they lingered for two days by fortunate spring in order to give the camels a much-needed rest, then they proceeded on their march, now steering due east, and it was strange indeed how this altered course affected the spirits of the party. they seemed to feel that they were at last on the straight track towards the mystic land of their desire. mackay even more than the others showed the change in his feelings; he whistled joyously in the exuberance of his heart, and cheered on the labouring team with hearty words of praise. and bob, relieved considerably of his own vague doubts in himself, had changed apparently into a new being. the vagaries of the shadow called forth his amusement, and the dry wordy dialogues of the two bushmen never failed to make him laugh with keenest appreciation, a fact which endeared him much to that valiant couple. the freedom of the mighty desert held him in thrall, its dangers were forgotten, the call of the wild was in his ears, the secret of the never never beckoned him.
"i told you the sunny skies would alter your temperament," said jack, whose boisterous good nature had never once deserted him. "i don't think a man gets a fair show in the constantly cloudy weather at home."
[pg 245]
"and yet we always get back to the old country somehow," answered bob, thoughtfully. "i suppose its grand history attracts us when the greater world has palled. i believe i could almost live in history, jack, wandering about among the castles and cathedrals that have seen the centuries pass. what wonderful records the grim old walls hold. why, each stone would seem alive to me."
"it would be pleasant to have a big holiday at home," admitted jack, wistfully; "but our time—and means, for travelling about was pretty limited when we were there——"
"but that will never be again," cried bob, gaily; "just consider what we have already got in this country, and who knows what may await us out where we are going?"
who knew indeed? who ever knows what lies in the dim distance of untrodden tracts? the days passed quickly, though the country continued to be barren and cheerless in aspect, the difficulties of travel were not nearly what they had been on the first long weary stretch. more than once a soak was discovered to replenish the water-bags before they had yet gone dry, and within a week two new wells had been charted. they were little more than the muddy residues of a long previous rainfall, still, the dignity of a central australian well as a rule lies wholly in its title, a fact which is well enough known to all explorers.
so successful were they in their journeying that after ten days had elapsed, and they were a hundred and forty miles east of fortunate spring, mackay considered that a brief deviation to the north might be ventured upon on the off chance of evading a long dry stretch which at this[pg 246] stage intervened on bentley's route, the next and final spring charted by that explorer being over seventy miles distant.
"we had a terribly hard time on that journey," said he, as he gazed across the wavy expanse of shifting sands which spread before them, "an' it's just possible the country to the north'ard a bit may be better. it canna be much worse."
for a long time, however, the varied route showed little prospect of improvement; sand, sand, everlasting sand spread everywhere before them, and progress became dangerously slow. the camels struggled in vain to make headway; they sank and floundered and stumbled in the wreathing masses. in five days the distance covered totalled only forty miles. no wonder mackay looked grave as he noticed the water-bags' woefully flat appearance.
"i tell you what, boys," burst out emu bill, during their noonday halt, "it's mighty sartain we has struck a snag this time. this is the miserablest patch——" he broke off abruptly and fell to abusing the flies besieging his face with remarkable eloquence. no one seemed disposed to question bill's statement in any way, and shortly afterwards the march was renewed, bill, never never, and the shadow alternately lauding the striving camels for their patient endurance, and bestowing maledictions upon them for their ponderously slow onward movement.
hour after hour the melancholy procession laboured along. so soon had the grimmer influence of the country exerted its baleful spell that for a long time each man feared to speak lest he might betray the growing depression at his heart. then, just as the evening shadows were[pg 247] beginning to close in, a welcome break in the monotonous landscape appeared to gladden their straining eyes. in the faint distance a feathery line of scrub stretched across their path, indicating a decided change in the sand surface, and the sight added vigour to their failing steps. eagerly they strove to reach the inviting mallee coppice before the thick blackness of night came down to envelop them. but it was not to be; the stumbling gait of the camels could not be hastened, though emu bill and his compatriots implored and beseeched the hardy animals with an eloquence that was touching to hear.
"one more try, boys," cried mackay. "there's bound to be water somewhere among the timber, and we may save ourselves another night of misery by finding it now." he went to jack's assistance, and together they tugged at the leading camel's nose-rope until the poor brute was literally being dragged through the yielding sands. this method of progression not proving very satisfactory, he next made laudable endeavour to enliven the march by singing raucously a few bars from that old song, "the campbells are coming."
"i just reckon they are comin'," never never dave groaned, somewhat confusing the reference; "but they need a jolly lot of persuasion, they do. get up, repentance, you cross-eyed streak o' misery. didn't i give ye a drink last week?"
at length mackay saw that they must be content to halt in the open for one night more.
"we can't do it, boys," he said, "so let us look for a decent camping-space in the sand; we'll find water if there's any about in the morning."
they had barely time to gather a few twigs from the[pg 248] sparse brush now in evidence, and start a feeble fire, before an impenetrable darkness descended over the desert. then they busied themselves unloading the camels and preparing their frugal meal, the latter an operation which rarely occupied much time, for obvious reasons. they were indeed in a very deplorable plight at this period; the water-bags had given up much of their store by evaporation, and they now contained but a very meagre supply of the valuable liquid, and the camels were well-nigh dying on their feet from sheer exhaustion.
the hour was quite late, and they were about to roll themselves in their blankets, when suddenly a bright light flamed up luridly among the trees in their course, and harshly through the still air rose the strains of a native chant.
"by the great howlin' billy!" growled never never dave, "there's a corroborree on to-night. it's mighty lucky we didn't reach the timber, after all."
"if there's any nigs about there's bound to be water," asserted the shadow, with a chuckle of delight, and certainly his reasoning was sound.
higher and higher blazed the warning beacon, and louder and louder sounded the warriors' dismal wailings, and through the leafless branches of the eucalypti a wildly dancing band of ape-like figures could be distinguished. the little group gazed at the ominous spectacle in silence and with mingled feelings. the presence of a native tribe in the neighbourhood was conclusive proof that an ample water supply was not far off; indeed the aborigines of the interior almost invariably hold their corroborree ceremonials around the principal spring of the district, for according to their belief a mighty[pg 249] spirit has its abode in every desert pool or soak, and from the slimy depths thereof watches over the welfare of his people. but when ought displeases this dread "wangul"—the great dweller in the waters—he visits his wrath upon the land by drying up the springs and betaking himself elsewhere. it is a wonderfully convenient idea, for it explains away all droughts and following pestilences, and it appeals to the simple heathen instinct as no finer teachings could. to propitiate this god of theirs many ordinances are performed and numerous sacrifices offered, and should any wandering members of an alien tribe happen to be near on such occasions, they are promptly seized upon to occupy the unenviable position of "corroborree mourners," a post which entails death, preceded by much horrible suffering.
mackay was mentally recalling his various experiences with the natives in different parts of the country, and with little sense of comfort, when emu bill disturbed his musings by saying suddenly—
"i wonder what the howling celebration means to-night, anyway?"
the others had by this time gone to sleep, having been utterly worn out by their trying day's encounter with the desert, and these two sat alone by the dying fire.
"i'm just a wee bit afraid, bill," answered mackay, dubiously, "that it has some bearing on our arrival. i never did like to be near the murderous pests in the nighttime."
bill stirred about uneasily, and it was clear that he shared mackay's fears.
"i believe you are right," he said, after a moment's pause. "the skunks must have seen us a long way off."
[pg 250]
he relapsed into a gloomy silence, and began to draw with great care sundry diagrams in the sand with the improvised camp poker.
meanwhile the whirling figures in the wood continued their mad career, and the flames from the great fire in their midst spouted high above the motionless mallee tips. the myriad stars twinkled merrily in an unclouded sky, and the southern cross constellation shone out brilliantly almost directly overhead. a slender crescent moon just above the horizon lent its feeble halo to the scene, so that a vague, eerie half light seemed to float on the surface of the land. faster and still faster the maddened wangul worshippers rushed, and the night was filled with their harsh, unmusical ravings.
mackay watched the progress of events with quickening interest, while emu bill with many a muttered malediction examined the charges in his revolver, and smoked reflectively. mackay was very unwilling to awake the sleepers unless it were absolutely necessary; they needed all the rest they could get. but emu bill recalled him to a sense of duty.
"i've been watching the circus," he said quietly, "an' i can see nary mourner in the crowd. for a dead cert they'll be comin' fur us when they've worked up enough enthusiasm. they'll imagine us to be asleep by now."
mackay got up without a word, and shook bob and jack back to consciousness. never never dave was alert on the instant, but the shadow slumbered deeply and refused to be awakened, whereupon emu bill aroused him by rolling him rudely out of his blanket, a proceeding which almost created a civil war on the spot.
"you has no right to dislocate my sweet dreams[pg 251] in such a dingo fashion," the bellicose shadow protested grumpily; but when he understood the seriousness of the position his wrath dissolved speedily. "at the same time i reckon you is a bit too much skeert about the antics o' them muskitties," he remarked chidingly. "i was having a daisy dream, i was; flooded rivers an' gold an' di'monds, an'——"
"shut it off, shad," unsympathetically interrupted the object of his disapproval. "they're on our track now. look!"
the corroborree fire continued to blaze up vividly, and the watchers could see numerous naked savages piling on the logs and dancing amid the showering sparks like denizens of the nether world. the circling mass of grotesquely garbed warriors had broken up in apparent confusion, but quickly they again came into view and re-formed on the edge of the zone of illumination, then spreading fan-like to north and south, they came slowly yet steadily towards the supposed sleeping camp. a moment more and they were hidden from view in the intervening shadows.
"things are beginning to look lively," said bob, adjusting his cartridge-belt.
jack ranged himself quietly by his comrade's side, his rifle gripped in readiness.
"i don't know how this is going to turn out, bob," he said slowly; "but i mean to shoot straight, to-night."
"it's a case o' self preservation, my lad," warned mackay; and he closed the breech of his powerful weapon with a vicious snap. "you needna think o' usin' the stock o' your gun in this scrimmage. i am just afraid it's goin' to be more serious than i thought."
[pg 252]
there could be little doubt as to the meaning of the wily natives' tactics. assuredly they intended to surround the little camp, which they considered to be safely asleep, and spear the party at their leisure.
"we are to be their sacrificial offerings, apparently," remarked bob, with forced calm.
mackay was aroused to a sudden burst of fury at the words; his long-smouldering anger against the natives effervesced to an alarming pitch.
"i'll give them sacrifices," he grated, peering into the darkness with eyes that seemed like glowing coals of fire over the gleaming barrel of his rifle. "i'll make them think an earthquake has broken loose in their midst. i'll—i'll——"
indignation choked his fiery utterance, and he said no more, but toyed lingeringly with the trigger of his gun.
a minute elapsed, it seemed an eternity, but no signs of the enemy could yet be traced. instinctively bob's eyes returned to the recent centre of affairs where the impish fire feeders were heaping on the logs with frantic glee, and he shuddered involuntarily. the suspense was rapidly becoming unbearable, and the little band expected every moment to be overwhelmed with flying spears from some unlooked-for corner. each pigmy bush around to their overstrained vision took on the appearance of a crouching warrior, and it was with the exercise of great restraint that mackay and his comrades refrained from firing at random into the night. slowly the seconds dragged their weary course, then all at once a weird unearthly chorus reached the ears of the anxiously waiting group; it seemed to come from everywhere around, and they turned about in dismay. the attacking horde were[pg 253] closing in on them from all points of the compass. only when the ring had been completed had they begun their deadly advance. neither mackay nor any of them had expected this.
"i reckon we is bested, mates," groaned emu bill, helplessly; and it certainly did seem as if he spoke truly.
another minute elapsed, then they grounded their arms in impotent rage; the swelling chant from an unknown number of throats was drawing insidiously nearer, and they could only roughly guess the various origins of sound. mackay turned to jack to give a last word of encouragement, and he was surprised to find the boy standing by bob's side in an attitude of acute attention—his head was bent forward, and he shielded his ear with his hand as if he were listening intently.
"i've got them," he whispered eagerly. "unless there's a dummy musician in their ranks, there's a fifty yards' blank in the circle straight out by the camel packs."
"how many do you make altogether, jack?" inquired mackay.
the boy replied promptly, "they seem to be about thirty yards or so apart. they are nearly two hundred yards off now, and coming very slowly. there must be nearly fifty of the beasts."
"good for you, jack," murmured mackay, heartily, a tribute of praise which even at that moment emu bill and the shadow echoed with characteristic vehemence.
there was no time to be lost, the fateful ring was closing every instant; so, gripping his rifle tightly, the leader of the expedition made a course out in the direction as indicated by jack, his comrades following after in indian file. and as they passed out by the camels, each[pg 254] man breathed a prayer for their safety; then, with the hideous voices of the approaching warriors ringing in their ears, they made their way stealthily out through the saving gap into the freedom beyond.
surely never before had a course been steered by such odd reckoning, yet the droning cries on either side of the escaping party as they neared the edge of the invisible circle guided them as well as glaring beacons would have done, and they man?uvred cautiously through the midst of the fervently singing band, luckily escaping all observation.
"it was like navigatin' through the heads of sydney harbour," exclaimed emu bill, flinging himself down on the sand immediately they had cleared the dangerous line.
"we've got to thank our stars the beggars have the good sense to say grace before supper," said jack, cheerfully.
"we are no' just altogether out o' the difficulty yet," warned mackay. "they'll be back with a rush when they find out their mistake."
"but you ain't goin' to let them run the whole circus, surely?" complained emu bill. "let's pepper the howlin' dervishes now."
mackay seemed to hesitate for a moment, the odds in numbers were greatly against them.
"train your guns on the old camp, boys," he said quietly. "you'll see their black bodies against the glow o' the ashes when they get nearer." he had scarcely spoken these words when the dismal chant of the over-sanguine natives ceased, and with blood curdling yells the savage horde swept on to their supposed work of extermination. the onlookers saw a perfect hail of spears strike[pg 255] and quiver amid the smouldering ashes; then a fantastical array of fiend-like forms swarmed before their eyes, and prolonged shrieks of baffled rage rent the air. now was their opportunity. "fire, boys!" cried mackay, himself setting the example; and the death-dealing weapons thundered out their grim challenge to the foe. when they looked again only a fiercely struggling mass of black humanity was visible, and the scattering sparks showed where the shots had taken effect. once more a well-directed volley was poured into the surging crowd; but this time the flash of the rifles betrayed their presence, and immediately about a dozen gaunt apparitions charged down on the little party with vengeful shouts. it looked as if nothing could stand against that maddened rush. in vain the rifles spoke, the members of the attacking band seemed in no wise to diminish, their figures could only be vaguely traced in the gloom.
it looked as if nothing could stand against that maddened rush
"it looked as if nothing could stand against that
maddened rush"
"keep easy, lads; keep easy," said mackay, encouragingly. "load up your magazines, an' reserve every bullet until they are close on to us. we can't miss them then, and it's our only hope of stopping them."
bob, plying his almost red-hot rifle, checked himself at the words, and calmly obeyed the instructions given; jack, panting furiously with his extreme exertions, grounded his loaded weapon and waited with something like a gnawing despair at his heart. the shadow grumbled incoherently to himself, emu bill and never never dave said not a word, but stood erect, calm, and motionless beside mackay, awaiting the shock. then a strange thing happened; while the demoralized natives around the vacated camp kept up their frenzied rushing hither and thither, seeking aimlessly their hidden enemy, the four camels of the[pg 256] expedition, aroused by the unusual sounds prevailing, stalked slowly forward into the thick of the mêlée, and there they stood, their long necks swaying curiously, like fearsome spectres from an unknown world. a howl of terror burst from the group who had located the position of the defenders, they ceased their onward course, hesitated for a moment, then turned and fled precipitately, an example which the rest of their stricken brethren speedily thought fit to copy; and before mackay or any of his companions could realize what had happened, the entire assembly were in full retreat, leaving the bulk of their spears and boomerangs littered on the sand.
"good for you, misery!" applauded jack, running forward, and the leader of the team, hearing the well-known voice, staggered to meet him and knelt at his feet.
"i reckon we owes them animiles the price o' our carcases," said never never dave, sententiously, as they walked quietly back to the deserted camp-fire. they found their blankets lying as they had left them, but transfixed with numberless spears, and after carefully extracting these crude yet deadly missiles they replenished the fire with them, and lay down to rest beside the ruddy glow, for it was now early morning, and the air had become unpleasantly chill. the corroborree beacon had been deserted, only occasional scattering sparks showing where the strange ceremonial had taken place, and away in the distance the vague crackling of branches indicated that the would-be annihilators of the camp were already far from reach.
"great centipedes! that was a close shave," growled emu bill, before he dropped off to sleep.
"but we have the advantage of knowing," returned[pg 257] bob, with his usual calm philosophy, "that we shall find water near where the beggars held their odd orgy, and that should recompense for much." then his eyes closed in slumber, and he entered a realm of phantasies where hostile aborigines and dreary salt plains were alike unknown. the weary strain of the night was over.
they found water after daybreak as they had anticipated. it was contained in a deep sunken rock-hole with an almost unfathomable bottom, wherein one might well fancy some dread monster to exist. they refilled the empty water-bags with thankful hearts, and, fearing another attack in force that night, renewed their march early in the afternoon. it was soon apparent that a better country had now been reached; dry it was certainly, yet the soil showed a considerable improvement over that already traversed, and the scrub became almost continuous instead of in sparse and far-divided belts as formerly. but though all promised well for an unusually favourable journey that day and for many days to come, the presence of hostile bands of aborigines all along the route of travel was too evident a feature of the landscape to be overlooked, and the team had perforce to move onwards warily.
"i do hope," said mackay, as the evening approached, "that the blacks will give us a rest to-night. there's more risk in these scrimmages at close quarters than is healthy."
bob had arrived at that conclusion some time before. "we're not more than fifty miles from the location you gave me of bentley's last camp," he observed gravely. "if i shift the course slightly to the south to-morrow we ought to be up at it in three days."
[pg 258]
a spasm of pain crossed mackay's face. "ay, my lad, we'll need to be extra cautious now," he said meaningly. "we mustna allow oursel's to be wiped out before we come to the mountain. i've got a bit of a score to settle in that quarter."
the sun was now but a few points above the western horizon, and his fiery radiance bathed the great silent bushland in golden splendour. the motionless mulga and mallee shrubs seemed ablaze with ruddy light, and the wastes of sand shone as a sea of burnished bronze. not a sound was heard save the harsh cries of the gaily plumaged parrots that flitted eerily from tree to tree, and the occasional dismal monotone of the mopoke. then suddenly from the shadow of a thicker clump of timber than usual a series of yells rang out, and at the same time a shower of spears whizzed overhead, and perilously close. each member of the little group realized in an instant what had happened, and seized his rifle.
"get the camels under cover, boys!" cried mackay, from his position well ahead of the main party.
"there's nary bit o' cover!" roared back emu bill, who had diplomatically stretched himself flat on the ground at the first alarm. whiz! splash! even as he spoke a long quivering missile rushed through the shadeless branches and penetrated the great water-bag overlapping remorse's flank. the stout canvas resisted the shock sufficiently to save the animal from injury, but the precious and dearly-hoarded contents gushed from the rent created in a copious flood. a cry of horror broke from bob, jack uttered a wail of anguish, and an expression of much fervour issued from never never[pg 259] dave's mouth. with a bound mackay rushed forward in vain attempt to save the few remaining drops, but it was not to be; before they had time to realize the seriousness of their loss the gurgling stream had ceased; the canvas skin had given up its store.
"i'll pulverize the hyena that did it!" howled the shadow, dashing forward through the scrub.
"i'm with you," cried jack, following closely at his heels.
it all happened so quickly that mackay had no time to give any directions or restrain the indignant pair. several further flights of spears skimmed well overhead, and one or two barbed darts more surely aimed, whistled dangerously near to mackay's head.
"this is gettin' mighty monotonous," growled emu bill, looking around impotently, for as yet not a single savage was to be seen.
"there must be water in the district," said bob, coolly, examining his revolver. "i suppose we've got to go on the hunt again." without further remark he turned and rushed after his companions, whose vehement shouts as they charged along were mingled with the shrill cries of the dusky warriors. "try and catch one, shadow," he loudly shouted as he ran.
fearful that disaster might overtake the entire party, mackay gripped his rifle and hurried after them, leaving emu bill and never never dave in charge of the team, a position which they condemned bitterly at such a time. the shadows of night were fast closing in, and between the trees of the pigmy forest a heavy gloom had settled providing excellent cover for the blacks should they have decided to renew the attack; but these strange creatures,[pg 260] having discharged their weapons, were now beating a retreat, yelling most hideously the while.
scarcely fifty yards before him mackay could dimly descry jack, the shadow, and bob leaping on after the fugitives, and he quickened his pace in order to come up with them.
"we'll catch a specimen," cried bob, eagerly, "if we have to chase them all night."
on they raced, while the crackling branches a little way ahead betokened the nearness of their quarry, whose shrieks alone would have been an unerring guide. evidently the fleeing warriors were just as tired as their pursuers, for they were gradually losing ground. suddenly one of their number screeched out some sort of signal which had the effect of making the runners scatter in all directions. bob could just see their shaggy heads above the bushes as they diverged on various tacks; then the new order of things confused them all, and one by one the gorilla-like figures vanished from their view. yet still they kept up the race, loth to return without some satisfaction. the night was rapidly darkening, obscuring the scrub and intervening sand wastes in a common pall, so that progress was made only with great difficulty, and wearily the aimless search was continued.
"we'll have to turn, boys," said mackay, at length, when the stars commenced to glimmer in the heavens. "we must go back to the camels. to-morrow we'll have a look round for water. and to think that we had any amount of it this morning——"
a hearty exclamation from the shadow interrupted him. they were passing under an unusually large lime tree, and that youthful individual had halted with an[pg 261] unrestrained roar of mingled merriment and relief. looking up against the stars mackay could see an awkward figure scrambling frantically among the higher branches.
"treed! by jove!" cried bob, gazing upwards also.
"i reckoned i smelt nigger," said the shadow, when he had recovered his equanimity; "but if his long legs hadn't banged me on the cocoa-nut, i'd never ha' thought o' lookin' in the tree for the skunk."
"and now comes the job o' gettin' him down," said mackay. "an' it won't be an easy contract either, judgin' by the way he hangs on to the branches."
"the shadow and i will soon attend to him," said jack, with a laugh; and without further ado he commenced to swarm up the small round trunk of the tree.
"be careful, jack," warned mackay. "he may smash your head before you reach him."
"will he, though?" growled the active climber, already half-way up.
"strategy's the word, jack," councilled the shadow, as he prepared to ascend to his companion's assistance. the lithe tree swayed under its load, then bent until its lower limbs reached the ground.
"we'd better see that our prisoner doesn't make his escape by jumping for it," remarked bob, and he and mackay therefore stood at opposite sides of the tree, watching the huddled form with alert eyes. nearer and nearer jack writhed his way to the top, and slowly the terrified aboriginal retreated to the farthest limit of the branch on which he rested, until it cracked ominously.
"i guess i've got you now," muttered jack. "you just wait till i come to you."
but the shivering savage had no such intention; and[pg 262] as jack approached he began to scream horribly, more after the manner of a wild beast than a human being. then he broke off bits of the lesser branches and twigs, and showered them down on his implacable enemy.
"just shake him off the branch an' i'll catch him," advised the shadow, worming his sinewy form along the limb directly underneath his prey.
in vain jack endeavoured to grasp his prospective prisoner, the oily native eluded him every time, and sorely tried the persistent besieger's temper by keeping up a vicious fusillade of wood fragments. he had, however, completely overlooked the presence of the shadow directly below, and when in the midst of a furious assault, his foot slipped slightly, it was instantly seized by that watchful gentleman, and held in a ruthless grip.
"now, i reckon you've got to come," said he, evading the free limb's onslaught with much dexterity. "now! stand from under, boys!"
crash! they came down all three together, the top branch having broken with the strain, but the height was not very great, and the sand below was loosely packed.
"it's a jolly good thing," quoth the shadow, "that the black beggar was so nice and soft; it was just like bouncing on top o' a cushion, it was."
jack did not appear to be particularly grateful for anything as he picked himself up, but he very promptly took an arm of the captive along with the shadow.
"yes, that's right; take care of your prisoner now that you've got him," said mackay, turning to lead the way back to the spot where the camel team had been left. "we'll have to mak' the most o' his knowledge."
then he addressed the sullen aboriginal, and by a[pg 263] constant repetition of the word "babba" (water), sought to make him understand their needs. but it was all to no purpose. the captive made no sign, and only groaned horribly when the question was pressed with a show of anger.
"all the same," sternly spoke bob, "he'll have to tell us what he knows before morning."
in a short time they had reached the camels, where emu bill and never never dave awaited them with ill-concealed impatience. but their joy on observing the aboriginal was great indeed.
"i reckon he'll get water for us all right," said emu bill, as they unloaded the camel. "i just reckon he will."
the shadow now proceeded to build a fire, and soon the roaring flames leapt up cheerily. having no water, they could not make tea, so they contented themselves with munching some pieces of damper, for which, however, they had little appetite.
it was at this point that the prisoner showed signs of interest in the proceedings, and jack thereupon proffered him a substantial bunch of the dry fare, which he seized and ate with avidity.
but still mackay's repeated interrogations seemed to have no effect on the savage, who kept glancing over to where the shadow was gingerly slicing up some tinned conglomeration which is served out to explorers under a variety of names, and he opened his cavernous orifice expectantly.
"the poor beggar is hungry," said bob. "let him have a piece of that unknown substance, shadow; if it does not kill him it may arouse some sense of gratitude."
[pg 264]
"he'd reduce our stores mighty quick," grumbled the shadow, noting with dismay how rapidly his hospitable offerings disappeared.
"just hold on a jiff," murmured emu bill, thoughtfully. "i reckon i has struck a daisy idea." he hastened over to the many sacks lying on the ground where the camels had been unloaded, and came back with a handful of salt. "when you are as old as i is, shad," said he, graciously, "you will know how to handle blacks, i calc'late. does ye savvy?"
the shadow took the salt with humble deference, and without a word proceeded to mix it lavishly with the contents of a small tin of the afore-mentioned compound, which he then handed to the hungry native.
"eat every bit o' it, ye howlin' baboon," said he, kindly, "an' if ye isn't as thirsty as a camel after it, i reckon there must be something wrong wi' your construction."
mackay and bob listened to the schemers with amusement, then, as they saw the ravenous heathen bolt the salt-laden meat with great gusto, they forgot for a moment their own thirsty condition and indulged in a paroxysm of laughter.
"for a certainty our dusky friend will want water badly soon," said bob; and they all sat around the camp fire and calmly awaited developments. if their prisoner knew of the presence of water in the vicinity he must surely endeavour to find it—half a pound of the strongest salt in his interior might enlighten him as to the meaning of 'babba babba,' which mackay had repeated to him so persistently. and they were not mistaken. half an hour later he began to show unmistakable signs of[pg 265] uneasiness, and his lips moved like the gills of a fish out of water. then he strained at the rope which bound him to a mulga sapling behind, and rolled his eyes beseechingly.
"better give him a full hour yet," said mackay. "we can thirst just as comfortably as he can now, i think."
emu bill chuckled dryly.
"i is a grand instructor o' furrin' languages," he said. "i just reckon that that there nigger knows what water means now."
it was nearly midnight, and the slow minutes dragged like ages as they sat around the fire anxiously watching the antics of the salt-gorged aboriginal. for a long time no one spoke, but their basilisk-like glare evidently disconcerted the sufferer in no little degree, and he commenced to moan in an exceedingly melancholy manner, and endeavoured to evade their gaze by every artifice in his power.
"he thinks we mean to eat him, and have been feeding him to make him nice and plump!" hazarded bob at length, and he had truly guessed the captive's thoughts. however, the tortures of thirst were surely having due effect on the poor savage, and his cries soon became most distracting to the listeners' ears. suddenly he broke into a wailing chorus which echoed dismally through the still air, and caused even the long-suffering camels to raise their heads in protest.
"b-bab-ba-bab-ba!" he cried, tugging strenuously at the binding cords.
"patience ain't so bad a virtue, after all," soliloquized emu bill, calmly slackening the rope from the tree,[pg 266] and gripping the free end of it tightly. with a bound the native headed out into the densest part of the scrub, almost pulling bill over the sand in his frantic haste; the rest of the party followed at their best speed. their now tractable guide did not lead them any distance. he stopped in a small hollow not far from the scene of his capture, and with feverish hands scraped away some covering twigs and branches, revealing to the onlookers' eager eyes a glittering pool of clearest water.
with a deep gurgle of relief he buried his tangled visage in the spring, and drank so deeply that the shadow felt compelled to jerk him backwards out of sheer regard for his welfare.
"it's mighty stupid o' ye drinkin' so much after a heavy supper," said he, reprovingly. "it's real bad for your digestion, i reckon."
