Pals: Young Australians in Sport and Adventure

by Carol Norton

  *CHAPTER VI*

  *ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS*

  "The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up theirvoice; the floods lift up their waves."--Ps. xciii. 3.

  "Where's the dad, girls?" shouted Joe Blain early in the morning, afterthe events recorded in the previous chapter, dashing into the room as heyelled.

  "Here!" came a voice from the back verandah. Running to the spotindicated by the monosyllable, the lad in breathless accents deliveredhimself to his paternal relative in this fashion--

  "Please, dad, can Tom, Billy, Jimmy, and I have the boat to paddle outon the back-water?"

  "Um--er--well, as long as you keep in the slack water I suppose you may;but be very careful, my boy."

  "Yes, dad; we'll be careful enough. It's all slack water you know,'cept where the river water comes in; but that's a long way up, an'we'll be paddlin' mostly about this end of the slack."

  An explanation is needed here in order that the reader may intelligentlyfollow the course of events (some of them dramatic enough, and eventragic) which transpired in the course of this eventful cruise.

  It has already been stated that the flood waters so surrounded Tareelaas to convert the township into an island. It was so practically.Accurately speaking it formed a peninsula, with the narrowest of necks.On the river side there was a broad expanse of boiling, foaming,hurrying waters, narrowing here and there, where the banks rose abovetheir usual height, but stretching far and wide where the river-flatsintervened; sometimes touching the horizon, as it were. On the otherside lay a body of water, as far removed from motion as the tumultuousstream was instinct with it. There it lay, a wide extent of placid,coffee-coloured water, broken at its surface by fence tops, belts oftrees, and partially submerged houses. This great stretch was almostcurrentless, and the debris that floated on its bosom appearedstationary; though, as a matter of fact, there was a slight outwarddrift.

  The secret of its placidity lay in the fact that the river waters, whenthey reached a certain height, backed up a blind gully that ran almostparallel with the stream for some distance, then swerved from the river,and widened out till it became a depression of considerable magnitude.This, in turn, merged into a swamp, contiguous to the township on itswestern side. Low-lying and occupied lands surrounded the swamp forsome distance. The town end of these flats, which the river waterbacking up through the gully had submerged, making a long reach ofstagnant waters, formed the area of the boys' row.

  The minister's boat was a light yet staunchly built vessel, and belongedto the skiff variety. Her capabilities were to be put to the utmosttest. Several of the town boats were moving on the face of the stillwaters, their occupants busily engaged in capturing the flotsam. Theowners of houses, in particular, were anxiously conning their submergedproperty, or gathering together floating domestic articles. In this waya good deal of house property was recovered.

  The boys found enjoyment in the novelty of the cruise. They pulled twooars, taking turns at the rowing. Of the non-rowers, one acted assteersman and the other as bowman for the capture of the flood spoils.Several melons and pumpkins were picked up, but they were not troublingabout these. For one reason, they did not want to be encumbered withspoil of that kind, and for another they were keen on pulling about theflooded houses. Their chief and most interesting rescue was a cat andtwo kittens, which had found an ark of refuge on a barn door.

  "I say, boys, we'll have a go at these oranges," said Joe, who wassteering, as they were passing a small orangery which was halfsubmerged. This proposal received hearty and unanimous assent.Accordingly Joe selected the most promising tree, and deftly ranalongside its outer branches.

  "Look out for snakes!" cried he.

  There was abundant cause for warning, for each tree contained a numberof serpents, some of which are very deadly. These reptiles were floodedout of their holes in the ground, and from hollow logs and stumps, andmade for the trees or any floating timber that offered refuge.Fortunately the snakes were more or less benumbed with the cold,consequently they were the reverse of lively. Had it been otherwise, tohave made fast to the tree would have been foolhardy to a degree.

  Agreeably to Joe's warning, every eye was skinned and on the look out.Indeed, the tree was fairly swarming with snakes of many sorts andsizes; though for the most part they consisted of "tree" and "carpet"varieties; one of the latter, lying across the top, being fully ten feetin length. These two mentioned varieties are not venomous. The farmers,for the most part, look with a friendly eye upon the carpet species; socalled by reason of its tawny and black markings. The carpet snake insummer time is the best of all mousers and ratters. It winds itssinuous way into places impossible to even puss or terrier; and isalways a welcome visitor to settlers' barns. There it becomes a pet,and will live on terms of friendship with its primal foe.

  There were snakes of a very different order in the orange tree. Amongthem the "tiger," most aggressive and poisonous of all the genus. Therewere also specimens of the black and the brown snakes. All these arecobras, and therefore very deadly.

  The snakes, as related, were all more or less torpid with cold, and notpugnaciously inclined. The boys, however, were very careful not todisturb them. There was plenty of golden fruit upon the tree, and itwas in prime condition. The fruit was neatly cut off the stems bystrokes of the paddle blade. When a sufficient quantity was thusplucked, and lay bobbing in the water, they were poked out from the treeby the same means, and secured. The boat lay off a little distance fromthe tree while the crew indulged in a feed of the luscious fruit. Avisit was then paid to a plantain grove, and a quantity, both of greenand ripe fruit, was secured.

  "Where away now, Joe?" said Tom Hawkins, who was crouched in the bow.

  "I vote," replied the one addressed, who in this, as in everything else,was leader of the band,--"I vote we pull up opposite Commodore Hill andhave a look at the river." The boy forgot for the moment the promisemade to his father to keep mainly about the town end of the back-water.

  Commodore Hill was well up the river, and on the other side. Theflooded gully by which the water obtained entrance, it has beenexplained, ran parallel with the river for some distance; in some placesbeing not more than a few yards therefrom. The boys were curious to seethe river stretch above the Bend; also to note the numbers offlooded-out settlers who might be camped in that vicinity. Accordinglythe boat's bow is turned, and her course shaped in that direction. Bythis time the river had fallen several feet, and, as a consequence,there was an outward drift of the slack waters, making a gentle current.

  "'Member, Joe, what your dad said about takin' the boat into thestream."

  "Think I've forgot, stupid!"

  "Thought I'd remind you, anyhow," replied the bowman. As a matter offact, Tom had an uneasy feeling that his mate would not be content whenthey got to the mouth to remain there without having a dash at thestream.

  "Listen to me; I ain't goin' to run any risks. We won't go to the mouthentrance. What we'll do is this: work up to the swamp end, have a lookround, and come back again."

  With this defined object in view the boat continued its voyage, helpedby the current, which, the farther up they proceeded, became stronger,as was to be expected.

  But one thing had happened of which the boys were in entire ignorance.And this particular happening was to produce startling and unexpectedeffects. At a certain spot in the gully, and at a point where it beganto deviate from the general stream, there was a branch gully, which boreinwards to within a few yards of the river's brink. When the water wasat its highest in the river, that in the lagoon was much higher at thispoint, inasmuch as the back-water was at the same level as at theentrance, some two miles higher up; the difference in height being theriver's fall in that distance. Roughly speaking, the water there wasabout ten feet higher than that in the river.

  The rush of the stream on the river side had caused the bank to give wayabout
this point during the night, and the lagoon, or back-waters,forced themselves into the river through the new channel, which widenedconsiderably as a consequence. On nearing this place the boys becameconscious of a quickening of the current.

  "My golly, Joe! this big current," said Yellow Billy, who, with Jimmy,was at the oars. "Must be goin' twenty mile."

  "Twenty mile! you goose. We're goin' six or seven and that's mightyfast."

  "I say, Joe," called Jimmy a second later, the boys having ceasedrowing, for there was no further need, "bes' run her ashore, or we'll becarried out. By gosh, she's tearing away!"

  "All right, mates, keep cool. There's the old mahogany ahead, we'll tieup there; we'll be there in a minute."

  Yes, the boys would need all their coolness, for Joe was reckoningwithout up-to-date knowledge, and that made all the difference in theworld. Rounding a clump of trees at this moment, or ever they wereaware the boat fairly sucked into the channel of furiously rushing andtumultuously heaping waters that were finding their level by the newlymade short-cut.

  "Oh! oh! I--I say!" shouted Tom. "We're being swept into the river!Back water!"

  Joe, quicker than the others, had hit the situation, and turned theboat's nose to a clump of bushes, but before the rowers could pick uptheir oars to help him the boat had swept past. Tom, it is true, made afrantic grasp at the bough, but the way on the boat was so strong thatthe branch, when the full force of the current bore on her at hermomentary check, snapped like a pipe-stem, and the little craft was fairin the turgid stream, which had now the velocity of a water-race. Theincident of the half-arrest, however, had turned her head up-stream,which was a providential thing. The river break-away was at most threehundred yards away. To turn the boat into the perpendicular sides ofthe channel was to court destruction; for, be it said, the maddenedwaters had excavated the banks until they rose sheer from the water'sedge.

  The necessities of the case came like an inspiration to Joe. The boatwas drifting, as we have said, stern first, the advantage of which willbe seen. Save Joe, whom the sense of responsibility braced to immediateaction, the boys were speechless with consternation. One look at theirblanched faces was sufficient. They were certainly alive to the dangersof the situation.

  "Pull, boys! pull with all your might! We'll keep her head up. This'llcheck her speed a bit. It'll give her steerage way too, and save hergettin' broadside on."

  The pullers put every ounce of strength into their strokes, and this wasvery helpful. The final rush into the cross-current was a most criticalmoment, and might easily have resulted in disaster. This was avertedonly by Joe's coolness and dexterity.

  "Oars out!" cried he as the boat swept into the angry and turbulentriver. Save for shipping some water, and drenching the crew with spray,the little craft weathered the river plunge. An involuntary "Oh!" camefrom the boys as the boat shot the rapids and soused into the river.Immediately she came under the influence of two currents; that goingoutward from the chute, and the swift down-river stream.

  This effect was to take them instantly well out toward the centre of theflood, with a strong drift which carried the boat into the vicinity ofthe Bend. The river bend gave the current a direction which set acrossto the other side. This diagonal movement was accelerated by the chutewaters, which retained their impetus, in a measure, for a considerabledistance.

  Downward then, and cross-wise to the northern bank, the frail craftsped, the sport and play of the watery element. Dangers stood, orrather, drifted thick around the adventurers. Picture for a moment atiny vessel, some fifteen feet over all, whose timbers are of theproverbial egg-shell thickness, shot into an angry, bubbling cauldron,whose tumultuous waters heaved and swirled, hissed and roared, ininarticulate sound and motion.

  That, in itself, were an experience of sufficient magnitude to quickenthe blood, test the nerves, and try the courage of the hardiestwaterman. Add to the perils of that situation a thousand floatingdangers, any one of which might crush that tiny, drifting cockle-shellout of existence, and you have the position which faced and surroundedthe affrighted lads on the demon-ridden waters.