Bunyip Land: A Story of Adventure in New Guinea by George Manville Fenn
CHAPTER TEN.
HOW WE SAW STRANGE THINGS.
"You rascal!" I exclaimed; "how dare you! Here, doctor, what is to bedone? How am I to punish him?"
"Send him back," said the doctor; "or, no: we'll leave him here at thevillage."
Jimmy leaped up from where he had been squirming, as Jack Penny calledit, on the ground, and began to bound about, brandishing his waddy, andkilling nothing with blows on the head.
"No, no," he shouted, "no send Jimmy back. Mass Joe leave Jimmy--Jimmykill all a black fellow dead."
"Now look here, sir," I said, seizing him by the ear and bringing him tohis knees, proceedings which, big strong fellow as he was, he submittedto with the greatest of humility, "I'm not going to have you spoil ourjourney by any of your wild pranks; if ever you touch one of the peopleagain, back you go to the station to eat damper and mutton and mindsheep."
"Jimmy no go back mind sheep; set gin mind sheep. Jimmy go long MassJoe."
"Then behave yourself," I cried, letting him rise; and he jumped to hisfeet with the satisfaction of a forgiven child. In fact it alwaysseemed to me that the black fellows of Australia, when they had grownup, were about as old in brains as an English boy of nine or ten.
That morning we had made our start after days of preparation, and thechiefs of the village with a party of warriors came to see us part ofthe way, those who stayed behind with the women and children joining ina kind of yell to show their sorrow at our departure. The chief hadoffered half-a-dozen of his people for guides, and we might have hadfifty; but six seemed plenty for our purpose, since, as the doctor said,we must work by diplomacy and not by force.
So this bright morning we had started in high spirits and full ofexcitement, the great band of glistening-skinned blacks had parted fromus, and our journey seemed now to have fairly begun, as we plungeddirectly into the forest, the six men with us acting as bearers.
We had not gone far before our difficulties began, through the behaviourof Jimmy, who, on the strength of his knowledge of English, hisconnection with the white men, and above all the possession of clothes,which, for comfort's sake, he had once more confined to a pair of oldtrousers whose legs were cut off at mid-thigh, had begun to display hisconceit and superiority, in his own estimation, over the black bearersby strutting along beside them, frowning and poking at them with hisspear. At last he went so far as to strike one fine tall fellow overthe shoulders, with the result that the New Guinea man threw down hisload, the others followed suit, and all made rapid preparations for afight.
Humble as he was with me, I must do Jimmy the credit of saying that hedid not turn tail, but threw himself into an attitude as if about tohurl his spear; and blood would undoubtedly have been shed had I nottaken it upon myself to interfere, to the great satisfaction of ourbearers.
Order then was restored, the loads were resumed, and Jimmy, who did notseem in the slightest degree abashed by being degraded before the men hehad ill-treated, strutted on, and the journey was continued, everyone onthe look-out for dangerous beast or savage man.
The doctor and I carried revolvers and double-barrelled guns, one barrelbeing charged with ball. Jack Penny was delighted by being similarlyfurnished; and in addition he asked for an axe, which he carried stuckin his belt.
We were each provided with a similar weapon, ready to hand at times tothe blacks, who were always ready to set down their burdens and makeshort work of the wild vines and growth that often impeded our path.
We had determined--I say we, for from the moment of starting the doctorhad begun to treat me as his equal in every sense, and consulted me onevery step we took; all of which was very pleasant and flattering to me;but I often felt as if I would rather be dependent upon him--we had thendetermined to strike into the country until we reached the banks of agreat river, whose course we meant to follow right up to the sources inthe mountains.
There were good reasons for this, as a moment's thought will show.
To begin with, we were in a land of no roads, and most of our journeywould be through dense forest, whereas there was likely to be a certainamount of open country about the river banks.
Then we were always sure of a supply of water; game is always mostabundant, both birds and beasts, near a river, and, of course, there isalways a chance of getting fish; fruit might also be found, and what wasmore, the villages of the natives not upon the coast are nearly alwaysupon the rivers.
Of course, on the other hand, there were plenty of dangers to be riskedby following a river's course: fever, noxious beast and insect, inimicalnatives, and the like; but if we had paused to think of the dangers, wemight very well have shrunk from our task, so we put thoughts of thatkind behind us and journeyed on.
At first, after getting through a dense patch of forest, we came uponopen plains, and a part of the country that looked like a park; and as Itrudged on with fresh objects of interest springing up at every turn, Ifound myself wondering whether my poor father had passed this way, andas I grew weary I began to take the most desponding views of theventure, and to think that, after all, perhaps he was dead.
That we were in a part not much troubled by human beings we soon foundby the tameness of the birds and the number of deer that dashedfrightened away from time to time, hardly giving us a glimpse of theirdappled skins before they were lost in the jungly growth.
The walking had grown more difficult as the day wore on, and at last thegreat trees began to give place to vegetation of a different kind.Instead of timber we were walking amongst palm-like growth and plantswith enormous succulent leaves. Great climbers twined and twisted onewith another, unless they found some tree up which they seemed to forcetheir way to reach the open sunshine, forming a splendid shelter fromthe ardent rays when we wished to rest.
There was no attempt during the morning to make use of our guns, for atfirst we moved watchfully, always on the look-out for enemies, seeingdanger in every moving leaf, and starting at every rustling dash made bysome frightened animal that crossed our path.
By degrees, though, we grew more confident, but still kept up ourwatchfulness, halting at mid-day beside a little clear stream in a spotso lovely that it struck me as being a shame that no one had a homethere to revel in its beauties.
The water ran bubbling along amongst mossy rocks, and overhung bygigantic ferns. There were patches of the greenest grass, and close by,offering us shade, was a clump of large trees whose branches strewedbrightly coloured flowers to the earth. A flock of gorgeously plumagedbirds were noisily chattering and shrieking in the branches, and thoughthey fled on our first coming, they came back directly and beganclimbing and swinging about so near that I could see that they were asmall kind of parrot, full of strange antics, and apparently playing atsearching for their food.
"We'll have two hours' rest here," said the doctor, "a good meal, andperhaps a nap, and our feet bathed in the cool water, and the rest ofthe day's journey will come easier."
"But hadn't we better get on?" I said anxiously.
"`Slow and sure' must be our motto, Joe," said the doctor. "We havehundreds of miles to tramp, so we must not begin by knocking ourselvesup. Patience, my boy, patience and we shall win."
As soon as he saw that we were going to stop for rest and refreshment,Jimmy began to rub the centre of his person and make a rush for thenative basket that contained our food, from which he had to be driven;for though generally, quite unlike many of his fellow-countrymen, Jimmywas scrupulously honest, he could not be trusted near food.
There was no stopping to lay the cloth and arrange knives and forks. Weeach drew our heavy knife, and filled the cup of our little canteen fromthe stream before setting to at a large cold bird that we had broughtwith us, one shot by the doctor the day before, and cooked ready for theexpedition. I cannot give you its name, only tell you that it was asbig as a turkey, and had a beautiful crest of purple and green.
We had brought plenty of damper too, a preparation of flour that, I daresay, I need not s
The native carriers were well provided for, and my depression passed offas the restful contented feeling induced by a good meal came over me.As for Jack Penny, he spread himself out along the ground, resting histhin body, and went on eating with his eyes half shut; while Gyp, hisdog, came close alongside him, and sat respectfully waiting till hismaster balanced a bone across his nose, which Gyp tossed in the air,caught between his jaws, and then there was a loud crunching noise for afew minutes, and the dog was waiting again.
Jimmy was eating away steadily and well, as if he felt it to be hisbounden duty to carry as much of the store of food neatly packed awayinside him as it was possible to stow, when he suddenly caught sight ofGyp, and stopped short with his mouth open and a serious investigatinglook in his eyes.
He saw the dog supplied twice with what he evidently looked upon asdainty bits, and a broad smile came over his countenance. Then helooked annoyed and disappointed, and as if jealous of the favour shownto the beast.
The result was that he left the spot where he had been lying half-waybetween us and the carriers, went to the stream, where he lay flat downwith his lips in the water, and drank, and then came quietly up to myside, where he squatted down in as near an imitation of Gyp as he couldassume, pouting out his lips and nose and waiting for a bone.
The doctor burst out laughing, while I could not tell whether to set itdown to artfulness or to simple animal nature on the poor fellow's part.
However, I was too English at heart to lower my follower, so I did nottreat him like a dog, but hacked off a good bone and sent him to hisplace.
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, and, as the doctor said, somewhatlightened our loads, when all at once it seemed to me that a spasm ranthrough Jack Penny where he lay. Then, as I watched him, I saw his handstealing towards his gun, and he looked at me and pointed towards wherea dense patch of big trees formed a sort of buttress to the great greenwall of the forest.
For a few moments I could see nothing; then I started, and my hand alsowent towards my piece, for peering round the trunk of one of the trees,and evidently watching us, was one of the most hideous-looking faces Ihad ever seen. The eyes were bright and overhung by dark wrinkledbrows, and, seen in the half light, the head seemed as large as that ofa man. In fact I was convinced that it was some fierce savage playingthe spy upon our actions.
I felt better when I had fast hold of my gun--not that I meant to fire,only to protect myself--and I was reaching out a foot to awaken thedoctor, who had thrown himself back with his hat over his face, when Ifound that Gyp had caught sight of the hideous countenance, and, with afierce bay, he dashed at the creature.
Jack Penny and I started to our feet, Jimmy went after the dog, waddy inhand, and his yell awakened the doctor, who also sprang to his feet justin time to see the creature leap up at a pendent branch, swing itself upin the tree, and disappear amongst the thick leafage, while Gyp barkedfuriously below.
"Big monkey that, my lads," said the doctor. "I did not know we shouldsee anything so large."
Jack Penny was all eagerness to follow and get a shot at the animal; butthough he looked in all directions, and Gyp kept baying first at thefoot of one tree then at the foot of another, he did not see it again.Where it went it was impossible to say; perhaps it travelled along theupper branches, swinging itself from bough to bough by its long arms;but if it did, it was all so silently that not so much as a leafrustled, and we were all at fault.
I was not sorry, for the idea of shooting anything so like a humanbeing, and for no reason whatever, was rather repugnant to my feelings,so that I did not share in my companion's disappointment.
"Depend upon it, he has not gone far," said the doctor, when Jack Pennystood staring at the tree where we saw the ape first. "There, lie down,my lad, and rest, and--hallo! what's the matter with Jimmy?"
I turned to see the black standing close by, his waddy in one hand, hisboomerang in the other, head bent, knees relaxed, an expression of thegreatest horror in his face, as he shivered from head to foot, and shookhis head.
"Why, what's the matter, Jimmy?" I cried.
"Bunyip," he whispered, "big bunyip debble--debble--eat all a man up.Bunyip up a tree."
"Get out!" I said; "it was a big monkey."
"Yes: big bunyip monkey. Come 'way."
For the sudden disappearance of the ape had impressed Jimmy with theidea that it was what the Scottish peasants call "no canny," and as itwas his first interview with one of these curious creatures, there wassome excuse for his apparent fear, though I am not certain that it wasnot assumed.
For Jimmy was no coward so long as he was not called upon to encounterthe familiar demons of his people, the word bunyip being perhaps toooften in his mouth.
The black's dread went off as quickly as it came, when he found that hewas not noticed, and for the next two hours we lay resting, Jack Pennyand I seeing too many objects of interest to care for sleep. Now itwould be a great beetle glistening in green and gold, giving vent to adeep-toned buzzing hum as it swept by; then a great butterfly, eight ornine inches across, would come flitting through the trees, to besucceeded by something so swift of flight and so rapid in the flutter ofits wings that we were in doubt whether it was a butterfly or one of thebeautiful sunbirds that we saw flashing in the sunshine from time totime.
It proved afterwards to be a butterfly or day-moth, for we saw severalof them afterwards in the course of our journey.
Over the birds Jack Penny and I had several disputes, for once he tookanything into his head, even if he was wrong, he would not give way.
"These are humming-birds," he said, as we lay watching some of thelovely little creatures that were hovering before the flowers of a greatcreeper, and seemed to be thrusting in their long beaks.
"No," I said, "they are not humming-birds;" and I spoke upon my mother'sauthority, she in turn resting on my father's teaching. "There are nohumming-birds here: they are found in America and the islands."
"And out here," said Jack, dictatorially. "There they are; can't yousee 'em?"
"No," I said, "those are sunbirds; and they take the place of thehumming-birds out here in the East."
"Nonsense! Think I don't know a humming-bird when I see one. Why, Isaw one at Sydney, stuffed."
"When you two have done disputing," said the doctor, "we'll start."
"Look here, doctor; ain't those humming-birds?" said Jack.
"No, no, doctor," I cried; "they are sunbirds, are they not?"
"I don't know," said the doctor; "let's make haste on and ask theprofessor."
I sprang to my feet as if stung by a reproach, for it seemed to me as ifI had been thinking of trifles instead of the great object of mymission.