Bunyip Land Part 46

Some of the women appeared to be occupied in domestic work, preparing some kind of bread, others busily stripped the feathers from some large birds brought in by men who seemed to have been hunting.

I noticed all this feeling calm and restful now, and I was lying wondering whether Jack Penny and the doctor would find out where I was, when I heard a scuffling noise, which seemed to come from a hut where there was a crowd of the people standing.

Then there was a repet.i.tion of the scene I had previously witnessed, Jimmy being brought out, kicking, struggling, and full of fight.

The blacks seemed to want to drag him to the tree where I had seen him tied, but to this Jimmy objected strongly. The way in which he b.u.t.ted at his captors, and kicked out like a gra.s.shopper, would have been most laughable had I not been anxious, for I felt sure that it would result in his hurting some one, and being rewarded with a blow on the head or a spear thrust.

I grew so excited at last as the struggle went on that I waited till there was a moment's pause when Jimmy and his captors were drawing breath for a fresh attack, and shouted with all my might--

"Jimmy! be quiet!"

My guard, for there was still one at the door, jumped up and stared in, while Jimmy and his captors looked in my direction.

Jimmy was the first to break silence by shouting loudly: "Ma.s.s Joe!

Ma.s.s Joe!"

"Here!" I shouted back; but I repented the next moment, for Jimmy uttered a yell and made a bound to run towards where he had heard the sound.

The result was that one savage threw himself down before the prisoner, who fell headlong, and before he could recover, half a dozen of the blacks were sitting upon him.

My heart seemed to stand still, and I felt that poor Jimmy's end had come, but to my delight I could see that our captors were laughing at the poor fellow's mad efforts to escape, and I shouted to him once again:

"Be quiet! Lie still!"

There was no answer, for one of the men was sitting on Jimmy's head; but he ceased struggling, and after a while the blacks rose, circled about him with their spears, and a couple of them began to push my companion towards the tree to which he had before been bound.

"Jimmy no fight?" he shouted to me.

"Not now," I shouted back. "Wait."

"All rightums," cried Jimmy: "but gettum waddy back, gibs um bang, bang--knock.u.m downum--whack, whack--bangum, bangum!"

This was all in a voice loud enough for me to hear, as the poor fellow allowed his captors to bind him to the tree, after which he hung his head and pretended or really did go to sleep.

Towards evening I saw the blacks take Jimmy some food, and some was brought to me; and as I sat up and ate and drank I saw the strangely-marked savage and the boy come into the centre of the s.p.a.ce by the huts, and lie down near Jimmy, who behaved a good deal after the fas.h.i.+on of some captured beast, for he raised his head now and then, utterly ignoring those who were around, and staring straight before him.

But in his case it was not right away toward the forest, but in the direction of the hut where I was confined, and even at the distance where I lay I could read the eagerness in the black's countenance as he waited to hear me speak.

It was getting fast towards sundown, and I was wondering how long they would leave Jimmy tied up to the tree, and fighting hard to get rid of an idea that kept coming to me, namely, that the savages were feeding us and keeping us for an object that it made me shudder to think about, when I noted a little excitement among the people. There was some loud talking, and directly after about a dozen came to my prison and signed to me to get up.

I rose to my knees and then tried to stand, but my ankles were still so painful that I winced. By a stern effort, though, I stood up, and a st.u.r.dy black on either side took my arms and hurried me to a tree close by the one where Jimmy was tied.

As we crossed the opening I saw the boy and the tall painted savage standing by the door of a hut on one side, the latter holding a long spear ta.s.selled with feathers, and I supposed him to be the chief, or perhaps only the doctor or conjuror of the village.

Jimmy's delight knew no bounds. He shouted and sang and laughed, and then howled, with the tears running down his cheeks.

"Hi, yup! Jimmy glad as big dingo dog for mutton bones!" he cried.

"How quite well, Ma.s.s Joe? Jimmy so glad be with you. Seems all over again, Ma.s.s Joe, and Jimmy knock all black fellow up and down--make um run, run. Whatum, Ma.s.s Joe--legs?"

"Only with being tied up so tightly, Jimmy. They're getting better. My head is the worst."

"Head um worse, Ma.s.s Joe! Show Jimmy black debble hurt um head. Jimmy whack um, whack um too much can't say kangaroo."

"No, no! wait a bit, Jimmy," I said, as the blacks bound me to the tree.

"We must watch for our time."

"Watch?" said Jimmy; "watch? Doctor got um watch clock. Tick, tick, tick!"

"Where is the doctor?" I said.

"Jimmy don't know little bitums. Doctor go one way. Ma.s.s Jack-Jack Penny-Penny, one way find Ma.s.s Joe. Jimmy-Jimmy, go one way find Ma.s.s Joe. Jimmy-Jimmy find um. Hooray! Nebber shall be slabe!"

"I hope not, Jimmy," I said, smiling. "So the doctor and Jack Penny and you all went to find me, and you were seized by the blacks?"

"Dats um--all lot take um way," cried Jimmy. "Only Jimmy find Ma.s.s Joe.

Come along a black fellow. All jump atop Jimmy. Jimmy fight um, kick um--play big goose berry strong black fellow. Too much big coward big.

Topper, topper, Jimmy head um. Go sleep um. Bring um here."

"Too many of them, and they hit you on the head and stunned you?"

"Hiss! 'tunned Jimmy. Hiss! 'tunned Jimmy. Send um all asleep. Topper head."

"Never mind the topper they gave you, Jimmy. We'll escape and find our friends."

"Don't know um," said Jimmy dolefully. "Bad good black fellow got no muttons--no grub--no wallaby. Eat Ma.s.s Joe--eat Jimmy."

"Do you think they are cannibals, Jimmy?" I said excitedly.

Jimmy opened his mouth and his eyes very wide and stared at me.

"I say, do you think they are cannibals? How stupid! Do you think they eat man?"

"Yes; 'tupid, 'tupid. Eat man, lot o' man. Bad, bad. Make um sick, sick."

I turned cold, for here was corroboration of my fear. This was why they were treating us well instead of killing us at once; and I was turning a shuddering look at the circle of black faces around me when Jimmy exclaimed:

"Sha'n't ums eat Jimmy. No, no. Jimmy eat a whole lot fust. No eat Ma.s.s Joe. Jimmy killum killum all lot."

I stood there tightly bound, talking from time to time to the black, happier in mind at having a companion in my imprisonment, and trying to make him understand that our best policy was to wait our time; and then when our captors were more off their guard we could perhaps escape.

"No good 't all," said Jimmy, shaking his head. "Go eat um, Ma.s.s Joe, poor Jimmy. Make up fat um--fat um like big sheep. No run at all, catch fas'."

"Not so bad as that, Jimmy," I said, laughing in spite of my position at the idea of being made so fat that we could neither of us run.

Just then there was a movement among our captors, and having apparently satisfied themselves with a long inspection of their prisoners they were evidently about to take us back to our prisons.

"Jimmy gib all big kick?" said the black.

"No, no," I cried, "go quietly."