DEPARTURE FROM MELBOURNE.—FIGHT WITH THE NATIVES.
During the following week we were busy, visiting; dining with one, and supping with another, yet we were obliged to decline many pressing invitations, and offered as an excuse, our speedy departure for the mines.
Through the kindness of Murden, we were enabled to purchase three excellent horses, saddles, &c., which belonged to the police department.
The animals were just what we wanted, for they were quick in their actions, and had been taught to stand motionless while firing guns or pistols from their backs. We were enabled to buy them, owing to a surplus of horses which the department owned, and had no use for.
Our hardest task was when, on the evening of the seventh day after Fred had met the officer in mortal combat, Smith yoked his oxen, attached them to a moderately filled cart, and declared he was ready for a start.
Murden, Wattles, Merriam, Doctor O'Haraty, and a dozen others, whose acquaintance we had cultivated during our brief residence in Melbourne, were assembled at "Smith's villa," and came to say farewell.
"You heard the word, gentlemen," said Fred; "our leader says that he is ready, and we must not detain him. We wish to place twenty-five miles between us and Melbourne before morning, and to do so requires an early start. The next time we meet, I hope that our days will not be limited. In the mean time, if any one present should visit Ballarat, don't fail to make our tent his home."
"Ballarat be blessed!" growled O'Haraty; "the idea of two dacent, sinsible people digging for gold, when there's so much can be had without work."
"I have only my left hand to offer you," said Wattles, presenting it to Fred, "but my grasp is as friendly and sincere as though both were free."
"Your arm is improving?" inquired Fred, who had not seen his adversary before, since the morning of the meeting.
"Thanks to the doctor, and your kindness in not aiming at a more vulnerable part, I shall soon be well. Do we separate as friends?"
"I say yes, with all my heart," cried Fred, eagerly.
Some one locked the door of "Smith's villa," and handed him the key, and then once more bidding good-by, the oxen were started, and in company with Murden, we soon reached the outskirts of the city.
It was past dusk when our friend, the police lieutenant, drew rein, and decided to return to the city. We allowed Smith to continue on, while we stopped and chatted for a few moments.
Murden appeared sad at parting, and more than once he declared that he wished he was to accompany us, for now that we were to leave him, he should have no one who would enter into his adventures with the same degree of interest which we had shown.
"There is one question which we wish to ask, Murden," I said, a few minutes before he left us.
"Name it," he replied.
"How many of the bushrangers whom we captured have been condemned to death?"
"Why do you ask?" he inquired.
"Because you know that we have not been able to obtain any information on the subject. A select few were admitted to see them; but they had no formal trial, that I am aware of."
"You are right, they had no formal trial, and they did not deserve one. The examination was secret, and even now not more than fifty people in Melbourne know that the bushrangers are dangling by their necks in the prison yard.
"All?" I cried, surprised at the secrecy which had been maintained.
"Not a man is now alive. They rightly merited their fate, for their careers were stained with cruel crimes; and may God forgive them, for man would not."
Murden wrung our hands, and the next instant he was galloping swiftly towards Melbourne.
We resumed our journey, feeling somewhat saddened by the intelligence which we had received; yet we felt that we had only done our duty in assisting in the arrest of the robbers, and with this conviction, we tried to banish the thoughts of their death.
We soon overtook Smith, who was mounted like ourselves, and through the night we jogged along by his side, relieving the loneliness of the journey with stories and reminiscences of our other expeditions.
It was just about daylight, on the morning of the fifth day from Melbourne, and we were pressing the oxen to their utmost to reach a camping ground before sunrise, when Rover, who had been jogging far in advance of us, stopped suddenly before a thick clump of bushes, which extended some ways along the roadside, and with an angry howl, remained regarding some object which was concealed from our sight.
I called the animal, but he refused to move, and I began to suspect that some kind of beast was concealed among the brush, and that he was too formidable for the dog to attack alone. With this view, Fred and myself unslung our rifles and examined the caps, and rode slowly forward. We were not more than ten rods from the hound when we saw a spear whiz past him, and enter the bushes on the other side of the road. We then knew what was concealed; but whether the purpose was hostile or friendly, we did not have an opportunity to ask, for we had barely time to call the dog from such a dangerous locality, when another spear passed near our heads.
"Turn back!" shouted Smith, who was jogging on with the cattle, a few rods distant, and saw the whole transaction. "Turn back," he continued, "or you are dead men."
We wheeled our horses and galloped from a place where nothing but spear heads were to be seen, for we did not like the idea of fighting people who ran no risk.
When we joined Smith, we found that he had turned his oxen, and was driving them at full speed towards an open plain half a mile distant.
"Are you going back to Melbourne?" asked Fred.
"I am going to gain yonder plain as fast as possible," the stockman cried, casting an uneasy glance over his shoulder, as though fearful of pursuit.
"For what reason?" we asked.
"Because I've no idea of risking my life by running an ambush, where, no doubt, twenty or thirty natives are stationed, determined to kill the first one who passes."
"I thought they were harmless," I replied.
"So they are, when they choose to be; but it's very probable that miners have been committing outrages upon their women, and now they are determined to revenge their injuries upon us. Keep your eyes upon the bushes, and don't mind me if you see signs of their following. Escape to the open plain, and trust to me to join you. Once there, we can hold fifty of them at bay."
"Do you think we are so cowardly as to desert a comrade?" demanded Fred. "Let them attack us if they will, but we will stick to you and the team as long as life remains."
"I expected the answer," cried Smith, applying his long whip to the sides of the reeking cattle, and starting them into a run. "But if you will not save yourselves, at least take care of the oxen and let me cover the retreat."
"Do you think they will dare to follow us?" I asked.
"Here is your answer," cried the stockman; and as he spoke a slim poled spear whistled within an inch of my head, and passed out of sight, far to the other side of the road.
"And here goes my reply," exclaimed Fred, who held his rifle in his hand ready for use.
He raised it, and hardly took time to sight a naked, black body, which was visible for a moment before he fired.
A yell of bodily pain followed the explosion, and for a moment we could hear a great commotion among the bushes, and then all was still.
"Help me to urge the cattle forward," shouted Smith. "Now is our time to escape, while the devils are with the wounded imp."
We were about to comply, when a club, about three feet long, flew over our heads, touched the ground in advance of the cattle, bounded from the earth, and came towards us with undiminished velocity.
"Look out for their boomerangs," shouted Smith, and we dodged our heads in time to save them from a blow that would have unhorsed us.
That was the first time we made the acquaintance of the most skilful weapon in use by the natives. They throw the boomerang with unerring precision, and had we not heard of the manner of its working, and been apprised of the necessity of avoiding its flight, by the warning voice of Smith, one of us would have made a meal for an Australian native that morning.
The boomerang is a piece of hard wood about three feet long, slightly curved in the form of a bow; and when a native wishes to strike an object, he does not throw his weapon directly at it, but from it, and by some unexplained principle of retrogradation, the boomerang touches the ground, and then flies with great force directly at whatever it is aimed. I have seen the natives exhibit their proficiency a hundred different times—and the more I saw of the game, the more I became bewildered at the science displayed.
We did not stop to fight an unseen enemy, but continued our headlong course, and at length had the pleasure of reaching an open space where we could wait the approach of those disposed to attack us, although whether they would venture to make a demonstration on the plain was uncertain.
Smith, however, was determined to be prepared for the worst. He unyoked his cattle, but instead of turning them loose, when they soon would have fallen a prey to the rapacious appetites of the natives, he grouped them around the cart, and chained them, to prevent their flight in case of an attack. By this method they served as a shield to us, and did not interfere with our rifle practice.
We had no sooner got our arrangements completed, than a dozen or twenty of the filthy-looking wretches—naked, with the exception of a mat around their hips—appeared at the edge of the bushes, and seemed to survey our disposition of the order of battle. Two or three of them, self-elected leaders, apparently wished for an immediate assault; but we could see that the proposition met with no approval from the mass, and the motions were made towards the men, as though to wait until night time.
"We shall have a sleepless night, and must be prepared for the black devils' mischief," Smith said, surveying the force and comprehending their meaning.
"Do they often attack teams?" we asked of Smith, who, now that his cattle were safe, had regained all of his cuteness and colloquial powers.
"During all my freighting to the mines, this is only the second time the scamps have manifested hostility. Once I got clear by giving them an ox, and thought I got off quite cheap at that. But this time they appear to be serious; and if we get clear with a whole skin, may think ourselves lucky. Some team ahead of us must have trespassed on their rights in an outrageous manner to render them as rebellious as they are."
"I have a great mind to try the range of my rifle," Fred said. "I think that I can send a ball into their midst, and make them scatter to the bushes, instead of standing there and quarrelling among themselves."
Smith measured the distance with his eye and shook his head.
"It's over a half mile," he said, "and I never yet saw the shooting iron that could do damage at such a distance."
"Then look at one for the first time;" and as Fred spoke, he sighted a native, who appeared desirous of making an immediate attack, for he was gesticulating in the most absurd manner, and shaking his long spear at us as though trying to get at close quarters, where he could do instant execution.
The act of Fred was observed, and a yell of defiance greeted his hostile attitude. Before it had died away, the sharp report of the rifle drowned their shrill screams, and then the conspicuous native, who had flourished his spear so threateningly, threw up his arms, and with a most unearthly yell, fell to the ground.
In an instant not a native, with the exception of the wounded one, was to be seen, and a stranger would hardly have supposed that the clump of bushes near us contained a couple of dozen human beings, who were watching every motion which we made, and speculating as to the best mode of putting us to death, and sharing the goods and provisions loaded upon the cart.
"An American rifle forever," shouted Smith, who suspended his work of getting out a water keg, containing eighteen or twenty gallons, which he had taken the precaution to fill with water and place upon the cart, so that his animals and companions need not suffer with thirst during the long stretch across the prairies.
"A few more such shots as that and the black devils will retire in disgust, and we shall have the road free," Smith continued, with an admiring look at his American friend.
"There is no use in wasting our powder by firing at random, and until the natives show themselves I shall rest, so as to be able to keep my eyes open to-night."
Under the shadow of the cart Fred spread his blanket, and after assisting Smith to water the cattle, and taking a good drink myself, I joined him, and left Rover and the stockman to keep guard.
We slept until dark, and, upon awakening, found that Smith had joined us, and left the whole responsibility of giving warning, if the natives approached, to the dog. The latter, however, was worth a dozen men for such a purpose, and we commended Smith for his sagacity in securing rest before the time arrived when we knew that demonstration would be made against our encampment.
We gathered some dried grass and made a fire, sufficient to boil a teakettle, and then deliberately prepared a dish of coffee, not knowing but that it would be our last. After we had concluded our supper we examined our rifles and revolvers, found them in good order, and then carefully reviewing the animals so that it was impossible for them to get loose without cutting their fastenings, we took up our positions at an equal distance apart, and in a circle outside of the cattle.
Rover placed himself by my side, and looked into my face as much as to say that he understood all that was going on, and hoped that he was to be trusted with any important business which might come before us.
The night wore slowly away. Sleep we did not, for the insects were so troublesome that it seemed as though we inhaled them at every breath. They filled the air and dashed their dry wings in our faces while flitting over our heads, and their eternal buzzing was like the murmuring of a distant waterfall.
I judged that it was near two o'clock, and at the period when sleep is the strongest, that my attention became riveted upon the singular movements of some animal which appeared to be feeding upon the withered grass which covered the plain. Sometimes it moved near enough to allow me to almost discern what it was, and then it would recede and be lost from sight for a few minutes, to again appear and approach nearer than at first.
Rover appeared to be as deeply interested in the animal as myself, for his eyes glowed like balls of fire as he watched the movements of the strange nondescript, and appeared to wonder why I did not tell him to investigate the matter instead of sitting there with staring eyes.
Presently a second and then a third animal came in sight, and their movements were like that of the first. Slowly and in an irregular line they approached me, halting every two or three seconds as though feeding upon the grass, which was rank and tasteless, and at length I came to the conclusion that they were animals peculiar to Australia, and such as I had not seen before.
"Smith," I said, calling to that worthy man, who, I thought, was nodding in a mysterious manner.
"Well," he answered, rubbing his eyes and trying to appear as though he had not thought of sleeping on his post.
"What kind of animals are these within a rod of the camp, feeding so quietly?"
When I spoke and pointed to them, I was astonished to find that, during the short time my attention was occupied, half a dozen others were in sight, but they were no longer feeding—they appeared to be surprised at the sound of a human voice, and were listening attentively.
"Why, hang it, man, do you mean to say that you don't know a kangaroo when you see one?" and Smith laughed at my greenness.
"Do you mean to say that those are kangaroos?" I demanded.
"Of course they are; see that fellow sitting on his tail near you. He is almost as large as a native, and were it not for showing the black devils our position I would knock him over, and we would have fresh steaks for breakfast."
"But I supposed that the kangaroo was a very wild animal," Fred said, joining in the conversation.
"So they are; but in the night time I have known them to mingle with horses and not leave until daylight. They appear to have a remarkable attachment for horses; and a man riding over a prairie can approach them within a few rods without exciting suspicions."
I was listening attentively to Smith, but still I kept an eye on our visitors, and noticed that they gradually lessened their distance between us, and were so near that they could not fail to note our positions.
"Do kangaroos usually carry spears in their paws?" I asked of Smith, in a whisper.
"What do you mean?" he demanded.
"I mean that instead of animals we have natives to deal with, and in another moment our throats would have been cut by the sly scamps."
I snatched up my rifle, and hardly waiting to place it at my shoulder, fired.
The kangaroo, alias a native sewed up in a skin, sprang towards me, but with a yell of agony fell dead at my feet.
I seized my revolver, but before I could use it Fred's rifle and Smith's double-barrelled gun answered my lead, and two more natives were bleeding upon the field.
The smoke slowly drifted past, but no more live kangaroos were to be seen.
I looked for Rover, but he had disappeared during the firing, and he did not return for ten minutes, when by his panting I knew that he had pursued the natives to the bushes, but what other damage he had done the latter only knew.
"We shall rest in peace for the remainder of the night," Smith said, "that is, provided any one can get rest with so many blasted bugs buzzing in the air. The natives will not make a second attack upon us, you may be assured."
Smith's words were found to be correct, for, when daylight appeared, a flag of truce was sent to our camp, and an old native demanded permission to remove the bodies of his fallen friends. We gave a willing consent on condition that we were allowed to pass on our way without further molestation; and after accepting our terms, we detained the old fellow as a hostage until we were safe from their ambush, when we dismissed him with a number of presents, and he returned to his camp apparently delighted at his treatment.
We urged our cattle to their utmost exertions, and at sundown we were in sight of the old convict's hut, and in close proximity to the buried gold.