the story of Balaam, I knewfrom experience that if I mentioned an "ass," that animal would requireall kinds of tedious explanation, which would probably result in needlessmystification and consequent suspicion; so I boldly plunged into thestory of _Balaam and his_ KANGAROO! But what staggered the blacksaltogether was that Balaam's kangaroo should be able to speak. Now, itseems that a talking animal is the greatest possible joke known to theblacks, and so my narrative was greeted with uproarious mirth; and my"impossible" story even spread from tribe to tribe. I found it was nouse telling the blacks anything they could not readily comprehend.
One day I told them about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fireand brimstone, and this again landed me in disaster, for I was promptlyasked how could any one, Great Spirit or other, burn up _the stones_ ofwhich the houses were composed? And, of course, each instance of thiskind would be pounced upon by a tribal medicine-man or some other jealousenemy, and used to discredit me. A few days after telling the Sodom andGomorrah story, I was on a walk-about with Yamba in my mountain region,when I suddenly discovered that shale existed in very considerablequantities, and I thereupon conceived the idea of demonstrating to theblacks that, not only was the Bible narrative a true one, but that it wasquite possible to ignite stone; _and I would even show them how it wasdone_!
Aided by Yamba and other members of my family, I constructed an immenseshaft-like cairn, mainly composed of loose pieces of shale intermixedwith sandstone. I put in the sandstone and other stones, partly in orderthat the blacks might not notice the uniform construction of the cairn;and partly also because I knew that when the ordinary stones were heated,they would probably burst or explode with a loud sound, and so terrifythe superstitious onlookers. The cairn was about fifteen feet high, withan opening at the summit and other small openings at the sides in orderto ensure a good draught. At the base I left an opening sufficientlylarge for me to crawl through. Then I placed inside a quantity ofinflammable material--such as wood and dry bark;--and as all thesepreparations went forward in a very leisurely manner, my monthlyreception was quite due when everything was ready. Wishing to have anexceptionally large gathering, I sent out invitations to all thesurrounding tribes to come and see my wonderful performance at which Iwould "set fire to the rocks and stones."
A perfectly enormous crowd assembled at the time appointed, for myprevious achievements had led the black-fellows to suppose I had somemarvellous manifestation in store for them. Never can I forget thekeenness with which that great assembly anticipated the entertainment instore for them. And remember, they were growing pretty _blase_ by thistime, having witnessed so many miracles.
In the twilight of the evening, when the murmur of the multitude washushed, I crawled cautiously into the cairn (I should have been buriedalive had it collapsed), and at once commenced operations with the flintand steel and tinder which I had taken care to leave there. In anotherminute I had set fire to the wood and dry material that filled the bottomof the shaft. When I was satisfied that it was thoroughly alight, Idiscreetly withdrew and joined the wondering crowd, which I had forbiddento approach too close. Dense clouds of smoke were now rolling from theapertures of the great cairn, and in a short time the shaft was a fierceand raging furnace, with the ordinary stones red hot and occasionallybursting with loud explosions, which threw showers of glowing slag highinto the air.
The blacks were almost paralysed with fear, and many of them threwthemselves prostrate on the ground, ignoring the hail of stones that fellupon their naked bodies. I stalked about majestically among them,exulting in my power and the success of my manifestation. The big cairnburnt for many days more fiercely than even a stack of coal would do; andI never ceased to wonder that the blacks themselves had not long agofound out the inflammable nature of the "stone."
By this time Yamba could speak English tolerably well, but we did notinvariably use that language.
Gradually and half unconsciously I fell into the habit of speaking thenative tongue, until I suddenly found that the practice was obtainingsuch a firm hold upon me that I was forgetting French altogether; whilstit was only with difficulty that I could form grammatical sentences inEnglish. I soon came to the conclusion, therefore, that it was necessaryfor me to hold much more converse in English than I had hitherto done;and from the moment that this curious "scare" suggested itself to mymind, Yamba and I and our children spoke nothing but English when we wereby ourselves in the evening. I cultivated my knowledge of English inpreference to any other language, because I knew that if ever we shouldreach civilisation, English and not French would be the language spoken.It may be interesting also to mention that one of the first indications Ihad that I was losing my English was an inability to _think_ in thatlanguage.
In general appearance I was now absolutely like a black, and wore only anapron of emu skin as a protection against the scrub I encountered when onthe walk-about. In the ordinary way I never had any marks upon me withthe exception of these scratches. Of course, on festive occasions, I wasgaily painted and decorated, and no doubt I would have been initiatedinto manhood, and borne the tribal and other marks, were it not for thefact that I was a man when I came among the blacks.
It is obviously impossible for me to record minutely the happenings ofevery day, mainly because only the salient incidents stand out in mymind. Besides, I have already dealt with the daily routine, and haveprobably repeated myself in minor details.
A constant source of grief to me was the weakly condition of my twochildren, who I knew could never attain mature age. And knowing theywere doomed, I think I loved them all the more.
Yet so incomprehensible is human nature that I often found myselfspeculating on what I should do after they--and Yamba--were gone; becauseby this time my faithful helpmate was growing ominously feeble. You mustremember that when I first met her on the desert island she was an oldishwoman, judged by the native standard; that is to say, she was aboutthirty.
The death-bed of my boy is a scene I can never forget. He called me tohim, and said he was very glad he was dying, because he felt he wouldnever have been strong enough to fight his way through life, and enduredaily what the other black boys endured. Therefore, he argued wistfully,and half inquiringly, he would only be a burden to me. He was a veryaffectionate and considerate little fellow, with an intelligence farbeyond that of the ordinary aboriginal child. He spoke in English,because I had taught both him and his sister that language. At the lastI learned--for the first time--that it was always worrying him, andalmost breaking his little heart, that he could never compete with theblack boys in their games of strength and skill; and no doubt he wouldhave become an outcast were it not that he was my son.
Almost his last whispered words to me were that he would be able toassist me more in the Spirit-land than ever he could hope to do in theflesh. He was perfectly conscious to the last, and as I knelt down byhis couch of fragrant eucalyptus leaves, and stooped low to catch hiswhispered message, he told me he seemed to be entering a beautiful newcountry, where the birds always sang and the flowers bloomed for ever.Spirit voices kept calling him, he said, and he felt himself beingirresistibly drawn away from me.
Upon my own feelings I do not wish to dwell. All I will say is I kissedmy boy on the eyes and mouth, and then, with a soft "Good-bye, they havecome for me," he closed his eyes for ever.
I felt it was to be. A few days afterwards the little girl, my remainingchild, was taken ill, and so feeble was she, that she soon joined herbrother in the better land. I seemed to be overwhelmed with misfortunes,but the greatest of all was yet to come. I have hinted that Yamba wasbeginning to show signs of infirmity through adva
ncing years. I couldnot help noticing, with a vague feeling of helpless horror and sickeningforeboding, that she had lost her high spirits and keen perception--tosay nothing about the elasticity of her tread and her wonderful physicalendurance generally. She was no longer able to accompany me on the longand interesting tramps which we had now taken together for so many years.Her skin began to wither and wrinkle, and she gradually took on theappearance of a very old woman. The result of this was I began to havefits of frightful depression and acute misery. I stayed at home a gooddeal now, partly because I knew the country thoroughly and no longercared to explore, and partly also because I missed the companionship andinvaluable assistance of my devoted wife. I constantly buoyed myself upwith the hope that Yamba was only ailing temporarily, and that herenfeebled condition had been brought on mainly by the misfortunes thathad befallen us of late. But she grew more and more feeble, and both sheand I knew that the end was not far off. Never once, however, did weallude to such a catastrophe; and whenever I fixed my eyes earnestly uponher in the vain hope of discerning some more favourable symptom, shewould pretend not to notice me.
I would sometimes take her for a long walk, which was really much beyondher strength, solely in order that we might delude ourselves with vainhopes. And she, poor creature, would tax herself far beyond her strengthin order to afford me a happiness which the real state of things did notjustify.
For instance, she would run and leap and jump in order to show that shewas as young as ever; but after these strange and pathetic demonstrationsshe would endeavour to conceal her great exhaustion.
Very soon my poor Yamba was obliged to remain at home altogether; and asshe grew more and more infirm, she plucked up courage to tell me that sheknew she was going to die, and was rather glad than otherwise, becausethen I would be able to return to civilisation--that goal for which I hadyearned through so many years. She pointed out to me that it would notbe so difficult now, as I had already been brought into contact withparties of white men; and, besides, we had long ago had news brought tous about the construction of the Trans-Continental Telegraph Line fromAdelaide to Port Darwin. No sooner had she spoken of death than I brokedown again altogether. The thought that she should be taken from me wasso cruel that its contemplation was quite insupportable, and I threwmyself down beside her in a perfect agony of grief and dread.
I told her I did not mind how long I remained among the blacks so long asshe was with me; and I tried to persuade her, with all the eloquence Icould muster, that, far from dying, she would return to civilisation withme, so that I might spread abroad to the whole world the story of herdevotion and her virtues. As she continued merely to smile pityingly, Ichanged my tone and dwelt upon the past. I went through the whole storyof my life, from the time she was cast upon the desert island in the Seaof Timor, and at the recital of all the hardships and dangers, joys andtroubles, which we had passed through together, she broke down also, andwe wept long and bitterly in one another's arms.
By this time she had become a convert to Christianity, but this wasentirely a matter of her own seeking. She had such implicit belief in mywisdom and knowledge, that she begged me to tell her all about myreligion in order that she might adopt it as her own. Like mostconverts, she was filled with fiery zeal and enthusiasm, and tried tosoften the approaching terror by telling me she was quite happy at thethought of going, because she would be able to look after me even morethan in the past. "How different it would have been with me," she usedto say, "had I remained with my old tribe. I should still be under thebelief that when I died my highest state would be to be turned into ananimal; but now I know that a glorious future awaits us, and that in duetime you will join me in heaven."
Yamba did not suffer any physical pain, nor was she actually confined toher bed until four days before her death. As the various tribes knew thelove and admiration I had for her, the fact that she lay dying spreadrapidly, and crowds of natives flocked to my mountain home.
Widespread sympathy was expressed for me; and all kinds of tenderconsideration were evinced by these savages. All day long an incessantstream of women-folk kept coming to the hut and inquiring after my dyingwife.
It seemed to be Yamba's sole anxiety that I should be well equipped forthe journey back to civilisation. She would rehearse with me for hoursthe various methods adopted by the black-fellows to find water; and shereminded me that my course at first was to be in a southerly directionuntil I came to a region where the trees were blazed, and then I was tofollow the track that led westward. She had elicited this informationfor me from the blacks with remarkable acuteness.
These last days seemed to pass very quickly, and one night the dyingwoman had a serious relapse. Hitherto she had always addressed me as"Master," but now that she stood in the Valley of the Shadow she wouldthrow her arms about my neck and whisper softly, "Good-bye, _my husband_.Good-bye, I am going--going--going. I will wait for you--there."
For myself I could not seem to realise it. Sometimes I would rise upwith the sole intention of finding out whether this frightful thing wasor was not a ghastly dream. Then my memory would go back over the longyears, and every little instance of unselfishness and devotion would risebefore my mind. As I looked at the prostrate and attenuated form thatlay silent on the couch of eucalyptus leaves, I felt that life was merelythe acutest agony, and that I must immediately seek oblivion in some formor the other, or lose my reason. It seemed, I say, impossible that Yambacould cease to be. It seemed the cruellest and most preposterous thingthat she could be taken from me.
Frantically I put my arms around her and actually tried to lift her on toher feet, begging of her to show how robust she was as in the days ofyore. I whispered into her ears all the memories of the past, and thepoor creature would endeavour to respond with a series of feeble efforts,after which she sank back suddenly and breathed a last pitiful sigh.
Language is utterly futile to describe my horror--my distraction. I feltas I imagined a man would feel after amputation of all his members,leaving only the quivering and bleeding trunk. I felt that life held nomore joy, no more hope; and gladly would I have welcomed death itself asa happy release from the wretchedness of living. In my delirium of griefI often besought the repulsive savages about me to spear me where Istood.
Upon this subject I can dwell no more, because of what followed I haveonly the vaguest recollection.
For days I seemed to live in a kind of dream, and was not even sure thatthe people I met day by day were real beings. As to my awful loss, I amsure I did not realise it. What I did realise, however, was thenecessity for immediate action. Like a dream to me also is the memory ofthe sincere grief of my blacks and their well-meant endeavours to consoleme. The women kept up a mournful howl, which nearly drove me crazy, andonly strengthened my resolve to get away from that frightful place. Sodazed did I become, that the blacks concluded some strange spirit musthave entered into me.
They seemed to take it for granted that I left all arrangements for thefuneral to them; the sole idea that possessed me being to complete myarrangements for the great journey I had before me. I told the nativesfrankly of my intention, and immediately forty of them volunteered toaccompany me on my travels as far as I chose to permit them to come. Ireadily accepted the kindly offer, partly because I knew that alone Ishould have gone mad; and partly also because I instinctively realisedthat with such a bodyguard I would have nothing to fear either from humanfoes or the tortures of thirst.
I left everything. I cut off my long hair with my stiletto anddistributed it among the natives to be made into bracelets, necklaces,and other souvenirs; and then I departed with little ceremony from theplace where I had spent so many years of weird and strange exile. Mostof my belongings I gave away, and I think I turned my back upon mymountain home with little or no regret. My dress consisted solely of theusual covering of emu skin; whilst attached to a belt round my waist weremy tomahawk and stiletto. My bow and arrows were slung over my shoulder.Day af
ter day we marched steadily on, precisely as though we were on awalk-about. The conditions of the country were constantly changing, andI came across many evidences of its natural richness in minerals--moreparticularly gold.
One day as we were all resting near the base of a rock, which was a kindof huge outcrop from the plain, I began idly to chip the stone with mytomahawk. Suddenly the edge glanced aside, revealing a bright, shining,yellow metal. I sprang to my feet in astonishment, and realised in amoment that this great mass of rock was auriferous to an enormous degree,and there was one gigantic nugget, spread out tentacle-wise in it, whichif removed would, I am sure, be as much as a couple of men could carry.
Week after week passed by, and still we continued our southward march. Intime, of course, my companions returned to their own country; but soleisurely had our progress been that I had ample time thoroughly toingratiate myself with other tribes,--so that, as usual, I went fromtribe to tribe practically armed only with my own knowledge of thesavages and my invaluable repertoire of tricks. In the course of monthsI came upon the blazed or marked trees, and then struck due west.
Very few incidents worth recording befell me, and I kept steadily on myway for eight or nine months. At last--at last--I came upon unmistakablesigns of the proximity of "civilisation"; for strewn along the track wewere now following were such things as rusty meat-tins; old papers;discarded and very much ant-eaten clothing; tent-pegs; and numerous otherevidences of pioneer life. One day, about noon, I espied an encampmentof tents 500 or 600 yards ahead of me, and I promptly brought my men to ahalt whilst I went forward a little to reconnoitre. Curiously enough,the sight of these tents did not cause me any great emotion. You see, Ihad met prospectors before in the Kimberley region, and besides, I hadbeen looking for these tents so long from the time I first came acrossthe evidences of civilisation aforesaid, that my only surprise was I hadnot reached them before. Walking about were Europeans in the usual dressof the Australian prospector. Suddenly a strange feeling of shyness andhesitancy came over me. Almost stark naked and darkened as I was--averitable savage, in fact--I realised I could not go and introduce myselfto these men without proper clothing. I knew the value of caution inapproaching so-called civilised men, having had bitter experience withthe Giles expedition. Returning to my blacks, I told them that at last Ihad come up with my own people, but did not want to join them for somelittle time yet. Then I selected a couple of my companions, andexplained to them that I wanted some white man's clothing.
I instructed them to creep quietly into the camp, take a pair of trousersand shirt that were hanging outside one of the tents, and bring backthese articles to me. They undertook the commission with evidentdelight, but when they returned in the course of a few minutes theybrought only the shirt with them; the trousers, it seemed having beenremoved no doubt by the owner, a few minutes before they arrived. Myblacks were intensely amused when I donned the shirt; and consideringthat this was practically the only article of wearing apparel Ipossessed, I have no doubt I did cut a very ludicrous figure. Then cameanother difficulty. I reflected I could not possibly go and show myselfamong these white men wearing one of their own shirts. Finally I decidedto bid farewell then and there to my escort, and continue my march aloneuntil I reached another encampment.
In the course of another day or so I reached a second camp. Into this Idecided to venture and explain who I was. Before taking this step,however, I rubbed off all the clayey coating on my skin, trimmed my hairand beard to a respectable length by means of a firestick, and threw awaymy bow, which was now my only remaining weapon; then I marched boldlyinto the camp. Some five or six bronzed prospectors were seated atsupper round the fire in front of the tent as I approached; and when theycaught sight of me they stared, astounded for the moment, and then burstinto laughter, under the impression that I was one of their own blackservants playing some joke upon them. When I was but a few yards away,however, I called out in English--
"Halloa, boys! have you room for me?"
They were too much taken aback to reply immediately, and then one of themsaid--
"Oh yes; come and sit down."
As I seated myself among them they asked--
"Have you been out prospecting?"
"Yes," I said quietly, "and I have been away a very long time."
"And where did you leave your mates?" was the next question.
"I had no mates," I told them. "I undertook my wanderings practicallyalone."
They looked at one another, winked, and smiled incredulously at this.Then one of them asked me if I had found any gold.
I said, "Oh yes, plenty of gold," and then the next query--a most naturalone--was, "Well, why have you not brought some of the stuff back withyou? How far have you travelled?"
I told them I had been tramping through the heart of the Continent foreight or nine months, and that I had no means of carrying nuggets andquartz about with me. But this explanation only served to renew theirmerriment, which reached its climax when, in an unguarded moment, I put aquestion which I had been burning to ask--
"What year is this?"
"This is Bellamy's 'Looking Backward' with a vengeance," cried one of theprospectors--a sally that was heartily appreciated by the whole of thecompany, with the exception of myself. I began to think that if this wasthe reception civilisation had for me, it were better for me to haveremained among my faithful savages.
But in a few minutes the men's demeanour changed, and it was obvious thatthey looked upon me as a harmless lunatic just emerged from the bush. Iwas assured that this conclusion was correct when I saw the diggerslooking at one another significantly and tapping their foreheads. Iresolved to tell them nothing further about myself, well knowing that themore I told them the more convinced they would be that I was a wanderinglunatic. I learned that these men were a party of decent young fellowsfrom Coolgardie. They offered me a meal of tea and damper, and pressedme to stay the night with them, but I declined their hospitality. Igratefully accepted a pair of trousers, but declined the offer of a pairof boots, feeling certain that I could not yet bear these on my feet. Myrough benefactors told me that I should find many other camps to thesouth and west; so I wandered off into the bush again and spent the nightalone.
My next move was in the direction of Mount Margaret; and along the roadwhich I traversed I came across an interesting variety of picks, shovels,and other mining tools, which had evidently been discarded bydisappointed prospectors. I decided not to enter this town but to goround it; then I continued my tramp alone towards Coolgardie and thenceto Southern Cross.
After working for some time in the last-named town (my impressions of"civilisation" would make another whole book), I made my way to Perth,the capital of Western Australia. In Perth I was advised that it wouldbe better for me to go to Melbourne, as I would stand a much betterchance there of getting a ship on which I might work my passage toEurope. Accordingly I proceeded to Melbourne as soon as I could, and theonly noteworthy incident there was my humorous interview with the FrenchConsul. I addressed that dignified functionary in execrable French,telling him that I was a French subject and wanted to be sent back toEurope. I bungled a great deal, and when my French failed I helpedmyself out with English. The Consul waited patiently till I hadfinished, stroking his beard the while, and looking at me in the mostsuspicious manner.
"You claim this because you are a Frenchman?" he said.
"That is so," I replied, involuntarily relapsing into English once more.
"Well," he said coldly, as he turned away, "the next time you say you area Frenchman you had better not use any English at all, because you speakthat language better than I do."
I tried to argue the point with him, and told him I had been shipwrecked,but when I went on to explain how long ago that shipwreck was, he smiledin spite of himself, and I came away. From Melbourne I went to Sydney,and from Sydney to Brisbane.
About May 1897, I found myself in Wellington, New Zealand, where I wasad
vised I stood an excellent chance of getting a ship to take me toEngland. I sailed in the New Zealand Shipping Company's _Waikato_, andlanded in London in March 1898.
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