He went quietly out seaward, and
at the last, when I turned unwillingly to retrace my steps, I saw his black
head bobbing about on the calm surface.
When, after a series of
involuntary feats on the mangrove rope, I again stood on 'terra firma', all
the pigeons had left; and I was compelled to make my way back to camp,
empty-handed, muddy, cut about the shins, and with my boots almost in
tatters. "So much," thought I, "for trying to catch a black fellow
single-handed."
My companions had shot plenty of pigeons, after roasting which we started
for the interior of the island, and without meeting with anything beyond
the ordinary routine of bad bush and mountain travelling; certainly
encountering nothing that would justify me in inflicting a prolix
description upon the reader - we arrived late on the following evening at
the rendezvous, found the 'Daylight' safely at anchor, and thus completed
one portion of our search, without having obtained the faintest clue to an
elucidation of the mystery of the 'Eva'.
The pilot reported that, to the best of his belief, no blacks had succeeded
in making their escape to the mainland; several canoes had attempted to
cross, but they had been seen and intercepted, though none of their
occupants had been captured. One canoe he had taken possession of, and now
showed us, which was, I think, the most primitive piece of naval
architecture any of us had seen. Canoe it could hardly be called, for it
was only a sheet of bark curled up by the action of fire; the bow and stern
formed by folding the extremities, and passing a tree-nail, or, rather, a
large skewer, through the plaits. When placed in the water, the portion
amidships, which represented the gunwale, was not four inches above the
surface, and so frail that no European could have got into it without a
capsize, though the black fellows are so naturally endued with the laws of
equilibrium that they can stand upright in these tiny craft, and even spear
and haul on board large fish.
We slept in the hold of the 'Daylight' that night, after making all
arrangements for a start at early dawn. We trusted that the Cleveland Bay
party would have performed their portion of the task, and thoroughly
overhauled the southern part of the island, and fully expected to fall in
with them on the following day.
Our road lay through most abominable country - stony, precipitous, and in
places covered with dense vegetation. The traces of blacks were abundant,
and we could travel but a short distance without falling in with some of
the numerous camping-places. In many of these, the fires were still
smouldering, but the inhabitants had cleared out, most probably warned by
those whom the whale-boat had intercepted. Each camp was subjected to a
rigid scrutiny, but without revealing anything European, except fragments
of bottles, to which we attached no importance, for they were probably
flung over-board by some passing vessel, and carried ashore by the tide.
These are highly valued by the blacks, who do not use them for carrying
water, but break them, and scrape down their spears with the fragments.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 24 of 60
Words from 12151 to 12693
of 31542
