Bunyip Land: A Story of Adventure in New Guinea

  CHAPTER NINE.

  HOW I WAS NOT MADE INTO PIE.

  When I came to, it was as if all the past was a dream, for I heardvoices I knew, and lay listening to them talking in a low tone, till,opening my eyes, I found I was close to the doctor, the captain, Jimmy,and the sailors, while Jack Penny was sitting holding my hand.

  "What cheer, my hearty?" said the captain, making an effort to come tome; but I then became aware of the fact that we were surrounded bysavages, for one great fellow struck the captain on the arm with hisclub, and in retort the skipper gave him a kick which sent him on hisback.

  There was a loud yell at this, and what seemed to threaten to be ageneral onslaught. My friends all prepared for their defence, and Jimmytook the initiative by striking out wildly, when half a dozen blacksdashed at him, got him down, and one was foolish enough to sit upon hishead, but only to bound up directly with a shriek, for poor Jimmy, beingheld down as to arms and legs, made use of the very sharp teeth withwhich nature had endowed him.

  We should have been killed at once, no doubt, had not one tall blackshouted out something, and then begun talking loudly to the excited mob,who listened to him angrily, it seemed to me; but I was so dull andconfused from the blow I had received upon my head that all seemed mistyand strange, and once I found myself thinking, as my head achedfrightfully, that they might just as well kill us at once, and nottorture us by keeping us in suspense.

  The talking went on, and whenever the tall chief stopped for a momentthe blacks all set up a yell, and danced about brandishing their spearsand clubs, showing their teeth, rolling their eyes, and behaving--justlike savages. But still we were not harmed, only watched carefully,Jimmy alone being held, though I could see that at a movement on ourpart we should have been beaten to death or thrust through.

  At last, after an interminable speech, the big chief seemed to growhoarse, and the blacks' yells were quicker and louder.

  Then there was a terrible pause, and a dozen sturdy blacks sprangtowards us as regularly as if they had been drilled, each man holding aspear, and I felt that the end had come.

  I was too stupid with my hurt to do more than stare helplessly round,seeing the bright sunshine, the glittering sea, and the beautiful wavingtrees. Then my head began to throb, and felt as if hot irons were beingthrust through it.

  I closed my eyes, the agony was so great; and then I opened them again,for all the savages were yelling and clapping their hands. Two men hadseized me, and one of them had his head bandaged, and in a misty way Irecognised him as one of the poor wretches to whom I had given water.He and the others, who were easily known by the doctor's patches ofsticking-plaster, were talking with all their might; and then all theblacks began yelling and dancing about, brandishing their spears andclubs, frantic apparently with the effect of the injured men's words.

  "They ar'n't going to kill us, my lad," said the captain then; "and lookye there, they are going to feast the doctor."

  For the latter was regularly hustled off from among us by a party ofblacks, led by two of the sticking-plastered fellows, while two otherssquatted down smiling at us and rubbing their chests.

  "Are we to be spared, then?" I said.

  "Spared? Well, I don't know, my lad," said the captain. "They won't beso ungrateful as to kill us, now these blacks set ashore have turned upand told 'em what sort of chaps we are; but I don't think they'll freeus. They'll keep us here and make the doctor a physic chief. Eh! gothere? All right; I can understand your fingers better than yourtongue, my lad. Come on, all of you."

  This last was in response to the gesticulations of the injured men whowere with us, and soon after, we were all settled down in a very largeopen hut, eating fruit and drinking water, every drop of which seemed tome more delicious than anything I had ever tasted before.

  A curious kind of drink was also given to us, but I did not care for it,and turned to the water again; while the doctor set to work to dress andstrap up my injury as well as he could for the pressure of the people,who were wonderfully interested in it all, and then gathered round thedoctor's other patients, examining their injuries, and listening to theaccount of the surgical treatment, which was evidently related to themagain and again.

  "Well, this is different to what you expected; isn't it, squire?" saidthe captain to me the first time he could find an opportunity to speak."I was beginning to feel precious glad that I shouldn't have a chance toget back and meet your mother after what she said to me."

  "Then you think we are safe now?" said the doctor.

  "Safe!" said the captain; "more than safe, unless some of 'em, being abit cannibal like, should be tempted by the pleasant plumpness of MrJack Penny here, and want to cook and eat him."

  "Get out!" drawled Jack. "I know what you mean. I can't help beingtall and thin."

  "Not you, my lad," said the captain good-humouredly. "Never mind yourlooks so long as your 'art's in the right place. We're safe enough,doctor, and I should say that nothing better could have happened.Niggers is only niggers; but treat 'em well and they ain't so very bad.You let young Squire Carstairs here ask the chief, and he'll go withyou, and take half his people, to try and find the professor; ah, andfight for you too, like trumps."

  "Do you think so?" I said.

  "Think! I'm sure of it; and I'm all right now. They'll be glad to seeme and trade with me. I'm glad you made me set those chaps free."

  "And what has become of the crew of the other schooner?" I saidanxiously.

  "Nobbled," said the captain; "and sarve 'em right. Tit for tat; that'sall. Men who plays at those games must expect to lose sometimes.They've lost--heavy. Change the subject; it's making young Six-footRule stare, and you look as white as if you were going to be served thesame. Where's the doctor?"

  "He said he was going to see to the injured men," I replied.

  "Come and let's look how he's getting on," said the captain. "It's allright now; no one will interfere with us more than mobbing a bit,because we're curiosities. Come on."

  I followed the captain, the blacks giving way, but following us closely,and then crowding close up to the door of the great tent where thedoctor was very busy repairing damages, as he called it, clipping awaywoolly locks, strapping up again and finishing off dressings that he hadroughly commenced on board.

  During the next few days we were the honoured guests of the savages,going where we pleased, and having everything that the place produced.The captain moored his vessel in a snug anchorage, and drove a roaringtrade bartering the stores he had brought for shells, feathers,bird-skins, and other productions of the island.

  Gyp was brought on shore, and went suspiciously about the place with hishead close up to his master's long thin legs, for though he hadtolerated and was very good friends with Jimmy, he would not have anydealings with the New Guinea folk. It did not seem to be the blackskins or their general habits; but Jack Penny declared that it was theirgummed-out moppy heads, these seeming to irritate the dog, so that,being a particularly well-taught animal, he seemed to find it necessaryto control his feelings and keep away from the savages, lest he shouldfind himself constrained to bite. The consequence was that, as I havesaid, he used to go about with his head close to his master's legs,often turning his back on the people about him; while I have known himsometimes take refuge with me, and thrust his nose right into my hand,as if he wished to make it a muzzle to keep him from dashing at somechief.

  "I hope he won't grab hold of any of 'em," Jack Penny said to me one dayin his deliberate fashion; "because if he does take hold it's such ahard job to make him let go again. And I say, Joe Carstairs, if everhe's by you and these niggers begin to jump about, you lay hold of himand get him away."

  "Why?" I said.

  "Well, you see," drawled Jack, "Gyp ain't a human being."

  "I know that," I replied.

  "Yes, I s'pose so," said Jack. "Gyp's wonderfully clever, and he thinksa deal; but just now, I know as well as can be, he's in a sort of doubt.He t
hinks these blacks are a kind of kangaroos, but he isn't sure. Ifthey begin to jump about, that will settle it, and he'll go at 'em andget speared; and if any one sticks a spear into Gyp, there's going to beabout the biggest row there ever was. That one the other day won't beanything to it."

  "Then I shall do all I can to keep Gyp quiet," I said, smiling at Jack'sserious way of speaking what he must have known was nonsense. Afterthat I went out of the hut, where Jack Penny was doing what the captaincalled straightening his back--that is to say, lying down gazing up atthe palm-thatched rafters, a very favourite position of his--and joinedsome of the blacks, employing my time in trying to pick up bits andscraps of their language, so as to be able to make my way about amongthe people when we were left alone.

  I found the doctor was also trying hard to master the tongue; and at thesame time we attempted to make the chiefs understand the object of ourvisit, but it was labour in vain. The blacks were thoroughly puzzled,and I think our way of pointing at ourselves and then away into the bushonly made them think that we wanted fruit or birds.

  The time sped on, while the captain was carrying on his trade, theblacks daily returning from the ship with common knives, and hatchets,and brass wire, the latter being a favourite thing for which theyeagerly gave valuable skins. My wound rapidly healed, and I was eagerto proceed up the country, our intention being to go from village tovillage searching until we discovered the lost man.

  "And I don't know what to say to it," said the captain just beforeparting. "I'm afraid you'll get to some village and then stop, for theblacks won't let you go on; but I tell you what: I shall be alwaystrading backwards and forwards for the next two years, and I shall coastabout looking up fresh places so as to be handy if you want a bit ofhelp; and I can't say fairer than that, can I, doctor?"

  "If you will keep about the coast all you can," said the doctor, "and beready, should we want them, to supply us with powder and odds and endsto replenish our stores, you will be doing us inestimable service.Whenever we go to a coast village we shall leave some sign of our havingbeen there--a few words chalked on a tree, or a hut, something to tellyou that English people have passed that way."

  "All right, and I shall do something of the kind," said the captain."And, look here, I should make this village a sort of randy-voo if I wasyou, for you'll always be safe with these people."

  "Yes; this shall be headquarters," said the doctor. "Eh, Joe?"

  I nodded.

  "And now there's one more thing," said the captain. "Six-foot Rule; Isuppose I'm to take him back?"

  "If you mean me," drawled Jack Penny, entering the hut with Gyp, "no,you mustn't take him back, for I ain't going. If Joe Carstairs don'twant me, I don't want him. The country's as free for one as t'other,and I'm going to have a look round along with Gyp."

  "But really, my dear fellow," said the doctor, "I think you had bettergive up this idea."

  "Didn't know you could tell what's best here," said Jack stoutly."'Tain't a physicky thing."

  "But it will be dangerous, Jack. You see we have run great risksalready," I said, for now the time for the captain's departure hadarrived, and it seemed a suitable occasion for bringing Jack to hissenses.

  "Well, who said it wouldn't be dangerous?" he said sulkily. "Gyp and meain't no more afraid than you are."

  "Of course not," I said.

  "'Tain't no more dangerous for me and a big dog than it is for you andyour black fellow. I don't want to come along with you, I tell you, ifyou don't want me."

  "My dear Jack," I said, "I should be glad of your company, only I'mhorrified at the idea of your running risks for your own sake. Supposeanything should happen to you, what then?"

  Jack straightened up his long loppetty body, and looked himself all overin a curious depreciatory fashion, and then said in a half melancholy,half laughing manner:

  "Well, if something did happen, it wouldn't spoil me; and if I waskilled nobody wouldn't care. Anyhow I sha'n't go back with thecaptain."

  "Nonsense, my lad!" said the latter kindly. "I was a bit rough when Ifound you'd stowed yourself on board, but that was only my way. Youcome back along with me: you're welcome as welcome, and we sha'n't neverbe bad friends again."

  "Would you take Gyp too?" said Jack.

  "What! the dog? Ay, that I would; wouldn't I, old fellow?" said thecaptain; and Gyp got up slowly, gave his tail a couple of wags slowlyand deliberately, as his master might have moved, and ended by layinghis head upon the captain's knee.

  "Thank'ye, captain," said Jack, nodding in a satisfied way, "and someday I'll ask you to take me back, but I'm going to find Joe Carstairs'father first; and if they won't have me along with them, I dessay Ishall go without 'em, and do it myself."

  The end of it all was that we shook hands most heartily with the captainnext day; and that evening as the doctor, Jack Penny, Jimmy, Gyp, and Istood on the beach, we could see the schooner rounding a point of thegreat island, with the great red ball of fire--the sun--turning hersails into gold, till the darkness came down suddenly, as it does inthese parts; and then, though there was the loud buzzing of hundreds ofvoices about the huts, we English folk seemed to feel that we were aloneas it were, and cut off from all the world, while for the first time, asI lay down to sleep that night listening to the low boom of the water,the immensity, so to speak, of my venture seemed to strike me, giving mea chill of dread. This had not passed off when I woke up at daybreaknext morning, to find it raining heavily, and everything looking asdoleful and depressing as a strange place will look at such a time asthis.