diff options
Diffstat (limited to '4237.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 4237.txt | 3382 |
1 files changed, 3382 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/4237.txt b/4237.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3c2cc1e --- /dev/null +++ b/4237.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3382 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Australian Search Party, by Charles Henry Eden + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Australian Search Party + +Author: Charles Henry Eden + +Posting Date: July 9, 2009 [EBook #4237] +Release Date: July, 2003 +First Posted: December 13, 2001 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY *** + + + + +Produced by Amy E. Zelmer and Sue Asscher. HTML version by Al Haines. + + + + + + + + + +AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY + +BY + +CHARLES HENRY EDEN + +FROM + +ILLUSTRATED TRAVELS: + +A RECORD OF + +DISCOVERY, GEOGRAPHY, AND ADVENTURE. + +EDITED BY + +H.W. BATES, + +ASSISTANT-SECRETARY OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. + + + + +AN AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY--I. + +BY CHARLES H. EDEN. + + +IN a former narrative, published in the preceding volume of the +ILLUSTRATED TRAVELS, I gave an account of a terrible cyclone which +visited the north-eastern coast of Queensland in the autumn of 1866, +nearly destroying the small settlements of Cardwell and Townsville, and +doing an infinity of damage by uprooting heavy timber, blocking up the +bush roads, etc. Amongst other calamities attendant on this visitation +was the loss of a small coasting schooner, named the 'Eva', bound from +Cleveland to Rockingham Bay, with cargo and passengers. Only those who +have visited Australia can picture to themselves the full horror of a +captivity amongst the degraded blacks with whom this unexplored +district abounds; and a report of white men having been seen amongst +the wild tribes in the neighbourhood of the Herbert River induced the +inhabitants of Cardwell to institute a search party to rescue the crew +of the unhappy schooner, should they still be alive; or to gain some +certain clue to their fate, should they have perished. + +In my former narrative I described our exploration of the Herbert +River, lying at the south end of Rockingham Channel, with its fruitless +issue; and I now take up the thread of my story from that point, +thinking it can hardly fail to be of interest to the reader, not only +as regards the wild nature of the country traversed, but also as +showing the anxiety manifested by the inhabitants of these remote +districts to clear up the fate of their unhappy brethren. I may also +here mention, for the information of such of my readers as may not have +read the preceding portions of the narrative, that Cardwell is the name +of a small township situated on the shores of Rockingham Bay; and that +Townsville is a settlement some hundred miles further south, known also +as Cleveland Bay. + + +HOW WE EXPLORED GOULD AND GARDEN ISLANDS. + +We were all much pleased at a piece of intelligence brought up by the +'Daylight', to the effect that a party of volunteers had been assembled +at Cleveland Bay, and intended coming up in a small steamer to the +south end of Hinchinbrook, to assist in the search for the missing +crew. As it would be of the utmost importance that both parties should +co-operate, I sent my boat down to the mouth of the channel, with a +note to the leader of the expedition announcing our intention of +landing on the north end of the island and working towards the centre; +and requesting them to scour their end, and then push northward, when +we should most probably meet in the middle of the island. The boat had +orders to wait at the bar until the arrival of the steamer, and then to +return with all speed. In the meanwhile, the 'Daylight' was +discharging her cargo, and we were making preparations for what we well +knew would prove a most arduous undertaking; the sequel will show that +we did not overrate the difficulties before us. + +At the risk of being tedious, I must explain to the reader some of the +peculiarities of Hinchinbrook Island. Its length is a little short of +forty miles, and its shape a rude triangle, the apex of which is at the +south, and the north side forming the southern portion of Rockingham +Bay. Now this north side is by no means straight, but is curved out +into two or three bays of considerable extent, and in one of them stand +two islands named Gould and Garden Islands. The latter of these was +our favourite resort for picnics, for the dense foliage afforded good +shade, and, when the tide was low, we were enabled to gather most +delicious oysters from some detached rocks. Gould Island is +considerably larger; but, rising in a pyramid from the sea, and being +covered with loose boulders, it was most tedious climbing. From the +township we could, with our glasses, see canoes constantly passing and +repassing between these two islands; and as the 'Daylight' had a +particularly heavy cargo this trip, and would not be clear for the next +two days, we made up our minds to search the islands, and drive the +blacks on to Hinchinbrook, so that one of our parties must stumble +across them when we swept it. This may seem to the reader unnecessary +trouble, but most of our party were conversant with the habits of the +blacks and their limited method of reasoning; and we judged it probable +that the Herbert River gins would have at once acquainted the +Hinchinbrook blacks with our unceremonious visit, and warned them that +we should probably soon look them up also. Now on the receipt of this +unwelcome intelligence, the first thing that would strike the blacks +would be the facilities for concealment afforded by Gould or Garden +Islands, more particularly had they any captives; and they would say to +themselves that we should certainly overlook these two out-of-the-way +little spots; and when we were busy on Hinchinbrook, they could easily +paddle themselves and their prisoners to some of the more distant chain +of islands, where they could lie by until all fear of pursuit was past. +Such was the opinion both of the troopers and of the experienced +bushmen; and as we were fully resolved to leave them no loophole for +escape, we jumped into our boat and pulled gently over to Garden Island. + +It was about seven o'clock in the morning when we started, six +strong--four whites, and Cato, and Ferdinand--well armed, and with a +good supply of provisions. The sun was already very hot, and the water +smooth as glass, save where the prow of the boat broke the still +surface into a tiny ripple, which continued plainly visible half a mile +astern. I find it difficult to bring before the reader the thousand +curious objects that met us on our way. The sullen crocodile basking +in the sun, sank noiselessly; a splash would be heard, and a four feet +albicore would fling himself madly into the air, striving vainly to +elude the ominous black triangle that cut the water like a knife close +in his rear. Small chance for the poor fugitive, with the ravenous +shark following silent and inexorable. We lay on our oars and watched +the result. The hunted fish doubles, springs aloft, and dives down, +but all in vain; the black fin is not to be thrown off, double as he +may. Anon the springs become more feeble, the pursuer's tail partly +appears as he pushes forward with redoubled vigour, a faint splash is +heard, the waters curl into an eddy, and the monster sinks noiselessly +to enjoy his breakfast in the cooler depths beneath. And now we come +to a sand bank running out some miles or so into the bay, and on which +the water is less than three fathoms. Here the surface is broken by +huge black objects, coming clumsily to the top, shooting out a jet of +spray, and again disappearing. We let the boat glide gently along +until she rests motionless above the bank, and stooping over the side +with our faces close to the water, and sheltered by our hands, we can +peer down into the placid depths, and see the huge animals grazing on +the submarine vegetation with which their favourite feeding-place is +thickly overgrown. But what animal is he talking about? the reader will +ask. It is the dugong ('Halicore Australis'), or sea-cow, from whence +is extracted an oil equal to the cod-liver as regards its medicinal +qualities, and far superior to it in one great essential, for instead +of a nauseous disagreeable flavour, it tastes quite pleasantly. It +frequents the whole of the north-eastern coast of Australia, and when +the qualities of the oil first became known, it was eagerly sought +after by invalids who could not overcome their repugnance to the +cod-liver nastiness. The fishermen, however, spoilt their own market, +for greed induced them to adulterate the new medicine with shark oil, +and all kinds of other abominations, so that the faculty were never +quite certain what they were pouring down the throats of their unhappy +patients. Thus the oil lost its good name, though I am convinced from +personal observation that fresh, pure dugong is quite equal, if not +superior, in nourishing qualities to cod-liver oil, and do not doubt +that a time will come when it will enter largely into the +Pharmacopoeia. The animal itself is so peculiar, that a brief +description of it may not be here amiss. Its favourite haunts are bays +into which streams empty themselves, and where the water is from two to +five fathoms in depth, feeding on the 'Algae' of the submerged banks, +for which purpose the upper lip is very large, thick, and as it turns +down suddenly at right angles with the head, it much resembles an +elephant's trunk shorn off at the mouth. Its length averages from +eight to fourteen feet; there is no dorsal fin, and the tail is +horizontal; colour blue, and white beneath. Its means of propulsion +are two paddles, with which it also crawls along the bottom, and +beneath which are situated the udders, with teats exactly like a cow's. +Its flesh is far from bad, resembling lean beef in appearance, though +hardly so good to the taste, and the skin can be manufactured into +gelatine. I have often wondered that this most useful animal was not +oftener captured. A fishing establishment with a good boat, a trained +crew, and proper appliances for extracting the oil, could not fail to +return a large profit to the proprietors, and every now and then they +could kill a whale, one or more of which could be frequently seen +disporting themselves in the waters of the bay. + +[Illustration--BAY ON HINCHINBROOK ISLAND, WITH NATIVES.] + +By ten o'clock we had reached Garden Island, and beached the boat on a +long sandy spit that stretched into the sea. Leaving one man as +boat-keeper, we spread ourselves into line, and regularly beat the +little island from end to end, but without finding a single black; we +could, however, see their smoke-signals arising from Gould Island, and +observed several heavily-laden canoes making the best of their way +towards Hinchinbrook. Our search having been unsuccessful, we hurried +down to the boat, with the intention of cutting the fugitives off, but +found to our disgust that the tide had fallen so low during our absence +that our united strength was insufficient to move the boat, so we were +perforce compelled to remain until the return of the water. This did +not in reality so much signify, indeed, some of the party were rather +averse to our plan of intercepting the canoes, arguing that if closely +pressed, the blacks might make an end of their captives. However this +might be, there was no help for it, we were stuck fast until the +afternoon, so had to summon such philosophy as we possessed, and while +away the time as best we could. The boat's sail, spread under the +shade of a tree, kept the intense heat a little at bay until after +dinner, and this most essential part of the day's programme have been +done ample justice to, and the pipes lighted and smoked out, we +wandered about the long space left bare by the tide, amusing ourselves +by collecting oysters, cowrie shells, and periwinkles. + +The way we captured the two latter was by turning over the rocks, to +the under sides of which we found them adhering in great numbers, +sticking on like snails to a garden wall. Some of the cowries were +very beautiful, particularly those of a deep brown colour approaching +to black. This kind, however, were rather rare, and the lucky finder +of a large one excited some envy. These beautiful little shells are of +all sizes, from half an inch to two inches in length. When the stone +is first turned over, the fish is almost out of its home, and the +bright colour of the shell is hidden by a fleshy integument, but a few +seconds suffice for it to withdraw within doors, and then the mottled +pattern is seen in its full beauty. The best way to get the shell +without injury to its gloss, is to keep the fish alive in a bucket of +salt water, until you reach home, and then to dig a hole a couple of +feet deep, and bury them. In a month or so, they may be taken up, and +will be found quite clean, free from smell, and as bright in hue as +during life. I have tried boiling them, heaping them in the sun, and +various other methods, but this is undoubtedly the best. + +[Illustration--SATIN BOWER-BIRDS] + +Should it ever fall to the lot of any of my readers to have to cook +periwinkles--and there are many worse things, when you are certain of +their freshness--let them remember that they should be boiled in 'salt +water'. This is to give them toughness; if fresh water is used, +however expert the operator may be with his pin, he will fail to +extract more than a moiety of the curly delicacy. These little facts, +though extraneous to our subject, are always worth knowing. + +At one end of Garden Island, and distant from it about 200 yards, +stands a very singular rock, of a whitish hue, and when struck at a +certain angle by the sun, so much resembling the canvas of a vessel, +that it was named the "Sail Rock." At low tide this could be reached +by wading, the water being little more than knee-deep. Its base was +literally covered with oysters of the finest quality. The mere task of +getting there was one of considerable difficulty, for the rock was as +slippery as glass, and whenever you got a fall--which happened on an +average every five minutes--bleeding hands and jagged knees bore +testimony to a couch of growing bivalves being anything but as soft as +a feather bed; also the oysters cling so fast that they might be taken +for component parts of the rock, and only a cold chisel and mallet will +induce them to relinquish their firm embrace. Three or four of the +party had ventured out, and we had secured a large sackful, after which +we all retired to the tent, except one of our number, who, having a +lady-love in Cardwell with an inordinate affection for shell-fish, +lingered to fill a haversack for his 'inamorata'. We were comfortably +smoking our pipes and watching with satisfaction the tide rising higher +and higher, when a faint "coo-eh" from the direction of the rock +reached us, followed by another and another and another, each one more +shrill than the last. + +"By Jove, Wordsworth's in some trouble!" exclaimed one of our party, +and, snatching up our carbines, we hurried to the end of the island at +which stood the Sail Rock. The tide had now risen considerably, and +the water between the rock and ourselves was over four feet deep, and +increasing in depth each moment. We saw poor Wordsworth clinging on to +the slippery wall, as high up as the smooth mass afforded hand-hold. + +"Come along, old fellow!" we shouted; "it's not up to your neck yet." + +"He turned his head over his shoulder--even at the distance we were, +its pallor was quite visible--and slowly and cautiously releasing one +hand, he pointed to the water between himself and the island. + +"By Jove!" cried the pilot, "he's bailed up by a shark, look at his +sprit-sail!" and following his finger we saw an enormous black fin +sailing gently to and fro, as regularly and methodically as a veteran +sentry paces the limits of his post. + +"Stick tight, old man! we'll bring the boat," and leaving the pilot to +keep up a fusillade at the monster with the carbines, we darted back. +I shall never forget the efforts we made to launch the boat, but she +was immovable, and every moment the tide was rising, the little ripples +expending themselves in bubbly foam against the thirsty sand. We +strained, we tugged, we prised with levers, but unavailingly, the boat +seemed as if she had taken root there and would not budge an inch. A +happy thought struck me all of a sudden, as a reminiscence of a similar +case that I had seen in years gone by came back in full vigour. + +"Give me a tomahawk," I said. + +One was produced in a minute from under the stern-sheets. Meanwhile I +had got out a couple of the oars. + +"Now, Jim, you're the best axeman, off with them here!" + +Half a dozen strokes to each, and the blades were severed from the +looms. + +"Now boys, lay aft and lift her stern." + +It was done, and one of the oars placed under as a roller. + +"Now, launch together." + +"Heave with a will." + +"She's moving!" + +"Again so. Keep her going." + +"Hurrah!" and a loud cheer broke forth, as, through the medium of the +friendly rollers, the heavy boat trundled into the water. + +The pull was long, at least it seemed to us long, for we had to round +the sandy spit before we could head towards the rock, and nearly got on +shore in trying to make too close a shave. We could hear the crack of +the pilot's carbine every few minutes, borne down to us by the +freshening breeze, and the agonising "coo-ehs" of poor Wordsworth, +whose ankles were already hidden by the advancing waters; added to +this, we had only two oars, and the wind, now pretty strong, was dead +in our teeth. I was steering, and Jim was standing up in the bows with +his carbine for a shot, if the shark offered such an opportunity. As +we neared the rock we could distinctly see the black fin within six +feet of the narrow ledge on which the poor fellow was standing, and +only when we approached to within a couple of boats' lengths, did the +ferocious brute sail sullenly out to sea, pursued by a harmless bullet +from Jim's rifle. Poor Wordsworth dropped into the boat fainting from +terror, exhaustion, and loss of blood, for, although he was unconscious +of it all the time, in his convulsive grip, the sharp oyster-shells had +cut his hands to the very bone. A good glass of grog and some hot +tea--the bushman's infallible remedy--soon brought him round, but the +scars on his hands and knees will accompany him to his grave. He +afterwards described the glances that the shark threw at him as +perfectly diabolical, and confessed that he it not been for the cheery +hails of the pilot, he should most certainly have relinquished his +hold, and met with a death too horrible to contemplate. + +It was now about three o'clock in the afternoon, and the boat being +launched, we resolved to reach Gould Island before dark. The tent was +soon struck, the provisions stowed away, the priming of the carbines +looked to afresh, and in a few minutes we were sweeping across the +small belt of water that separated the two islands. We approached the +shore with caution, for, as I mentioned before, the sides of Gould +Island are everywhere very steep, and hostile blacks, by simply +dislodging some of the loose masses of rock, could easily have smashed +the boat and its crew to pieces without exposing themselves to the +slightest danger. Noiselessly, and with every faculty painfully alert, +we closed the land, sprang on to the rocks, and at once set about the +tedious task of breasting the hill. Hill climbing, under the vertical +sun of North Australia, is by no means an enjoyable undertaking, more +particularly when the loose shale and rock gives way at every stride, +bringing down an avalanche of rubbish on the heads of the rearmost of +the party. Encumbered with our carbines, we made but slow progress, +and it was nearly six o'clock before we attained the summit, from +whence we saw several canoes making their way with full speed towards +Hinchinbrook. + +"So far then, so good," we said; "we have made certain that none of the +rascals are lurking about the two islands, and we are sure to get them +now, when we sweep Hinchinbrook." + +We had now done everything that was possible until the 'Daylight' had +finished unloading, and so spread ourselves out about the island to see +if the blacks had left any of their curious implements behind them. We +were in no hurry to get back to the township, so purposed having supper +where we were, and pulling back in the cool of the evening, by the +light of the moon, which was just then in full glory. We found plenty +of traces of the blacks, the embers of their fires even still glowing, +but they had carried off everything with them, and no trophies crowned +our search of Gould Island; and yet I am wrong, for I got one memento, +which I have by me still, and which is so curious to lovers of natural +history that I am tempted to describe it. In rummaging about, I came +to a place strewed with old bones, shells, parrots' feathers, etc., +close to which stood a platform of interwoven sticks. I was terribly +puzzled at first to account for the presence of this miniature rag and +bone depot, and my astonishment culminated when Ferdinand informed me +that-- + +"Bird been make it that fellow; plenty d--d thief that fellow, steal +like it pipe, like it anything." + +It then flashed across me that I had fallen in with the "run" of the +bower-bird, of which I had so often heard, and had so often sought for +without success. + +The satin bower-bird ('Ptilonorhynchus holosericus') belongs to the +family of starlings, and though tolerably common in New South Wales, is +but a rare visitor to the hotter climate of Northern Queensland. The +plumage of the adult male is of a glossy satin-like purple, appearing +almost black, whilst the females and the young are all of an +olive-greenish colour. The peculiarity for which this bird is +generally known, is its habit of constructing a sort of arbour of dry +twigs, to act as a playground. These bowers are usually made in some +secluded place in the bush--not infrequently under the shady boughs of +a large tree--and vary considerably in size, according to the number of +birds resorting to them, for they seem to be joint-stock affairs, and +are not limited to one pair. The bower itself is somewhat difficult to +describe, and a better idea can be formed from the engraving, or by +visiting the British Museum, where several are shown, than I can ever +hope to set before the reader in words. A number of sticks, most +artistically woven together, form the base, from the centre of which +the walls of the structure arise. These walls are made of lighter +twigs, and considerable pains must be taken in their selection, for +they all have an inward curve, which in some "runs" cause the sides +almost to meet at the top. The degree of forethought that these +self-taught architects possess is strikingly exemplified in the fact +that, whilst building the walls, any forks or inequalities are turned +'outwards', so as to offer no impediment to their free passage when +skylarking (if it is not an Irishism, using such an expression with +regard to a starling) and chasing each other through and through the +bower, to which innocent recreations, according to the testimony of +Messrs. Cato and Ferdinand, they devote the major part of their time. +Their love of finery and gaudy colours is also most remarkable. +Interwoven amongst the twigs of which the bower is composed, and +scattered about the ground in its vicinity, are found bleached bones, +broken oyster, snail, and cowrie shells, and not unfrequently, in the +more civilised districts, pieces of coloured rag, and fragments of +ribbon pilfered from some neighbouring station, for, in search of +attractive objects to decorate his playground, the bower-bird entirely +ignores the eighth commandment, and, I fear, justifies the somewhat +strong expression of "d--d thief" which Ferdinand bestowed on him. +Indeed, so well are his filching propensities known to the natives, +that they make a practice of searching the runs whenever any small +article of value is missing, and often succeed in recovering the lost +object. + +I find that I have been using the pronoun 'he' hitherto, whilst +describing this insatiable love of finery, but on reflection I cannot +but think that I am utterly wrong, and that when more is known of the +domestic arrangements of the bower-bird, it will be found that the lady +alone is responsible for this meretricious taste, and that the poor +'he', whom I have so unblushingly accused, is in reality gathering +berries and fruit for the little ones, guiltless of the slightest +inclination towards picking and stealing. + +These birds live and thrive in confinement, and busy themselves +immensely in the construction of runs, but they never multiply whilst +captive. Indeed, the place and manner of their breeding is as yet a +mystery, for, so skilful are they in concealment, that even the +lynx-eyed blacks have failed to discover their next. + +We found the descent to the boat incomparably preferable to the tedious +climb of two hours previous, and, thanks to the promise of a "nobbler +of rum each," Cato and Ferdinand transported my precious "run" in +safety to the stern-sheets; the sun having then sunk in crimson beauty +behind the coast-range, and the breeze having fallen to the faintest +whisper, we shoved off, and pulled leisurely over the calm bay to +Cardwell, arriving about ten o'clock, to hear the welcome news that the +'Daylight' would be ready for us on the following afternoon. + + +HOW WE EXPLORED HINCHINBROOK ISLAND. + +The sun was just showing above the distant sea-line, and the bay was +lying motionless as a mirror, with a rosy hue thrown across its placid +surface, when I awoke on the following morning, stiff from the clamber +of the preceding day. The short half-hour before the rays of the sun +have attained an unpleasant fierceness is most enjoyable in Australia, +particularly in a wild region such as Cardwell, where birds, beasts, +and fishes pursue their daily avocations, heedless of the presence of +man. My house was situated at the extreme north end of the township, +and far apart from the nearest dwelling--so much so, in fact, that it +was only by a stretch of the imagination that I could say I was +included within the village boundary. On the side farthest from the +settlement lay the virgin bush, whilst outside the garden at the back, +all was wild and rude as Nature had left it, except a small clearing I +had made for the growth of maize, sweet potatoes, etc. Now this +clearing had many enemies, and of many species, ranging from feathered +and furred to biped. The cockatoos came down in such clouds as almost +to whiten the ground, and made short work of the maize; the bandicoots +and the township pigs dug up and devoured the sweet potatoes, just as +they were becoming large enough for use--commend me to your +half-starved pig to find out in a moment where the juiciest and finest +esculent lies buried--and the chattering little opossums stripped the +peach-trees of their wealth, in which labour of love they were eagerly +assisted by the flying-foxes during the night, whilst any that had +escaped these nocturnal depredators became the spoil of two or three +idle boys, who loafed about all day, seeking mischief, and, as always +happens, succeeding in finding it, even in this sequestered region. +From this it will be seen that my efforts in the direction of husbandry +were attended with some difficulty, and, despite a real liking for the +animal world, I had imbibed a holy hatred of that particular section of +its society which insisted on devouring my substance under my very +nose, only retreating to the nearest tree until my back was turned, and +then resuming operations with unblushing effrontery. By way of a mild +vengeance, I had got into the habit of coming out every morning +directly I awoke, with my gun, and easing off both barrels amongst the +cockatoos, wallabies, or whatever particular class of robbers happened +to be afield at the moment--a practice which served as a safety-valve +for my injured feelings, whilst at the same time it provided me with a +cockatoo pie, or a good bowl of kangaroo-tail soup. + +Once, in my indignation at finding my palings broken down, and some +sugar-cane, that I had been most carefully rearing, rooted up and +destroyed, while the author of the mischief, a huge sow, innocent of +the restraining ring (I would have hung the ring of the 'Devastation's' +best bower-anchor to her snout, had I been allowed to follow out my +wishes), stood gloating over the havoc she had caused. Then, in my +wrath, I had hastily loaded a carbine with a handful of salt, and +prematurely converted a portion of my enemy's flank into bacon; but +even this just act of retribution was not to be accomplished without +further loss to myself, for on receipt of my hint to move on, her +sowship dashed straight ahead, and brought down a whole panel of my +fence about her ears, owing to which the village cows, which I had +often observed throwing longing glances over the paling at my bananas, +doubtless apprised of their opportunity by the evil-minded and +malicious sow, took a mean advantage of the weakness of my defences, +and on the same night devoured everything in the garden that they +thought worthy of their attention. + +Though I had now become hardened to the many injuries thus heaped upon +me, and had almost discontinued all attempts at cultivation, I still +retained the habit of stepping out into the verandah every morning with +my gun, but more with an eye to the pot than for any other reason. + +Beautiful as the scene always was, it struck me that day as being of +unusual splendour. The tall gum-trees, with their naked stems, and +curious hanging leaves that exasperate the heated traveller by throwing +the scantiest of shadows, glistened dew-beaded in the rising sun. The +laughing jackass, perched upon a bare limb, was awaking the forest +echoes with his insane fits of laughter, alternating from a +good-humoured chuckle to the frenzied ravings of a despairing maniac. +Suddenly ceasing, he would dart down upon some hapless lizard, too +early astir for its own safety, and, with his writhing prey in his +bill, would fly to some other branch, and after swallowing his captive, +burst forth into a yell of self-gratulation even-more fiendish than +before. The delicate little "paddy melon," a small species of +kangaroo, turned his gracefully-formed little head, beautiful as a +fawn's, and, startled at the strange figure in the verandah, stood +hesitatingly for a few seconds, and then, bending forward, bounded into +the scrub, the noise caused by the flapping of its tail being audible +long after the little animal itself was lost to sight. The white +cockatoos, alarmed by the outcry of the sentry--for, like the English +rooks, they always tell off some of their number to keep a +look-out--who with sulphur-coloured crest, erect and outstretched neck, +kept up a constant cry of warning, rose from the maize patch, the +spotless white of their plumage glancing in the sun, and forming a +beautiful contrast to the pale straw-colour of the under portion of +their extended pinions. With discordant screams they circle about, as +if a little undetermined, and then perch upon the topmost branches of +the tallest trees, where they screech, flap their wings, and engage in +a series of either imaginary combats, or affectionate caresses, until, +the coast being clear, they are again enabled to continue their repast. + +A curious and indescribable wailing cry is heard in the air, singularly +depressing in its effect, and a string of some dozen black cockatoos +flit from tree to tree, the brilliant scarlet band on the tail of the +male flashing as he alternately expands and contracts it, to keep his +balance whilst extracting the sweets from the flowers of the +'Eucalypti'. Few things present so great a contrast as the cries of +these two birds--of the same family, and so alike in everything but +colour--and yet both are disagreeable: that of the white variety from +its piercing harshness, and that of the black from an indefinable +sensation of the approach of coming evil it carries with it--at least, +such is the effect it always has upon me. On strolling to the paling +and looking into the clearing--for although my gun is in my hand, it is +loaded with ball cartridge, and I do not fire--the nimble little +bandicoot scuttled away towards his hollow log, looking so uncommonly +like a well-fattened rat, that I mentally wonder how I could ever have +had the courage to eat one, and a flight of rainbow-hued Blue Mountain +parrots, who have held their ground to the last, whirr up with a +prodigious flapping of wings, and, alighting on a gum-tree, can be seen +hanging about the blossoms, head downwards, sucking out the honey with +their uncouth beaks and awkward little tongues, which seem but badly +adapted to such a delicate task. But I find I am digressing terribly, +and the gloomy winter days of England, which make the recollection of a +bright tropical morning so agreeable a task to contemplate, must be my +excuse. + +After breakfast, I hurried down to the beach to see if Tom Frewin, the +skipper of the little cutter, 'Daylight', would be likely to keep his +promise, and have the vessel ready to start by noon. I found him +busily engaged with his not over-numerous crew--for it consisted only +of a man and a boy, besides himself, though Mrs. Tom, who also lived in +the tiny craft, ought to be counted as no inconsiderable addition to +the vessel's complement, for she did the cooking, and on occasions +could take the tiller and steer as cunningly as the gallant Tom +himself. I found him hard at work hurrying the cargo over the side, +assisted by the townspeople, who all showed the greatest anxiety that +no time should be lost in setting out for the relief of the shipwrecked +men. Everything thus pointing to the probability of our getting away +that afternoon, the provision question had to be next considered, for +the party would be numerous, and the exact time our expedition would +take could scarcely be correctly estimated. We knew Government would +refund us for any reasonable outlay, and so determined our search +should not be cut short by any scarcity of food, and our fears of +overshooting the mark and laying in more than we could consume, were +allayed by Mr. McB--, the store-keeper who generously offered to supply +us, and to take back, without charge, anything that remained at the +expiration of the trip. All difficulties being thus disposed of, we +were left at liberty to make our own private arrangements, until one +o'clock, by which time the 'Daylight' would have laid in her water, +etc., and be ready to start. + +But I must now say something of the party itself, which we were +compelled to limit to ten men, inclusive of the native police. These +consisted of the pilot and his crew of two men, Mr. Dunmore, the +officer in command of the police, with the two troopers, Ferdinand and +Cato, three volunteers, and myself. Where all were anxious and willing +to aid in the good task, it would have been invidious to select, and +the volunteers drew lots from a bag in which all were blanks but three, +the gainers of these lucky numbers becoming members of the party. + +One other addition we had, and right yeoman's service she did, for it +was a 'she', reader as the sequel will prove. About eighteen months +before, the troopers had visited Hinchinbrook Island, to recover stolen +property, and in one of the native camps had found an exceedingly +pretty gin of some fourteen summers. The personal charms of this coy +nymph of the forest had proved too much for the susceptible heart of +Ferdinand, who, regarding her as his lawful prize, had borne her, irate +and struggling, to the boat, from whence she was in due course +transported to the police camp (mounted on the pommel of the saddle in +front of the adventurous swain), where, in a very short time she became +perfectly at home, and under the name of Lizzie, made Ferdinand a +remarkably pleasant wife. + +Certainly the blacks are a curious race, the like of which was never +before seen under the sun. For two days after Lizzie's arrival in +camp, she refused to speak or eat; for the next two days she ate +everything she could lay her hands on, but still kept an unbroken +silence; and for another two days, whenever she was not eating, she +"yabbered" so much and so fast that the other gins looked on aghast, +unable to get a word in edgewise, so continuous was the flow of +Hinchinbrook vituperation. On the seventh day, as if by magic, she +brought her tirade to a close, went down to the creek with the other +gins to fetch water, cooked her husband's supper, appeared perfectly +reconciled to her change of life, and henceforth, from her sharpness, +the aptitude with which she picked up the broken English in which the +officers communicate with the troopers, and her great knowledge of the +surrounding country, she became a most useful acquisition to the camp, +and Dunmore used frequently to say that Lizzie was worth three extra +troopers. One of the most extraordinary things about her--and she was +not unique, for all the Australian blacks are alike constituted in this +respect--was the facility with which she seemed to rupture all the +natural ties of kinship and affection. Her own tribe--her father, +mother, sisters, all were apparently wiped from her mind as completely +as writing is removed from a slate by a sponge; or, if ever remembered, +it was never with any mark of regret. + + + + +AN AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY--II. + +BY CHARLES H. EDEN. + + +BETWEEN one and two o'clock, the report of a little swivel gun, with +which the taffrail of the 'Daylight' was armed, echoed over the bay, +and announced to the party that all was in readiness. In a very few +minutes we were all mustered on the beach, looking, I must confess, +remarkably like brigands, in our slouching and high-crowned Californian +hats, coatless, and with shirt-sleeves either tucked up or cut off +above the elbow, which, with the carbine that each man carried in his +hand, and the revolvers, knives, etc., stuck into the waist-belts, made +our 'tout ensemble' such, that I am convinced no honest citizen, with a +plethoric purse, who saw us thus for the first time, would have felt +quite at his ease in our company. With a ringing cheer from the +townspeople assembled on the beach, under the shade of the big trees, +we shoved off, and, manned by willing hands, the cable rattled in, in a +fashion that must have astonished the old windlass, accustomed to the +leisurely proceedings that usually obtained on board the 'Daylight'. +The sail was soon clapped on, the little vessel heeled over to the +sea-breeze now setting in pretty stiffly, and ten minutes after +quitting the shore we were down in the hold, the captain and his lady +occupying the cabin. Making our preparations for the night, which +consisted, I may mention, mainly of spreading out our blankets, whilst +the 'Daylight', with the Government whale-boat towing astern, was +beating up against the adverse wind for the north end of Hinchinbrook, +where we purposed anchoring for the night, and commencing our search on +the following morning. + +What with a contrary wind and tide, it was not until past ten o'clock +that we glided into the little bay, and, shortening sail as noiselessly +as possible, let down the anchor by hand to avoid the rattling of the +chain through the hawsehole, which, in the stillness of the night, +would have certainly reached the keen ears of the blacks, were there +any in the neighbourhood, and caused them to shift their quarters. The +little inlet or creek in which we now found ourselves, was entirely new +to us, and we were indebted to Lizzie for the discovery of such a quiet +retreat. With straining eyes, our novel pilotess stood at the heel of +the bowsprit, extending an arm in the direction she wished the vessel +to go, and, her task completed, she wrapped her blanket round her +active little body, scarcely shrouded in the striped twill shirt that +constituted her sole attire, and, sinking down in the waterways under +the lee of the gunwale, was soon sound asleep--a sensible proceeding, +which, as soon as everything was secured, we hastened to imitate. + +We had arranged our plans for the morrow in the following manner. +Before dawn, the whale-boat was to land all the party, including +Lizzie, with the exception of the pilot and his two men. He was to +return to the 'Daylight' after having put us ashore, and, getting under +weigh as soon as the wind was strong enough, was to take her round to a +small inlet on the island, some distance down Rockingham Channel, and +there await either our arrival or further instructions. Our expedition +was to join him there in two or three days at the farthest, perhaps +sooner; but, whatever happened, he was to remain with the cutter at the +rendezvous, and on no account, nor under any inducement, was he to quit +until he either saw or heard from us, however long the time might be. +During the daytime the whale-boat was to be kept hauled up alongside +the cutter, with the carbines belonging to the crew loaded and triced +up under the thwarts, ready for immediate service, and a bright +look-out was to be kept on the channel, in both directions. If the +natives attempted the smallest communication with the mainland, the +whale-boat was to give chase immediately, and either intercept and +capture the canoes, or compel them to return to Hinchinbrook Island. + +Such was the rough plan we sketched out for the guidance of the +'Daylight'. With regard to ourselves, we could make no standing rule, +for the country was comparatively unknown to us, and we must, +Micawber-like, trust to something turning up and, in the pursuit of +this happy event, must follow whithersoever fortune and Miss Lizzie +thought fit to lead us. + +At least an hour before dawn we were astir, and swallowing the scalding +tea that the man on watch had prepared: this done, and a snack of +damper and cold meat eaten, we got quietly into the boat and were +pulled ashore. Until daylight, we were unable to make our way, for +paths there were none, and the ground was dangerous from the quantity +of stones, etc., so we were compelled to sit down quietly and smoke our +pipes until we could see to pick our way. In the tropics there is but +little dawn; the sun springs up without heralding his approach by a +lengthened gradation from darkness to night, as obtains in more +temperate climes, and but little patience was requisite to enable us to +commence our search. As many of our readers are doubtless aware that +in Australia no journey is ever undertaken on foot; that the real +bushman would think himself sunk to the depths of abject poverty, if he +had not at least 'one' horse of his own; and that a man will wander +about for a couple of hours looking for a horse to carry him half a +mile, when he might have gone to his destination and back half a dozen +times, in the interval wasted in searching for his steed. Knowing +this, they will doubtless wonder why we did not bring our mounts with +us, and perform the journey comfortably, in place of the tedious method +we now adopted. It must not for a moment be imagined that the great +assistance horses would have afforded us had not been duly weighted and +considered, and our reasons for leaving them behind were as +follows:--From the little we knew of Hinchinbrook, and from the +description Lizzie gave of the country, they would have been rather in +our way than otherwise. The whole island is a mass of lofty volcanic +mountains; and the passes through the gorges so strewn with huge +boulders, debris, and shale, that we should have been compelled to lead +our nags, and thus they would have only proved an encumbrance. This +was one reason, and apparently a very good one, but I doubt if it would +have had much effect upon our party, who could hardly contemplate any +undertaking without the agency of horseflesh, had not a more cogent +argument been forthcoming, to which they were compelled to give in +their adherence. + +"The 'Daylight' is quite big enough to carry them all, for such a short +distance, if they're properly stowed," said Jack Clark, the roughrider, +who was a zealous advocate for the conveyance of his pet quadrupeds. + +"Of course she can," said another; "and we shall get the work over as +quickly again." + +"How will you land them?" I ventured to suggest; "for the cutter can +never go near enough to the shore to walk them out." + +"She can't get within a quarter of a mile," said the pilot; for at this +time none of us knew of the little inlet, into which Lizzie so deftly +guided us. + +"Pitch them overboard, of course," cried Jack; "they'll pretty soon +make for the land; and I'll send my mare Gossamer first; she'll give +them a lead, I'll bet. Cunning old devil!" + +The impetuosity of Jack was fast gaining converts, when Cato pulled +Dunmore quietly by the sleeve, and said-- + +"Marmy, baal you take 'em yarroman like 'it Hinchinbrook; my word, +plenty of alligator sit down along of water. He been parter that +fellow like 'it damper." + +"By Jove! Cato's right," said Dunmore; "we forget about the alligators +and sharks. I won't let the boys take their horses, and shall not take +my own. I lost one horse from an alligator last year, on the Pioneer +River, and Government wanted to make me pay for it, and I'll take care +I don't risk losing 'three'. Bring Gossamer, if you like, Clark, but, +take my word for it, you'll never see her again." + +This unexpected contingency; the prophesied fate of Gossamer, which was +as the apple of Jack's eye; and the point-blank and sensible refusal of +Dunmore to hazard the Government horses, completely turned the tables. +After a little inward grumbling, Jack consoled himself, saying-- + +"Well, at all events, I can 'think' of riding!" + +And thus it came to pass that we landed on Hinchinbrook, with no means +of locomotion beyond those with which nature had endowed us. + +And now, headed by Lizzie, and walking in single file and in silence, +we struck out for the interior of the island. The path--if path it +could be called, for it consisted only of a dim track beaten by the +naked feet of the blacks--wound in and out among the long grass, which, +as we approached the foot of the mountain range, became exchanged for +boulders and loose shale, which rendered walking most tedious, and +played the very mischief with our boots. Here even this track seemed, +to our eyes, to die out; but Lizzie led the way confidently, and +evidently with a thorough knowledge of what she was about. We had now +been walking for more than three hours, and had apparently only got +half way up a kind of gorge in the mountains, which seemed to become +gradually narrower and narrower, and from all appearances afforded +every prospect of terminating in a 'cul-de-sac'. A watercourse must at +some period have run down this ravine, for the boulders were rounded; +but it was now quite dry. As the sides of the mountains drew nearer, +our path led along this watercourse, and the walking became dreadfully +fatiguing. The boulders were sometimes so close as to render walking +between impossible, and then it became necessary to clamber over them, +which, loaded as we were, was very painful. If, on the other hand, we +attempted to journey on the 'top' of the boulders, they were not only +of unequal heights, but sometimes so wide apart, that a good spring was +requisite to get from one to the other. Lizzie was the only one of the +party who appeared thoroughly at home; her light figure bounded from +rock to rock with the greatest ease and rapidity. Even Cato and +Ferdinand, barefooted as they were, seemed to be a long way from +enjoying themselves, and for us wretched Europeans, with our thick +boots, that obtained scarcely any foothold, we slipped about from the +rounded shoulders of the rocks, in a way that was anything but pleasant. + +Thus we scrambled along for another hour, at the expiration of which we +could only see a blank wall of mountain before us, up which it would +have been both impossible and useless to climb. Wondering where the +deuce Lizzie was leading us, we blundered along until we arrived at the +base of the perpendicular cliff, and saw that by some convulsion of +nature the ravine now branched off at a right angle to the left, and +gradually widened out into a beautiful and gently declining stretch of +country, perfectly shut in by hills, and into which a pretty little bay +extended, with several canoes on its placid surface. We were distant +from the beach about three miles, and could see clearly the smoke of +several fires; while with binocular glasses we could make out the +figures of the blacks fishing, and of the piccaninnies and gins romping +in the sand. + +Lizzie was a sight to see, as she pointed triumphantly to the +unconscious savages, and, trembling with eagerness, tapped the butt of +Dunmore's carbine, as she whispered-- + +"Those fellow sit down there, brother belonging to me, plenty you shoot +'em, Marmy." + +"You take us close up along of those fellow, Lizzie?" said Dunmore. + +"Your Marmy, plenty close, you been shoot 'em all mine think," replied +our amiable little guide, who, enjoining the strictest silence, at once +put herself in motion, bidding us, by a sign, to follow her. + +For more than an hour and a half we crept cautiously along, sometimes +crawling on all fours where the country was open, and frequently +stopping, while Lizzie went noiselessly forward and reconnoitred, +before beckoning to us to advance again. The direction in which she +led us lay at the base of the hills, which on one side bounded the +little plain and its bay, and though we could form but a crude idea of +where we were going, owing to the thickness of the undergrowth, yet it +was sufficiently evident that the young lady was one of nature's +tacticians, and meditated a flank blow at her unfortunate relatives. +Proceeding, we came at last within a stone's throw of the beach, and +could hear the mimic waves rolling on the sand, at no great distance, +on our right hand. Lizzie now pointed to a small belt of vine shrub +that lay in front of us, and indicated that immediately outside it were +the 'gunyahs', or huts; and, "plenty you shoot," she added showing her +white teeth as she grinned with glee at the thoughts of the cheerful +surprise she had prepared for her old companions. We were not +thoroughly on the 'qui vive', for we thought this unknown bay would be +the very spot in which the blacks were likely to seclude any prisoners +from the 'Eva', and accordingly willingly followed the lithe figure of +our little guide, as she wound her way through the tangled brake, like +a black snake, and with a facility that we in vain attempted to +imitate. The troopers--who had reduced their clothing to a minimum, +for their sole vestment consisted of a forage-cap and +cartridge-belt--wound along as noiselessly as Lizzie; but we poor +whites--with our flannel shirts and other complicated paraphernalia +that custom would not permit us to dispense with in the matter-of-fact +way they were laid aside by our sable allies--were getting into +continual trouble; now hitched up helplessly by a lawyer vine, whose +sharp prickles, like inverted fish-hooks, rent the skin; now crawling +unsuspiciously against a tree-ants' nest, an indiscretion that the +fierce little insects visited with immediate and most painful +punishment; or else, becoming aware, by unmistakable symptoms, that we +were trying to force a passage through a stinging tree-shrub. Whenever +we thus came to grief, Lizzie would stop, turn round, and wave her arms +about like a semaphore, indicative of impatience, contempt mingled with +pity and warning. + +Luckily for us, the belt of scrub was not of great extent; Lizzie had +already reached its edge, and was peering cautiously through, and we +were struggling along, each after his own fashion, when bang went a +carbine, the bullet of which we distinctly heard whistle over our +heads, and turning round we got a glimpse of Jack, the roughrider, hung +up in a vine, one of whose tendrils had fired off his weapon; and had +just time to hear him exclaim, "If I'd only been mounted, this wouldn't +have happened," before we broke cover, and all further concealment +being now unnecessary, rushed recklessly on to the encampment. + +But we were too late to capture any of the men, for I need hardly tell +the reader that never had we intended to make use of the curt arguments +that Lizzie had relied upon for cutting off the abrupt exit of her +quondam friends; it would be quite time enough to commence a system of +reprisals when it was ascertained that the blacks had actually been +guilty of any atrocity. At present it was mere surmise on our part, +and putting altogether on one side the natural reluctance to shed +blood, an aggressive policy would have been an unwise one, engendering, +as it infallibly would, a bad feeling against any other luckless +mariners whom the winds and the waves might in time to come cast upon +the inhospitable shores of Hinchinbrook Island. + +The sudden report of Jack's carbine, which occasioned a momentary halt, +and the few seconds required to burst through the scrub, afforded +sufficient time for the male portion of the encampment to make their +escape at speed, in different directions, some taking to the water, +where they were picked up by the fishermen in the canoes; others diving +into the nearest cover, and being lost to sight without hope of +recovery. The women and children followed the tactics usual on such +occasions, and flung themselves into a heap, similar in colour and +contour to that described in a previous chapter, when we searched the +Herbert River. The same thing took place again exactly; we sat down in +a circle round them, waiting for the deafening "yabbering" to die away, +which "yabbering" burst forth in all its pristine discord, whenever one +of the party made the slightest movement. Time and patience, however, +had the desired effect, restoring tone to their not over sensitive +systems, and at the expiration of half an hour, we could distinguish +sharp, bead-like black eyes peering at us out of the mass, which had +now sunk into silence, but burst out again louder than ever, when +Lizzie made her appearance from one of the gunyahs--perhaps the +paternal roof, who knows?--where she had retired, swelling with +indignation, and as sulky as a whole team of mules. Finding that no +one took any notice of her, and half an hour's reflection having, I +suppose, convinced her, that if she wanted to make a display before her +relations, now was the time, her ladyship came slowly up to the circle, +and commenced an attack on poor Dunmore, as she knew him best. To +transcribe her words would be impossible, for she put in a native +sentence whenever she found herself at a loss for an English one, but +the burden of her plaint was this:-- + +"Plenty d--d fooly fellow, white fellow"--a string of Hinchinbrook +vernacular--"Baal you been shoot 'em like 'it dingo"--more +Hinchinbrook, but evidently, from the accompanying gestures, indicative +of intense disgust--"Baal mine take any more along of black fellow +camp"--half sobs--"Baal mine care suppose you fellow all go like 'it--" + +And she summarily consigned us to the bottomless pit, as the only place +at all suited for such stupid idiots who could refrain from shooting +blacks when so grand an opportunity presented itself. Her eyes flashed +fire as she delivered herself of her woes, and at the concluding +sentence she stamped her little foot, and flinging a short waddy she +held, with remarkable dexterity and no mean force, into the midst of +the sable mass, she turned round to depart with the dignity of a +tragedy queen, when Dunmore jumped up, caught her, and holding her +wrist, walked off a little way from us. + +"You like 'it one fine fellow red shirt, Lizzie? Mine give you one +with 'plenty long tail'. Baal any other gin along of camp have shirt +like 'it you; and when piccaninny sit down" (for there was a prospect +of her presenting Ferdinand with a little pledge of affection), "mine +give that fellow two budgeree flour-bag shirts, suppose only you good +fellow girl Lizzie." + +Evidently, Dunmore knew the way to the young lady's heart--we nicknamed +him "Faust" afterwards--for at the mention of the red shirt, with the +lengthy tails, her eyes lost their fierceness, and the allusion to the +piccaninny completed his victory, and changing at once from one extreme +to the other, as only a black or a child can, Miss Lizzie took her seat +in the circle, lighted her pipe, commenced nodding to, and chatting +most affably with, her relatives, and looking so kind, that it seemed +impossible to believe that an intense longing for bloodshed and cruelty +had so shortly before lurked in the breast of the pretty, smiling +little savage who was now beside us. + +During the task of pacifying Lizzie, the "heap" had again sunk into +comparative silence, and only a confused murmur was audible from its +depths. Allowing no time to be lost, Dunmore said to Lizzie--who was +puffing out huge mouthfuls of smoke, greatly to the astonishment of the +other gins, who looked as if they expected to see her suddenly blaze +up-- + +"Lizzie, you ask, suppose they been see any white fellow on island? +White fellow in plenty big canoe. That fellow canoe been come like 'it +shore. You tell them, 'Baal white fellow hurt you, suppose you been +show, where brother belonging to him sit down.' You tell them that, +Lizzie." + +Lizzie proceeded with the greatest gravity, and evidently with an +overwhelming sense of self-importance, to put the required questions, +whilst we anxiously awaited her replies. + +"Well, what they been say?" exclaimed Dunmore at last, when there was a +momentary break in the conversation. + +I should imagine that the vernacular of the Hinchinbrook Islanders was +not pre-eminently adapted for the noble intricacies of diplomatic +intrigue. In the first place it contains but few words, and none +representing any number higher than five, so that even the courtly +nobleman now presiding over Foreign Affairs, would find the smooth flow +of his amenities subjected to rude shocks; and as for expressing any +large number either in words or figures--say, for instance, the Alabama +indemnity of three millions--to do so, would tax to the utmost the +genius of the late Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lizzie, in her first +flash of pride, as representing a plenipotentiary armed with +extraordinary powers, had commenced negotiations with the dignity and +slowness of speech adapted to so exalted a personage. But the shrill +chorus which emanated from the audience was decidedly antagonistic to +grave deliberation, and the anxious curiosity of the woman superseding +the self imposed role of the diplomatist, our envoy lost the pompous +tone she had first adopted, and a volley of queries and replies was +exchanged so rapidly, and with such appalling shrillness, that we +onlookers ran a great risk of being either deafened, or driven out of +our senses. At the first slackening of the wordy warfare, Dunmore put +his questions, and then Lizzie said-- + +"Baal there been any white fellow along of here." + +"You been sure, Lizzie, ask suppose they been see any big fellow canoe." + +Again the same hideous noise now took place, but I will not tire my +readers with too minute a description of a scene with which they must +now be pretty conversant, suffice it to say, that what with the real or +pretended stupidity of the gins, and the imperfect English of our +interpreter, we were more puzzled at the conclusion of the debate than +we had been at its commencement. + +"Had they seen a vessel?" + +"Oh yes, big fellow, with wings like 'it bird." + +"How long ago?" + +"Plenty long time ago." + +"One moon ago?" + +"Yes, one moon ago." + +"Sure it was one moon?" + +"No, thought it must be one day ago, and plenty smoke sit down along of +big canoe." + +Altogether the skein was too tangled for us to attempt to unravel it. +They had seen vessels evidently, both sailing ships and steamers, but +whether it was yesterday, or ten years back, there were no means of +ascertaining; but to make certain that we were not being deceived, we +instituted a strict overhaul of the gunyahs, in hopes of finding +something that might give us a clue to the fate of the missing men. +When we broke up our circle for this purpose, the component parts of +the "heap" assumed an upright posture, and it was remarkable to witness +the awe with which they regarded Lizzie. At first they seemed afraid +to approach her, and stood some five yards distant, watching her whilst +she puffed out the smoke from her relighted pipe, and posed herself in +an attitude of becoming superiority, for she saw clearly enough that +the happy moment for making an impression had arrived. Gradually they +drew closer and closer, and at last, three of the eldest gins going +down on all fours, crept slowly up until close in front of her, when +they stopped, and buried their withered old faces in the sand at her +feet. After enjoying their humiliation for a few seconds, she +condescended to speak to them, and very shortly they were all +chattering away on the most amicable terms. + +Meanwhile the gunyahs or native huts, and the camp, had been thoroughly +searched, but without bringing to light anything European, except a few +bottles, and a pint pot which had been accidentally left behind by one +of the party on the occasion of Lizzie's abduction. The gunyahs were +better constructed than usual, and consisted of saplings bent in an +arch and covered with tea-tree bark, a great improvement on all the +native dwellings we had hitherto seen, which were generally little +better than a rude screen against the wind. But our time was precious, +for we carried but little provision; and we could not afford to loiter +about, even in so pleasant a spot as this little bay; so, after +dispatching a hasty dinner, we started off afresh, to the immense +relief of the gins, and got out of the valley by another pass, which +Lizzie showed us. I must not forget to mention one ludicrous +circumstance, which convulsed us with laughter. The gins showed such +curiosity about Lizzie's pipe, that she handed it round and made them +each take a puff. Their expressions, when the pungent smoke caused +them either to sneeze, cough, or choke, were most laughable; and I have +no doubt that it is still a matter of wonder to them, and a fruitful +source of debate over the camp-fires, what pleasure the white man can +find in filling his mouth with smoke, apparently with no better object +than to puff it out again as soon as possible. Our course now lay due +south, and the travelling was much the same as in the morning, that is +to say, as bad and as fatiguing as it well could be. Lizzie said she +could take us to another bay, where there were sure to be more blacks; +and so we trudged patiently along under her guidance, with the sun +blazing down so fiercely that the carbine-barrels became quite heated. +Our new path was very similar to the last one, seeming to come to an +abrupt termination, but really shooting off at an angle, and leading +down to a bay, which opened out to our view about five o'clock, and did +not present nearly so pretty an appearance as the one we had just left, +for the ground seemed swampy, and the beach was a nasty muddy +mangrove-flat. We were also disappointed in not finding any blacks; +but as there is nothing so bad that it has not some redeeming quality, +so this dreary-looking swamp had its advantages, for the trees were +loaded with Torres Straits' pigeons, and sea-crabs were abundant. This +would enable us to lay in an extra day's provisions, and to extend our +search, if necessary, before visiting the 'Daylight', from which vessel +we were now separated by more than twenty miles of unknown country, +inclusive of a mountainous range. We determined not to shoot any +pigeons that night, for they would only keep the less time; and having +lit our fire by the side of a small creek, we had supper, and were soon +sleeping the sleep of the weary, the watch having instructions to call +us at an early hour for the purpose of replenishing our larder before +the birds took their departure for the mainland. + +A pint pot of tea swallowed--what a blessing it is that this glorious +beverage is so portable that abundance can always be carried--three of +us sallied forth with our carbines, from which we had extracted the +bullets and substituted shot, each taking a different direction, the +troopers guaranteeing a crab breakfast, and Lizzie cutting and peeling +wooden skewers to roast the game on; for in this climate nothing will +keep beyond a few hours, unless partially cooked. I struck away +towards the left with the intention of making the mangroves as soon as +possible, where I knew I should find plenty of birds. The walk of the +day previous had made me a little stiff; but I felt lightly clad, +without the heavy blanket, which I had left in camp; and, by way of +getting rid of the stiffness, I started off at a run and soon reached +my destination, where I sat down until there was sufficient daylight to +enable me to see the game. As I rested on the root of a tree, +perfectly motionless, I saw something large moving among the mangroves; +but the dawn was as yet so uncertain that I could not distinguish +whether it was a human being or not. + +"If that is a black fellow," I thought, "he's worth all the pigeons put +together, and I'll wait quietly to try and capture him," for the object +I saw was moving in the direction my companions had taken; and if it +were a native, he would be certain to return by the road he had come, +when he heard the firing. Sitting still, waiting for anything or +anybody, when waited on yourself by hungry mosquitoes, may be agreeable +enough to Mr. Fenimore Cooper's typical Red Indian, but I can safely +say that it is anything but pleasant work to a thin-skinned Englishman. +Daylight had now fully come, and I was beginning to hesitate as to +whether I had not better bag some of the birds that were fluttering +over my head, and get out of the swamp as fast as I could, when I heard +the distant report of a gun, and said to myself, "Well, I'll give the +nondescript five minutes more, and if it doesn't turn up by then, I'll +blaze away at the pigeons." Half the allotted time had barely elapsed, +when another report broke the stillness of the morning, and immediately +afterwards I heard a rustling among the mangrove-leaves, and a slight +crackling, as though some heavy weight were passing over the arched +roots. I stayed quiet, almost breathless, as the noise came nearer and +nearer, and, turning my head, I peered through the bush behind which I +had taken up my quarters, and saw a fine-looking black gliding +cautiously from one to another of the interlaced mangroves. He was +evidently quite unsuspicious of any danger in front, and kept all his +faculties concentrated on the direction in which he had heard the +carbine-shots, which now followed each other rapidly, as the two +gunners fired at the birds as fast as they could load. + +"Now," thought I, "if I can only cut you off so as to keep you between +me and them, I am pretty certain to capture you, my friend;" and, +judging my time, I rushed from behind my bush, and was within ten yards +of him before he saw me. In his amazement he dropped the long +fish-spear with which he was armed, stood one moment undetermined, and +then made his way, with the greatest agility, from tree to tree, not +back towards my friends, as I had fondly hoped, but straight for the +bay. I followed as fast as I could, but he went two paces to my one. +I confess I felt sorely tempted to handicap him with a charge of small +shot, lodged somewhere about the calves of those lean legs that were +carrying him over the roots with such provoking rapidity, and have +often wondered since why I refrained; but I did, and continued to +scuttle after him, now slipping down and barking my shins, now nearly +losing my carbine, and often compelled to sprawl on all fours. He was +now forty or fifty yards ahead of me, and I was nearly giving up the +useless chase, when an unforeseen accident turned the tables in my +favour, and caused me to push on with redoubled vigour. As we +approached the bay, the whole of the roots and lower portions of the +mangroves became thickly studded with oysters, whose shells, sharp as +razors, cut the bare feet of the fugitive; while, on the contrary, they +proved of assistance to me by preventing my thick boots from slipping +off the treacherous roots. I now gained ground as fast as I had +previously lost it, and made certain of capturing my prisoner on +arriving at the end of the mangroves, through which I could already +catch glimpses of the sea. Animated by the thoughts of bringing a +captive into camp, from whom we should probably gain valuable +information, I jumped from tree to tree in hot pursuit, and when the +bay opened out clearly, I was only a short distance in the rear. + +"Now I've got you," I muttered, as the black fellow jumped on to the +last stool of roots, and as I was eagerly following, holding my breath +for a tussle; when, to my intense mortification, he plunged headlong +into the sea, leaving me disconsolate and out of wind, to get back as +best I could. I waited until his head reappeared, which was not until +he had put a good thirty yards between us, and, pointing my carbine, +shouted to him to return or I would fire. It was quite useless. He +went quietly out seaward, and at the last, when I turned unwillingly to +retrace my steps, I saw his black head bobbing about on the calm +surface. When, after a series of involuntary feats on the mangrove +rope, I again stood on 'terra firma', all the pigeons had left; and I +was compelled to make my way back to camp, empty-handed, muddy, cut +about the shins, and with my boots almost in tatters. "So much," +thought I, "for trying to catch a black fellow single-handed." + +My companions had shot plenty of pigeons, after roasting which we +started for the interior of the island, and without meeting with +anything beyond the ordinary routine of bad bush and mountain +travelling; certainly encountering nothing that would justify me in +inflicting a prolix description upon the reader--we arrived late on the +following evening at the rendezvous, found the 'Daylight' safely at +anchor, and thus completed one portion of our search, without having +obtained the faintest clue to an elucidation of the mystery of the +'Eva'. + +The pilot reported that, to the best of his belief, no blacks had +succeeded in making their escape to the mainland; several canoes had +attempted to cross, but they had been seen and intercepted, though none +of their occupants had been captured. One canoe he had taken +possession of, and now showed us, which was, I think, the most +primitive piece of naval architecture any of us had seen. Canoe it +could hardly be called, for it was only a sheet of bark curled up by +the action of fire; the bow and stern formed by folding the +extremities, and passing a tree-nail, or, rather, a large skewer, +through the plaits. When placed in the water, the portion amidships, +which represented the gunwale, was not four inches above the surface, +and so frail that no European could have got into it without a capsize, +though the black fellows are so naturally endued with the laws of +equilibrium that they can stand upright in these tiny craft, and even +spear and haul on board large fish. + +We slept in the hold of the 'Daylight' that night, after making all +arrangements for a start at early dawn. We trusted that the Cleveland +Bay party would have performed their portion of the task, and +thoroughly overhauled the southern part of the island, and fully +expected to fall in with them on the following day. + +Our road lay through most abominable country--stony, precipitous, and +in places covered with dense vegetation. The traces of blacks were +abundant, and we could travel but a short distance without falling in +with some of the numerous camping-places. In many of these, the fires +were still smouldering, but the inhabitants had cleared out, most +probably warned by those whom the whale-boat had intercepted. Each +camp was subjected to a rigid scrutiny, but without revealing anything +European, except fragments of bottles, to which we attached no +importance, for they were probably flung over-board by some passing +vessel, and carried ashore by the tide. These are highly valued by the +blacks, who do not use them for carrying water, but break them, and +scrape down their spears with the fragments. + +To make a spear must be a work of many weeks' duration, when the +imperfect implements at the natives' disposal are taken into +consideration. In the first place, his missile must be perfectly +straight, and of the hardest wood; and no bough, however large, would +fulfil these requirements, so it must be cut out bodily from the stem +of an iron-bark tree, and the nearer the heart he can manage to get, +the better will be his weapon. His sole tool with which to attack a +giant iron-bark is a miserable tomahawk, or hatchet, made of stone, but +little superior to the rude Celtic flint axe-heads, that may be seen in +any antiquarian's collection. These are of a very hard stone, +frequently of a greenish hue, and resembling jade; and, having been +rubbed smooth, are fitted with a handle on the same principle that a +blacksmith in England twists a hazel wand round a cold chisel. The +head, and the portion of the handle which embraces it, then receive a +plentiful coating of bees'-wax, and the weapon is ready for use. Fancy +having to chop out a solid piece of wood, nine feet long, and of +considerable depth, from a standing tree, with an instrument such as I +have described, which can never, by any possibility be brought to take +an edge! I have frequently examined the trees from which spears have +been thus excised, and the smallness of the chips testified to the +length of the tedious operation; indeed, it would be more correct to +say the segment had been bruised out than excised. Having so far +achieved his task, there is still a great deal before the black can +boast of a complete spear, for the bar is several inches in diameter, +and has to be fitted down to less than one inch. Of the use of wedges +he knows nothing, so is compelled to work away with the tomahawk, and +to call in the aid of fire; and when he has managed to reduce the spear +to something approaching its proper size, he gets a lot of +oyster-shells, and with them completes the scraping, and puts on the +finishing touches. It may easily be imagined what a boon glass must be +to the savage, enabling him to do the latter part of the operation in a +tithe of the time. + +I am afraid that it is often the habit with us Australians to either +destroy or carry away as curiosities, the weapons and other little +things that the blacks manufacture, utterly regardless of the loss we +thus inflict upon them; for without his weapons the wretched native is +not only defenceless against neighbouring tribes, who would not scruple +to attack him when unarmed, but he is also literally deprived of the +means of subsistence. Without his spear, he is unable to transfix the +kangaroos and wallabies on which he so much depends for his daily food, +and, robbed of his boomerangs and nullah-nullahs, the wild duck can +pass him scatheless, and the cockatoo can scream defiance from the +lofty trees. I know that this practice of returning laden with native +spoil is more frequently the result of thoughtlessness or curiosity +than anything else. The implements appear so trumpery, that the +European thinks they can be of little use to anybody, but the bad blood +thus engendered between the aborigines and the settlers is greater than +would be easily credited. Another reason, I would venture to submit, +in opposition to this custom is, that in the case of the blacks doing +any mischief, no method of punishing them can possibly be devised equal +in severity to the destruction of their weapons. A tribe is rendered +more helpless and more innocuous by this than by shooting down half the +males, and I am sure that if they once found that only in case of +mischief was this punishment resorted to, we should hear infinitely +less of cattle-spearing and shepherd-murdering than at present obtains. +I mention this, not from any good-will towards the blacks, who have +been causes of much sorrow to me and mine, but because I am sure that a +discontinuance of this idle habit would tend to lessen the existing +causes of friction between the two races. + +In one of the camps we found a blanket--not, O reader, made of the +finest wool, deftly woven at the looms of Witney, but a blanket of Dame +Nature's own contrivance, stripped by the aboriginal from the bark of +the Australian tea-tree ('Melaleuca squarrosa'), no small shrub, but a +noble fellow standing from 150 to 200 feet high, and generally found in +the neighbourhood of fresh water, or in the beds of creeks. The bark +of this tree is of great thickness, and composed of a series of layers, +each of which can be easily separated from its neighbours, and, in +fact, much resembling a new book, just issued from the hot-press of the +binder. From a portion of this--the inner skins, I imagine--the blacks +manage to make a flexible, though not over warm, covering for the +winter nights, or for the newly-born piccaninnies. The whole of the +process I am not acquainted with, but from all I could gather from +Lizzie, the bark is stripped in a large sheet at the end of the rainy +season, the inner cuticle of several leaves carefully separated from +the remainder, and placed in fresh water, weighted with heavy stones to +retain it in its position. After the lapse of a certain time, known +only to the initiated, it is taken out, hung up to dry, and at a +peculiar stage, before all the moisture has evaporated, it is laid on a +flat rock, and cautiously beaten with smooth round stones, which +operation opens out the web sufficiently to make it quite pliant, after +which it is allowed to dry thoroughly, and is then ready for use. +These vegetable blankets are very strong, and must be a great +protection to the naked savages, but, despite the ease with which they +can be obtained, and the small time and labour occupied in their +preparation, but few of the gins have them, and none of the men. + +We also found several fish-hooks of a most peculiar shape, and made out +of a curious material. In shape they were like a circular key-ring, +with a segment of exactly one-third cut out. One end was ground sharp, +and to the other was attached the line, cleverly spun from the tea-tree +bark. Now, of all shapes to drive a Limerick hook-maker to despair, +none, one would think, could have been invented better than this, for +the odds are certainly ten to one against its penetrating any portion +of a fish, even though he should have gorged it. The material of which +these quaint hooks are made is tortoise or turtle shell, for both +tortoises and turtles abound on this coast, the former frequenting the +fresh-water creeks and lagoons, and the latter the sea. Whether they +were cut out of the solid, or whether a strip was soaked, bent, and +then dried in the sun until it became firmly set in the required shape, +I never could ascertain, but most probably the former plan was adopted. + +The whole island seemed to teem with game, and had we been able to +fire, we should speedily have made a good bag, but this we dared not +do, so I made a mental resolve to return at some future time and make +amends for this enforced restraint. At nearly every step, we put up +some bird or beast strange to European eyes. + +I have no doubt it is known to most of my readers that Australia is +destitute of 'Ferae' proper, and that elephants, lions, tigers, etc., +are unknown. They will also know that the kangaroos are marsupial +animals; that is to say, the females have a peculiar pouch for their +young, which are born in a far less advanced state than the young of +other animals. But perhaps it is not so generally known that, with two +or three exceptions, such as the dingo or native dog, the platypus, and +several species of bats, the 'whole' of the animals on the continent +are marsupial. The brains of this species are very small, and they +sadly lack intelligence, in which respect they exhibit a wonderful +affinity to the aboriginals who live by their capture. + +[ILLUSTRATION--GROUP OF KANGAROOS.] + +Of kangaroos there are more than thirty different kinds, but the +English are now so well acquainted with this curious animal that it +needs no description. There are two things about it, however, that I +may with propriety here point out--viz., the use of the pouch, and the +various ways in which the kangaroo is serviceable to the settler. The +average size of the ordinary female kangaroo is about six feet, +counting from the nose to the tip of the tail; and, marvellous though +it may appear, the young kangaroo, at its birth, is but little over an +inch in length, having a vague kind of shape, certainly, but otherwise +soft, semi-transparent, and completely helpless. Now the pouch comes +into use. The little creature is conveyed there by the mother's lips, +and immediately attaches itself to one of the nipples, which are +retractile, and capable of being drawn out to a considerable length. +Thus constantly attached to its parent, it waxes bigger daily. From +two to eight months of age it still continues an inhabitant of its +curious cradle, but now often protrudes its little head to take an +observation of the world at large, and to nibble the grass amongst +which its mother is feeding. Sometimes it has a little run by itself, +but seeks the maternal bosom at the slightest intimation of danger. It +quits the pouch for good when it can crop the herbage freely; but even +now it will often poke its head into its early home and get a little +refreshment on the sly, even though a new-comer may have succeeded to +its place. + + + + +AN AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY--III. + +BY CHARLES H. EDEN. + + +A FULL-GROWN "paddy melon," a small and beautiful species of kangaroo, +bearing the same resemblance to the "boomer" that a Cingalese +mouse-deer does to an elk, was once given to me as a pet, and we became +great friends. Whenever I went into the room and opened my shirt or +coat, the little fellow would bound in and coil himself snugly away for +hours, if permitted; thus showing, I think that he still retained a +recollection of the snug abode of his childhood. Like most pets, he +came to an untimely end--in fact, met with the fate that ultimately +befalls all the members of his tribe who are domesticated and allowed +to run about the bush huts in Australia. The fireplaces are large +recesses in the wall, and on the same level as the floor. Wood only is +burnt, and large heaps of glowing ashes accumulate, for the fire never +really goes out, by night or day. As long as it is blazing, the pet +kangaroo will keep his distance, but when it has sunk down to living +coals, his foolish curiosity is sure to impel him, sooner or later, to +jump right into the thick of it; and then--and here his want of brains +is painfully shown--instead of jumping out again at once, he commences +fighting and spurring the burning embers with his hind feet, and, as a +natural sequence, is either found half roasted, or so injured that his +death is inevitable. + +The uses to which the settler puts this animal are many. He has to +take the place of the stag when any hunting is going on (as the dingo +has to act for the fox); and most remarkably good sport an "old man" or +"boomer"--as the full-grown males are called--will afford; and most +kangaroo dogs bear witness, by cruel scars, how keen a gash he can +inflict with his sharp hind claw when brought to bay. From ten to +twelve miles is by no means an unusual run, and when thoroughly +exhausted he makes a stand, either with his back against a tree, or in +the water. In both of these positions he is no despicable adversary, +and will do much damage to a pack of hounds, by grasping them in his +short fore arms and ripping them open, if on land; or by seizing and +holding them under, if in the water. Instances are on record of a +despairing kangaroo dashing through the dogs on the approach of a +dismounted hunter, and severely wounding him. The common practice when +the animal is brought to bay is to ride up and pistol him. But, +however he may be killed, his useful qualities have by no means +departed with his breath. His skin, properly cured, will make good +door-mats, boots, saddle-cloths, stock-whips, gaiters, and numberless +other useful articles. His long and heavy tail is much valued for the +soup it yields; and the hams can be cured, and, thus preserved, find +many admirers. The hind-quarters of a large "boomer" will run little +short of seventy pounds; and, with the tail, form the only parts +commonly eaten by Europeans. + +The birds that we encountered were of every form and size; pigeons, +some coloured like parrots, others diminutive as sparrows, and of the +same sombre hue: pheasants, quail, every kind of feathered fowl that +could gladden the heart of the sportsman, were found in abundance, and +amongst these the scrub turkey and its nest. This latter bird is so +little known, that I am tempted to give a short account of it. + +The Australian scrub turkey ('Tallegalla Lathami') is common in all the +thick jungles in the north of Queensland, and, though smaller than the +domestic bird, is sufficiently like it to be easily recognised, having +the same wattle, and neck denuded of feathers. The most remarkable +feature about this turkey is its nest, which is composed of sand, +leaves, and sticks, piled up into a great mound three feet or so in +height, and ten or more in diameter. This enormous mass is not the +unaided work of one pair, but of a whole colony, and the material is +got together by the bird grasping a quantity in its foot, and throwing +it behind him; the ground in the immediate vicinity of the mound is +thus entirely stripped of every blade of grass, or fallen leaf. In +process of time, the heap partially decomposes, and when the female +judges that enough heat has been engendered to serve her purpose, she +proceeds to lay her eggs. These are enormous when compared with the +size of the bird, and are not simply deposited and covered over, but +buried at a depth of eighteen or twenty inches, each egg nearly a foot +from its neighbour, and standing on end, with the larger half +uppermost. Thus they remain until hatched, though how the bird manages +to plant them with such dexterity has, I believe, never been +ascertained; no one yet having been sufficiently lucky to witness the +proceeding. Directly the little birds chip the shell, they run about +with the greatest agility, and their capture is exceedingly difficult. +A nest with freshly-laid eggs is a glorious find, for several dozen are +frequently extracted, and are most delicious eating. + +The evening was fast approaching, when we camped for the night by the +side of a nice clear water-hole in a sequestered valley, and, after +bathing and having tea, we tried our luck at fishing, for these holes +are sometimes full of eels. We prospered, and soon had several fine +fellows on the bank, from whence they were speedily transferred to the +hot ashes, and roasted in their integrity; they were thus spared the +skinning, to which, it is averred, custom has habituated them. +Ferdinand and Cato were collecting firewood for the night, for, in the +position we had selected, we were not afraid of making a good blaze, +and we were sitting and lounging round the fire, conjecturing what had +become of all the blacks, and how soon we should fall in with the other +party, when Lizzie--who had accompanied the troopers--came rushing +back, and said:-- + +"One fellow snake been bit 'em Cato; plenty that fellow go bong (dead) +by-and-by, mine believe." + +We all jumped up, and sure enough, poor Cato came slowly towards us, +looking the ashy-grey colour to which fear turns the black, and +followed by Ferdinand, who dragged after him a large black snake, the +author of the mischief. + +If Australia is exempt from wild beasts, the number of venomous +reptiles with which it is cursed make it as dangerous to the traveller +as other tropical countries in which ferocious animals abound. Hardly +a tree or a shrub can be found that does not contain or conceal some +stinging abomination. The whole of these are not, of course, deadly, +but a tarantula bite, or a centipede sting, will cripple a strong man +for weeks, while a feeble constitution stands a fair chance of +succumbing. But of all these pests, none can equal the snakes, which +not only swarm, but seem to have no fear of man, selecting dwellings by +choice for an abode. These horrible reptiles are of all sizes, from +the large carpet snake of twenty feet, to the little rock viper of +scarcely half a dozen inches. The great majority of these are +venomous, and are of too many different kinds for me to attempt their +enumeration here. The most common with us were the brown, black, and +whip snakes, and the death-adder, all poisonous; and the carpet-snake, +harmless. The brown and black snakes run from two to eight feet in +length, frequent the long grass, chiefly in the neighbourhood of +swamps, and from the snug way in which they coil up, and their +disinclination to move, are highly dangerous. The latter is very +handsome, the back of a brilliant black, and the under portion of a +sea-shell pink. Their skin is sometimes used by bushmen as a cover to +their waistbelts, which are much beautified thereby. The whip-snakes +are of all sizes and of all colours; in fact, under this name the +colonists include all the slender climbing snakes, so many of which +inhabit Australia. In my opinion, these are the worst; for they come +boldly into your room in search of warmth, and may be found stowed away +in a boot, or under the pillow, or in any place where they are least +expected. Last and worst of our venomous snakes comes the death, or +deaf, adder, for it is called indiscriminately by both names, and amply +justifies either prefix. The hideous reptile is very thick and stumpy +in proportion to its length, which rarely exceeds two feet, whilst its +circumference may be put down at one-fifth of its total measurement. +The tail is terminated by a small curved spike, which is commonly +regarded as the sting; but though when touched it doubles up, and +strikes with this horn, as well as bites, I do not think the tail does +any material damage, but this opinion one would find it difficult to +make a bushman credit. I once saw a man take a death-adder up--quite +unintentionally, you may be sure--between two shingles, and it +immediately struck backwards with both head and tail, the two +extremities luckily meeting above his hand. From the sluggish habits +of this reptile, it is popularly accounted deaf, and it seems quite +unalarmed even by the report of a gun. You may walk over it a dozen +times, as it lies basking in the sun, usually in the most frequented +part of the road, and it will take not the slightest notice, but if +touched, however gently, it bites at once. + +When I first went to Cardwell, I was talking about death-adders, and +the naive remark made by one of the inhabitants amused and at the same +time rather terrified me, for the perfect knowledge he exhibited of the +reptiles showed plainly how common they were there. + +"Nasty things," he said, "but Lord, they won't hurt you. Best not try +to get one alive into a bottle, though. I tried that little game on, +with a pickle-jar and a stick, but I couldn't get him in, and he +doubled up and very nearly bit me; his tail just grazed my hand as it +was." + +I thanked my informant, and assured him from the bottom of my heart, +that whenever I 'did' try to coax a death-adder into a bottle, I would +benefit by his experience and use the greatest caution. + +The eye of this snake is remarkable for its vivid yellow, crossed by a +black longitudinal pupil. The colour of the body is a mixture of dull +hues, and the abdomen pinkish; the head broad, thick, flattened, and +its 'tout ensemble' hideously repulsive. But I am digressing, and +leaving poor Cato still uncared for. + +The snake, which was a very large one, had been laid hold of by the boy +in the imperfect light, and had instantly bitten him in the wrist, on +which the punctures of the fangs were plainly visible. A handkerchief +was at once tied round the wounded limb, with a small pebble so placed +as to compress the brachial artery inside the forearm, and with the +iron ramrod from a carbine as a lever, we screwed this rough tourniquet +up until the circulation was in great measure cut off. Luckily Dunmore +had a pocket-knife with him, for the sheath-knives we carried were but +rude instruments for surgery, and with the small blade he slashed the +bitten part freely, while Lizzie, applying her lips to the wound, did +her best to draw out the subtle venom. Some of us carried flasks, +containing various spirits, and the contents of these were at once +mixed--brandy, rum, hollands, all indiscriminately--in a quart pot, and +tossed off by the sufferer, without the slightest visible effect. Had +the spirit taken the smallest hold upon him, we should have felt hope, +for if a man suffering from snake-bite can be made intoxicated, he is +safe. But the poison neutralised the potent draught, and poor Cato +showed no indication of having swallowed anything stronger than water. +With the superstition inherent in the blacks, he had made up his mind +to die, and his broken English, as he moaned out, "Plenty soon this +fellow go bong," was painful in the extreme. + +"It's no use," said Dunmore. "I know these fellows better than any of +you, and Cato will never recover. I had a boy down on the Mary River, +who was knocked down with low fever. Half a pennyweight of quinine +would have put him to rights, but he had made up his mind to die, and +when once they have done that, all the drugs in a doctor's shop won't +do them any good." + +Everything we could think of was proposed, but speedily rejected as +useless. + +"Pour a charge of powder on the wound," said Jack Clarke, "and then +fire it, that will take the part out clean enough;" but we agreed that +it would be putting the boy to unnecessary pain, for the poison must be +already in the system and beyond the reach of local remedy; and the +patient had become drowsy, and repeatedly begged to be left alone and +allowed to go to sleep. + +"We must walk him about," said Dunmore, "it is the only chance, and +painful as it is, I must have it done. Remember, I'm responsible for +the boy, and no means must be left untried." + +I had withdrawn a little from the group, and as I stood some distance +off, outside the circle of light thrown by the fire, I could not help +thinking what a scene for the painter's brush was here presented. The +dark outline of the lofty gums looked black and forbidding as funeral +plumes, against the leaden sky. The rugged range starting up in the +rear, cast a threatening gloom over the little valley in which we were +encamped, and the distant thunder of a falling torrent could, with +little effort, be interpreted as a dull voice of warning from the +mountain. The fitful glare of the fire, now sinking, now rising as a +fresh brand was added, threw a ruddy glare over the actors in this +strange scene; showing the hopeless face of the poor patient, the +undemonstrative countenances of his sable companions, and the anxious +air apparent in the white men, more particularly in Dunmore, as he +knelt over his follower, and tried to inspirit a little hope by +dwelling on the chances of recovery. The fantastic dresses, and the +wildness of the spot, all combined to add a weird aspect to the group; +and recalled forcibly to the mind those scenes of Pyrenean robber-life, +so faithfully portrayed by the magic pencil of Salvator Rosa. + +But drowsiness was fast closing the eyes of poor Cato, and, as the last +chance, we compelled him to walk about, despite his piteous prayers for +repose. It soon became evident that our labour was thrown away, for he +dropped heavily down from between the two men who were supporting him, +and no power could induce him to rise. A heavy stertorous sleep +overwhelmed him, his breath came gradually slower and slower, and about +two hours from the time of the accident, poor Cato passed away, +peacefully and without pain. + +Can no antidote be discovered for this virulent poison? Empirics are +common who profess to cure snake-bites, but I doubt if they ever really +succeed. It is beyond all question that in the early days of +Australia, and whilst this beautiful continent was held by Great +Britain as nothing more than a useful place for the safe custody of her +criminal classes, a convict named Underwood discovered a remedy for +snake-bite, and in many cases treated it successfully. The story has +by no means died out in the colonies, of the good old laws of brutal +terrorism, under which, when a bitten man was brought to Underwood, the +latter proceeded to apply his remedy, stimulated by the pleasing threat +of a severe flogging, should his treatment be of no avail. He appears +to have been a man of great firmness of purpose, for he never could be +betrayed into divulging his secret, though many unworthy means were +resorted to for that end. The utmost that he would acknowledge was +that the antidote was common, and that Australians trampled it +under-foot every day of their lives. The way he became acquainted with +the remedy was by accidentally witnessing a fight between a snake and +an iguana. The latter was frequently bitten, and in every case ran to +a certain plant and ate it before renewing the contest, in which it was +ultimately victorious, leaving the serpent dead upon the plain. +Underwood demanded his pardon and liberty as the price of his precious +knowledge, and I believe a mixed commission of military men and +civilians deliberated on the case at Sydney, and decided not to grant +the convict's request. In due time he died, and with him perished his +invaluable secret. It is to be presumed the commission knew what they +were about, but undoubtedly their adverse decision has been a real +misfortune to all those whose lives are passed in a country inhabited +by venomous reptiles. We are much indebted to Doctor Fagren for the +exhaustive researches he has made into the action of snake-poison and +its remedy--the result of which the reader can find in his elaborately +got-up volume, entitled "The Thanatophidia of India"--and on looking +over the concise directions given by him for immediate use in the event +of such an accident, I do not see that we could possibly have done more +than we did, considering the limited material we had at our command. +Perhaps, had it been a white man, with a strong constitution, he would +have pulled through; for the settled conviction that he was doomed, +doubtless accelerated the death of the black boy; but the action of the +poison is so rapid, that most cases terminate fatally. Two instances I +know of, in which the patient recovered. The first was an Irish +labourer, who whilst reaping took up a snake, which bit him in the +finger. He walked at once to the fence, put his hand on a post, and +severed the wounded member with his sickle. Irishman-like, he forgot +to move the sound fingers out of the way, and two of them shared the +fate of their injured companion. Paddy walked into the nearest +township, had his wounds dressed, and felt no inconvenience from the +venom. Under the soubriquet of "Three-fingered Tim," this individual +may frequently be met with at Sydney, and, for a glass of grog, will be +delighted to recount the whole affair, with the richest of Milesian +brogues. The second case was that of a woman. She was going from the +hut to the fireplace, when she trod on a snake, which bit her just +below the joint of the little toe; for, like Coleridge's Christabel-- + + "Her blue-veined feet unsandall'd were." + +She was in a terrible position; her husband, and the other man for whom +she acted as hut-keeper, had both gone out with their flocks some hours +previously, and there was nobody about but a poor half-witted lad, who +hung about the place doing odd jobs. She was a resolute woman, and +made up her mind how to act, in far less time than it takes me to set +it down on paper. Coo-ehing for the lad, she went into the hut, and +came out again with a sharp tomahawk and an axe. + +"Take this," she said, handing the latter to the boy, "and strike hard +on the back of it when I tell you." + +Thus speaking, she placed her foot on a log of wood, adjusted the keen +edge of the tomahawk so that when struck it would sever the toe and the +portion of the foot containing the bite, and, holding the handle of the +tomahawk steady as a rock, with firm determination gave the words-- + +"Now, Jim, strike!" + +It needed three blows from the back of the axe to complete the +operation, for the poor lad grew frightened at the sight of the blood; +but the undaunted woman encouraged him, nerved him to a fresh trial, +and guided the tomahawk as coolly as if she were cutting up a piece of +beef, until the shocking task was completed. With Jim's assistance, +she then bound up the foot to arrest the bleeding, and, accompanied by +him, rode ten miles into the township, and, need I say, in due course +recovered. + +In these instances the reader will see that the measures taken were +both prompt, and such as would require more nerve than is possessed by +the ordinary run of mortals. In the above cases, also, the bitten part +was capable of being removed; but for a bite on the wrist, had such an +extreme measure as immediate dismemberment been performed, the cure +would have been as fatal as the disease. + +Poor Dunmore was terribly cut up at the premature death of his +follower; Lizzie, having smothered her head with fluffy feathers from +some cockatoos that had been roasted for supper, employed herself in +chanting a most weird kind of dirge over the body, to which she beat a +species of accompaniment on the bottom of a pint pot; while Ferdinand, +by Dunmore's directions, had set to work to strip a sheet of bark off a +tea-tree, to act as a rude coffin. A great difficulty now presented +itself, for we had no tools whatever, and how could we dig a grave? In +such hard ground, knives would make no impression, and the body must be +buried deeply, or it would be rooted up by the dingoes, whose howl we +could plainly hear around us, as they bayed at the moon. We spread +ourselves out in different directions, in the hope of finding some rift +or recess that would answer the purpose, but in the imperfect light, we +failed to discover anything, so were compelled to wait for dawn. I do +not think any of us slept much. One of our little party suddenly +snatched away in so unforeseen a manner, gave us all food for +reflection--for which of us knew that the same fate would not befall +him to-morrow? When I dropped off into a slumber, it was so light and +broken, that I seemed to be conscious of Lizzie, continuing her +melancholy drone, and battering monotonously on the tin pannikin, nor +was I surprised when in the morning I ascertained that such had really +been her occupation all night; for the purpose of keeping the body from +harm, she avowed, but, I am inclined to think, much more from fear of +sleeping in the neighbourhood of a dead body, for the blacks are +dreadfully superstitious, and frightened to death of ghosts. + +At daylight we were lucky enough to find a tree that had been blown +down in the late hurricane, leaving a hollow where its roots had been +torn out of the ground. In this natural grave we laid the poor +trooper, wrapped in his bark shell, and, having raised a pile of stones +upon the spot, of such dimensions as to preclude the probability of the +body being disturbed by dingoes, we went on our way, silent and +melancholy. + + + + +AN AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY--IV. + +BY CHARLES H. EDEN. + + +OUR next day was a repetition of the last; camps in abundance, but no +blacks, and we had as yet seen no signs of the Townsville party. At +night we camped by the side of a large creek, and, after supper, were +lying down, with the intention of making up for the broken slumbers of +the previous night, when Ferdinand, who had moved higher up the stream +to get a private eel for himself and his lady, came back and shook +Dunmore, saying-- + +"Many big fellow fire sit down up creek." + +We were on our feet in a moment, and, stealing quietly through the +bush, soon saw the glare, and on our nearer approach, could make out +many recumbent figures round the fire, and one man passing to and fro, +on guard. + +"By Jove! it's the Cleveland Bay mob," said Dunmore; "we must take +care they don't fire into us. Lie down, or get behind trees, all you +fellows, and I'll hail them." + +"Holloa there!" he cried, when we had all "planted" (in Australian +parlance signifying "concealed") ourselves. "Don't fire, we're +Cardwellites!" + +In a moment the sentry's rifle was at his shoulder, pointed in the +direction whence the voice came; but it was my old friend Abiram Hills, +ex-mayor of Bowen, a thorough bushman, and possessed of great nerve, +whose turn it then happened to be to keep watch over his slumbering +companions. As quickly as it had been raised, his rifle fell into the +hollow of his arm, and shouting out, "Get up, you fellows, here are the +Rockingham Bayers!" he rushed forward, and in a moment was shaking +hands with Dunmore, while the sleepers, uncertain whether it was an +alarm, stood rubbing their eyes, and handling their carbines so +ominously as they peered into the darkness, that we deemed it the best +policy to remain under cover until their faculties had grasped the fact +that we were not enemies, and as such to be slain incontinently. + +It is a startling thing to be hailed suddenly in the silence of the +bush, and had a less experienced sentry than Abiram been on guard, he +would most likely have fired. We had also before our eyes the case of +a party who not long before had gone out to chastise the blacks, and +having split into two divisions, opened a brisk fire upon each other +when they drew near again, luckily without effect. Some of these +warriors we knew to be amongst ourselves, so it behoved us to exercise +caution. + +Our greeting was most cordial, and we were soon all assembled round the +fire--now blazing up with fresh fuel--smoking the pipe of peace, which +we moistened with a modicum of grog from the well-filled flasks of the +Cleveland Bayers, and comparing notes, previous to making our plans for +the morrow. Like ourselves, they had found plenty of camps, but not a +living creature in them; and they were as perplexed as we were as to +what had become of their occupants. On their way up from Townsville, +they had seen smoke-signals thrown up from the mangroves at the mouth +of the Herbert River, and these were answered both from the range +behind Cardwell, and from Hinchinbrook, so it was evident there were +blacks on the island, though most likely concealed in some of the +hidden valleys, which, from the volcanic nature of the country, were so +plentiful, and so difficult to find. + +Lizzie was now brought forward, and subjected to a most rigid +cross-examination, with which I will not trouble the reader. She said +that they must have crossed over to the main-land, for every place had +now been searched. We were in despair, when Abiram Hills said-- + +"Baal bora ground been sit down along of Hinchinbrook, Lizzie?" + +A "bora ground" is a particular place to which the blacks are in the +habit of resorting at certain seasons of the year, to hold +"corroborries" or dances, and also to perform divers mysterious rites +on the young people of both sexes attaining the marriageable age. What +these solemnities really are, is but little known, and they seem to +differ widely in each tribe. In some, the young girls have a couple of +front teeth knocked out; in others they lose a joint of the little +finger; and at that time the hideous lumps with which the men embellish +their bodies must be raised. These curious ornaments are formed by +cutting gashes in the flesh three-quarters of an inch long, and +stuffing the wound with mud, which prevents the edges from adhering, +and when the skin grows over, leaves a lump like an almond. The +number, proximity, and pattern of these adornments are according to the +peculiar tastes of the family, and vary considerably, but the breast, +back, shoulders, and arms are usually pretty thickly sown, giving the +appearance of a number of fresh graves, placed close together in a +black soil field. + +[ILLUSTRATION--"NATIVE AUSTRALIAN."] + +Abiram's question was one of those lucky inspirations that sometimes +strike one, changing, as by magic, obscurity into distinctness, and +pouring in a flood of light where no ray could be seen before. + +"My word!"--cried Lizzie, her whole face lighting up with eagerness and +joy--"my word, close up mine been forget. Mine know one fellow bora +ground, plenty black fellow sit down there, mine believe. My word, +plenty d--d fooly me!" + +We could see from the girl's face that we were now on the right scent, +and having ascertained that she could take us to the "bora ground" by +the following evening, we finished our pipes, and lay down to sleep, +thankful for what promised a possible solution of the mystery. + +The Cleveland Bay party consisted of seven white men and two black +boys, so we now mustered a strong force. Lizzie would hardly allow us +time to swallow our breakfast, so impatient was she to be under weigh; +and one wretched man, lingering for a moment later than the rest of us, +over a slice of beef and damper, found himself the object of general +attention, when our little guide stamped her foot, and, trembling with +indignation, said-- + +"Plenty big bingey (belly) that fellow. Baal he been fill 'em like 'it +sundown!" + +The travelling was worse than ever now; up and down steep ravines in +which the tangled scrub grew so thickly that progress was almost +impossible, and we were compelled to wade along the bed of the creek; +now tripping over a sharp ledge of rock, now floundering up to the +waistbelt in a treacherous hole; past the base of a beautiful +waterfall, where the action of the torrent had worn a hollow basin in +the rock, in which it sparkled, cool, transparent, and prismatic, in +the rays of the burning sun, and where the view, so unlike the +generality of Australian scenery, was perfectly bewitching; on, through +more scrub, through swamps, and over stiff mountains, wet, draggled, +moody, and cross, crawling along after the little black figure in +front, that held steadily on its way, as though hunger and fatigue were +to it things unknown. + +At length, about three o'clock in the afternoon, we found ourselves in +a sort of natural funnel in the rock, the end of which grew narrower +and narrower as it wound about in curious curves. + +"Close up now," said Lizzie, "water sit down along of other side; baal +black fellow get away." + +We halted for a few minutes to get breath, and to steady ourselves, and +then, keeping close together, stepped out of the gloomy passage into +the broad daylight. It was a beautiful sight. The "bora ground" had +been selected in a miniature bay, of about three acres in extent, +closed in by perpendicular rocks, and attainable only by boat, or by +the passage through which we had just arrived. In this secluded spot a +quantity of coca-nut palms were growing, waifs, carried there by the +ocean from the distant South Sea Islands, fructifying and multiplying +on the hospitable shore, and shielded from the tomahawk of the native, +on account of the shelter they afforded his mysterious retreat. Under +the palms stood several conical huts, or lodges, of considerable +dimensions, used, I presume, on state occasions for the deliberations +of the elder warriors. But the thing most pleasing to our eyes, was +the sight of some two hundred natives, of both sexes, and all ages, who +now started to their feet, with wild cries of alarm, and motions +expressive of the utmost terror, at this sudden invasion of their +retreat by the dreaded white man. + +Some of the blacks flew to arms at once, and stood with poised spears +in a menacing attitude, whilst the gins and piccaninnies cowered +together on the beach. We had our carbines in hand, cocked, and +prepared to defend ourselves in the event of hostilities, which we +earnestly hoped to avoid. Lizzie, who had at last begun to understand +that slaughter was not our object, and who had been reconciled to our +tame proceedings by the promise of much finery, now advanced towards +the threatening natives and made a speech in their own language, to the +effect that we wished to do them no harm, beyond ascertaining whether +there were any whites among them, though, if we found murder had been +committed, we should discover the perpetrators, hold them answerable, +and punish them. Rewards were offered for any information that would +lead to a knowledge of the real fate of the shipwrecked crew, and an +exaggerated estimate of our strength, and the capability of our +firearms, was given by our interpreter, on her own account, and was +perfectly intelligible to us from the signs and gesticulations she +made, and the scorn with which she pointed to the rude weapons of her +country-men; for the intrepid little girl had marched fearlessly up to +the group of warriors. + +After delivering her speech, Lizzie withdrew to us, and we waited, +rather anxiously, the turn that affairs would take; for a peaceful +solution would be far preferable to a fight, in which, though we must +ultimately be the victors, yet success would only be achieved at +considerable loss of life, probably on both sides. + +Whilst matters rested thus, and the blacks were holding an animated +discussion, one of the troopers espied a solitary dingo on the rocks +overlooking the "bora ground," and distant from us about fifty yards. +Lizzie at once said-- + +"Suppose you shoot 'em that fellow dingo, plenty that frighten black +fellow." + +"By Jove, Lizzie, what a good idea!" we said. "Who's the best shot; +for it will be fatal to miss?" + +"Let your boy fire," said Abiram, "it will astonish them much more if +they see it done by a black; and let Lizzie warn them of what is going +to take place." + +"You believe you shoot 'em that fellow dingo?" asked Dunmore of +Ferdinand. + +"Your (yes), marmy, mine believe." + +"Plenty big glass of rum, suppose you shoot 'em bony (dead)," added +Abiram. + +The trooper's eyes glistened, and he licked his lips as if the spirit +were already won. + +Meanwhile Lizzie had told her countrymen to watch the dog, and they +would see him killed, and the blacks stood straining their eyes at the +doomed dingo, who, with pricked ears and drooping tail, stood +motionless against the sky-line, intently surveying the unusual scene +beneath, and wondering probably how soon he should get the relics of +the roasted fish, whose fragrant odour had assailed his nostrils, and +drawn him into his present position. + +It was a moment of intense suspense while the trooper raised his +carbine--slowly and deliberately; no hurry, not even the quiver of a +muscle, for his mind was on the rum, and he recked little of the moral +influence of a successful shot;--we drew a long breath of relief as the +weapon flashed forth, and the dog, making a convulsive bound forward, +fell stone dead at the foot of the rocks, where it was instantly +surrounded by the awestruck savages, who carefully examined the body, +and thrust their fingers into the bullet-hole, for the ball had passed +clean through the animal, just behind the shoulder-blade. + +The trooper first loaded his empty barrel, and then twitching Abiram by +the sleeve, whispered, "You give 'em rum now. Plenty you make him +strong, mine believe." His task was accomplished, and that the reward +should immediately follow was with him a natural consequence. + +Ferdinand's shot and Lizzie's eloquence had, however, rid us of all +further trouble. The blacks laid down their arms, and expressed +themselves quite willing to assist us in any way. They vehemently +denied having seen any white men, but acknowledged that some had been +heard of on the Macalister River, and thought they were detained by the +tribes inhabiting its banks. They were cognizant of our expedition up +the Herbert, and knew that we were searching Hinchinbrook, but never +thought we should have found them in their present position. + +It was now evident that further search on Hinchinbrook was useless. +There was no reason to doubt the truth of what they told us, for Lizzie +would have gathered information had there been any outrage, or some +small piece of rag or blanket would have betrayed them. That the +unfortunate men might be on the Macalister was not improbable, and +thither we must bend our steps, as the last resource. If we were +unsuccessful then, we could only conclude that the vessel had foundered +at sea, and we should have the melancholy satisfaction of knowing that +we had done everything in our power to rescue the sufferers. + +We camped for the night at one extremity of the little bay, while the +natives occupied the other, in which there was a well sunk, where we +supplied ourselves with fresh water. We soon became on friendly terms +with our wild neighbours, but took care never to linger amongst them +singly, and always had our weapons ready for immediate use. + +In the evening Lizzie came over from the blacks' camp, where she had +been holding a great palaver, and asked us if we should like to see a +"corroborrie," or dance; and much pleased at getting a glimpse of the +native customs, and glad of anything to break the monotony of our +lives, we followed her to the group of palms, and there took up our +positions to watch the proceedings. A tremendous fire was soon flaming +on the beach, near it the gins and piccaninnies assembled, with bits of +stick, clubs, and calabashes, on which to beat time. Some thirty of +the men then stood up, armed with spears, tomahawks, nullah-nullahs +(war-clubs), and boomerangs, and commenced a series of ludicrous +antics, to a most melancholy dirge chanted by the women, a kind of rude +time being observed. Gradually, however, they grew excited, and worked +themselves up by going through a sort of mock fight; and when at the +last the women danced round them with torches, all howling and +shrieking at the top of their voices, and banging the calabashes with +kangaroo bones or anything that would add to the noise, the whole scene +reminded one of the infernal regions broken loose. This lasted an +hour, at the end of which time we withdrew, after expressing ourselves +highly gratified, and the whole camp was shortly buried in repose. We +kept double sentries, but we might all have gone to sleep, for there +was no symptom of treachery. At daylight we had breakfast; gave the +warriors and gins a few trifling things we could spare, such as knives, +two or three blankets--for we hoped to reach the township that +night--and, wonder of wonders to the savages, some matches (nearly all +of which they expended in verifying the fact that they would go off), +and then took our departure from the "bora ground," guided by a native, +who showed a very short way, unknown to Lizzie, by which we arrived at +the 'Daylight' early in the afternoon, to find that the latter had been +joined by the 'Black Prince', the steamer that had brought up the +Cleveland Bay party. We quitted in our little craft for Cardwell, and +the Townsville men went south in their steamer, intending to get some +shooting at the Palm Islands before going home for good. Eleven +o'clock that evening saw us at our township, fully determined to carry +out the work thoroughly by searching the Macalister River, an account +of which I hope to give in a future chapter. + + + + +AN AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY--V. + +BY CHAS H. EDEN. + + +HOW WE EXPLORED THE MACALISTER RIVER. + +The reader who has been good enough to follow me so far, will see that +hitherto our efforts had been unattended with the slightest success, +and that the fate of the missing schooner and her living freight still +remained buried in the deepest mystery. To say that we were not +disheartened by our numerous disappointments would be untrue, for we +well knew that each closing day rendered our chances of affording +relief to the survivors more and more difficult; so much so, in fact, +that at the council assembled to discuss the matter in the large +dining-room of the hotel, several voices urged the expediency of +abandoning any further attempts. Much valuable time, they remarked, +had been already expended by men to whom time represented money, nay +more--the means of living. Their own avocations imperiously demanded +their presence, and although they were the last men in the world to +desert their fellow-beings in extremity, still, in a country where +every man lived by the sweat of his own brow, self-interest could not +be entirely sacrificed. + +[ILLUSTRATION--AUSTRALIANS IN CAMP.] + +Even we, who were most anxious to organise another expedition, could +not but acknowledge that the searchers had much justice on their side; +but when we were discussing matters in rather a despondent tone, a new +ally came to the front in the person of Jack Clarke, the horse-breaker. + +"Where do you propose going next?" he asked Dunmore. + +"We must search the ranges at the back of the township first, and +another party must go up the Macalister River," was the reply. + +"Need both parties start at the same time?" + +"The chances of success would, of course, be greater if they did," +replied the officer, "but still it is not absolutely necessary." + +"Well," said Jack, "suppose you take the pilot boat, and go up the +river, which will take much longer to explore than the ranges; and, at +the end of a week, we shall have got our own affairs pretty straight, +and will beat all the country at the back, and join you on the +Macalister. What do you think of that, mates?" he added, turning to +the company. "Won't that suit us all?" + +"Capitally!" was echoed from every side, and after sundry drinks the +party broke up; Dunmore and I hastening to make immediate preparations +for our new trip. + +The Macalister River was at this time most imperfectly known; for, +lying to the extreme north of Rockingham Bay, its fertile banks had +hitherto attracted little or no attention; the great sugar industry +being then comparatively in its infancy in Queensland. A dangerous bar +at its mouth, over which heavy rollers were always breaking, made +pleasure-seekers rather shy of attempting its entry, more particularly +as the muddy mangrove flats held out small hope of aught save +mosquitoes and blacks. Since then the sugar-cane has become one of the +chief sources of wealth to the colony, and, in the search for land +adapted to its growth, the Macalister was not likely to remain long in +obscurity. Along its beautiful banks were discovered many thousands of +acres of magnificent black soil country, without a stick of timber to +impede the plough, over which a furrow, miles in length, could have +been turned without an inch of deviation being necessary. + +Where the wretched bark 'gunyah' of the native stood, is now found the +well-finished house of the planter; and where the savage pastimes of +the 'bora' ground once obtained, and the smoke from cannibal fires +curled slowly upwards to the blue vault of heaven, is heard the +cheerful ring of the blacksmith's hammer, the crack of the +bullock-whip, as the team moves slowly onward beneath the weight of +seven-feet canes, and the measured throb of machinery from the factory, +where the crushed plant is yielding up its sweets between the +inexorable iron crushers. In this, our newest world, improvements when +once set afoot, proceed with marvellous celerity, and a turn of +Fortune's wheel may in a single year convert a howling wilderness into +a flourishing township. But I find myself digressing again, and +resisting rambling thoughts, must revert to our preparations for the +morrow. + +[Illustrations KANGAROO. and ORNITHORHYNCHUS PARADOXUS.] + +The meeting at which we had just been present, took place on the +morning following our return from the search on Hinchinbrook Island; +and not only was another day indispensable for the arrangements that +were necessary, but we also felt that one more night of comfortable +rest would render us better able to encounter the fatigues of the +coming expedition. Only bushmen and explorers can appreciate the +intense enjoyment of a night of unbroken rest between the sheets, after +knocking about for a length of time, catching sleep by snatches, and +never knowing the luxury of undressing. Turning in like a trooper's +horse, "all standing," as the nautical phrase is, may be an expeditious +method of courting the sleepy god, but it certainly is not the best for +shaking off fatigue. Bound up in the garments you have carried all +day, the muscles are unable to relax to their full, the circulation of +the blood is impeded, and your slumber, though deep, is not refreshing; +more particularly when--as had happened to us on this last trip--our +boots were so soaked that we were afraid to take them off, lest we +should find it impossible to struggle into them in the morning. +Dunmore's camp was also some distance from the township, and he had to +visit it to find out how matters had gone on in his absence, to get +another trooper in the place of poor Cato, and to replenish his +exhausted wardrobe and ammunition. + +But I will not occupy the reader with all these minor details, nor with +the numberless little trifles that it devolves upon the leader of such +an expedition to remember, suffice it to say that by noon on the +following day, all our preparations were completed, and we shoved off +from the beach in high spirits, the party consisting this time of nine, +viz., Dunmore, the pilot, two boatmen, Lizzie, three troopers, and +myself, about as many as the boat could carry comfortably. A +rendezvous had been arranged on a known portion of the river; the other +expedition was to start in seven days; and, according to our programme, +if all went well, we should meet on the tenth, or on the eleventh day +at furthest. + +The sea-breeze was blowing steadily, cresting the tiny waves which +sparkled in the hot sun as they broke into foam, and under its grateful +coolness we glided comfortably along, with a flowing sheet. The bar at +the mouth of the Macalister was eighteen miles distant, and we hoped to +cross it about sunset, when the breeze would have dropped, and the +passage through the surf would be readily distinguishable; but our +plans were completely upset by one of the troopers espying smoke +issuing from the scrub on a small creek, that entered the bay about +half-way between the town and the Macalister. + +"We had better have a look in here," said Dunmore, "there is no knowing +where we may stumble on some information." + +Accordingly, the helm was put up, and we ran into the mouth of the +inlet, with the wind right aft. Beaching the boat on the soft sand, we +sprang out, and advanced cautiously in the direction of the smoke, but, +after several minutes of scrambling, we reached the fire only to find +it deserted, its original proprietors having seen our sudden alteration +of course, and sought the safety of the dense bush, where further +search would have been useless. + +"Now that we are on shore," said Dunmore, "let us make a billy full of +tea; it won't take long. Here, you boys, get 'em like 'it waddy to +make 'em fire." + +The troopers and Lizzie dispersed in quest of fuel; Ferdinand walking +up the bank of the creek, where he was soon lost to sight. A loud +coo-eh from that direction soon brought us to the spot from whence it +issued, and we found the boy staring at several pieces of timber +sticking out of the sand. + +"Big fellow canoe been sit down here," he said, on our approach, and +examining the protruding stumps, we soon saw enough to convince us that +the boy was right, and that we were in the presence of a vessel, +wrecked, or abandoned, Heaven only knows how many years ago. With our +hands, with pint pots, with a spade we had brought with us--mindful of +the difficulty we had experienced in finding a resting-place for poor +Cato--with every utensil, in fact, that ingenuity could devise, we set +to work clearing away the sand that had accumulated round the old ribs. +Suddenly, the tin rim of one of the pots gave back a ringing sound, as +if it had struck against metal, and in less than a minute, a much +rusted cannon-shot was exposed to view, and passed round from hand to +hand. It was of small size, weighing, perhaps, five pounds, though its +dimensions were evidently much decreased by the wasting action of damp. + +"By Jove!" said Dunmore, "perhaps she was a Spanish galleon, and we +shall come across her treasure. Won't that be a find, eh, old fellow?" + +"She's more likely a pirate," I answered, as visions of the old +buccaneers floated through my brain; and Edgar Poe's fanciful story of +the "Gold Beetle" occurring to me, I sung out, "Whatever you do, keep +any parchment you stumble across," and abandoned myself to thoughts of +untold wealth, whilst I wielded a quart pot with the energy born of +mental excitement. + +"My word! that been big fellow sit down like 'it here," cried +Ferdinand, who, lying on one side, had his bare arm buried at full +length in the sand. "I feel him, Marmy, plenty cold." + +We rushed to the boy's assistance, and speedily scraped away the +shingle, until an old-fashioned gun was exposed to view; it was coated +and scaly with rust to such an extent, that we were unable to form any +idea as to its age or nationality. It would most probably have been a +twelve or eighteen-pounder howitzer, for it was about four feet in +length, and disproportionately large in girth; but one of the +trunnions, and the button at the breech, were broken off, the portion +that had lain undermost had entirely disappeared, and the remainder was +so honeycombed, that beyond ascertaining that it was a piece of +ordnance, we could elicit nothing from this curious relic of a bygone +generation. + +Further search brought to light several more round-shot, but in the +same state as the first, and we noticed that in several places the +timbers were burnt, most probably by the natives, or the crew +themselves, for the sake of the copper bolts. + +What a number of melancholy recollections are awakened by the discovery +of a forgotten memorial of the past, such as this nameless wreck; and +if those old timbers could have spoken, what a strange record of hopes +unfulfilled, and high adventure unachieved, would have been disinterred +from the dark storehouse of the past! That the vessel came in her +present position by accident, could hardly be supposed. More probably, +having struck on the Barrier Reef, or on some of the hidden coral +shelves with which this sea abounds, she had been taken into this +secluded creek for repairs. Cook, the great circumnavigator, careened +his ship at a spot not far distant from this; but we were unanimously +of opinion that this vessel must have become embedded long prior to his +time. Not only was the framework some distance from the present bed of +the creek, but it was raised considerably above the water level. That +the eastern coast of Australia is slowly rising from the waves is well +known, for in the neighbourhood of Brisbane valuable reclamations have +been made within the memory of living men; but at least two centuries +must have elapsed to account for the altitude attained by this old +craft. Our regret was great at getting no more certain information, +but although we persevered in digging until sundown, no casket of +jewels, no bags of specie, and no mysterious parchments rewarded us; +and with the darkness we were compelled to abandon our search, rather +angry at having wasted several valuable hours to such little purpose. + +As it would have been madness attempting to cross the bar before +daylight, we hauled the boat up on the beach, and made ourselves +comfortable for the night. About one o'clock, the trooper who was on +watch, awakened us with the news that there was a light out at sea. We +thought at first it could only be some blacks in their canoes, spearing +fish by torchlight, but it gradually drew nearer and nearer, until at +last we could distinguish the distant sound of voices, and the faint +rattle of the iron cable as it flew out through the hawse-hole. + +"Some coasting craft, I suppose," said Dunmore. + +"Most probably, but we shall find out in the morning;" and we were soon +again in the land of dreams. + +Before daylight we had finished breakfast, and by the time the sun +rose, were in the whale-boat, pulling towards the new arrival. She was +a dirty, weather-beaten, nondescript-looking little craft, half fore +and aft schooner, half dandy-rigged cutter, and the look-out on board +was evidently not very vigilant, for we had almost arrived alongside, +before a black head showed over the gunwale, and, frightened at seeing +a boat-load of armed men in such an unexpected spot, poured out a flood +of shrieking jargon that would have aroused the Seven Sleepers, and +which speedily awoke from their slumbers the remainder of the crew. +There seemed to be only two white men, one of whom introduced himself +as the captain, and asked us, in French, to come on board. The vessel +was the 'Gabrielle d'Estonville', of New Caledonia, commanded by +Captain Jean Labonne, and had put into Rockingham Bay for water, during +a 'beche-de-mer' expedition. Anything to equal the filth of the fair +'Gabrielle', I never saw. Her crew consisted of another Frenchman +besides the captain, and of seven or eight Kanakas, two of whom had +their wives on board. As perhaps this extraordinary trade is but +little known to the reader who has not resided in China, I will briefly +narrate how it is carried out. + +From the neighbourhood of Torres Straits to about the Tropic of +Capricorn, extends, at a distance of fifty to a hundred miles from the +shore, an enormous bed of coral, named the Barrier Reef. There, untold +millions of minute insects are still noiselessly pursuing their toil, +and raising fresh structures from the depths of the ocean. Neither is +this jagged belt--though deadly to the rash mariner--without its uses. +In the first place, a clear channel is always found between it and the +mainland, in which no sea of any formidable dimensions can ever rise, +and now that modern surveys have accurately indicated where danger is +to be found, this quiet channel is of the greatest use to the vessels +frequenting that portion of the ocean, for they avoid the whole swell +of the broad Pacific, which now thunders against and breaks harmlessly +on the huge coral wall, instead of wasting its fury on the coast +itself. In the second place on the Barrier Reef is found the +'Holothuria', from which the 'beche-de-mer' is prepared. It is a kind +of sea-slug, averaging from one to over two feet in length, and four to +ten inches in girth. In appearance, these sea-cucumbers are more +repulsive, looking like flabby black or green sausages, and squirting +out a stream of salt water when pressed. But despite their disgusting +appearance, they are a most valuable cargo, from the high price they +fetch in the Chinese market, where they are a much-esteemed delicacy. +The vessel that goes in quest of 'beche-de-mer' takes several expert +divers--usually Kanakas, or South Sea Islanders--and having arrived at +the ground they propose fishing, a sort of head-quarters is established +on some convenient island, where vegetables are planted, to stave off +the scurvy that would otherwise soon attack the adventurers. This done +the little vessel proceeds to the edge of the reef, and begins work in +earnest. + +The sea-slug is found buried amidst the triturated sand, worn away by +the constant play of the waves, and only the experienced and keen-eyed +Kanakas can detect its whereabouts, by the fitful waving of the long +feathery tentacles surrounding the mouth of the fish, which immerses +its body in the sand. The vessel being anchored, her boat is got out, +and pulled to the smooth water within the reef, the divers keeping a +keen scrutiny on the milk-white floor for any indication of their prey. +Suddenly, the man in the bows holds up his hand, as a sign to desist +from pulling. He drops quietly into the clear water, and the length of +time that elapses before his black head reappears, is enough to make a +bystander nervous. Often the diver has to encounter his dread enemy +the shark, and if cool and collected, generally comes off victorious in +the contest. The South Sea Islanders have a thorough knowledge of the +habits of this salt-water pirate, and know that by keeping underneath +him, they cannot be touched, and they will fearlessly stab the intruder +with their knives, and avail themselves of his momentary departure to +regain the boat. I have known one instance of a native jumping into +the water to distract the attention of a shark that was swimming guard +over his friend, and both escaped unhurt; but still, despite their +utmost skill, accidents do often occur. In shallow water the +'beche-de-mer' is caught with a five-pronged instrument, resembling an +eel-spear. The animals are split open, boiled, pressed flat, and dried +in the sun, and after a sufficient number have been taken, they are +carried to the island rendezvous and there smoked with dry wood, which +last process converts the slug into genuine 'beche-de-mer', fit for the +market, and for the palates of Celestial epicures. I tried to cook +some, but after boiling it for a couple of hours in a quart pot, it +came out like a dirty piece of indian-rubber, and so tough that no +teeth could penetrate it. + +Captain Labonne welcomed us very cordially--the sight of a strange face +must have been a godsend--and most hospitably asked us to share his +breakfast, but as it consisted only of dried fish, which smelt most +abominably, we declined, and he was very grateful for a couple of pots +of sardines which we gave him out of our slender stock. The +'Gabrielle' was on her way to Cardwell for fresh provisions and water, +and after the dangers to be avoided had been pointed out by the pilot, +we bade adieu to Jean Labonne and his queer crew, though not before one +of our party had succeeded in jotting down the features of a Kanaka +diver, his wife and child. + + + + +AN AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY--VI. + +BY CHARLES H. EDEN. + + +WE now pulled for the mouth of the Macalister River, and on sighting +the bar shortly before eight o'clock, were glad to find but little surf +running. On our way we passed several water-snakes, one of which +seemed of large size, but we were too distant to form any accurate +estimate of its length. It was not altogether without misgivings that +we encountered the ridge of sand that extended completely across the +entrance of the river. Only one of our party had ever crossed it +before, and it was known to be very dangerous. The calm water rolled +itself up in smooth walls, which sailed majestically along until the +upper portion broke into a line of white, and soon the entire mass +rushed onward in a sheet of foam. + +The great danger in crossing a bar is, that the helmsman either loses +his head and permits the boat to present her broadside to the surf, or +that the steering power is not sufficient to keep her head straight. +Neither of these misfortunes befell us in entering the Macalister, for, +from the hour we had selected, the sea was at its quietest, and we got +over without shipping a thimbleful of water. We found a broad expanse +studded with dense mangrove flats, and it was with difficulty we +ascertained which was the main channel. We pulled on until about noon, +by which time the mud swamps had disappeared, and we were fairly in the +river, which much resembled the Herbert, of which I have already given +a description, except that it was smaller, and that the vegetation was +more luxurious. On landing, we lit a fire, and cooked our dinner, +consisting of ducks and moor-fowl that we had shot on our way up. I +never remember seeing water-fowl in such profusion as here. The ducks +and geese were literally in tens of thousands, and the +beautifully-plumaged moor-fowl quite blackened the mangrove bushes as +we passed. + +The scenery was perfectly lovely. Tall palms shot up in every +direction; wild bananas spread forth their broad leaves, amidst which +were seen the bunches of fruit; and the larger trees--fig, Leichhardt +plum, etc.--threw their branches across the river, and there +interlacing, formed a leafy canopy such as we imagined was unknown in +Australia. Some of the young palms we cut down for the sake of the +head, which is very pleasant eating. Stripping off the leaves, you +come to a shoot twenty inches or two feet in length, the interior of +which consists of a white substance resembling an office ruler in +thickness, and which tastes something like a chestnut, but is much more +milky and sweet. The fruit of the wild banana has a most delicious +flavour, but is so full of small seeds that it is impossible to swallow +it. The huge fig trees, with which the banks of most of the northern +rivers abound, have the peculiarity that the fruit is found growing on +the trunk, and not at the extremity of the smaller boughs. On an +enormous stem, and at a distance of only a few feet from its base, are +seen bunches of figs, and these, though of smaller size than the +European fruit, are very palatable, if they can be selected free from +insects. Usually, the ants have been first afield, and have taken up +their abode in the very heart of the fig, forming a most undesirable +mouthful for the unwary stranger. The wild plums are very good, but to +attain perfection, should be buried for some days previous to eating. +I trust these details will not prove tedious to my readers, but I know +from experience the benefit arising from even a slight knowledge of +wild fruits and herbs, which have often quenched thirst and assuaged +hunger when other food was wanting, and rendered endurable what would +otherwise have been a painful journey. + +We camped that night where darkness overtook us, close to a thick scrub +which lined the bank of the river, and we paid for our stupidity in not +selecting a more open spot, for myriads of mosquitoes put sleep out of +the question. The truth was that this belt of scrub had lined the +river for several miles past, and we hoped at every turn to come to a +break, but night set in whilst we were still between the leafy walls. + +Daylight came at last, and we pushed onward. An hour took us into a +beautiful black-soil plain of great extent, without a stick of timber, +and well watered, not only by the Macalister, which meandered through +its centre, but by several large lagoons, overgrown with the lovely +white lotus, and crowded with waterfowl. The existence of such a +planter's paradise was totally unsuspected, and we all gazed +spell-bound on this splendid tract of country, possessing every +requisite for successful cultivation, and a water road for the produce. +Dunmore was a true prophet when he exclaimed-- + +"Before a year is past this will be settled upon." + +A fine sugar plantation now stands on "Bellenden Plains," with superb +cane growing in unwonted luxuriance, and horses and cattle have taken +the place of the kangaroos, that we on this first visit found grazing +there in troops. In the distance could be seen the coast range behind +Cardwell, which seemed to recede inland as it trended towards our +position, and sweeping round, approached the sea again farther north, +forming a natural boundary to a vast space of available country. A +silver line shone out on the mountains, and with our glasses we could +make out that it must be a waterfall of very large dimensions. We at +once agreed that it must be the source of the very river we were on, +the Macalister, but, as the sequel will show, we found so many streams, +that most probably we were mistaken in our judgment. We resolved to +make this charming spot our head-quarters for the present, as we had +everything to be desired--water, game, etc.--close at hand, and, from +the absence of timber, no blacks would be able to steal upon us +unperceived. + +Leaving the pilot and one man in charge of the boat, we trudged along +through the high grass, which reached to our middles, and was dripping +with moisture from a shower that had fallen during the night; and, +after a tedious walk, reached the edge of the scrub. It was thicker +than anything we had encountered before, the density of the foliage +totally excluding the sun, and giving rise to a dank humid odour that +struck a chill to the heart directly you entered. We wound along the +path, or rather track, that the blacks had made, with the greatest +difficulty. It was all very well for the troopers, who had stripped, +but our clothes hitched up on a thorn at every other step. One of our +most provoking enemies was the lawyer vine, a kind of rattan enclosed +in a rough husk, covered with thousands of crooked prickles. These, +with their outer covering, are about an inch and a quarter in diameter, +and extend to an enormous distance, running up to the tops of lofty +trees, and from thence either descending or pushing onward, or +festooning themselves from stem to stem in graceful curves of +indescribable beauty. From the joints of the parent shoot are thrown +out little slender tendrils, no thicker than a wire, but of great +length, and as dangerously armed as their larger relation. These +miserable little wretches seem always on the watch to claw hold of +something, and if you are unhappy enough to be caught, and attempt to +disengage yourself by struggling, fresh tendrils appear always to lurk +in ambush, ready to assist their companion, who already holds you in +his grasp. I have measured the length of one of these canes, and found +it over 250 paces; and this is not the maximum to which they attain, +for I have been assured by men employed in cutting a telegraph road +through the scrub that they had found some over 300 yards long. They +seem to retain the same circumference throughout their whole length, +and, as the bushman puts everything to some use, the lawyer is divested +of his husk, and takes the place of wire in fencing, being rove through +the holes bored in the posts as though they were ropes. It is almost +needless to add that this cane derives its 'soubriquet' of "lawyer" +from the difficulty experienced in getting free if once caught in its +toils. + +Another of the torments to which the traveller is subjected in the +North Australian scrubs, is the stinging-tree ('Urtica gigas'), which +is very abundant, and ranges in size from a large shrub of thirty feet +in height to a small plant measuring only a few inches. Its leaf is +large and peculiar, from being covered with a short silvery hair, +which, when shaken, emits a fine pungent dust, most irritating to the +skin and nostrils. If touched, it causes most acute pain, which is +felt for months afterwards--a dull gnawing pain, accompanied by a +burning sensation, particularly in the shoulder, and under the arm, +where small lumps often arise. Even when the sting has quite died +away, the unwary bushman is forcibly reminded of his indiscretion each +time that the affected part is brought into contact with water. The +fruit is of a pink, fleshy colour, hanging in clusters, and looks so +inviting that a stranger is irresistibly tempted to pluck it; but +seldom more than once, for though the raspberry-like berries are +harmless in themselves, some contact with the leaves is almost +unavoidable. The blacks are said to eat the fruit; but for this I +cannot vouch, though I have tasted one or two at odd times, and found +them very pleasant. The worst of this nettle is the tendency it +exhibits to shoot up wherever a clearing has been effected. In passing +through the dray tracks cut through the scrub, great caution was +necessary to avoid the young plants that cropped up even in a few +weeks. I have never known a case of its being fatal to human beings; +but I have seen people subjected by it to great suffering, notably a +scientific gentleman, who plucked off a branch and carried it some +distance as a curiosity, wondering the while what was causing the pain +and numbness in his arm. Horses I have been die in agony from the +sting, the wounded parts becoming paralysed; but strange to say, it +does not seem to injure cattle, who dash through scrubs full of it +without receiving any damage. This curious anomaly is well known to +all bushmen. + +For a couple of hours we followed the tortuous windings of the track, +without we white men having the faintest conception where we were +going, though the troopers and Lizzie declared that we were pushing +straight through. At length a ray of sunlight became visible, and in a +few minutes we emerged from the sombre depths of the jungle, and found +ourselves on the banks of a splendid river, the Mackay. Traces of +blacks were seen in every direction, the white sand being covered with +their foot-prints. Abandoned gungales were plentiful on the opposite +bank, which was clear of scrub, and whilst we were eating the damper +and beef with which each of the party was provided, Lizzie espied a +thin column of smoke at no great distance. + +We approached it as cautiously as possible, taking advantage of every +shrub that offered a cover, and finally, lying down and worming our way +through the grass on all fours, a mode of progression that is in itself +particularly fatiguing and objectionable, but not without excitement, +for we never knew the moment when we might chance to put our hands on a +dormant snake, or find ourselves sprawling over a nest of bulldog ants. +We were successful in completely surprising the camp, which consisted +entirely of gins and piccaninnies, all the males, as usual, being out +hunting. The gins spoke quite a different language from that of the +Hinchinbrook and Herbert River people, and Lizzie was a long time +before she could make them understand. They seemed to know nothing of +any white men, nor, I may say, of anything else in particular. They +were ignorant where the Mackay rose, or where it debouched, and could +give us no information regarding the waterfall we saw on the distant +range, what river it supplied, or what kind of country was between us +and the hills. Altogether they were a most unsatisfactory lot; and +having rummaged their camp without finding any suspicious articles, and +threatened them with wholesale destruction if they gave warning of our +approach to any other tribe, by either smoke signals or messengers, we +departed, much disgusted. + +On arriving at the edge of a small copse, at a short distance from the +camp, we found the arsenal of the male portion of the tribe. Why they +had stacked their arms so far away from the gungales we never could +make out; but there they were, consisting of the usual spears and +shields, and, in addition, several of the enormous swords used by these +natives, of which we had often heard, but that few of our party, except +Dunmore, had ever seen. These curious weapons are made of the heaviest +iron-bark wood, are about five feet in length, by as many inches in +breadth, and about an inch thick in the centre--rather more than less, +and both edges scraped down to as sharp an edge as the material will +receive. They are slightly curved; but the most wonderful part about +them is the handle, which is so small that a European can with +difficulty squeeze three fingers into it. The mystery is, how do they +use them? for Goliath of Gath could never have wielded an instrument as +heavy as this with one hand. It is supposed that the warrior raises +the cumbrous weapon on his shield, and having got within sword's length +of his enemy, lets it drop on his head. This portion of a black's +frame is undeniably hard; but such a blow would crush it like an +egg-shell; and as he may be credited with sufficient sense to know +this, it seems difficult to understand why he should stand still and +allow such a disagreeable operation to be performed. Whether or not +the use of these weapons has been discovered since I left Australia, I +am unable to say; but certainly up to that time we who lived in their +neighbourhood were unable to appreciate the varied excellencies they +doubtless possess. + +We pursued our way up the Mackay River in hopes of finding some +termination to the thick scrub on the opposite bank, so that we might +return to our boat without having to thread its intricate mazes again; +and in this we were successful, finding a break in the jungle an hour +before sunset, which at once admitted us to the plain, through the +centre of which ran the Macalister, and in due course we reached our +camp, where, after having a glorious "bogey" (the Australian term for +bathing) in the river, and overhauling each other well, to see that no +ticks were adhering to our skins, we had supper, and turned in, having +done little good, except finding a road to the Mackay less tedious than +the one we had taken in the morning. The ticks that I mentioned just +now, are little insects no bigger than a pin's head when they first +fasten on to you, but soon become swollen with blood until larger than +a pea. They do no harm to a man besides the unpleasant feeling they +occasion, but they almost invariably kill a dog. Nearly all our dogs +fell victims sooner or later to either the alligator or the tick. + + +HOW WE EXPLORED THE MACKAY RIVER. + +We now determined to carry with us enough tea, sugar, and flour to last +for a week, and to work up towards the unknown country at the head of +the Mackay, leaving the boat in its present position, under the charge +of two men. We intended to push towards the range whence both the +Macalister and the Mackay rivers drew their supply; and as the former +stream in its windings over the open plain approached within a mile of +its large neighbour, we resolved to move the boat a little further up +before starting on our new expedition. By occasionally lightening her, +and dragging her over the shallows, this was accomplished in a couple +of hours, and we finally halted at a bend in the river where the bank +was high enough to shield the boat from all observation, whilst the +scrub bordering the Mackay, standing at less than a quarter of a mile +distant, the men left behind could easily see if any considerable body +of blacks moved between the two streams, and could take the bearings of +all smoke arising from fires in the direction of the coast, so that we +might visit them hereafter, if deemed necessary. The fact of two +rivers, each containing a constant supply of water, being found in such +close proximity to each other, caused much remark, for none of us had +ever observed a similar instance in Australia, which is as a rule very +deficient in permanent rivers. + +We now turned our attention to getting sufficient provisions cooked to +last the exploring party for three days, as we were determined to +employ the utmost vigilance, and show as little smoke as possible, for +nothing creates such suspicion amongst the aboriginals as seeing fresh +fires constantly lighted, unless accompanied by the smoke signals, +which I have described in a former chapter. As we were utterly +ignorant of the code they employed, we resolved only to light our fires +at night, and not even then unless we found some sequestered spot where +the flame would be unseen. Some of us at once started for a large +lagoon that we had passed in the morning, and creeping up through the +long grass, found its surface quite covered with water-fowl of every +description, from the black swan to the beautiful pigmy goose. A +volley, fired at a concerted signal, strewed the surface of the lake +with the dead and wounded, and we were compelled to stand idly on the +bank until the wind wafted the game ashore, for at the report of the +guns two or three heavy splashes and as many dusky forms gliding into +the water betokened that we had disturbed alligators, either having a +nap, or lying in wait for kangaroos and wallaby coming down to drink. +More than one house now stands on the margin of this lagoon, but their +inhabitants are still afraid to bathe in the broad sheet of water +spread so invitingly before them. + +Having secured our game, we returned to the boat, and after plucking +and splitting open the birds, some were roasted over the fire for +immediate use, but by far the greater number were boiled in a pot, +which was portion of the boat's furniture when on an expedition. One +of the troopers had with a tomahawk stripped off a sheet of bark, and +on this was manufactured a gigantic damper. For the information of +such of my readers as may be unacquainted with Australia, I must +explain that damper is unleavened bread, well kneaded and baked in the +ashes. But simple though such a rough form of loaf may seem from the +above description, it is in reality a very difficult thing to turn out +a thoroughly good damper, and only practice will enable the new-comer +to obtain the sleight of hand necessary for the production of a +first-rate specimen. In form a damper resembles a flat cheese of two +or three inches thick, and from one to two feet in diameter. Great care +and much practice are requisite to form this shape so that no cracks +shall appear, and when this is done the work is by no means over, for +the exact heat of the fire must be judged by the cook, otherwise he +will either burn up his dough, or it will come out a crude, sodden, +uneatable mass. A good wood fire that has been burning several days, +and has gained a quantity of ashes, is the best; but wood is plentiful +enough in the bush, and if you only know the right kind to use, you +find no difficulty in soon providing yourself with a glorious heap of +glowing embers. Scraping away a hole in the centre of the fire a +little larger than the disc, you gently drop it in with your hands, +strew it over with enough powdery white ash to prevent the embers +coming into actual contact with the dough, and then cover the whole +with the glowing coals. Only practice can enable the bushman to judge +the exact depth of this layer, which, of course, differs in every case, +according to the size of the damper. It is left in this fiery bed +until small cracks appear on the covering caused by the steam forcing +its way out. This is a sign that it is nearly done, confirmation of +which is sought by introducing a knife-blade through the ashes, and +sounding the crust. If this gives back a hard sound, the damper may be +considered cooked, and is then withdrawn, stood carefully 'on its +edge'--never forget this--and is ready to eat when cool. + +As there was nothing very particular to do that afternoon, we watched +the troopers spearing fish, in which they were most skilful. There is +in some of the Australian rivers a splendid fish, called the +'Barrimundi', which not only much resembles the salmon in appearance, +but, like it, requires running water and access to the sea. Many a +time I have vainly tried to lure them from their watery depths, but no +bait would tempt them that I could ever hit on, though I have little +doubt that a fly or artificial minnow would prove killing. We could +see them in the Macalister, lying with their heads pointed up stream, +and seemingly motionless but for the slight waving of the tail that +retained them in their places. Having cut several slender switches, +not thicker than a tobacco-pipe stem, and sharpened one end with a +knife, the trooper Ferdinand, who was by far the most expert among his +brethren, grasped this apparently inoffensive little weapon between the +thumb and middle finger, whilst the blunt end rested against the ball +of the forefinger. Stooping down, he approached to within four or five +yards of the fish, which were only a few inches from the surface, and +suddenly jerking his switch forward, it entered the water almost +horizontally, and rarely failed to transfix a 'Barri mundi', which, +darting forward, was soon hampered by the weapon catching in the weeds, +and became the prey of its sharp-eyed captor, who had never lost sight +of it in its endeavour to escape. This fish is excellent eating, and +averages from eight to thirty pounds in weight. + +As Dunmore and I were strolling along a small lagoon overgrown with +water-lilies, he pointed out to me a pretty graceful little bird, about +the size of a jack-snipe, but with longer legs, and most extraordinary +claws. I am ashamed to say I shot this poor little fellow, to examine +him, and found that each toe measured at least three inches from the +leg to the extremity of the claw. This is to enable the bird to run +along safely over the floating leaves of the lotus, on which plant it +seems to get its living. I had never seen one before; and the simple +manner in which Nature had adapted it to its peculiar line of life +struck me as both curious and beautiful. What this little bird's +scientific name is I never heard, but we colonists call it the "Lotus +bird." + +As there was a remote chance of the party left with the boats coming in +contact with the blacks, it was deemed advisable to leave them a +trooper, who would more readily recognise their whereabouts than the +white men; therefore a boy known by the not euphonious sobriquet of +"Killjoy," was selected to remain with the pilot and his two boatmen, +and after dividing the big meat damper in five equal portions, the +exploring party, consisting of Dunmore, Ferdinand, Larry, Lizzie and +myself, struck out for the opening in the scrub on the Mackay river. +We descended into the sandy bed, and crossed to the opposite side, +which was much more open country, consisting of park-like land, lightly +timbered, but the soil not nearly so rich as the fertile plain through +which wound the Macalister. It would be tedious to weary my readers +with a minute account of our doings each day; enough to say that we +passed through new country of every description, crossing from side to +side of the Mackay, to cut off its many bends, and that our progress +was but slow, the distant ranges seeming hardly nearer on the third day +than they were at starting. We were disappointed in not meeting with +any blacks, though their traces were plentiful; and we had commenced to +fear that the tribe we had surprised five days before had given warning +of our approach, when Ferdinand reported smoke a couple of miles on our +right. It was about mid-day when this was seen; and having made a +hurried meal off the damper, which I may here state answered its +purpose admirably, we crept towards the fire with the utmost caution. +Our route took us away from the river, and on arriving at the edge of a +small belt of scrub, we could make out that the fire was by the side of +a water-hole, but the two hundred yards between it and ourselves was so +open, that surprising the camp seemed almost impossible. The hour was +in our favour, for the blacks were lying about listlessly, resting +themselves after the fatigues of procuring the food of which they had +just made a meal. They numbered about twenty of both sexes, and were +evidently quite unconscious of our proximity. Detaching the two +troopers to make a detour, and cut them off from the scrub in that +direction, Dunmore, Lizzie, and I remained perfectly motionless for +above an hour, and then, judging that the boys must have reached their +position, we advanced towards the camp swiftly but silently. We got +over a third of the distance before the blacks saw us, and then ensured +a general scrimmage. The women and children jumped into the lagoon, +and the men, snatching up their weapons, threw a volley of spears with +such force and precision that, had we been twenty yards closer, it +would have gone hard with both my companions and myself. As it was, +the missiles nearly all fell short, seeing which the warriors dropped +their arms and took to their heels, running directly for the spot where +Ferdinand and Larry lay in ambush. Both Dunmore and myself fired our +carbines over the heads of the retreating Myalls (wild blacks), which +completed their panic, and one of them, rushing recklessly forward, was +captured by the troopers, and brought by them in triumph to the camp, +amidst the yells and jabbering of the gins and piccaninnies. + +After half an hour or so, seeing that no harm was intended to them, the +women came out of the water, and we were very much pleased to find that +they readily understood Lizzie. On being addressed by her, the +warrior, who had hitherto maintained a sullen and defiant attitude, +became conversational, and readily replied to all the questions put to +him by Dunmore. Unlike most of the blacks, he appeared to be very +little frightened at the situation in which he found himself, and +seemed instinctively to know that all danger was past. On being +questioned regarding the shipwrecked crew, he denied all knowledge of +any vessel having been lost, but said at once that a white man had +lived with this tribe for many moons, though he was dead now. This +rather astonished us, and we asked if any relics were still in the +camp, upon which one of the gins produced an old sheath-knife, worn +down nearly to nothing by constant sharpening; half a dozen horn +buttons, one of them still sewn to a fragment of moleskin; and an empty +tin match-box. We asked how long the white man had been dead, and were +told that he died three moons before, of fever, and that we could see +his grave if we liked, for it was within a day's journey. There was an +openness about this tribe, and a frankness in their answers, that made +us certain that all we heard was the truth, and as they had evidently +befriended this poor wanderer, we were anxious to repay them in some +measure, and strengthen the kindly feelings they felt for the white +men, so we told Lizzie to assure them that our visit was only to search +for our lost brethren; that we should like to visit the grave, if one +of them would guide us; and that in return for their services we would +give them a new knife and a tomahawk. + +As they were profoundly ignorant of the use of fire-arms, and we wished +to impress upon them the irresistible power of the white man, it was +agreed that we should ask them to guide us to the nearest place +frequented by kangaroos, and pick off two or three of these animals in +their presence, if possible. They were very curious to know the +meaning of our "lightning sticks," and we repaired, escorted by nearly +the whole tribe, to a neighbouring water-hole, where we could remain +concealed, and get an easy shot at any game coming down to drink. We +were not kept long waiting, for within half an hour a couple of +wallabies came hopping leisurely along, and were very cleverly dropped +in their tracks, one by Dunmore, the other by Larry. Our hosts were in +ecstasies, and seemed very grateful that a similar fate had not +befallen some of their number in the morning; but we made Lizzie +explain to them clearly that our object was not to hurt our black +friends, unless they were wicked--ill-treating white men, or spearing +cattle. A couple of noble emus now came stalking slowly towards the +water, and, passing within forty yards of our hiding-place, both fell +victims to the breechloaders of Dunmore and myself. + +This beautiful bird inhabits the open country throughout Australia, +where at one time it was very common, but is now rarely seen in the +settled districts. However, in the north emus may be found in plenty; +and I do not think there is the slightest fear of their becoming +extinct, as some writers suggest. All my readers must have seen this +bird at the Zoological Gardens, and remarked its likeness to the +ostrich, both in form and habits; but the prisoner portrays but poorly +the free majestic gait of the wild inhabitant of the plains. The +colour of the adult bird is a greyish brown, the feathers are very +loose and hairy, whilst the height of a fine male is often nearly seven +feet. The usual mode of capturing these birds is to ride them down, +using dogs trained for the purpose to pull them to the ground. The +dogs should be taught to reserve their attack until the emu is +thoroughly tired out, and then to spring upon the neck; but an unwary +puppy will bitterly rue his temerity should he come within reach of the +powerful legs, which deal kicks fiercely around, and of sufficient +power to disable any assailant. The ostrich always kicks forward, in +which he differs from the emu, whose blow is delivered sideways and +backwards, like a cow. This bird is very good eating, if you know the +part to select; the legs proving tough and unpalatable, while the back +is nearly as tender as fowl. But to the bushman the most valuable +thing about the emu is its oil, which is looked upon as a sovereign +remedy for bruises or sprains when rubbed into the affected part either +pure or mixed with turpentine. This useful oil is of a light yellow +colour, and from its not readily congealing or becoming glutinous, it +is in much request for cleaning the locks of fire-arms. It chiefly +resides in the skin, but also collects in great quantities near the +rump. The usual mode of obtaining it is to pluck out all the feathers, +cut the skin into small pieces, and boil them in a common pot; but a +still simpler plan, though less productive, is to hang the skin before +a fire, and catch the oil as it drips down. A full-sized bird will +yield from six to seven quarts. The food of the emu consists of grass +and various fruits. It emits a deep drumming sound from its throat, but +no other cry, that I ever heard. Its nest is only a shallow hole +scraped in the ground, and in this hollow the eggs, which vary in +number, are laid. Dr. Bennett remarks that "There is always an odd +number, some nests having been discovered with nine, others with +eleven, and others again with thirteen." When fresh they are of a +beautiful green colour, and are in much request for mounting in silver +as drinking cups; but after a little while the colour changes to a +dirty brownish green. One peculiarity about the next is, that the +parent bird never goes straight up to it, but walks round and round in +a narrowing circle, of which the nest is the centre. I once caught +seven little emus, only just out of the shell; but shutting them up for +the night in an empty room, I was horrified the next morning to find +that they had all been killed by rats. The young ones have four broad +longitudinal stripes down the back, which disappear as they grow up. +The emu is easily domesticated, and on many cattle and sheep stations +tame specimens are funning about the paddocks. To my mind they are an +intolerable nuisance, always doing some mischief--either frightening +the horses, or stealing things from the workmen. I saw one cured of +his thievish propensities for a long time. He always loafed about the +kitchen when dinner was being served, and if the cook turned his back +for a moment, his long neck was thrust through the window, and anything +within reach--from an onion to a salt-spoon--disappeared with +marvellous celerity. But my friend caught a tartar when he bolted two +scalding potatoes, steaming from the pot. He rushed round and round +the little paddock, and at last dropped down as if dead, from pain and +fatigue. Poor wretch, he must have suffered dreadfully; and I am sure +we all pitied him, except the cook, whose patience he had quite worn +out. + +Out sable allies were gratified beyond measure when we presented them +with the game, and a great feast took place that evening. We neglected +no opportunity of gaining information about both the shipwrecked crew +and the unknown white man, whose grave we were to visit on the +following morning. Through Lizzie we questioned different individuals +separately, but they all agreed that such an event as the loss of a +vessel and the arrival of her crew amongst the blacks, could not +possibly have happened without their hearing something of it. From +their imperfect knowledge of time, and their difficulty in expressing +any number higher than five, we could not form the slightest idea how +long the white man had lived among them; but they pointed to the ranges +behind the township of Cardwell as indicating the place where he first +joined them. + +We camped at the opposite end of the water-hole, not thinking it +judicious to remain too close to our allies, and kept a strict watch +during the night; but we might all have enjoyed a good sleep in perfect +safety, for the blacks were far too busy stuffing themselves with emu +meat to think of treachery. Before sunrise we started, guided by our +late captive and two of his companions. After a tedious walk, we +arrived at an open plain, on which the grass was trodden down in every +direction, in some places worn quite away by the feet of the +natives--for this was the great "bora ground" of the coast tribes, +where the mystic ceremonies mentioned in a former chapter took place. +Traversing the sacred plain, our thoughts busy in conjecturing the +weird scenes that the posts had witnessed, we came to a little creek +whose clear stream babbled cheerfully among the rocks, and soon saw a +giant fig-tree, which our guides indicated as being the spot we sought. +As we approached we perceived a greyish-looking form on a large limb +about ten feet from the ground, and a closer inspection revealed to us +that it was unmistakably the body of a white man, rolled up in tea-tree +bark, and kept in its position by fastenings of split cane. We could +not examine the corpse very minutely, for it was too offensive; but +from the portions of the face that still remained, and the long blonde +locks and red beard, we satisfied ourselves that the poor wanderer was +not one of the 'Eva's' crew; indeed, we judged that his death must have +taken place some time before the loss of that vessel. We were much +pleased to observe the respect with which the natives had treated the +remains, and as they think that exposure either on a platform or in a +tree is the most honourable way in which a corpse can be disposed of, +we left the body as we found it, and returned to the camp, where we +passed the night. + +Our damper was now at an end, and we had no flour with us, so made up +our minds to return to the boat. On talking the matter over, it seemed +quite clear that the shipwrecked men had never been thrown on this part +of the coast, and that any further exploration would only be lost time. +On the following morning we presented the tribe with our knives, and +some matches, and taking a friendly leave of them, started for the +Macalister, accompanied by two of the warriors. We reached the boat on +the sixth day, found the pilot and his party well, and having dismissed +the blacks, with the present of a tomahawk and a blanket, we started at +once for the place lower down the river, which had been agreed upon +with Jack Clark as a rendezvous. When we arrived at this spot on the +following day, the horsemen had not turned up, so we amused ourselves +as best we could, fishing, shooting, and eating damper thickly +plastered over with honey, for Larry had found a "sugar bag." + +The way the trooper performed this feat was not a little ingenious. +Having noticed several bees about, he caught one, and with a little +gum, attached to it a piece of down from a large owl that somebody had +shot. Releasing the insect, it flew directly towards its nest, the +unaccustomed burden with which it was laden serving not only to make it +easily visible, but also impeding its flight sufficiently to admit of +the boy following it. The next was at the top of a large blue gum +tree, about three feet in diameter, and sending up a smooth column for +fifty feet without a branch or twig. Most people would have given up +all thoughts of a honey feed for the day; not so Mr. Larry, whose +movements we followed with considerable curiosity. Divesting himself of +his clothing, he repaired to an adjoining scrub, and with his tomahawk +cut out a piece of lawyer cane twenty feet in length. Having stripped +this of its husk, he wove it into a hoop round the tree of just +sufficient size to admit his body. Slinging his tomahawk and a +fishing-line round his neck, he got inside the hoop, and allowing it to +rest against the small of his back, he pressed hard against the tree +with his knees and feet. This raised him several inches, when with a +dexterous jerk he moved the portion of the hoop furthest away from him +a good foot up the stem, and thus--somewhat on the same principle that +boys climb a chimney, for the hoop represented the chimney--he worked +himself upward, and in much less time than I have taken to describe it, +was astride on the lowest branch, and chopping vigorously at the hollow +which contained the golden store. The use of the fishing-line now +became apparent, for we bent on to its end a small tin billy (round +can), used for making tea, and by hauling this up and filling it, Larry +soon supplied us with honey enough to fill our bucket and the boat's +baler. As perhaps my readers may be tempted to wonder why the bees did +not attack the naked hide of the robber who was thus rudely despoiling +them, I must state that the wild Australian bee is stingless. It is a +harmless little insect, not much larger than the common house-fly, and +though it produces abundance of honey and wax, it has not been +subjected to domestication, and from its diminutive proportions and its +habit of building on very high trees, probably never will be. The +English bee has been most successfully introduced into Queensland; and +many of the farms in the neighbourhood of Brisbane make a good thing +out of their honey and wax. + +A meeting was held the next day, at which it was agreed that all +further search would be useless, and, indeed, I am certain that every +possible measure had been attempted for the discovery of the missing +men. There seems every reason to think that the ill-fated 'Eva' was +sunk in the cyclone. Most likely she went down in deep water, and all +on board her were drowned. Such was the supposition that received most +favour at the time, and with it we must rest content until the great +day when all secrets are revealed. + + + + + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Australian Search Party, by Charles Henry Eden + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY *** + +***** This file should be named 4237.txt or 4237.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/3/4237/ + +Produced by Amy E. Zelmer and Sue Asscher. HTML version by Al Haines. + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +https://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at https://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +https://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at https://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit https://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including including checks, online payments and credit card +donations. To donate, please visit: https://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + https://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |