CHAPTER XXV.
Boat-building again.--Unlucky Ruth.--The Woods on Fire.--Dangers on Landand Water.--The Wounded Girl.--A Home among the Mountains.--TheBottle-tree.--The Bee-hunt.--Bean-coffee.--The Lost Hunters.
At the first merry cry of the laughing jackass, which announced the dawnas regularly as the English cock-crow, the workmen rose to labor attheir hopeful undertaking; and before many hours were passed the canoeswere nearly finished, and the women were busy cutting down grass forseats; when Ruth, who had left them, came rushing back through the wood,with her wildest look of distraction, crying out, "They seed me! MissMarget, they seed me!"
"Thou unlucky lass!" exclaimed Jenny. "Where hast thou been? and who'sseen thee?"
"Them black men, they seed me!" answered she. "I were cutting some oatsfor my hens; and I heared 'em shouting out their _coo-ee_, and when Ilooked round I seed a lot of 'em, a long way off, and I skriked out; Icouldn't help it, Miss Marget, and then they _coo-eed_ again, and off Iran. But I'se feared they heared me skrike, onyhow."
Margaret, in deep dismay, communicated this unfortunate event to herbrothers, and Arthur went through the wood to reconnoitre. From a hiddenretreat he observed a troop of men, still at a great distance, whoappeared to be stooping down to mark some track on the ground, fromwhich he judged Ruth's cries had been unnoticed. He returned in hasteto report his observations.
"They've tracked us, sure enough," said Wilkins. "Sharp's the word,lads, we may distance 'em yet, if we work hard. We'se run down t' waterat a bonnie rate."
"I will watch and report their approach, while you all work at theboats," said Margaret. "Where shall I stand, Wilkins?"
"Just here, Miss," answered he, "aback of this thick bush. There's yerpeep-hole; and shout when they get close up."
Margaret's first shout was a terrific one. "Arthur! Wilkins!" she criedin a frantic voice. "Oh! God help us! whither shall we flee? Thewretches are firing the wood."
The savages, taking advantage of a north wind, had fired the long drygrass--a common practice with the natives. It was already fiercelyblazing, and rushing towards the wood with resistless fury. The groundon which the travellers had encamped, and the spot where the young menwere working, they had fortunately cleared for beds, and for seats inthe boats; and now, while Jack and Arthur finished the canoes, the restcut down the brushwood round, and flung it into the river, leaving aspace of twenty or thirty yards wide quite cleared. But beyond that rosethe lofty trees, that, once blazing, must shower down destruction onthem.
Already the crackling of the trees announced that the conflagration wasbegun in the woods, and that no time must be lost, if they hoped toescape from it. Flights of white cockatoos, of bright-colored parrots,and glittering bronze pigeons, rose screaming from their desolatedhomes, and affrighted opossums sprang from their nests, swung on thetrees, or fell senseless with the smoke on the ground. But in this timeone canoe was completed and launched, with the women, all the baggage,and Mr. Mayburn and Hugh to direct it. They had been swept down theriver to a considerable distance from the fire before the second canoe,imperfectly completed, whirled off with the rest of the family, whoreached their friends at a point of safety, with wild looks and scorchedhair.
Then they all rested a moment, to look back on the terrific and stillspreading conflagration, by the red light of which they saw thefrightful outline of the dark forms, among whom, though now naked, andscarcely less dark than the rest, they distinguished the muscular andungraceful form of Peter, which strangely contrasted with the stately,slender, and agile forms of the natives.
"He's not lit on them t' other rangers yet," said Wilkins. "That's agood job, onyhow; for, ye see, they'd horses, and we'd fairly beenhunted down like foxes."
Augmented by the recent rains, the river flowed in an uninterruptedcourse, and before the evening and the calls of hunger induced them toarrest their flight, the grateful family believed they must haveprogressed twenty-five or thirty miles to the south-east, with veryslight exertion, through new and lovely scenes of hill, vale, rockymountains, and rich forests.
Then, on the margin of the river, beneath the shelter of a thick wood,they landed, to thank God for their escape, and to take rest. Mussels, asort of cray-fish, and the river-cod, formed their supper, which wascooked in fear and trembling, lest the smoke of their fire should bringon them the savages, or the flames should spread to the brushwood, acatastrophe they now regarded with horror.
Before they set out the following morning, the canoes were completelyfinished, and oars and paddles added: thus their progress was safe andeasy, and for three days no accident arrested their course; but on thefourth day they were compelled to land, to repair a rent in one of thecanoes, and were startled at their labor by the sound of the "_coo-ee_"and an alarming rustling among the trees. Without delay the canoes werecarried to the water, and all embarked; nor had they proceeded twentyyards before a large opening appeared in the wooded bank, which hadevidently been cleared by fire. Here they beheld the first permanentsettlement of the natives they had yet met with. Many large huts stoodround, formed of boughs, and thatched with bark. Several fires wereburning, around which the women and children were gathered, and a numberof men, armed with spears and clubs, advanced to the bank withthreatening aspect, when they saw the canoes.
Loud and angry words were heard, which Baldabella interpreted tobe,--"What for white men come here? Go away! go away!" And the way inwhich they waved their clubs and stone tomahawks was very intimidating.
"Best take no notish of their antics, Mr. Arthur," said Wilkins; and,all agreeing in the wisdom of the counsel, they rowed forward, the menstill uttering defiance against the strange invaders, and apparentlyamazed that their threats were received with indifference. But Ruth,whom Jenny had been ineffectually endeavoring to calm, at last could nolonger control her terror, and poured forth such a succession ofshrieks, that the savages seemed encouraged, and immediately directed avolley of spears against the canoes.
The swift motion happily discomfited their attempt, and but one speartook effect, seriously wounding the right arm of Ruth, which she hadheld up to shield her face.
A few moments carried the boats beyond the reach of the weapons, andthey continued their voyage, till they believed themselves safe from thepursuit of the assailants. Mr. Mayburn and Margaret bound up the woundof Ruth, which bled profusely, and was very painful, and she could notbe persuaded that she should ever recover. She declared that she waskilled, and she earnestly begged that she might be buried in achurch-yard, till Jenny, out of patience with her cowardice, said,--
"Be quiet, ye silly wench; where think ye we're to find a church-yardamong these heathens?"
"Then they'll eat me, Jenny!" she cried, in great horror.
"Be comforted, Ruth," said Margaret; "you are under the protection of amerciful God; and as long as we are spared, we will take care of you,and even bury you if it be His will that you die before us. But, believeme, Ruth, though your wound must be painful, there is no danger for yourlife, unless you cry and fret yourself into a fever; so pray bepatient."
"I will, Miss Marget," sobbed she. "Indeed I will, if you will feed myhens, and gather corn, whiles, for 'em. Shame on them black savages asburned down all that good corn."
The fretfulness and timidity of Ruth, however, inflamed the woundgreatly; and before the next day ended, they thought it prudent todisembark at some quiet spot, where she could have shelter and rest. Thebanks of the river had now become rocky, gradually sloping upwards torugged and irregular mountains, amongst which they trusted to find theshelter they desired. A sloping bank offered them a landing-place, andthey disembarked, and the men bearing the light canoes on theirshoulders, they left the river. Jack carried Ruth, now quite unfit forexertion, in his arms, and they were soon plunged into a maze ofmountains, cut apart by narrow ravines, some of which were choked withfallen stones, and through others clear streams of water poured betweenrocks covered with new and graceful ferns, some of which were ofgigantic size
.
The further they penetrated into this maze, the more they becameperplexed and embarrassed. At length, O'Brien, who had forced his waythrough a narrow, stone-encumbered crevice, called on them to join himin a lovely little valley, of three or four hundred yards across,encompassed with precipitous, overhanging rocks, and inaccessible,except by the narrow opening through which they had entered. It wasovergrown with tall grass, amongst which they saw the useful wild oats;in one corner was a deep clear pool of water, while the surroundingrocks were covered with brushwood, from which were heard the pleasingnotes of the beautiful pigeon, which the naturalists judged to be_Geophaps Scripta_, and which all agreed was the most delicious birdever placed before gormandizing man.
There were numerous caves in these rocks, and they had only to chooseone dry and light for the sick woman, and then, enjoying the luxury ofmany apartments, the young men selected their own bed-chambers, theboats were safely stowed into one hollow, and the ammunition placedcarefully in another rocky cave; and once more the family rejoiced in atemporary resting-place.
One of the caves was chosen for a kitchen, and again the active youngmen dug, and lined with stones, an oven, in which Jenny baked cakes ofthe fresh-gathered oats, a dozen pigeons were despatched, tea was madefor the invalid, and all was festivity and peace. Still, Ruth's wound,which was torn by a jagged spear, showed no appearance of healing, andit was resolved to spend some days in this beautiful and untroddensolitude, to allow the poor girl to recover, and to recruit the strengthof all. But it was not possible to confine the active boys to the narrowvalley, and they daily found a pretext for some expedition. One day theyset out to search for the _Tea shrub_, and brought home a large quantityof leaves. Another day they scaled some of the lower rocks, to obtaingum from the numerous trees from which it exuded, and brought out allthe family to see a curious tree, the trunk of which, formed like abarrel, was in the thickest part not less than thirty feet incircumference.
"It is one of the _Sterculiads_," said Mr. Mayburn, "and is, I conclude,that wonder of Australia popularly known as the Bottle Tree, or, morescientifically, this peculiar species is named _Delabechea Rupestris_.It appears to be full of gum, and is, doubtless, a great blessing to thenatives."
Baldabella seemed rejoiced to see the tree, which she declared was"good, very good," chewing the branches with great enjoyment; and theyfound there was so much mucilage in the wood, that they cut someshavings, and poured boiling water over them, when a clear, sweet jellywas formed, most agreeable to the palate, and highly relished by thewhole party.
The next expedition was suggested by Baldabella, who pointed to somebees humming among the trees, and said, "Make very good dinner--verygood supper; Baldabella find his nest." Margaret taught the woman thename, honey, which she concluded was the good dinner she alluded to.Then the woman caught a bee, appearing to have no fear in handling it,and catching a piece of white down which had fallen from the breast ofsome bird, and was floating on the air, she touched it with gum, andstuck it upon the captive bee; she now called on the rest to follow her,and leaving the valley, she stood on an elevated rock, released the bee,and kept her keen eye fixed on the white down as it sailed away,following the flight of the insect, till she saw it settle in a tree.Then she stopped, and pointing to the trunk, ordered Jack to cut it. Hisaxe was soon at work; the bark was stripped, and the hollow laid open:they found the tree quite filled with honey, and cutting away aconsiderable quantity, they carried it off on pieces of bark. The bees,which were very small, either careless in the midst of plenty, orpowerless to injure, did not molest the robbers. The honey was muchmingled with wax, and looked and tasted like gingerbread; but, kneadedwith the bitter oat-paste, it rendered the biscuits pleasanter and morepalatable.
"We really seem to have all we want here, Miss Marget," said Jenny oneday. "Isn't it a pity to hurry t' poor master over these weary commonsand fells? We'se be sure to have winter at some end; and hadn't webetter bide here a bit till it's past?"
"It is really near the beginning of winter now, nurse," said Margaret;"it is more than a year since we left England; for it is now the end ofApril. I felt the air a little cold during last night, though now it ismild and balmy; and the evergreen shrubs, continual successions offlowers, noisy birds, and humming insects, make it more like an Englishsummer than the end of autumn. This is truly a charming climate."
"It's very nice, Miss Marget," answered Jenny; "but don't you think weshould be better of a change of meat? One tires of pigeons always."
"Very right, Jenny," said O'Brien; "though the observation is not new.I'll tell you what we will do: we will stalk a kangaroo for you."
"No easy task, I should think, Gerald," said Arthur, "if the kangaroo beas difficult to tire out as Wilkins tells us."
"He'll lead ye a bonnie chase," said Wilkins, "that will he. Ye'll tireafore him. Ye'd better wait till Baldabella makes an end of that netshe's shaping to catch 'em. She's a long time about it."
"And we may wait another week," said Gerald, "to obtain the ignoblemeans of snaring the poor fellow. No; I say, let us have a regularstalking-day. Arthur, what do you say?"
"I cannot have Arthur leave us for a day," said Mr. Mayburn. "I shouldnot feel it safe for Margaret. I can rely on his judgment anddiscretion."
A few days after this Jack was engaged in putting the canoes in repair,and Wilkins had gone off to the river with Baldabella, to spear fish,when the two boys entreated that they might be allowed to take spearsand bows--guns being prohibited, unless Arthur was of the party,--andset out after a kangaroo; for the woods and grassy hollows among themountains abounded in game.
On the promise to Mr. Mayburn that they would not ramble far from home,they were allowed to go; while Margaret was employed in teaching littleNakinna to read, by tracing letters and words on the sand, and Mr.Mayburn and Arthur were searching the crevices of the rocks for the rarebirds and the brilliant plants which, even at that late season, were tobe found in profusion.
In the middle of the day Baldabella and Wilkins returned with basketsfilled with large fish, and a bag of pods filled with small beans, whichthey had plucked in a sandy nook near the river. Each pod contained tenor twelve beans; and Baldabella's exclamations of delight showed theywere considered a prize.
"I fear," said Arthur, "that these beans are too dry at this season tobe useful as good vegetables, but I fancy we might roast them, and usethem as a substitute for coffee, to surprise our sportsmen when theyreturn from their expedition."
With great satisfaction, Jenny heated the oven and roasted the beans,which were not larger than those of coffee, till they became the properdeep-brown color. They were then bruised between two stones, and boiledwith a little honey, and the brown liquid wanted but milk to representindifferent coffee. The partakers of the beverage declared it to beperfect; and Wilkins was sent back to the river to procure an abundantsupply, to be roasted for future occasions.
When the evening drew near, and the family, leaving their severaloccupations, assembled together as usual, great anxiety filled everybreast, for the two hunters had not returned. They had taken noprovision with them; but this was a minor consideration, for no onecould starve in this region of plenty. Nor could the chase itself leadthem into danger; but there remained the ever-existing terror of thetreacherous and cunning natives, or still worse, of an encounter withthe lawless bush-rangers. The fears of Mr. Mayburn soon amounted to deepdistress, and at length Arthur and Wilkins set out to a high point ofthe mountains, where they could command an extensive view, hoping to seethe wanderers. But before they reached the pinnacle, sudden darknessveiled the prospect, and Arthur reluctantly adopted the only means hecould then use to recall the boys. He fired his rifle, and the echoes,flung from mountain to mountain, thundered like a charge of artillery;and it seemed impossible that this report should not reach the ears ofthe thoughtless ramblers.
After waiting a few minutes, in the vain hope of hearing some answeringshout, Arthur and Wilkins retraced their steps to the ca
ves, depressedwith the ill-success of their mission. Yet such was the deep distress ofthe father, that his children endeavored to conceal their own sorrow,that they might console him. He mourned as lost, not only his own braveboy, but the not less dear son of his lamented friend; and long refusedto be comforted. Arthur represented to him that no more could beeffected till morning; but that the youths, when they had gone astraywould have probably taken refuge in one of the numerous caves in themountains, where they would be safe during the night; and he promisedthat at the first gleam of light, he, Wilkins, and Jack, would set outin different directions to search for them.
"And remember, dear papa," said Margaret, "this is, happily, not acountry of fierce beasts; they may enter a cave boldly, secure that theyshall not disturb a lion or a bear in his den. Nor need they fear thesnowstorm or the hurricane. This is a pleasant land! God seems to havecreated it for the abode of peace. Is it not, then, fearful wickednessthat civilized man, the professed Christian should scatter the seeds ofevil rather than the seeds of truth among the simple inhabitants?"
"This is, truly, a calm and blessed region," answered Mr. Mayburn. "Weseem to have been Heaven-directed towards it; and if my two dear boyswere again safely at my side, I confess that I should feel reluctant toleave it. In this vast and lovely solitude, where man has never beforeplanted his destroying foot, where neither storms nor wild beastsappall, and where God himself provides our food, even as He fed theProphet in the wilderness, we seem to be brought face to face with Him.Here we see and hear Him alone in His glorious works so richly scatteredaround us. Such may have been Eden, before the sin of man polluted it.In this sublime solitude, consecrated to devotion and peace, would Iwillingly remain conversing with my God. Here would I,--
'Sustain'd and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach my grave, Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.'"
"It is a charming vision," said Margaret. "But look round you, papa; thefresh, the restless, the aspiring spirit of youth must be exercised anddisciplined by the duties and trials of life. We may not dare to rest,dear father, till we have done our work."
"You are always rational, Margaret, and I am but a selfish visionary,"answered Mr. Mayburn. "Even now my idle dreams have turned away mythoughts from my heavy and real calamity--the loss of my children."
"Depend on't we'se find t' lads all right, master," said Wilkins; "andthey'll tell us what a good laugh they had when they heared that grandsalute we gave 'em amang these rattling hills."