Bunyip Land: A Story of Adventure in New Guinea

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

  WE AWAIT OUR FATE.

  I glanced from the blacks to the doctor, to see that he was intentlygazing up the gorge where the rushing water came seething down, and Iread in his face that he could not see the slightest hope.

  I looked at Jack Penny, who was deeply intent upon a little blue anchorthat some bush shepherd had tattooed upon his thin white arm.

  Then I turned to Jimmy, whose quick dark eyes were busy inspecting histoes, those on the right foot having hold of his war-club, which he washolding out for Gyp to smell.

  He alone of the party did not seem to realise the fact that the end wasso near.

  "Can we do anything, doctor?" I said at last in a low awe-strickenvoice.

  He gazed at me tenderly and held out his hand to press mine, when I laidit in his grasp.

  "No, my lad," he said, "nothing. I have tried mentally to see a way outof our peril, but I can see none. Unless the water sinks we are lost!Joe, my lad, you must act like a man!"

  "I'll try, doctor," I said in a choking voice; and as I spoke, once morethere seemed to rise up before me our quiet peaceful home near Sydney,with its verandah and flowers and the simply furnished pretty rooms, inone of which sat my mother, waiting for tidings of her husband and son.

  I could not help it, but clasped my hands together uttering a despairingcry. For it seemed so hard to give up hope when so young and full ofhealth and strength. Even if it had been amidst the roar and turmoil ofthe storm it would not have seemed so bad, or when the great flood wavecame down; but now, in these calm cool moments, when there was nothingto excite, nothing to stir the blood, and, above all, just when the skywas of a dazzling blue, with a few silvery clouds floating away in therear of the storm, while the sun shone down gloriously, it seemed toohard to bear.

  I gazed eagerly at the water, to see that it was nearly a foot higher,and then I joined the doctor in searching the rock with my eyes for aplace where we might find foothold and clamber beyond the reach of therushing torrent; but no, there seemed no spot where even a bird couldclimb, and in despair I too began to strip off some of my clothes.

  "Are you going to try to swim?" said the doctor gravely.

  I nodded.

  "That's right," he said. "I shall do the same. We might reach someledge lower down."

  He said that word _might_ with a slow solemn emphasis that made meshudder, for I knew he felt that it was hopeless; but all the same hegranted that it was our duty to try.

  The doctor now bent down over the water, and I could see that it wasrising faster than ever.

  All at once Jimmy seemed to rouse himself, throwing up his waddy withhis foot and catching it in his hand.

  "No water go down," he said. "Mass Joe, Mass Jack, doctor, an all a letget up higher; no get wet. Top along get drown, die, and bunyip pull umdown an eat um!"

  "I'm afraid escape is impossible, Jimmy," I said sadly.

  "No know what um say!" cried the black impatiently.

  "Can't get away," I said.

  "No get way! Waitum, waitum! Jimmy--Jimmy see!"

  He went to the edge of the shelf and dipped one foot in the water, thenthe other, worked his toes about, and then, after a contemptuous look atthe blacks, who were calmly awaiting their fate, he looked up at theface of the rock beyond the curving over abutment, and, reaching up ashigh as he could, began to climb.

  It did not seem to occur to him at first that if he were able to escapeno one else would be, and he tried twice with a wonderful display ofactivity, which resulted merely in his slipping back.

  Then he tried elsewhere in two places, but with the same result, andafter a few more trials he came to me and stood rubbing the back of hishead, as if puzzled at his being so helpless and beaten at every turn.

  "Get much, too much water, Mass Joe!" he said. "What um going to do?"

  I shook my head sadly, and went to where the doctor was watching theprogress of the rushing river as it rose inch by inch--cracks and pointsof rock that we had before noticed disappearing entirely, till theflowing earth-stained surface was but a few inches below the ledge wherewe were grouped, waiting for the time when we should be swept away.

  In spite of the knowledge that at most in an hour the ledge would becovered I could not help watching the rushing stream as it dashed along.It was plain enough to me now why the sides of the gorge were so smoothand regular, for the action of the water must have been going on likethis for many ages after every storm, and, laden as the waters were withmasses of wood and stone, with pebbles and sand, the scouring of therocks must have been incessant.

  Then my thoughts came back to our horrible position, and I looked roundin despair, but only to be shamed out of any frantic display of grief bythe stoical calmness with which all seemed to be preparing to meet theirfate.

  Still the water rose steadily higher and higher inch by inch, and Icould see that in a very few minutes it would be over the ledge.

  I was noting, too, that now it was so near the end, my companions seemedaverse to speaking to me or each other, but were evidently moody andthoughtful; all but Jimmy, who seemed to be getting excited, and yet notmuch alarmed.

  I had gone to the extreme edge of the ledge, where the water nearlylapped my feet, and gazing straight up the gorge at the sunlit waters,kept backing slowly up the slope, driven away as the river rose, whenthe black came to me and touched my shoulder.

  "Poor black fellow there going die, Mass Joe. Not die yet while: Jimmynot go die till fin' um fader. Lot o' time; Jimmy not ready die--lot o'time!"

  "But how are we to get away, Jimmy? How are we to escape?"

  "Black fellow hab big tink," he replied. "Much big tink and find umway. Great tupid go die when quite well, tank you, Mass Joe. Jimmyblack fellow won't die yet? Mass Joe hab big swim 'long o' Jimmy. Swimmuch fass all down a water. Won't die, oh no! Oh no!"

  There was so much hope and confidence in the black's manner and hisbroken English that I felt my heart give a great throb; but a sight ofthe calm resignation of my companions damped me again, till Jimmy oncemore spoke:

  "Mass Joe take off closums. Put long gun up in corner; come and fetchum when no water. Big swim!"

  Many had been the times when Jimmy and I had dashed into the river andswum about by the hour together; why not then now try to save our livesin spite of the roughness of the torrent and the horrors of the greatfall I knew, too, that the fall must be at least two or three milesaway, and there was always the possibility of our getting into some eddyand struggling out.

  My spirits rose then at these thoughts, and I rapidly threw off part ofmy clothes, placing my gun and hatchet with the big knife, all tiedtogether, in a niche of the rock, where their weight and the sheltermight save them from being washed away.

  As I did all this I saw the doctor look up sadly, but only to lower hishead again till his chin rested upon his breast; while Jack Pennystared, and drew his knees up to his chin, embracing his legs andnodding his head sagely, as if he quite approved of what I was doing.

  The only individual who made any active demonstration was Gyp, whojumped up and came to me wagging his tail and uttering a sharp bark ortwo. Then he ran to the water, snuffed at it, lapped a little, andthrew up his head again, barking and splashing in it a little as he ranin breast-high and came back, as if intimating that he was ready at anymoment for a swim.

  The doctor looked up now, and a change seemed to have come over him, forhe rose from where he had been seated and took my hand.

  "Quite right, my lad," he said; "one must never say despair. There's aledge there higher up where we will place the ammunition. Let's keepthat dry if we can. It may not be touched by the water; even if we haveto swim for our lives the guns won't hurt--that is, if they are notwashed away."

  It was as if he had prepared himself for the worst, and was now going tomake strenuous efforts to save himself and his friends, after we hadtaken such precautions as we could about our stores.

  Jimmy
grinned and helped readily to place the various articles likely tobe damaged by water as high as we could on ledges and blocks of stone,though as I did all this it was with the feeling that we were neverlikely to see the things again.

  Still it was like doing one's duty, and I felt that then, of all times,was the hour for that.

  So we worked on, with many a furtive glance at the water, which kept onencroaching till it began to lap the feet of our black companions.

  But they did not stir; they remained with their positions unaltered, andstill the water advanced, till the highest point of the ledge wascovered, and Gyp began whining and paddling about, asking us, as itwere, with his intelligent eyes, whether we did not mean to start.

  "Hi! Gyp, Gyp!" shouted Jimmy just then; "up along, boy; up along!" andhe patted the top of one of the stones that we had used for abreastwork.

  The dog leaped up directly, placing himself three feet above the flood,and stood barking loudly.

  "Yes, we can stand up there for a while," said the doctor, "and thatwill prolong the struggle a bit. Here, come up higher!" he cried,making signs to our black companions, who after a time came unwillinglyfrom their lower position, splashing mournfully through the water, butevidently unwilling even then to disobey their white leader.

  They grouped themselves with us close up to the breastwork, where westood with the water rising still higher, and then all at once I feltthat we must swim, for a fresh wave, the result probably of some portionof the flood that had been dammed up higher on the river course, sweptupon us right to our lips, and but for the strength of our stonebreastwork we must have been borne away.

  As it was, we were standing by it, some on either side, and all clingingtogether. We withstood the heavy wrench that the water seemed to give,and held on, the only one who lost his footing being Jack Penny, who wasdragged back by the doctor as the wave passed on.

  "Enough to pull your arms out of the socket," whined Jack dolefully. "Isay, please don't do it again. I'd rather have to swim."

  Higher and higher came the water, icily cold and numbing. The wave thatpassed was succeeded by another, but that only reached to our waists,and when this had gone by there was the old slow rising of the flood asbefore till it was as high as our knees. Then by degrees it crept onand on till I was standing with it reaching my hips.

  A fearful silence now ensued, and the thought came upon me that when thefinal struggle was at hand we should be so clasped together thatswimming would be impossible and we must all be drowned.

  And now, once more, with the water rising steadily, the old stunnedhelpless feeling began to creep over me, and I began to think of home ina dull heavy manner, of the happy days when I had hardly a care, andperhaps a few regrets were mixed with it all; but somehow I did not feelas if I repented of coming, save when I thought that my mother wouldhave two sorrows now when she came to know of her loss.

  Then everything seemed to be numbed; my limbs began to feel helpless,and my thoughts moved sluggishly, and in a half dreamy fashion I stoodthere pressed against, the rock holding tightly by the doctor on oneside, by Jimmy on the other, and in another minute I knew that therising water would be at my lips.

  I remember giving a curious gasp as if my breath was going, and inimagination I recalled my sensations when, during a bathing expedition,I went down twice before Jimmy swam to my help and held me up. Thewater had not touched my lips--it was only at my chest, but I fancied Ifelt it bubbling in my nostrils and strangling me; I seemed to hear itthundering in my ears; there was the old pain at the back of my neck,and I struggled to get my hands free to beat the water like a drowningdog, but they were tightly held by my companions, how tightly probablythey never knew. Then I remember that my head suddenly seemed to growclear, and I was repeating to myself the words of a familiar old prayerwhen my eyes fell upon the surface of the water, and I felt as if Icould not breathe.

  The next minute Gyp was barking furiously, as he stood upon his hindlegs resting his paws upon his master's shoulders, and Jimmy gave a loudshout.

  "All a water run away, juss fass now," and as he spoke it fell a coupleof inches, then a couple more, so swiftly, indeed, that the terriblepressure that held us tightly against the stones was taken off pound bypound, and before we could realise the truth the water was at my knees.

  Ten minutes later it was at my feet, and before half an hour had passedwe were standing in the glorious sunshine with the rocky ledge dryingfast, while the river, minute by minute, was going down, so that we feltsure if no storm came to renew the flood it would be at its old level ina couple of hours' time.

  We were dripping and numbed by the icy water; but in that fiercesunshine it was wonderful how soon our wrung-out garments dried; andwarmth was rapidly restored to our limbs by rocks that soon grew heatedin the torrid rays.

  "Big bunyip got no more water. All gone dis time," said Jimmy calmly."Poor black fellows tink go die. No die Jimmy. Lots a do find um faderall over big country. Water all gone, Jimmy cunning--artful, not meandie dis time. Bunyip not got 'nuff water. Give Jimmy something eat.Ready eat half sheep and damper. Give Jimmy some eat."

  We all wanted something to eat, and eagerly set to work, but soakingdamper was not a very sumptuous repast; still we feasted as eagerly asif it had been the most delicious food, and all the time the water keptgoing down.