Part 13 (1/2)
Near the bluff were many low, stony hills, with the usual sh and low for water until darkness overtook us To the North other si a part of the Ernest Giles Range (Wells, 1892) No doubt fro Our carees 59 ust 7th we continued to search the hills, but had to leave the water We had now been since July 29th without seeing any, and in consequence of the ease hich we had, up to that date, found water had not husbanded our supply as carefully as we ht have done, and now had to put ourselves on a very short allowance indeed The further we advanced the worse the country becareater the increase in teain on to sandhills About h, as I cut the fresh tracks of two black-fellows
Warri, after a short examination, said, ”Yesterday track water that way,”
pointing in the direction in which they were travelling; not that he could possibly tell which way the water lay, and for all we knew they ht have just left it However, we decided that better success would probably attend us if we followed them forward Soon several equally fresh tracks joined the first ones, and not one of us doubted but that our present discomforts would shortly be over
”There eneral opinion, and so on ent gaily; Warri leading, and Charlie, as an al and turning, crossing and recrossing of our own tracks, the footprints at last took a definite direction, and a pad, beaten by perhaps a dozen feet, led away North-West for two miles and never deviated Any doubts as to Warri's correct interpretation were now dispelled, and on we hurried, looking forward to at least water for ourselves, and perhaps a drink for the caa scrub, over sand and stones, on which the tracks were hardly visible, we cae, and there in the centre of the flat rock lay before us a fair-sized rock-hole--dry as a bone!--and all our visions of luxury for our beasts and ourselves were ended
Not only e baulked of our water, but nothing but dead scrub surrounded the rock, affording no feed for the ca the rest to dig out the hole on the chance of getting a drop, though it was evident that the natives had cleaned it out nearly to the bottom, Warri and I started off to follow the tracks yet further Taking a handful of dried peaches to chehich give a little moisture, for ere very dry, alked until darkness overtook us The tracks (a man, tomen, and a child) led us back towards the West; we could see their camps, one close to the na about, and a few roots pulled up Warri said they were ”tired fella” from the way they walked All this made us doubtful if they knehere the next water was In any case we could ht, and h the scrub, to the cahbouring hills, while Breaden and Charlie cleaned out the rockhole with like result A very hot, cloudy night did not s any more pleasant; ere all a bit done, and poor Charlie was seized with a violent and painful vo--a not unusual accompaniment to want of food and water It seemed useless to follow the tracks anydirection; and as we loaded the ca two turkeys (bustards) flew over us to the North-East We would have given soe!
We started, therefore, in this direction, and soon came on other tracks, which after some time we concluded were only those of natives who had been hunting from the rock-hole before the water was finished
I called a halt, and, sitting on the sand, expoundedthrough this country--that was theback, even if wise, was not to be considered The tracks had fooled us once, and though doubtless by following theet some water, where would we be at the end of it? No further forward Therefore, since we had still a drop or two to go on with, let us continue on our course None of us have any idea where water is, and by travelling North, East, South, or West, we stood an equally good chance of getting it We would therefore go on in our proper direction, and trust to God, Providence, Fate, or Chance, as each ht think I should feel reed with mine, for, whatever the outcome, the responsibility rested on me”
Breaden answered quietly, ”It's a o where you think best” Godfrey's reply was characteristic, ”Don't care a d--n; if we are going to peg out ill, whichever e turn” Charlie was inclined at first to question the wisdoreed to do as the rest So on I went, ainst his will Possibly I could not--so far as I know, no occasion arose
The day eltering, the night worse; in any other country one could with safety have backed heavily the fall of a thunderstorm We had to be content, where ere, with about three drops of rain; and even this, in spite of tents, flys, and mackintosh-sheets spread for the purpose, ere unable to collect! Towards dawn the therreatly to our advantage, though the sun soon after rising showed his power The ridges were now running alave us in consequence little trouble Up to this point I had walked all day, partly because one can steer better on foot and I wished to do all the steering, until we picked up the point on Forrest's route, and so give my companions confidence; and partly because I looked upon it as the leader's duty to set an exa for an hour--a great relief Sand is weary walking and spinifex unpleasant until one's legs get callous to its spines
We had not gone far before our hopes were again raised, and again dashed, by coround and presently on another rockhole--quite dry!
We began to think that there could be no water anywhere; this hole ell protected and should hold water for ood, nor served to decrease the horrid sticky feeling of lips and mouth
”Better luck next time,” we said, with rather forced cheerfulness, and once more turned our faces to the North-East
CHAPTER V
WATER AT LAST
Presently a single track caught my eye, fresh apparently, and unmistakably that of a ”buck” We all crowded round to exaht of the owner not a hundred yards ahead, engrossed in unearthing an iguana and entirely ignorant of our presence A hasty consultation; ”Catch him,” said someone, Breaden I think, and off we started--I first, and Godfrey near behind He saw us now and fled, so, shouting to Breaden to stay with the camels, and to Charlie, asforeht me down, and, exhausted from short rations, I lay, unable to run further Not so Godfrey, who held on rabbed the black-fellow as he turned to avoid Charlie on the ca his feelings by h abortive attack on Godfrey, he soon calmed down and exaht of us, close observation could find nothing very remarkable about him A man of about 5 feet 8 inches, thin but e feet and sar his hair back in a ragged, h his nose, a hole ready to hold a bone or stick--such was this child of the wilderness By signs we e procession started, the ”buck” (the general ter the way at a pace too fast for us or our camels
Guarded on one side by Breaden, I on the other, we plied our new friend with salt beef, both to cement our friendshi+p, and promote thirst, in order that for his own sake he should not play us false For five hours we held on our way, curiously enough al often to stop awhile to allow the caravan to overtake us Buoyed up by the certainty of water so long as we had the buck with us we pushed on, until just after sunset the country changed from sand to stony rises and we felt sure a rock-hole was not far off A little further, and, by the uncertain light, we could see a fair-sized hole ater in it I ran ahead, and was the first to realise that the native had deceived us; the hole was dry! and must have been so for months
No sooner did the buck see that I had found him out than he made a sudden bolt and atteh to pass Breaden This was indeed a disappointuide would lead us anywhere into the sand and try to escape, but I never guessed that he would tantalise us as he had done In any case, so long as he ith us, wehim escape With a rope we secured hiht
Never were jailers ilant, for that black-fellow meant our lives
He tried all h He would lie still with closed eyes for a tile to wrench the rope away from his captor; then stealthily with his foot he tried to push the rope into the fire; then he started rubbing it on the rock on which we lay; and last of all his teeth were brought into use When my turn came to watch, I pretended to sleep, to see what he would do, and so discovered all his tricks I confess that I saith delight the evident feelings of thirst that before long overcame him--the salt beef had done its duty; he had had no water of course, for we had none to give hier in the ht he showed signs of distress, and anxiety to go on, standing up and stretching out his long, thin ar in three different directions, putting his head back and pointing with his chin, runt and a puff To the East, to the North-East, and to the South-West from where we had come, he made it clear that water existed Evidently we had not been far froht hi us away froed we and our ca by the dry rock-hole we could see forconsiderably lower than where ere; not a cheerful view--sand-ridges always! Not a hill or range to be seen, and yet people have doubted if this really is a desert!
It may happen that in days to coion and therefore I will leave out no description that could assist the Billy (for so had we named the buck) eventually took us to The dry rock-hole (Mulundella) is situated on a surface outcrop of desert sandstone, about fifty yards across surrounded by thickNorth-East and South-West
On the North and East side of the outcrop the ground suddenly drops, for what appears from the distance as a line of sheer cliffs Down this steep slope, which is covered with scrub, we discovered a passage, and, at the foot, found ourselves in an open spinifex plain with a sand-ridge on either hand We were steering NE by N, and in consequence had now and again to cross a ridge, since they ran due North-East After three miles low outcrops of lih of the ridges becarass, buck-bush or ”Roly-Poly” (SALSOLA KALI) and low acacia Hugging the ridge on our left, we followed along this belt for another one and a half uide, secured to my belt by a rope round his waist, stopped and excitedly pointed out what seeht to be three rock-holes, in a small, bare patch of limestone not ht or left and ould never have seen it; and to this spot King Billy had brought us full speed, only stopping once to exae, as if to ht valley
On further investigation the three holes turned out to be entrances, of which tere large enough for aperpendicularly to a cave beneath With the help of a rope Charlie and I descended twenty-five feet to the floor of the chamber, which we found to be covered with sand to a depth of two feet In the sand we dug holes but did not succeed in getting even ed as ere so suddenly into darkness, our eyes could distinguish no passage leading froain Further exploration by the light of candles revealed two passages, one leading west and upwards, the other east and doards Charlie chose the latter; before long I ca but bats, bones of birds and dingoes, and old native ca on hands and knees down a steep slope--progress was slow, as the floor was rough and the ceiling jagged; presently the passage dropped again, and at the end, below us, we could see our candles reflected, and knew that at last we had water! Who, except those who have had sis of relief! ”Thank God! thank God!” is all one can reiterate in one's ain The visible supply of water was s! Not wasting valuable time in discussion, we crawled back with all speed to the cave, shouted up the joyful news, and called for buckets and billies to bale with The King was now allowed to descend, but not unguarded, as we must first ascertain the value of our supply We could understand nohy he had insisted on carrying with hi branch (a ”fire-stick”); for he proceeded to make a fire on the floor of the cave froe, to light him; after some hesitation he took a candle instead, and bolted down the passage like a rat Hefrom the time he stayed below and froreat deal more than any of us and yet had been a comparatively short ti on starvation rations for a good number of days