Bunyip Land Part 29

"You keep your opinion, Jack, and I'll keep to mine. I say, I wonder what that noise is!"

"Noise! Birds," said Jack.

"No, no! That dull murmur. There, listen!"

"Wind in the trees."

"No, I'm sure it is not!" I exclaimed. "There! it is gone now. It is like far-off thunder."

"Water," said the doctor, who had closed up with us unperceived. "I've been listening to it, and it sounds to me like a waterfall. Depend upon it we shall find that the river comes down over some pile of rocks, and if we were clear of the forest and could take a good look round we should find that the country is growing mountainous on ahead."

It seemed during the next day's journey that the doctor was right, for we were certainly ascending, the land growing more rugged and toilsome, but at the same time far more beautiful and full of variety. In place of always journeying on through thick forest or park-like stretches, we now found our way was among stony ridges and long heavy slopes, with here and there a lovely valley, so full of beauty that I used to think to myself that perhaps we should find my father had built himself a hut in some such place as this, and was patiently going on with his collecting.

We had seen nothing of Jimmy for three days, and though I suspected him of being close at hand, and coming to our camp at night stealthily in search of food, it really began to appear as if he had left us for good, when an adventure towards evening showed us who was correct in his surmise.

"I don't think much of the doctor's waterfall," Jack said to me, in his dry drawling way.

"Why, we haven't seen it!" I replied.

"No, nor we ain't going to, seemingly. It's wind amongst the trees."

"Don't be so obstinate," I said, listening intently to hear the heavy thunderous murmur still, now I listened for it, though I had not seemed to notice it before.

"There ain't no waterfall," he replied, "or we should have seen it before now."

"Perhaps the shape of the land keeps us from getting near it, or perhaps the wind drives the sound away."

"Or perhaps the sound drives the wind away, or perhaps the--Look out, Joe, look out!"

Jack Penny leaped aside nimbly, and I followed his example, hardly escaping, while the man in front of me, less quick in his motion consequent upon his having a load upon his head, was sent flying by a great slate-coloured buffalo which had suddenly charged us from behind a clump of trees where it had been lying.

It all happened so quickly that I had not time to think of my gun, while the doctor was fifty yards behind, and could not have fired had he been able to see, for fear of hurting us.

The great beast had stopped for a moment after sending our bearer flying, and then, seeing him down, snorted a little, lowered his head, and would doubtless have tossed and trampled him to death had there not suddenly come a whirring whizzing noise from some bushes in a hollow on our right, when something struck the buffalo a heavy blow upon the muzzle, making it turn up its head, utter a furious roar, and charge at the bushes.

This was my opportunity, and taking a quick aim I fired, and heard the bullet strike with a heavy thud, when the buffalo seemed to drop upon its knees on the steep slope, and literally turned a somersault, crashing with a tremendous noise into some trees; and then, to my astonishment, rising again and going off at a lumbering gallop.

It did not go far, for just then there was the sharp crack of the doctor's piece, and once more the buffalo fell heavily, to lie struggling, while, to my astonishment I saw a familiar black figure bound out of the bushes, catch up the boomerang he had thrown, and then race after the buffalo, which he reached just as the doctor also came up and put it out of its misery by a merciful shot in the head.

"Jimmy killum! Jimmy boomerang killum!" shouted the black, dancing on the prostrate beast, while Jack and I were busy helping the poor bearer to his feet, and making sure that though stunned he was not seriously hurt.

"No," said the doctor. "No bones broken. It's wonderful what some of these savage races will bear."

He ceased his examination and gave the poor fellow a friendly clap on the shoulder, while, after lying down for a time in the new camping-ground, close up to the welcome supply of meat, the injured man was sufficiently recovered to sit up, and eat his share of roast buffalo flesh.

Some delicious steaks which we cooked proved very welcome to us by way of a change, but we did not commence without a few words with Master Jimmy, who was all smiles and friendliness now with everybody, till the doctor said, pointing to the abundant supply of meat:

"No more bad illness, Jimmy. You are not to eat much."

"Jimmy won't eat not bit!" he cried viciously. "Go in a bush and starve a deff."

"There, sit down and eat your supper!" said the doctor sternly; "and no more nonsense, please."

The black looked at him in a sidelong fashion, and his fingers played with the handle of his waddy, which was behind him in his waistband, and then he quailed beneath the doctor's steady gaze, and sat down humbly by the camp fire to cook and eat what was really a moderate quant.i.ty for an Australian black.

Next morning we were off at daybreak, our way lying up a narrow ravine for a short distance, and then between a couple of ma.s.ses of rock, which seemed to have been split apart by some earthquake; and directly we were through here the dull humming buzz that we had heard more or less for days suddenly fell upon our ears with a deep majestic boom that rose at times, as the wind set our way, into a deafening roar.

I looked triumphantly at Jack Penny, but he only held his head higher in the air and gave a sniff, lowering his crest directly after to attend to his feet, for we were now in a complete wilderness of rocks and stones, thrown in all directions, and at times we had regularly to climb.

"It is useless to bring the men this way," the doctor said, after a couple of hours' labour; but as he spoke Ti-hi called a halt and pointed in a different direction, at right angles to that which we had so far followed, as being the one we should now take.

The sun had suddenly become unbearable, for we were hemmed in by piled-up stones, and its heat was reflected from the brightly glistening ma.s.ses, some of which were too hot even to be touched without pain, while the glare was almost blinding wherever the rocks were crystalline and white.

"I say, is that a cloud?" said Jack Penny, drawing our attention to a fleecy ma.s.s that could be seen rising between a couple of ma.s.ses of rock.

"Yes!" cried the doctor eagerly, as he shaded his eyes from the sun's glare; "a cloud of spray. The falls are there!"

"Or is it the wind you can see in the trees?" I said, with a look at Jack Penny.

"Get out!" retorted that gentleman. "I didn't say I was sure, and doctor isn't sure now."

"No, not sure, Penny," he said; "but I think I can take you to where water is coming down."

We felt no temptation to go on then, and willingly followed our guides, who pointed out a huge ma.s.s of overhanging rock right in the side of the ravine, and here we gladly halted, in the comparatively cool shade, to sit and partake of some of the buffalo strips, my eyes wandering dreamily to right and left along the narrow valley so filled with stones.

I was roused from my thoughts about the strangeness of the place we were in and the absence of trees and thick bush by the doctor proposing a bit of a look round.

"We are getting up among the mountains, Joe," he said; "and this means more difficult travelling, but at the same time a healthier region and less heat."

"Oh, doctor!" I said, wiping my forehead.

"Why, it couldn't be any hotter than it is out there!" said Jack.

"Come with us, then, and let's see if we can find a fresh way out.

Perhaps we may hit upon a pa.s.s to the open country beyond. At all events let's go and see the falls."

We took our guns, leaving all heavy things with the blacks, who were settling themselves for a sleep.

The sun's heat almost made me giddy for the first hundred yards, and either my eyes deceived me or Jack Penny's long body wavered and shook.

But we trudged laboriously on over and among ma.s.ses of rock, that seemed to be nearly alive with lizards basking in the sun, their curious coats of green and grey and umber-brown glistening in the bright sunshine, and looking in some cases as if they were covered with frosted metal as they lay motionless upon the pieces of weatherworn stone.

Some raised their heads to look at us, and remained motionless if we stopped to watch them, others scuffled rapidly away at the faintest sound, giving us just a glimpse of a quivering tail as its owner disappeared down a crevice almost by magic.

"Don't! don't fire!" cried the doctor, as Jack suddenly levelled his piece.

"Why not?" he said in an ill-used tone. "I daresay they're poison and they ain't no good."