Life and Adventures of William Buckley/Chapter II
CHAPTER II.
"He stood alone,—beneath the deep dark shade
Of the Australian forest, where the trees,
A century old the youngest of them, made
Hollow and mournful music in the breeze,"
One day when I was indulging in these meditations, and gazing round from my Robinson Crusoe hut upon the surface of the waters, I thought I heard the sound of human voices; and, on looking up, was somewhat startled at seeing three natives standing on the high land immediately above me. They were armed with spears, and had opossum skins thrown over their shoulders, partially covering their bodies. Standing as they did, on an elevated position, armed too, and being myself totally defenceless, I confess I felt alarmed; so that hoping I had not been seen, I crept into a crevice in a rock near at hand, where I endeavoured to conceal myself. They were however soon upon my track, and shouting what I considered to be a call for me to come out, I resolved to do so; indeed I could not have remained there long on account of the water. With but faint hopes of meeting with good treatment at their hands, I crawled out from my shelter, and surrendered at discretion. They gazed on me with wonder: my size probably attracting their attention. After seizing both my hands, they struck their breasts, and mine also, making at the same time a noise between singing and crying: a sort of whine, which to me sounded very like premeditated mischief. Pointing to my hut, they evinced a desire to examine it—so we entered. My new friends, if friends they were to be, made themselves very much at home, although uninvited. One made up a large fire, another threw off his rug and went into the sea for crayfish, which, on his return, he threw alive into the flame—at the same time looking at me with an expression as much as to intimate that they intended to grill me next, by way of a change of diet. I can afford to smile, and even laugh now at the recollection; but, at the time, I assure the reader, I was by no means satisfied with the prospect before me, or with my visitors. At length my suspense ended, by their taking the fish, fairly dividing them, and handing to me the first and best portion. Having finished our meal, they gave me to understand they wished me to follow them. To this I hesitated, not being satisfied as to their intentions, but after a time consented. On leaving the hut, two of them went before, and having thus only one to contend against, I thought of making my escape, but my armed guard was too vigilant; so that, defenceless as I was, no safe opportunity was afforded. We proceeded in this way until we came to their huts, two small turf cabins—in each of which there was just room enough for two persons to lay at length under their shelter. It was nearly dark, and finding that I was to have my sentry friend beside me, and that the other two were to occupy the second cabin, my hopes revived—that during the night an opportunity for my escape would offer. He however did not sleep a wink, but kept muttering to himself all the night, so that by the morning I was fairly worn out by anxiety and watching. At daylight they gave me to understand they were going farther, and that I must accompany them. I, on the contrary, thought it safer to come to an understating at once, and with this view, mustering all my resolution, I intimated a refusal, that I would not do so. After a warm, discussion by signs, and, to both parties, by sufficiently significant sounds, they apparently consented that I should remain; but, as they wished me not to leave until their return, my old and nearly worn-out stockings were required by them as an assurance offering. This I steadily declined complying with, so that after sundry striking of the breasts, and stamping with the feet, they were content to leave me unmolested. I watched them until I thought the coast was clear, and then began to consider in what direction I should steer, for I had not now the beach as a guide for my movements. Whilst thinking over the matter, one of them returned, bringing with him a rude kind of basket made of rushes. In it was some of the berries I have already mentioned, which he wished to barter for one of my much courted stockings. I however objected, being resolved on letting him know I was positive in that matter, hoping by so doing to give him a favourable opinion of my determination, on questions which might arise between us of greater consequence. Finding his negotiation useless, he left the fruit and followed his companions. When I thought them sufficiently far off, I took to my heels, in the direction, as I thought, for the sea coast, and fortunately I made it without much difficulty. Going musing along, I came to a high rock against which the waves were beating violently, the sea at the time being very tempestuous: it was a very grand but a dreary and melancholy scene. Whilst viewing it with a very aching and downcast heart and spirit, I observed a small rocky island a short distance from the beach, covered with the strangest looking animals I had ever seen. They appeared to be about four, or from four to six feet long, having a head similar to that of a pig, without feet, with tails like those of a fish, a large fin on each side, and a body covered with short glossy hair: I suppose them to be the fur seal, or sea elephant.
Finding night coming on, having no fire to warm me, and with so dreary a prospect of the future—without food of any kind,—I began to repent having left the natives, and resolved on returning to their huts from whence I had made my escape. I accordingly traced my way back, but on my arrival found they had not returned. After remaining some hours, I decided on going in the direction I supposed them to have taken, but after a weary march, I found I had completely lost myself and very much distressed, I laid myself down for the night, within the shelter of a large hollow tree, such as are to be found in the Australian forests. Having secured a fire-stick during the day, I made a good fire, it being very cold, and raining heavily.
I remember I had no sleep that night, for my fire attracted the notice of the wild dogs and opossums, whose horrid howls and noises were such as to render sleep impossible. The cries of the latter were like the shrieks of children, appearing to be at times over me, and at others close to my ear. Under these circumstances, I hailed the daylight very thankfully, and then proceeded on my solitary way, endeavouring to get upon the trail of the natives, who, as I supposed, had gone in that direction. In this I was not successful, and having entangled myself in the labyrinths of the forest, in a country entirely unknown to me, I became at length lost, and remained so for three days, without a morsel of food, or a drop of water, excepting small quantities which I occasionally met with in the clay holes. When I laid myself down to rest hoping to sleep, the same unearthly noises appeared to have followed me, and my mind for want of relaxation was failing, as the minds of the strongest men will fail, under such circumstances. I continued to wander about in this way, subsisting upon succulent shrubs and berries, until I came to a large lake, upon which I could see an abundance of ducks, and geese, and swans, and other wild fowl. From that lake I found a very considerable river flawing, as I concluded, toward the sea. I at once resolved to follow its course; and of reaching its entrance, saw the little rocky island already mentioned as haring the seal, or sea elephants upon it; and it was a great comfort to me, to find myself once more not far from my old quarters where the three natives had left me. I soon after arrived at the turf cabins, having now acquired some acquaintance with the locality, and although suffering much from hunger, lay myself down and slept soundly. At daylight, I had the satisfaction to find some of the same kind of fruit the native had brought me in the rush basket. On these I made a great feast, and after remaining there that day, returned to my own hut on the beach. Here I must have remained many months—how long I cannot tell—subsisting as before; but at length it appeared likely that my supplies would fail, and I began again to reflect on my deplorable condition. My clothes were all in tatters, my shoes were worn out, my health was much impaired by want and exposure, and my spirits broken—so much so, that I determined on retracing my steps in order to regain the ship in the event of her remaining in the bay, and with the hopes of rejoining my companions, should they be still in existence. The winter was fast approaching, the weather had set in dreadfully cold and tempestuous, so that it was not without great difficulty I could go down amongst the rocks for shell fish, which, as I have already said, were now, from some cause or other, getting vary scare in that locality. I therefore bade good bye to my homely habitation and started on my return.
One night, whilst travelling along the beach, I was completely bewildered, having been stopped in my progress by a high perpendicular rock stretching out from the cliffs some distance into the sea. The tide running in fast, my only chance of escape was by climbing the rock. This I did with great difficulty, and just above high water, mark I found a large cavern, into which I crept for shelter. Having had no fire for some time I was again, living upon such raw shell fish as I could find in each day's journey, and with these was making my wretched meal, when I found I had intruded upon the lodgings of some of the tenants of the deep, who could only reach their rocky quarters when the tide was at the highest. I was completely horrified and knew not what to do, as it was nearly dark, and they were wadding in at the entrance. To rush out, appeared to be nothing less than certain death; but happening to make a noise, it struck terror into them, and tumbling one over the other into the sea, they left me once more master of the cavern. I remained during the rest of the night undisturbed, and the following morning again pursued my weary way.
Being now very weak from the privations I had undergone, I could only make short distances during each day and, as the nights were very cold, my sufferings were great, so much occasionally as to overpower my remaining strength and resolution. After several days I reached a stream which the natives call Dooangawn, where I made myself a sort of shelter in the scrub, and in the morning saw a mound of earth, with part of a native's spear stuck upright on the top of it, to indicate its being a grave. I took the spear out and used it as a walking-stick to help me on my journey.
The next day I reached the Kaarof at high water. In attempting to swim across I had nearly lost my life, the stream being too rapid for my enfeebled state, so that I was carried some way down by the force of the current. I however succeeded in reaching the opposite bank, and then crawled on my hands and feet into the bush, where I laid myself down nearly exhausted, and perishing with cold and hunger, not expecting to see the light of another, morning. In this state I lamented deeply the imprudence which had placed me in such a pitiable position, and prayed long and earnestly to God, for his merciful assistance and protection. All night the wild dogs howled horribly, as if expressing their impatience for my remains: even before death, I fancied they would attack me.
At daybreak I went again onward, looking for any kind of food by which to appease my hunger, and at length came to a place the natives call Maamart, where there is a lake, or large lagoon, surrounded by thickly growing scrub and timber. Whilst searching for the gum already mentioned, I was seen by two native women, who watched me unperceived. At length I threw myself down at the foot of a large tree to rest. On observing me thus prostrate, and helpless, these women went in search of their husbands with the intelligence that they had seen a very tall white man. Presently they all came upon me unawares, and seizing me by the arms and hands, began beating their breasts, and mine, in the manner the others had done. After a short time, they lifted me up, and they made the same sign, giving me to understand by it, that I was in want of food. The women assisted me to walk, the men shouting hideous noises, and tearing their hair. When we arrived at their huts, they brought a kind of bucket, made of dry bark, into which they put gum and water, converting it by that means into a sort of pulp. This they offered me to eat, and I did so very greedily. They called me Murrangurk, which I afterwards learnt, was the name of a man formerly belonging to their tribe, who had been buried at the spot where I had found the piece of spear I still carried with me. They have a belief, that when they die, they go to some place or other, and are there made white men, and that they then return to this world again for another existence. They think all the white people previous to death were belonging to their own tribes, thus returned to life in a different colour. In cases where they have killed white men, it has generally been because they imagined them to have been originally enemies, or belonging to tribes with whom they were hostile. In accordance with this belief, they fancied me to be one of their tribe who had been recently killed in a fight, in which his daughters had been speared also. As I have before said, he was buried at the mound I saw, and my having the remains of his spear with me, confirmed them in this opinion. To this providential superstition, I was indebted for all the kindnesses afterwards shown me. In a short time they went away, making signs for me to remain; and on returning, they brought with them several large fat grubs, which are found buried in decayed trees, and more particularly about the roots. These grubs they gave me to eat, and by this time, so changed was my palate, that I did so, thinking them delicious.
I remained with them all that night, but in great anxiety, not knowing their intentions. I thought several times of endeavouring to make my escape, but in my weak state it was impossible. The women were all the time making frightful lamentations and wailings—lacerating their faces in a dreadful manner. All this increased my anxiety and horror, which was added to in the morning, when I saw the frightful looking demons they had made themselves. They were covered with blood from the wounds they had inflicted, having cut their faces and legs into ridges, and burnt the edges with fire sticks. I understood by their signs, and manner, that they wished me to accompany them to the tribe they had left to procure gum, which was in great abundance at the spot where they discovered me. I consented, and after journeying for some time through the scrub, and over plains, we came to the Barwin, which we crossed, and then could plainly see the black heads of a number of natives amongst the reeds: appearing to me like a large flock of crows. About a hundred men came to meet us, but the women remained digging for roots, which they use as food: their huts being situated near an extensive lagoon. My friendly natives, or rather new acquaintance whom I had accompanied, took me to their homes, which were merely branches of trees thrown across each other, with slips of tea-tree and pieces of bark placed over as an additional shelter. They motioned me to be seated, but I preferred at first keeping a standing position, in order to be the better able to watch their movements: in the mean time, the women behind the huts were all fighting with clubs and sticks. Presently the men, excepting the two with me, rushed toward them, in order to separate the combatants, after which they brought roots which they roasted and offered me. What the fight was about I could not understand, but think it must have originated in the unfair division of the food.
My presence now seemed to attract general attention; all the tribe, men and women, closed up around me, some beating their breasts and heads with their clubs, the women tearing off their own hair by handfulls. I was much alarmed, but they made me to understand these were the customs they followed, and that no harm to me was intended. This was the manner by which they evinced their sorrow when any of them died, or had been a long time absent; and, as they believed me to have been dead, they were lamenting the sufferings I must have undergone when I was killed, and, perhaps, until my reappearance again on this earth.
They eventually dispersed, leaving me in the charge of the two who had found me in my perilous situation. All was then quiet for about three hours, for they had gone, it seemed, to their respective huts to eat their roots; then there was a great noise amongst them, and a trampling backwards and forward from hut to hut, as if something of importance was going on. I was naturally anxious at this, not knowing how it would all end; at last it came on night, and the boys and girls set to work making a very large fire, probably to roast me—who could tell? At any rate I supposed it not at all improbable, surrounded as I was by such a host of wild uncultivated savages: however that might be, it was impossible to escape, as I was too weak and terrified at the appearance of all around. At last all the women came out naked—having taken off their skin rugs, which they carried in their hands. I was then brought out from the hut by the two men, the women surrounding me. I expected to be thrown immediately into the flames; but the women having seated themselves by the fire, the men joined the assemblage armed with clubs more than two feet long; having painted themselves with pipe-clay, which abounds on the banks of the lake. They had run streaks of it round the eyes, one down each cheek, others along the forehead down to the tip of the nose, other streaks meeting at the chin, others from the middle of the body down each leg; so that altogether, they made a most horrifying appearance, standing round and about the blazing night fire. The women kept their rugs rolled tight up, after which, they stretched them between the knees, each forming a sort of drum. These they beat with their hands, as if keeping time with one of the men who was seated in front of them, singing. Presently the men came up in a kind of close column, they also beating time with their sticks, by knocking them one against the other, making altogether a frightful noise. The man seated in front appeared to be the leader of the orchestra, or master of the band—indeed I may say, master of the ceremonies generally. He marched the whole mob, men and women, boys and girls, backwards and forwards at his pleasure, directing the singing and dancing, with the greatest decision and air of authority. This scene must have lasted at least three hours, when, as a wind-up, they gave three tremendous shouts, at the same time pointing to the sky with their sticks; they each shook me heartily by the hand, again beating their breasts, as a token of friendship. By this time I was greatly relieved in my mind, finding no injury to me was contemplated, and particularly when they all dispersed to their huts, and I was left again with my guardians.
The reader, in these colonies, will be aware that what I had witnessed was nothing more than a great Corrobberree, or rejoicing, at my having come to life again; as they supposed. After eating some roots I lay down by the side of my new friends, and although so recently highly excited, yet I enjoyed a sleep undisturbed by dreams either of the past, the present, or the future. In reality, nature had been exhausted by hunger, thirst, and continued apprehension. In the morning I rose greatly refreshed, and found the tribe already upon the move, gathering roots and spearing eels, a few only remaining with me hi the encampment. I observed that one man was dispatched on some errand, and as he was leaving, they pointed out to me the way he was going for some particular kind of food, or on a message to another tribe, in which message I was in some way or other interested.
Finding myself now tolerably at home, I evinced a desire to make myself useful, by fetching water, carrying wood, and so forth. I went to the river one day for the purpose of having a bathe, but was not long absent before I was missed and an alarm raised; for they thought I had deserted. Search was made in all directions, and just as I returned the messenger came back who had been sent away, as I supposed, to another tribe, bringing with him a young man; who came, as it appeared, to invite the others to their encampment. The following day therefore, our tribe left the borders of the lagoon, taking me with them, and after a tramp through the bush of a few miles, we arrived and took up our quarters, not with the strangers, but at some distance from them, where we erected our temporary huts, or shelters for the night. I was soon afterwards transferred to the charge of a man and woman of the tribe we had come to visit; the man being brother to the one who had been killed, from whose grave I had taken the spear; the woman was my new guardian's wife, and the young man who had visited us, was their son; and, consequently, according to their order of thinking, my very respectable and interesting nephew. It may he taken as certain, that I looked on him, as a very unaccountable relative, one I little thought of meeting in such a place, or in that manner; at any rate there was one consolation, if he was not very wise after the fashion of more civilized men, he could not display great foolishness in his expenditure; and, that there was, therefore, no great chance of his uncle having to pay his tailor's, or other bills: a consolation many uncles would be very glad to possess with equal security.
That night there was another great Corrobberree, with shakes of the hand, and congratulation at my return. When these ceremonies were over, I went with my new relations to their hut, where they hospitably regaled me with roots, and gum, and with opossum roasted after their fashion. This was the first animal food I had taken since parting with my companions from the Calcutta, and it was to me a most delicious feast. They presented me also with an opossum-skin rug, for which I gave my new sister-in-law my old jacket in exchange, although it was by this time very much the worse for wear. I need scarcely say, this paletôt added much to the elegance of her appearance, or, that these interchanges of attractive civility had great effect in cementing our family acquaintance.
At break of day, I heard a great noise and talking; at length I saw that a quarrel had ensued, for they began to flourish their spears as a token of hostilities. I should here observe, that these spears are very formidable weapons, about twelve feet long, sharp at one end; others are about half that length, being made of a kind of reed with pointed sticks joined to them; these are sharpened with hard cutting stones, or shells. The boomerang is another weapon of war, something like a half-moon. The throwing-stick is one made, or shaped, for flinging the spears.
The colonial reader is aware of all this, but I beg him, or her, to remember, that I cherish the hope of my adventures being read elsewhere, as well as in the Australian Colonies; and that this circumstance will be received as a sufficient apology for the insertion of particulars, which, otherwise, might very properly be considered useless.
After a little time, and a great deal of challenging bluster, the two tribes commenced fighting in reality. When my relations, for so for convenience, I suppose, I must sometimes call them, saw what was going on, they led me a short distance off, where they remained with me, looking at the conflict. It was any thing but play work—it was evidently earnest. One man was speared through the thigh, and removed into the bush, where the spear was drawn. A woman of the tribe to which I had become attached, was also speared under the arm, and she died immediately. At last peace was restored, and the parties separated, except about twenty of the tribe to which the woman belonged who had, been killed; these made a large fire, threw her body upon it, and then heaped on more wood, so that she was burnt to ashes; this done, they raked the embers of the fire together, and stuck the stick she used to dig roots with upright at the head. After this ceremony they all left, except my supposed relations, in whose care I was, and one other family, with whom we went into another part of the bush, where we remained for a considerable time without anything particular occurring, subsisting almost entirely upon roots which the women sought daily, whilst the men procured opossums occasionally, which they dragged from the hollow and decayed branches of trees. They sometimes speared kangaroo, which they skin with sharp stones and muscle-shells. That was the first time I tasted the flesh of the boomer, and found it very excellent. Relying upon my friendship, they now furnished me with a spear, and a wooden tomahawk. In a few weeks—but as I have already said, I have now no recollection of time—we left this place, and joined a friendly tribe, about fifty in number, and on the evening of our meeting had a Corrobberree. The next day we all started together to meet another tribe; but on joining, from some cause or other, they quarrelled, commenced fighting, and two boys were killed. I could not then understand what all these quarrels were about, but afterwards understood that they were occasioned by the women having been taken away from one tribe by another; which was of frequent occurrence. At other times they were caused by the women willingly leaving their husbands, and joining other men, which the natives consider very bad.
When these fights occurred, I was always kept in the rear. After the skirmish just mentioned was over, the tribe to whom the boys belonged retired farther into the bush, when we made our huts, as I have described, with boughs and bark. Suddenly in the night, the others came upon our party and drove us away. The bodies of the two boys who were killed were laying in one of the huts, so they cut off their legs and thighs, carrying them away; the remains of their bodies our people burned in the usual manner; we then left for the sea side. Soon after a messenger was sent to another tribe, with whom they had a quarrel about the women; the message was to say they would meet them at a certain place to fight it out. In about four days he returned, with information that the challenge was accepted; so we went there, I, of course, not then being conscious of what we were going for. On our arrival at the battle ground, about twenty miles distant, we found five different tribes all collected together, and ready for action. The fight commenced immediately, and it lasted about three hours, during which three women were killed—for strange to say, the females in these quarrels generally suffered the most. These continual contests alarmed me, for the contending parties were always pointing toward me, as if I had been their origin; and I again began to think I should be sacrificed as a peace offering. Quiet was at length restored, and the tribe we had joined separated from the others, and came toward where I was standing. Having formed themselves into a sort of guard, they marched me back to the other tribe, who placed themselves in square, on the spot where the fight had been. On our arrival solemn silence was observed—not even a whisper was uttered, but all eyes were directed toward me, and I again felt that some serious event might be expected, in which my safety was involved. I had a few minutes before seen women and boys murdered in their fury, and it was natural for me to feel alarm under such circumstances. After a while, they all began talking together tepidly, shaking their spears, and jumping wildly about, as if they were going mad; this ended, they gave three loud shouts, and returned to their respective huts—so I was relieved from my fears once more. In the morning, I found the other tribe had gone away, and soon after we left for the place my friends chiefly inhabited, and there we lived for a very long time unmolested, and without anything particular occurring. We remained in peace and quietness, until a messenger came from another tribe, saying we were to meet them some miles off. Their method of describing time is by signs on the fingers—one man of each party marking the days by chalkings on the arm, and then rubbing one off as each day passes. After travelling two or three days, we arrived at the appointed place, and found there a great number assembled, not one of whom I had seen before; and that evening we had the usual Corrobberree. In the morning we all went on a hunting excursion in perfect good humour, so that I had nothing to apprehend. It was a kangaroo hunt, and, as this was the first I had been at, I looked on with great interest, for I began to consider myself, by compulsion, a native, and to take a part in all their exercises. Considerable dexterity is used by them in catching and killing kangaroo; for they place themselves at particular spots and distances, so as to drive them into corners like flocks of sheep, and then they spear them without difficulty. We killed several very large ones, on which, with roasted roots, we made a great feast. After that, they all pipe-clayed themselves, and had another Corrobberree, and then, as usual, began to throw their spears about. This I thought would end in mischief, and the women appeared to think so too, for they ran into their huts. My guardians, as a precaution, took me with them. Nothing serious, however, occurred that night. In the morning it appeared that the Pootmaroo tribe had taken two women from the Yaawangis in the course of the night; or, that they had gone away willingly with their seducers. The consequence was another fight, but it ended without bloodshed. The affair, however, was not forgotten. After that, the tribes separated, each going to its respective locality.