CHAPTER XXVI.
The Search for the Lost.--The Fig-tree.--Signals.--The Wanderersfound.--The Wounded Boy.--The Sufferings of the Thirsty.--The Rescue andReturn.--The Kangaroo Conflict.--A strange Meeting.--TheBush-rangers.--The miraculous Escape.
Sleep fled from all the sorrowful family, and they gladly saw themorning light which would enable them to set out to track the unluckyboys. The three men chose the high pinnacle from whence Arthur had firedthe preceding evening for a rendezvous, and fixed a white cross ofpeeled rods against the dark foliage of a gum-tree, that stood tall andconspicuous on the summit, as a land-mark. From thence Arthur proceededdirectly north amidst the intricacies of the mountains, while Jack wentoff at the right-hand, and Wilkins at the left. It was agreed that theyshould meet at the same spot in the evening, if the search was notsuccessful before then. Arthur carried one of the guns; the other beingleft with Mr. Mayburn, that he might fire it as a signal, in case ofalarm; while Arthur proposed, if he succeeded in discovering thefugitives, to recall the other two men by firing his gun.
Arthur's share of the work was certainly the most toilsome. At onemoment he was climbing over some lofty rock; the next, he was searchingfor a pass amidst inaccessible heights; then winding through tortuousgorges, till his head became so bewildered that it was only when heobserved the course of the sun, or caught sight of the happy signal ofthe white cross, that he was able to determine his position. Severaltimes, from some elevation, he shouted loudly the names of the absentboys, but none answered. The day wore away, and he gladly rested for ashort time beneath a fig-tree, still bearing a quantity of ripe fruit,while the ground was strewn with the decayed figs, on which flocks ofbronze pigeons, yellow cockatoos, and rose-colored parrots, were busilyfeeding. These birds seemed to confide in Arthur's forbearance, for theycontinued to enjoy their feast without evincing any alarm, except by avehement greeting, in their several notes, as if they inquired hisbusiness at their board.
The arched roots of the fig-tree afforded him an easy mode of access tothe upper branches, where he filled his straw hat with the fruit, andthen continued his walk, enjoying the refreshment; for the figs, thoughnot luscious, were ripe and juicy.
"I will give one more shout," thought he; and his voice, cleared andstrengthened by his refreshment, rang through the echoing mountains. Hewaited for five minutes; still there was no reply; but his eye caught alight smoke among the mountains. It might be the fires of the natives hethought; but even were it so, the boys might have fallen into theirhands, and no time must be lost in rescuing them. He made ready his gun,and, still bearing his load of figs, he directed his course brisklytowards the suspected spot. But it was most difficult to attain theplace from whence the smoke seemed to proceed, and he wandered for anhour amidst intricate windings, making many unsuccessful attempts topenetrate to the spot, till at length he came to a small hollow,surrounded by dungeon-like walls, where a fire of dry wood wassmouldering, but no one was near it.
"Hugh! Gerald!" he shouted; and at the sound of his voice his brotherappeared, crawling feebly from a hole in the rocks.
"Hugh, my boy, are you hurt?" asked Arthur, in a hurried tone: "andwhere is Gerald?"
Hugh pointed to the hole from whence he had issued, and in a hoarse,weak voice, said, "Water! water!" Scarcely conscious what he did, Arthurpressed the juice of a fig into the parched mouth of the boy, whomurmured, "Thank God! But, oh, Arty! can you get any water for poorGerald?"
Putting more figs into his hand, Arthur stooped down to the lowentrance, and passed into a small dark hollow, where Gerald wasstretched out, almost insensible, and near him lay dead a huge kangaroo.Arthur gave the poor boy the only refreshment he had to offer, the juiceof the figs; but he seemed in a much more feeble state than Hugh, andwhen his kind friend with difficulty got him out into the open air, hesaw with consternation that his leg was bound up with a handkerchief,through which the blood was oozing.
"How did this happen, Hugh?" asked Arthur, before he ventured to examinethe wound.
"It was the kangaroo," answered he; "and then, when we had killed it, wewere far too ill to eat it, though we have had no food since we lefthome."
"I cannot tell what I must do," said Arthur. "It will be impossible toget you home to-night, feeble as you are; and papa will now be in alarmat my absence."
"But you will not leave us again, Arty," said Hugh, sobbing. "I feardear Gerald will die. I dare not remain alone any longer."
"I must leave you for a short time," answered Arthur. "I think I shallbe able to summon Wilkins and Jack to us; then they can search forwater, and carry Gerald home."
Hugh burst into tears, and said, "But the bush-rangers--I cannot tellyou all, Arthur, my head is so bad. There are bush-rangers; we have seenthem; they will meet you, and they will come and kill us. At least,carry Gerald back to the cave."
In increased alarm, Arthur conveyed Gerald into the dismal cave, andleaving them all the remainder of the figs, he waited to hear no more,but hurried off with all speed towards the rendezvous, looking round ashe went on, for some spring or pool from which he could procure waterfor the suffering boys. When he reached a high rock, not far from therendezvous, he ventured to fire his gun, and was immediately answered bythe shouts of the men, who, following the sound and flash of the gun,soon came up to him.
"Where are they? Oh, Mr. Arthur, have you not found them?" said Jack.
Arthur, in a few words, told the distressing story; and night being nowat hand, it was agreed that Jack should return to appease the uneasinessof the family, while Wilkins should accompany Arthur back to the twoanxious boys, with whom they would remain till daylight, and then bringthem home. Wilkins undertook to procure water for them from a pool at alittle distance, where Jack and he rested, and where they had cleanedout two large gourds they had found, and converted them intowater-bottles.
These gourds were a great treasure; they carried them to the pool,filled them with fresh-water, and, after drinking themselves, hastenedforward with all the vigor that remained to them after the day'sfatigue, towards the spot where the boys were lying, but did not reachit till night had made it most difficult to discover it. The joy of thepoor wanderers was excessive when they saw their friends arrive,bringing the refreshment they so much desired. Gerald was alreadysomewhat revived by the figs; and after he and Hugh had drunk somewater, they began to desire more substantial food; and it was not longbefore Wilkins had cut off, and broiled, some steaks of kangaroovenison, of which all the hungry party partook with great enjoyment.Still the boys were too much weakened and exhausted to enter into anydetails of their adventure that night; and when Arthur and Wilkins hadcollected heath for beds and covering--for the nights were nowchill,--they all crept into the cave, and slept soundly till awakened bythe rude, early greeting of the laughing jackass.
Then, after more kangaroo steaks, Arthur made an examination of Gerald'slacerated and bruised leg, which Hugh had previously bandaged to thebest of his skill. They could now spare water to wash the wound, and thebandages were replaced by some made from Arthur's handkerchief; andWilkins having cut down the spreading bough of a fig-tree, Gerald andthe kangaroo were placed side by side upon it, and borne by Arthur andWilkins. The procession moved slowly and silently, Hugh looking roundanxiously as he preceded the litter, in dread of the terriblebush-rangers.
The rugged mountain-road tired the bearers greatly, but long before theyreached the rendezvous, they saw a figure standing before the darkgum-tree, and a loud "Halloo!" brought Jack to meet and assist them. Hehad considerately brought with him a bucket of water; and they restedand refreshed themselves, before they completed their toilsome journey.But fatigue was forgotten when they all met again in the quiet valley;Mr. Mayburn and Margaret wept for joy, and though nurse did not fail tochide them as "bad boys," she fondled and nursed the wanderers, andproduced for their comfort cockatoo-stew, flavored with wild herbs thatresembled parsley and marjoram, and mixed with the beans they had got onthe banks of the river.
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sp; "Keep a sentinel at the pass, Arthur," said Hugh. "We shall be watchedand tracked; there will be scouts all around us. It is a miracle that wehave arrived here safely."
"Oh! Master Hugh, honey, is it that good-to-nought Black Peter?" askedJenny.
"Worse than that, I am sorry to say, nurse," answered he; "for there aredozens of Black Peters ready to snap us up. But don't look so sorrowful,Meggie, and I'll just tell you how it all happened. That big oldfellow," pointing to the kangaroo, "kept us trotting after him for hoursand hours, and always when we got him within reach of a spear or anarrow, he bounded off like a race-horse, and you could not say whetherhe hopped, or galloped, or flew. It was a beautiful sight, but veryvexatious. At last we got desperate; we were tired and hungry, and wedetermined to have him; so we parted, that we might attack him on bothsides, and force him to stand at bay. It was a capital plan, and turnedout very well. We chased him into that queer little dungeon-like hollowwhere you found us. He flew round and round, but we guarded theentrance, and he could not escape, and at last we drove him into acorner, pierced mortally with our spears. I wanted Gerald to wait tillthe beast was weakened with loss of blood; but he was in a hurry tofinish, so he rushed on with his drawn knife, and I followed to helphim. But when the brave old fellow found he had not a chance, he facedround, and with his fore-feet--his arms, I should say--he seized me, andgave me a heavy fall. Gerald was then behind, and plunged his knife intohim, on which the desperate creature struck out with his powerful hindclaw, and tore and bruised poor Gerald, as you see.
"I was soon on my feet again, and then I speedily despatched the beast;but I should never like to kill another in that way; it was just likemurdering one's grandfather. Then I turned to poor Gerald. Oh, Margaret!if you had seen how he bled! and how frightened I was till I got hiswounds tied up! He was very thirsty, and begged me to get him somewater, or he thought he must die. So off I set, keeping a sharp eye onour den, that I might find it again. I mounted a crag, and looked aboutme till I saw flocks of birds, all hovering over one place, a goodstretch from me. 'That's my aim,' thought I, and on I dashed, over rocksand valleys, straight forward, till I saw before me a grandsilver-looking lake, covered with ducks and swans; while regiments ofbirds, like cranes and pelicans, with other unknown species, were drawnup round it.
"I could look at nothing else but the birds for some time, I was socharmed, and I planned directly to bring papa to the place the verynext day; but remembering poor Gerald's condition, I went forward, andlooking round to scan the grassy plains between the mountains and thelake, I was astonished to see a number of large animals grazing, whichwere certainly not kangaroos, but real, downright quadrupeds, walking ontheir four legs. 'Here's a grand new field of natural history,' thoughtI. 'Yes, we must certainly take up our quarters here.' But, halloo! whatdid I see that moment, hobbling ungracefully up to me, but our oldfriend Charlie Grey!"
"Charlie Grey! Edward Deverell's favorite horse!" exclaimed Margaret."You have been dreaming, Hugh; it could not be!"
"It could be, Meggie, for it really was he," answered Hugh. "Do youremember how we used to feed the handsome fellow with bits of bread onthe voyage? It came into my mind just then, and I plucked a handful ofoats, and held them out, calling 'Charlie! Charlie!' Poor, dear oldfellow! he could not trot up to me as his heart wished, but he limpedforward as well as his hobbles would allow him."
"Hobbles!" exclaimed Wilkins; "then he'd been nabbed by thembush-rangers."
"Sure enough he had, Wilkins," continued Hugh; "and there were five orsix strong black draught-horses, besides a herd of bullocks and cows;every beast, I'll venture to say, stolen from our friend EdwardDeverell. Well, I had forgot all about poor Gerald and the water, andwas feeding and stroking Charlie, when I saw he had a halter on hisneck; and I thought I might as well just cut the hobbles, mount him,ride off to take Gerald behind me, and away we would gallop home. Butthe water!--I had forgotten that we had no vessel to contain water; but,fortunately, at the edge of the lake, near a place where a fire had beenkindled, I saw piles of large mussel-shells. I filled two, placed themin my hat, and slung it round my neck. Then I pulled out my knife, andstooped down to cut Charlie's bonds; but just then such yells fell on myears that I started up, and saw on one of the heights a line of fiercelooking men, attired in the conspicuous yellow dress of the convicts.Their guns were directed towards me, and there was no longer time torelease and mount Charlie; in fact, I had not presence of mind to decideon doing it, but ran off as fast as my legs would carry me, just in timeto escape a volley of shots from the wretches. Thankful that I hadescaped unhit, I fled desperately, never looking behind me till Ireached poor Gerald, whom I found very ill and restless, parched withthirst; and there was scarcely a teaspoonful of water left in theshells, from my rapid flight. I was telling him my story, when we hearda tremendous report of fire-arms, and we trembled to think the villainswere pursuing me; but now I conclude it must have been your signal-shot,an idea which never occurred to me in my distracted state. I then gotGerald into that little hole, and dragged the great kangaroo after him,that nothing suspicious might be in sight if they followed me; though Ihardly dared to hope that our den should escape their observation. DearGerald groaned and tossed about all night. How much I did grieve that Ihad not succeeded in bringing him the water! Nor was our conditionimproved next morning, for I was afraid to venture out beyond thehollow, round which I sought in vain for any fruit or juicy herb to coolour parched mouths. Gerald, in all his agony, was twice as brave as Iwas; and if he had been the sound one, I know he would have risked anydanger to obtain help for me."
"Botheration! Hugh, my boy," said Gerald, "didn't I know all the timethat it was my moans and groans that made you turn soft and sob like agirl? I couldn't help grunting out like a pig shut out of a cabin on arainy night; and then you grunted and cried too, for company. We were apair of pleasant, jolly fellows all day, Meggie, as you may easilysuppose. Day, indeed, do I say! why, we thought it must be a week, atleast! As night came on, it grew very cold, and Hugh scrambled out togather a few sticks together to make a fire before our cave. Before hecame back, I heard the crack! crack! of a gun running from rock to rock;and when I saw Hugh, I tried to speak to him; and then I know no moretill I felt the cold fig-juice on my dry tongue. Won't I like figs aslong as I live; and won't I have an alley of fig-trees in my garden whenI locate--squat, I mean, and build a mansion, and marry."
"Mrs. O'Brien may possibly object to the _Ficus_ in her garden, Gerald,"said Arthur;--"it is not a comely tree in its proportions; but thequestion may safely rest awhile. Now, Hugh, after you heard the gun?"
"Then I threw more wood upon the fire," answered he, "that the smokemight be seen, and crept back into the cave; for I could not get overthe fear that the shot might have come from the bush-rangers; and I hadthus given them a signal to our hiding-place. Think of my joy when Iheard the voices which I never expected to hear again!"
Jenny had wept abundantly at the tale of suffering, and she nowendeavored to show her sympathy by placing before the fatigued andhungry boys another collation, consisting of bean-coffee sweetened withhoney, and sweet oat-cakes; and certainly, if Mr. Mayburn had notinterfered with grave sanitary admonitions, the boys were in danger ofeating themselves into a fever.
"I have thought much on this unfortunate adventure," said Mr. Mayburn,when they met together the next morning. "It is a fearful reflection toknow that we are in the midst of a horde of banditti, ready to interceptour least movement. What shall we do? We appear to be in safety here;but this lovely spot would become a prison to you all, if you wereforbidden to move from it. Arthur, what do you say? Wilkins, my goodman, do you think we are quite safe?"
"Not ower and above, I say, master," answered Wilkins; "they're justranging hereabouts, to pick up recruits among them fools of blackfellows, and to keep out of t' way of them as they've pillaged; andthey're ripe for any thieving or ill-doing as falls in their way. Butthey'll not sattle long; they'll range off down south to turn theirbea
sts into brandy, and we'se be better at their heels nor afore 'em."
"I think, papa, Wilkins is right," said Arthur. "We may rest a good timehere without any sacrifice of comfort. We have grain and water at hand;pigeons and cockatoos in our own preserve, asking us to roast them; anexcellent store of honey, coffee, and tea, as we are pleased to name theAustralian representatives of these luxuries; spacious and dry lodgings,and fresh air. Certainly, with occasional forays, conducted with dueprudence, we shall have abundant and excellent provision for any lengthof time. This monstrous kangaroo ought to supply us with meat for manydays; and I think we might dry part of it in the sun, to resemble theSouth-American _charqui_."
"It is an admirable idea, Arthur," said Mr. Mayburn; "we shall thusavoid the sin of wasting the good gifts of Providence. I have read adescription of the process; I know the meat must be cut in slices, and Ishould like to assist you in carrying out the plan, though, practically,I am inexperienced. The first difficulty appears to be, how to avoid thedestruction of the skin in slicing it."
"Why, papa, we skinned him this morning," replied Hugh. "The skin isalready cleaned and spread to dry; we shall rub it with a little fat, torender it pliable, and then we shall have a blanket or a cloak ofinestimable value."
"True, my son; I had forgotten that preliminary operation," said Mr.Mayburn. "But still I cannot understand how we shall obtain the largeslices;--the bones, the form of the animal, present great obstacles."
"Leave it to the experienced, papa," said Margaret. "Wilkins knows howto slice up a kangaroo."
It was capital employment and amusement for the active to cut up thehuge animal into thin slices, which were spread out on the bush, and theardent sun of the climate, even at this late season, soon dried the meatperfectly; and Margaret wove grass bags to pack it in; and thus severaldays passed without alarm or annoyance; and with due care and attentionthe wound of Gerald was perfectly healed.