Where All Were Anxious And Willing To Aid In The Good Task, It
Would Have Been Invidious To Select, And The Volunteers Drew Lots From A
Bag In Which All Were Blanks But Three, The Gainers Of These Lucky Numbers
Becoming Members Of The Party.
One other addition we had, and right yeoman's service she did, for it was a
'she', reader as the sequel will prove.
About eighteen months before, the
troopers had visited Hinchinbrook Island, to recover stolen property, and
in one of the native camps had found an exceedingly pretty gin of some
fourteen summers. The personal charms of this coy nymph of the forest had
proved too much for the susceptible heart of Ferdinand, who, regarding her
as his lawful prize, had borne her, irate and struggling, to the boat, from
whence she was in due course transported to the police camp (mounted on the
pommel of the saddle in front of the adventurous swain), where, in a very
short time she became perfectly at home, and under the name of Lizzie, made
Ferdinand a remarkably pleasant wife.
Certainly the blacks are a curious race, the like of which was never before
seen under the sun. For two days after Lizzie's arrival in camp, she
refused to speak or eat; for the next two days she ate everything she could
lay her hands on, but still kept an unbroken silence; and for another two
days, whenever she was not eating, she "yabbered" so much and so fast that
the other gins looked on aghast, unable to get a word in edgewise, so
continuous was the flow of Hinchinbrook vituperation. On the seventh day,
as if by magic, she brought her tirade to a close, went down to the creek
with the other gins to fetch water, cooked her husband's supper, appeared
perfectly reconciled to her change of life, and henceforth, from her
sharpness, the aptitude with which she picked up the broken English in
which the officers communicate with the troopers, and her great knowledge
of the surrounding country, she became a most useful acquisition to the
camp, and Dunmore used frequently to say that Lizzie was worth three extra
troopers. One of the most extraordinary things about her - and she was
not unique, for all the Australian blacks are alike constituted in this
respect - was the facility with which she seemed to rupture all the
natural ties of kinship and affection. Her own tribe - her father,
mother, sisters, all were apparently wiped from her mind as completely as
writing is removed from a slate by a sponge; or, if ever remembered, it was
never with any mark of regret.
AN AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY - II.
BY CHARLES H. EDEN.
BETWEEN one and two o'clock, the report of a little swivel gun, with which
the taffrail of the 'Daylight' was armed, echoed over the bay, and
announced to the party that all was in readiness. In a very few minutes we
were all mustered on the beach, looking, I must confess, remarkably like
brigands, in our slouching and high-crowned Californian hats, coatless, and
with shirt-sleeves either tucked up or cut off above the elbow, which, with
the carbine that each man carried in his hand, and the revolvers, knives,
etc., stuck into the waist-belts, made our 'tout ensemble' such, that I am
convinced no honest citizen, with a plethoric purse, who saw us thus for
the first time, would have felt quite at his ease in our company. With a
ringing cheer from the townspeople assembled on the beach, under the shade
of the big trees, we shoved off, and, manned by willing hands, the cable
rattled in, in a fashion that must have astonished the old windlass,
accustomed to the leisurely proceedings that usually obtained on board the
'Daylight'. The sail was soon clapped on, the little vessel heeled over to
the sea-breeze now setting in pretty stiffly, and ten minutes after
quitting the shore we were down in the hold, the captain and his lady
occupying the cabin. Making our preparations for the night, which
consisted, I may mention, mainly of spreading out our blankets, whilst the
'Daylight', with the Government whale-boat towing astern, was beating up
against the adverse wind for the north end of Hinchinbrook, where we
purposed anchoring for the night, and commencing our search on the
following morning.
What with a contrary wind and tide, it was not until past ten o'clock that
we glided into the little bay, and, shortening sail as noiselessly as
possible, let down the anchor by hand to avoid the rattling of the chain
through the hawsehole, which, in the stillness of the night, would have
certainly reached the keen ears of the blacks, were there any in the
neighbourhood, and caused them to shift their quarters. The little inlet
or creek in which we now found ourselves, was entirely new to us, and we
were indebted to Lizzie for the discovery of such a quiet retreat. With
straining eyes, our novel pilotess stood at the heel of the bowsprit,
extending an arm in the direction she wished the vessel to go, and, her
task completed, she wrapped her blanket round her active little body,
scarcely shrouded in the striped twill shirt that constituted her sole
attire, and, sinking down in the waterways under the lee of the gunwale,
was soon sound asleep - a sensible proceeding, which, as soon as
everything was secured, we hastened to imitate.
We had arranged our plans for the morrow in the following manner. Before
dawn, the whale-boat was to land all the party, including Lizzie, with the
exception of the pilot and his two men. He was to return to the 'Daylight'
after having put us ashore, and, getting under weigh as soon as the wind
was strong enough, was to take her round to a small inlet on the island,
some distance down Rockingham Channel, and there await either our arrival
or further instructions.
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