CHAPTER XXIV.
The Dry Wilderness.--Despair.--The Coming-down of the Waters.--TheDiscomfited Savages.--Hunger and Thirst.--The Footsteps in the Mud.--APond.--The Talegalla and its Nest.--The Valley of Promise.--The River tothe South.
It was indeed on a wilderness they now entered, where low entangledbrushwood spread as far as the eye could extend, unvaried by theappearance of a single tree rising above it; and as they toiled throughor over this perplexing ground, carrying the bark sledge, which it wasimpossible to draw over the bush, they were often deceived by the sightof a line of tall reeds, the border of the bed of some river, now whollydry, or merely muddy with the rain of the previous day. They saw noanimals, except two or three emus, which swiftly fled from pursuit; andthey were too eager to escape from the dry desert to waste time in thechase. For two days, successive morning suns showed them the sametrackless and unwatered heaths spread before them; then the water wasexhausted, and they turned away with loathing from the dry bread andpotatoes.
Slowly and languidly they dragged on their weary way, still watching andhoping in vain. Another day of suffering dawned on them; and now thescorching air, the dry food, the fatigue, and the consuming thirstovercame them one after another, and before evening Mr. Mayburn said,"Let us lie down here, Arthur. God has chosen, in His wisdom, to putthis termination to our efforts. Nature is exhausted; let us lie downand prepare for death."
"Not so, my dear father," answered Arthur. "God wills that we should beactive, and strive to surmount difficulties, or He would not havebestowed on us the bounteous gifts of thought and action. Margaret, Iknow your faith and resolution; encourage my father."
"You look to me in vain, my dear brother," said Margaret. "I am unableto think or to move. Save our beloved father, and leave me beneath thesebushes to die. I feel that death must be near at hand."
"I beseech you to rally your energy, my darling Meggie," said herbrother, in a broken voice. "Surely, after the rain that fell yesterday,we must soon find some pools. We must not be so weak as to remain here,with our pursuers so near to us, and drought and death around us. Let ustry at least to cross this muddy and deceitful gorge, and be thankful;for remember, my dear sister, if this had been now a foaming river, weshould have been unable to ford it, and must have been lost in thisdesert."
Margaret was too weak to reply, and Arthur, lifting her with difficultyin his enfeebled arms, descended the banks, and crossed the wide bed ofa river which was scarcely moist enough to leave the traces of hisfootsteps. Wilkins and Jack supported Mr. Mayburn across, and the restlanguidly followed. They crawled slowly up the rocky banks of theopposite side, which were covered with thick scrubby bushes; and thenbeneath a spreading acacia, they sat down to rest a few moments, andendeavored to nerve themselves to endurance and exertion.
"Surely, Wilkins," said Arthur, "that lofty line of mountains which wecan still see at the east, though so distant, ought to supply springsand streams to these plains, and there must be water at no greatdistance. You and I are pretty stout; can we not leave these feeblefolks here, and go on to search for some relief for them?"
"Look yonder, Mr. Arthur," answered Wilkins, "just atween us and themmountains, and say if we ought to leave 'em behind us."
Arthur beheld with dismay, at about a mile's distance, a dark massmoving over the bare plain. He saw that the savages were returning, andeven his firm heart failed, for here was no shelter--no hope of escape.He remained struck dumb for a minute; then he whispered to his brothersthe dreadful fact, adding, "They must be nearer than they appear to be,for I surely hear them as well as see them. Certainly, some sound breaksthe stillness of this solitary desert. It must be the murmur of manyvoices."
"It seems to me like men felling wood," said Jack.
"It is more like the blessed sound of water," said O'Brien, springingup.
Still the mass of figures, though now more defined and plainlyrecognized to be the savage host, approached slowly; and they could notproduce the strange rumor, which momentarily grew louder, crackling,tearing, roaring, like the mighty elephant, forcing its way through thethicket. All the party now heard in trembling fear this unaccountablephenomenon, and the weeping women knelt down to pray for aid amidstaccumulated distresses.
"Father," murmured the almost unconscious Margaret, "I smell water. Oh,give me some, or I die."
"It is water!" shouted O'Brien "I said it was water. It is the rivercoming down. Come on, Hugh, let us meet it;" and he leaped down into thebed of the stream.
"Stop the lad!" cried Wilkins, following and dragging him up the bankagain. "We'se ha'e water enough, and more nor we want soon. Look ye!look ye!" and they saw a slender thread of water come crawling over thebed like a silver snake.
"Sharp! sharp! hand us a bucket!" called Wilkins; and, provided with abucket, he descended and quickly procured a small quantity of water torelieve the worst sufferers; but before a second supply could beobtained, he was compelled to retreat in haste, and an amazing spectacleburst on the eyes of the beholders. A mighty tower of water was seen toapproach, rushing, pouring, foaming; casting up from it trunks of trees,drenched garlands of creeping plants, and showers of pebbles. In anincredibly short space of time the resistless torrent had filled thedeep gorge, and was splashing over the rocky banks.
Gradually the torrent subsided into a smooth, deep, and flowing river,from which the pining sufferers obtained the refreshment they had solong sought, and then, with bended knees, offered up a thanksgiving tothat Great Power who had by this providential event rescued them from apainful death, and interposed an insurmountable barrier between them andtheir vindictive enemies, who, having now approached near enough to beaware of this unexpected obstacle, saw, with evident wrath, their prizesnatched from their grasp. At the command of their implacable andwell-known chief, Peter, some of the most skilful threw their spears;but the river was not less than fifty yards across, besides which, thestrong east wind drifted away the weapons from their intended aim; andthe invigorated and uninjured family lost no time in leaving thedangerous spot, and were soon beyond sight of the stubborn natives, andthe malicious bush-ranger.
"It is plain they have no means of crossing the river," said Arthur;"but, Wilkins, what can have induced them to return from the mountains?"
"I reckon they'll have somehow missed their comrades as was to be,"answered Wilkins. "Maybe they'd an inkling as how we were behind 'em andnot afore 'em; and they'd niver reckon on t' water coming down; and nota soul among 'em can swim, barring Peter, and he knew better nor trusthisself among us alone. We've stopped 'em a bit now, master."
"Not we, Wilkins, but God," said Mr. Mayburn. "It was 'the Lord thatbrought again the waters upon them,' and saved us. To His name be theglory."
"We have still before us a long struggle through these sterile wilds,"said Arthur; "but this deliverance must give us renewed courage forlabor and privation. Now we may afford to eat our supper, and take ourrest without fear."
The strongest of the party, before they left the river, had filled allthe vessels with water, and brought them off, and very soon, almostwithin hearing of the noisy savages, they made a fire, and enjoyed againthe luxury of tea to their potatoes, before weary nature sought repose.But as soon as it was light, they set out, after again having tea to fitthem for another day of toil. The march was resumed with renewed healthand spirits, but still the monotony of the matted rough desert, whichrarely afforded a clear spot for them to draw the sledge, fatigued anddepressed them before the day was over. And when they rested for theevening, and Jenny produced the scanty remainder of potatoes, and thestill smaller portion of grain, dismay sat on every countenance, andJack was the first to demand that Ruth's basket might be lightened, andthe contents given up to satisfy the hungry and healthy appetite of thepublic in general.
It was found on inspection that besides three full-grown fowls, the girlwas still carrying six good-sized chickens, the rest of the brood havingperished, from accident or scanty food. Immediately, as a matter ofexpe
diency to save the oats, to lessen the burden they had to carry, andto feed the hungry, sentence was passed that two chickens should beexecuted each day, and it was hoped, before all were eaten, some regionof more plenty might be attained.
With great reluctance, and floods of tears, Ruth relinquished her pets,and at the end of the three days, only the old fowls were left, andevery potato, grain, and drop of water was gone. Then, indeed, theyrealized the misery of famine; strength and cheerfulness left them, andthey tottered reluctantly forward, slowly and in mournful silence.
Sometimes an emu was seen at a distance, but none had energy or strengthto chase it, and Arthur, whose mental vigor supported him, when all weresinking round him, tried in vain to rouse them from their apathy.
"Let us struggle on a little longer," he said. "Once more I see a tallline of reeds, and by God's mercy, we may not be disappointed this time.Come, Jack, you and I will make a forced march in search of succor forthose who are weaker than ourselves; and if we succeed we will return torefresh and bring them forward."
With buckets slung over their shoulders, and leaning on their longspears, the two young men strained every nerve to reach the reeds likethose which had so frequently disappointed them, and, cutting or forcingtheir way through the tall canes, they came again on the bed of ariver--moist and muddy, indeed, but not a pool of water was to be seen.
"Let us ascend higher; we may find a little," said Arthur. "But, surely,Jack, here are footsteps on the soft earth. Some one has been herebefore us."
"Sure enough there has," replied Jack. "Men have been here; bootedchaps, too; none of the savages; anyhow, not them that we reckonsavages, but like enough, they'll be little better. Ay, their track runsupward; what say ye, Mr. Arthur, are we to follow it?"
"We must follow it, Jack," answered Arthur; "we must find water, ordeath is inevitable to us; and we are better in the rear of suspectedfoes than before them. And yonder are pools before us, God be thanked.Let us drink and then we will carry life back to those who are ingreater need than ourselves."
The pools afforded ample supplies. The young men drank, and bathed theirburning faces and heads, and then hastened back, refreshed and vigorous,bearing full buckets for the anxious party who awaited their return, andafter they had drunk, and were able to converse, they were informed ofthe appearance of the footsteps.
"I'd like to see 'em wi' my own eyes," said Wilkins. "If it be ony ofour chaps from t' colony, run-a-way fellows, I ken t' make of theirboots at t' first sight. But it's a long step for 'em to have marched,poor rogues. What think ye if we stirred from here? for I'd like to tellye what I ken about them tracks."
The whole party went forward more briskly than before, and reached thebed of the river, where Wilkins carefully examined the marks, and thensaid,--"Bush-rangers, as sure as ye stand there, Mr. Arthur. Here's beenfour on 'em; and look ye here, what call ye them tracks? I say, beastsand horses. I ken their game: they'll have druv' off a lot of stock, andthey'll reckon to squat here somewhere north. But they'll find they'llhave to seek out a cannier bit nor this. Like enough, master, it'll bethem chaps as Black Peter was lighting on finding."
By this time the two younger boys had ascended considerably higher upthe bed of the river, and reached a large pond covered with water-fowl.They were fortunate enough to shoot four ducks, and came back laden withthis grateful relief to their utter destitution. They dined as soon asthe birds could be cooked; and this rest, and abundant food, invigoratedand cheered them to set out once more.
They would gladly have continued to travel along the bed of the river,where they might certainly have depended on a constant supply of water,as well as wild ducks; but, on consideration, it was decided that tofollow the steps of lawless robbers was a dangerous experiment, and thatit was advisable still to continue the southern course over the drearydesert. Their progress was, however, rendered more tolerable, by theknowledge that they carried with them water for two days, at least; andthey began to perceive there was beauty, even in that wide, solitarywilderness, though it appeared unknown to all the living world.
Yet it was not altogether without living inhabitants; for, the secondday, Gerald surprised them by crying out, "A turkey! a turkey!" andspears, arrows, and boomerang, were speedily sent after the lucklessbird, though the sight and the cries of the strange multitude had causedit to spring from the bush where it was feeding, to the lowest branchesof a tree somewhat taller than the unvaried dwarf bushes; and fromthence, rather by leaps than by flight, it ascended to the highbranches, where it only exposed itself more to the weapons of theinveterate sportsmen, and was speedily brought down.
It was beyond the usual size of the English turkey, to which it bore astrong resemblance, and delighted Ruth with the idea that they werecoming among poultry again. The young naturalists had more opportunityof observing this specimen than the last they had killed, and theyagreed that this curious bird belonged to a family peculiar to thisstrange country, the _Megapodidae_, but so nearly allied to the family of_Meleagrinae_, that it might familiarly be called the Australian turkey.
"There can be no doubt that it is, as I formerly believed," said Mr.Mayburn, "the _Talegalla_ of the prince of ornithologists, Gould. Themassy claw is a striking characteristic, so conformable to the habitsand haunts of the bird, enabling it to run amongst the bush, or climbtrees to escape its enemies, the chief of which is the _Dingo_, ornative dog, which has been rather troublesome to us from its nocturnalyelping than from its appearance. Now, concluding this to be the_Talegalla_, we must endeavor to discover the remarkable nest of thisbird, which, like the ostrich, leaves its eggs to be hatched by the sun.These eggs we are told are delicious; but above all, the sight of thepeculiar nest would gratify my curiosity."
They had not proceeded far, when they saw, a little out of their course,a curious mound or pyramid, which they all went up to examine. It mighthave been the work of man's hand, so regularly and artfully the ground,for a considerable space round it, was entirely cleared of vegetation,and the decayed grass and brushwood thus removed formed the remarkablemound. The lower part seemed to have been erected some years, the decaybeing complete; the upper part was fresher, as if recently renewed.
"It is apparent that this pile must be the work of years," said Mr.Mayburn, "and is probably accomplished by numbers laboring in common toraise this vast hatching oven. I am reluctant to disturb a work whichhas cost so much labor; but I think we might partially uncover it, toobserve the internal arrangement."
The boys mounted the pile, which was six feet in height, and carefullyunpacked the upper layer of the hot-bed, when they soon discovered avast number of large white oval eggs, nearly four inches in length,which were buried standing on end, with the broad end uppermost, aboutten inches apart from each other. One of the eggs was partially hatched;and the young bird might be seen, covered, not with down, but withfeathers.
At the sight of the feathered bird in the shell Ruth turned away withdisgust from the long-desired poultry. "Nay, Master Gerald," said she,as the boy held out the egg to her; "ye'll not catch me touching an egglike that, niver sitten on as it ought to be, and t' bird chippingready-feathered. It's unnat'ral, and they're uncanny creaters, theyare."
"Why, one of these unbroken eggs would make a custard, Ruth, as good asthat of an English Turkey," said Gerald.
"That's what I'se niver credit, sir," answered she. "Not a custard fitfor Christians. Them black folks 'll eat aught 'at falls in their way.Oh! Miss Marget, this is a queer, awesome country!"
They did not take any of the eggs, which appeared to be in an advancedstate for hatching; but they roasted the talegalla, and found itdelicious meat, though it must be remembered appetite was keen andturkey a rarity.
"Now, to-morrow morning," said Arthur, "we must make for yon distantgreen hills; and I trust we shall find a pleasanter region. If we couldbut meet with one of the rivers that flow towards the south, we mighttry boating again, and make our journey on an easier plan. Surely weought to have reached the d
ivision between the northern and southernwaters."
"It would be a rare hit to light on a good river," said Wilkins, "forwe're gettin fearfully into t' midst of a nest of bush-rangers, andwe'll ha'e little chance of slipping 'em, trailing on in this way."
The morning view of the green hills was so flattering that they indulgedin the luxury of tea for breakfast, though the water was nearlyexpended, and then proceeded hopefully over the scrub, now diversifiedwith various species of acacia, a Stenochylus bending under its largescarlet blossoms, and a Boronia laden with lilac flowers. Cheerfullyhailing the fertile regions once more, they soon reached the steepwooded ascent of the hills, where the lively notes of the birds againgave life to the solitude; while their brilliant plumage lighted up thegray foliage of the acacia and the dark gloom of the evergreens.
After an hour's laborious ascent they reached the table-land, where thefresh breeze and the balmy fragrance announced a pleasanter region. Theyrested, and looked round with admiration and delight on the gloriousprospect below them. On the east and on the west distant ranges ofmountains were visible, between which lay a rich valley studded withlofty forest trees, while here and there arose green hills crowned withrocky masses resembling towers and fortresses, or ruined castles, inpicturesque beauty.
From the western range of mountains might be seen a long, dark-greenline, stretching to the south-east, which they decided must be theboundary of some large river. This line they impatiently desired toreach; and, after a short rest, they continued their march over a plainrich with rare shrubs and many new and curious grasses now in seed,amongst which they hailed with pleasure their old friend the oat-grass,with which they filled the emptied bags as they passed through it. Adark and luxuriant wood formed the green line they had seen from theheights, and crossing it, they stood on the rocky banks of a rapid riverwhich flowed to the south-east.
For a few moments they stood silently contemplating this pleasant sight,beneath a graceful _Acacia Pendula_. Then Mr. Mayburn turned to hisfamily, with tears in his eyes, and said, "My children, let us givethanks where thanks are due. We are again rescued from famine,captivity, or death. Let us praise His name who has brought us from thedark valley of the shadow of death, to life and hope."
All kneeled down, and the little Nakinna was the first to raise herinfantine voice, saying "Our Father;" and to that simple and sublimeexpression of heavenly trust, Mr. Mayburn added the prayers of humility,hope, and gratitude.
"To-night we must rest," said Arthur, when the prayers were concluded;"but to-morrow we must, if possible, make two canoes."
"We will bark the trees to-night, Mr. Arthur, if you please," said Jack."The bark will dry, and I'd like all ready to start. To-morrow's neverso safe as to-day."
"Jack's right," said Wilkins. "I were feeling a bit idle mysel', butthere's no sense in't; so lend us hand on an axe, and I'se be none theworse for a stroke of work."
While the young men were engaged in cutting away the bark for the shellsof the canoes, and the fibres of the stringy bark for tying them, andcollecting the strong gum for cement, Baldabella descended to the river,and soon speared two immense fish, which seemed to be a species ofmullet; and she also brought in a quantity of the fresh-water mussels,the shells of which were so useful for domestic purposes.
The broiled fish and hastily prepared oat-cake--or damper, as Wilkinscalled it--formed an excellent supper; and though the nights had nowbecome cold, even in that tropical region, they slept on beds of heath,covered with opossum cloaks, without injury or disturbance.