Upon starting for the coast our young adventurers found that the natives were conducting them step by step over the very route which they had traversed from the island.
“They’re terrible good trackers,” said Mat, who had been watching them; “I thought I knew something about it, but I’d often have lost the trail here. Why, their eyes are everywhere, staring into the trees, and looking into the tops of them too. Whatever can they be after?”
These examinations puzzled the lads vastly, till suddenly a black stopped, and uttered an exclamation, and looking up to where he was gazing, a quantity of diminutive insects could be indistinctly seen hovering about a broken “spout” in the highest part of a tall gum-tree.
To Mat’s astonishment, the black evidently intended to ascend this tree. “How on earth is he going to get up there?” said he, as he eyed the tall, smooth trunk, without branch or break for sixty feet. “Why, that tree’s a good three feet through; he can’t ‘swarm’ it, and they haven’t climbing-irons here.”
But the black fellow soon showed them how ’twas done.
First he cut a thick ropy vine, or creeper, out of the shrub, and joined it in a circle round the base of the tree and his own body, then hanging a dilly bag round his neck, in which he had placed his tomahawk, he commenced the ascent by planting his feet against the trunk, and by this means literally walked up the great tree, shifting his hoop at every step, and getting a purchase by pressing his loins against the circle of the vine which supported them. When he had reached the first branch he paused to take breath.
“That beats anything I ever saw,” said Mat, gazing up in astonishment; “if ever I get back to the Forest, I’ll try that game too.”
Meanwhile the climber arrived at the dead limb, and commenced chopping, brushing off the swarms of insects every now and again which had settled on his face. But this cutting was the slow part of the process; it took a long hour before the little stone axe had opened up the old branch sufficiently for the black fellow to insert his hand.
Meantime his brethren below had lit a fire, having brought a smouldering brand with them for that purpose; whilst all this delay afforded a welcome rest to our lads.
At length the man in the tree descended, and opening his bag, displayed about a quart of dark-coloured honey, swarming all over with a diminutive bee, which proved to be stingless. It was evident that this was an immense treat to the natives, for they quickly ate up honey, bees and all, giving the brothers only sufficient to make them wish for more.