Nat the Naturalist: A Boy's Adventures in the Eastern Seas

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.

  EBO DOES NOT APPROVE OF NEW GUINEA FOR REASONS THAT APPEAR.

  It did not seem to matter to Ebo where we went so long as he was withus. He must have been a man of five-and-thirty, and he was brave as alion--as the lion is said to be in the story, for in reality he is agreat sneak--but Ebo seemed to have the heart of a boy. He was ready tolaugh when I did, and sit by me when I was ill or tired, his face fullof sympathy, and no sooner was I better than it was the signal for atriumphal dance.

  Ebo was as happy now as could be. It did not matter to him where wewere going, and he laughed and chattered and pointed out the fish to meas we skimmed over the shallow water of the coral reefs, sometimesapproaching islands whose names we did not know, and which wereapparently too small to be down in the chart; but whatever temptationsthey might hold out my uncle steered right on due north, and on theevening of the second day there was land stretching east and west as faras we could see.

  "Now, Nat," he cried, "where is your geography? what place is that?"

  "I should say it must be New Guinea, uncle," I said.

  "Quite right, my boy. Hallo! what's the matter with Ebo?"

  That gentleman had been lying down in the bottom of the boat fast asleepfor the past three hours, as he was to sit up and bear me companythrough a part of the night; but having woke up and caught sight of theland he seemed to have become furious.

  Having been with us now so long, he had picked up a good many words,just as we had picked up a good many of his, so that by their help andsigns we got along pretty well. But now it was quite startling to seehis excitement. He seemed so agitated that he could only recollect theword _no_, and this he kept on repeating as he dashed at me and thenleft me, to run to my uncle, seizing the tiller and trying to drag itround so as to alter the direction of the boat.

  "No, no, no, no, no!" he cried. Then pointing to the land he came atme, caught up his spear, and I thought he was going to kill me, for hemade a savage thrust at me which went right past my arm; dropped thespear, caught up his club, forced back my head over the gunwale of theboat, raised his club and made believe to beat me to death, hammeringthe boat side with all his might. After this he made a sham attack uponmy uncle, who, however, took it coolly, and only laughed after seeingthe attack upon me, though I had noticed one hand go to his gun when Ebomade at me with the spear.

  After the black had worked himself up into a perspiration, instead of,as I expected, bursting out laughing, he kept on pointing to the land,crying, "No, no, no!" and then, "Kill bird, kill man, Nat, mi boy, killUng-kul Dit; kill Ebo. No, no, no!"

  "You mean that the savages will kill us if we land?" I said.

  "Kill, kill," he cried, nodding his head excitedly, and banging the sideof the boat with his club; "kill, kill, kill. Kill Ebo, kill Nat, miboy, kill Ung-kul Dit, kill boat, kill, kill. No, no, no!"

  "Well done, Ebo!" cried my uncle laughing. "Your English is splendid.Good boy."

  "Ebo, good boy," cried the black. "No, no, no. Kill, kill."

  "They sha'n't kill us, Ebo," said my uncle, taking up his gun andpointing it at the shore; while, to make his meaning clearer, I did thesame. "Shoot--kill man."

  "Shoot! kill!" cried Ebo, who evidently understood, for he picked up hisspear, and thrust with it fiercely towards the shore. "Yes, shoot; killman," he continued, nodding his head; but he seemed very muchdissatisfied and gazed intently towards the distant land.

  "He seems to know the character of the New Guinea savages, Nat," saidUncle Dick. "I have always heard that they are a fierce and cruel set,but we shall soon see whether it is safe to land."

  We sailed gently on, for it turned out a glorious moonlight night, andaltering our course a little we were at sunrise within a couple of milesof what seemed to be a very beautiful country, wooded to the shore, andrising up inland to towering mountains. Great trees seemed to prevaileverywhere, but we saw no sign of human being.

  "The place looks very tempting, Nat," said uncle, "and if we can hitupon an uninhabited part I expect that we should find some capitalspecimens for our cases. Let us see what the place is like."

  Ebo tried in his fashion to dissuade us from going farther, and it wasevident that the poor fellow was terrible uneasy as the boat was run inclose to the shore, when all at once about a dozen nude black savagescame running down to the water's edge, making signs to us to land, andholding up bunches of bright feathers and rough skins of birds.

  "They look friendly, Nat," said my uncle.

  "Look here; I will land and take them a few presents in beads and brasswire; we shall soon see if they mean mischief."

  "I'll come with you, uncle," I said.

  "No; you stop with the boat and keep her afloat. Here are the guns allready loaded. I don't suppose there will be any danger; but if thereis, you must pepper the enemy with small shot to keep them back--thatis, of course, if you see them attack me."

  "Hadn't I better come, uncle?"

  "No; I shall take Ebo. They may be as simple-hearted and friendly asthe others we have met, and this country must be so grand a collectingground that I cannot afford to be scared away by what may be falsereports raised by people who have behaved ill to the natives."

  He took out a few strings of brightly coloured beads and a little rollof brass wire, and waved them in the air, when the savages shouted andkept on making signs to us to land.

  We were only about twenty yards from the sandy shore now, and we couldsee every expression of face of the New Guinea men, as my uncle threwone leg over the side and then stood up to his knees in the clear water.

  "Kill Ung-kul Dit," said Ebo, clinging to his arm.

  "No, no! Come," replied my uncle.

  Ebo's club was already in his _lingouti_, and picking up his spear hetoo leaped into the water, while I sat down in the boat with the barrelof my gun resting on the gunwale as the sail flapped and the boat rockedsoftly to and fro.

  The people seemed to be delighted as my uncle waded in; but I noted thatthey carefully avoided wetting their own feet, keeping on the dry sandtalking eagerly among themselves; and though I looked attentively Icould see no sign of arms.

  So peaceful and good-tempered did they all look that I was completelythrown off my guard, and wondered how Ebo could be so cowardly as tokeep about a yard behind my uncle, who walked up to them fearlessly, andheld out his hand with a string of beads.

  The New Guinea men chattered and seemed delighted, holding out theirhands and catching eagerly at the beads, snatching them from the giver'shands, and asking apparently for more.

  I saw Uncle Dick sign to them that he wanted some of their birds inexchange.

  They understood him, for they held out two or three skins, and headvanced a step to take them; but they were snatched back directly, and,as if by magic, the savages thrust their hands behind them, and in aninstant each man was flourishing a war-club.

  It all seemed to happen in a moment, and my heart seemed to stand stillas I saw one treacherous savage, over six feet high, strike my uncleover the head with his club, my poor uncle falling as if he had beenkilled.

  It was now that I saw why Ebo had held back behind my uncle, and it wasfortunate that the faithful fellow had followed the guidance of his ownreason. For as, in the midst of a tremendous shouting and yelling, thetall savage bent forward to again strike my uncle I saw Ebo's lancepoint strike him in the throat, and he went down.

  This checked the savages for an instant, long enough to enable the blackto stoop down and get a good grip of Uncle Dick's collar with his lefthand, while with his right he kept making darts with his spear at theyelling savages who kept striking at him with their clubs.

  So tremendous and so true were Ebo's thrusts that I saw another greatblack go down, and a couple more run yelling back towards the densecover from which they had come; but Ebo was in a very critical position.My uncle was heavy, and the black had hard work to drag him over thesand towards the boat, and keep his enemies at bay.r />
  It was now that I saw what a brave warrior and chief our follower mustbe; but I also saw how his enemies had formed a half circle and weretrying to get behind him and cut him off from the boat.

  For the first few moments I had felt helpless; then I had determined toleap over and go to their help; then I saw that I was best where I was,and took aim, ready to fire at the first chance, for I could do nothingat first for fear of injuring my friends. And besides, a horriblefeeling of compunction had come upon me at the thought of having to fireat men--fellow creatures--and I shrank from drawing trigger.

  At last, though, I saw that further hesitation would be fatal. Ebo wasmaking a brave defence, and had wounded several of his assailants as hedragged my uncle to the water's edge. Another step and he could havewaded, easily dragging my uncle over the water, but his enemies had madea savage dash, and one of the boldest had got hold of his spear.

  Another moment and he would have been struck down, when, hesitating nolonger, I took quick aim and fired right into the thick of the blackgroup as far on one side of my uncle as I could.

  As the report rang out, and the stinging shot hissed and scattered,injuring several, they uttered fierce yells and separated for a moment,giving me a better chance to fire again, and I did with such effect thatthe savage who was dragging at Ebo's spear loosed his hold, turned, andran for his life.

  It was a golden moment for our black friend, who made a couple of dartswith his freed weapon, and then backing rapidly drew my uncle throughthe water towards the boat.

  The savages were staggered by the shot from my gun. Many were wounded,but they were trifling small shot-wounds, which only infuriated them asthey saw their prey escaping, and with a rush they came tearing throughthe water, whirling their clubs above their heads and yelling furiously.

  My blood was up now, and in those brief moments I saw our fate, that ofbeing massacred by these treacherous ruthless wretches, to whom we hadmade offerings of peace and good-will. I seemed to see our batteredboat, and then friends at home waiting for news of those who had sailedout here on a peaceful expedition, news that would never come; and acurious pang came over me as I felt that I must save Uncle Dick and hisbrave defender if I could.

  I had already picked up my uncle's loaded double gun, and there were tworifles also loaded ready to my hand, so, taking careful aim now at theforemost of the savage crew just as they were pressing Ebo hard, Ifired.

  I could not see for a moment for the smoke, but as it parted I saw thatthe men were close enough now for the shot to have much more seriouseffect. Two had fallen, but after a moment's hesitation the others madea fresh rush, which I met with another shot, which checked them again;but though another man fell, and half a dozen more were streaming withblood, they only seemed the more infuriate and again came on.

  I did not even then like to use the fatal rifles, but found time to cramin a couple more cartridges, and by this time Ebo had dragged my uncleto the boat, stooped, lifted him in, and then with one hand upon thegunwale kept shoving her off, backing and wading, and thrusting with hisspear at the fierce wretches who came on more savagely than ever.

  The boat moved slowly, but I was hot with excitement now, and I firedonce at a savage who was striking at Ebo, then at a group, and thenthere was a dull heavy thud as a war-club that had been thrown withclever aim struck me full in the forehead, and I fell senseless in thebottom of the boat.