CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.
HOW I NEARLY MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE.
We tried several times over to get our friend to speak, but the resultwas only a voluble burst of words in a tongue we could not comprehend,while all the time he seemed to be aware of his failing, and waved hishands and stretched them out to us as if begging us to forgive him forhis weakness.
"Let him be, Joe," whispered the doctor at last; "we may excite him bypressing him. Let him calm himself, and then perhaps he can speak."
I felt as if it was resigning myself to utter despair, and it seemedthat our attempt that night was to be in vain, when Jimmy suddenlypopped up among us once more.
"'Long here," he whispered, and we were about to follow him when ourfriend stopped us.
"No; this way," he said, and he pointed in the opposite direction.
"No, no! 'long here way," said Jimmy excitedly. "Much lot black fellowthat way."
"Never mind," I whispered; "let's follow him."
"Jimmy find Mass Joe fader right 'long this way," cried the black. "Notgo 'long other way."
"Where is my father?"
"Big hut over 'cross," said Jimmy.
"Let's get round this way to it then," I whispered. "Come along."
The doctor was already in advance, following our guide, and afterstriking the earth a heavy blow with his waddy to get rid of his anger,Jimmy followed me, not able to understand that we could get to theopposite point by going round one way as readily as by the other.
It was very slow work and we had to labour hard, holding the bushes andtrees so that they should not fly back upon those who followed us; butby dint of great care we got round at last to what, as far as I couldjudge, was the far side of the village, our principal guide being thesound of voices which came to us in a dull murmur that increased as wedrew nearer, and at last we found ourselves similarly situated as toposition, being at the back of another large hut.
Here we waited, listening to the buzz of voices, till I wondered in myimpatience what they could be discussing, and longed to ask our guide,but feared lest I should confuse him, now that perhaps he was about todo us good service if left alone.
I was glad that I had kept quiet the next minute, for the doctor laidhis hand upon my shoulder and whispered in my ear:
"There is no doubt about it, my lad. We have reached the right spot.Your father is a prisoner in this very hut, and the savages arediscussing whether they will keep him here or take him away."
"What shall we do?" I whispered back in agony, for it seemed soterrible to have come all these hundreds of miles to find him, and thento sit down, as it were, quite helpless, without taking a step to sethim free.
"We can do nothing yet," he replied, "but wait for an opportunity to gethim away."
"Can you not make some plan?" I whispered back.
"Hist!"
He pressed my hand, for I had been growing louder of speech in myexcitement, and just then there was a fresh outburst of voices fromwithin the hut, followed by the trampling of feet and loud shouting,which seemed to be crossing the village and going farther away.
"They have taken the prisoner to--"
Our companion said the first words excitedly, and then stopped short.
"Where?" I exclaimed aloud, as I caught at his arm.
He answered me in the savage tongue, and with an impatient stamp of thefoot I turned to the doctor.
"What can we do?" I said. "It makes me wish to be a prisoner too. Ishould see him, perhaps, and I could talk to him and tell him that helpwas near."
"While you shut up part of the help, and raised expectations in hisbreast, that would perhaps result in disappointment," replied thedoctor. "We must wait, my lad, wait. The savages are excited andalarmed, and we must come when their suspicions are at rest."
"What do you mean?" I said. "Do you mean to go back to-night withouthim?"
"Not if we can get him away," he said; "but we must not do anything mador rash."
"No, no, of course not," I said despairingly; "but this is horrible: tobe so close to him and yet able to do nothing!"
"Be patient, my lad," he whispered, "and speak lower. We have donewonders. We have come into this unknown wild, and actually have foundthat the lost man is alive. What is more, we have come, as if led byblind instinct, to the very place where he is a prisoner, and we almostknow the hut in which he is confined."
"Yes, yes. I know all that," I said; "but it is so hard not to be ableto help him now."
"We are helping him," said the doctor. "Just think: we have this poorhalf-dazed fellow to glean some information, and we have a hiding-placenear, and--Look out!"
I turned my piece in the direction of the danger, for just then a memberof our little expedition, who had been perfectly silent so far, uttereda savage growl and a fierce worrying noise.
Simultaneously there was a burst of shouts and cries, with the sound ofblows and the rush of feet through the bush.
For the next few minutes there was so much excitement and confusion thatI could hardly tell what happened in the darkness. All I knew was thata strong clutch was laid upon my shoulders, and that I was being draggedbackwards, when I heard the dull thud of a blow and I was driven to theground, with a heavy body lying across me.
I partly struggled out of this position, partly found myself draggedout, and then, in a half-stunned, confused fashion, I yielded, as I wasdragged through the dark forest, the twigs and boughs lashing my facehorribly.
I had kept tight hold of my gun, and with the feeling strong upon methat if I wished to avoid a second captivity I must free myself, Iwaited for an opportunity to turn upon the strong savage who held me sotightly in his grasp and dragged me through the bush in so pitiless amanner.
He had me with his left hand riveted in my clothes while with his righthand, I presumed with a war-club, he dashed the bushes aside when theobstacles were very great.
My heart beat fast as I felt that if I were to escape I must fire atthis fierce enemy, and so horrible did the act seem that twice over,after laying my hand upon my pistol, I withdrew it, telling myself thatI had better wait for a few minutes longer.
And so I waited, feeling that, after all, my captivity would not be sobad as it was before, seeing that now I should know my father was nearat hand.
"I can't shoot now," I said to myself passionately; "I don't think I'm acoward, but I cannot fire at the poor wretch, and I must accept myfate."
My arm dropped to my side, and at that moment my captor stopped short.
"No hear um come 'long now," he said.
"Jimmy!" I cried; and for a moment the air seemed full of humming,singing noises, and if I had not clung to my companion I should havefallen.
Bunyip Land: A Story of Adventure in New Guinea Page 33