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Bunyip Land: A Story of Adventure in New Guinea, a novel by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 15. How Jack Penny Was Persecuted By Pigs |
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_ CHAPTER FIFTEEN. HOW JACK PENNY WAS PERSECUTED BY PIGS I have often thought since what a wild journey ours was, and how ignorant we must have been to plunge recklessly and in such a haphazard way into a country that, though an island, is a long way on towards being large enough to be called a continent. Still we made the venture, and somehow as soon as a peril was passed we all looked upon it as belonging to yesterday, and troubled ourselves about it no more. I had risen on the morning after our nocturnal adventure feeling despondent and sleepy; but the bright sunshine and the tempting odour of roasting bird stuck on a stick close to the flame, soon made me forget the troubles of the night, and an hour later, with every one in the best of spirits, we made a fresh start, keeping near the river, but beneath the shade of the trees, for the sun seemed to be showering down burning arrows, and wherever we had to journey across the open the heat was intense. In the shady parts the green of the undergrowth looked delicate and pale, but in the sunshine it was of the most vivid green; and bathing in it, as it were, flies and beetles hummed and buzzed, and beat their gauzy wings, so that they seemed invisible, while wherever there was a bare patch of stony or rocky earth lizards were hurrying in and out, and now and then a drab-looking little serpent lay twisted up into a knot. The bearers stepped along lightly enough beneath their loads, and I observed that they never looked to right or left, or seemed to admire anything before them, their eyes being always fixed upon the earth where they were about to plant their feet. Ti-hi in particular tried to warn me to be on the look-out, pointing over and over again to the spade-headed little serpents we saw now and then gliding in amongst the grass. "Killum," said Jimmy upon one of these occasions, and he suited the word to the action by striking one of these little reptiles with his spear and breaking its back. After this he spat viciously at the little creature, picking it up by its tail and jerking it right away amongst the trees. "No killum kill all a body," said Jimmy nodding; and he went through a sort of pantomime, showing the consequences of being bitten by a viper, beginning with drowsiness, continuing through violent sickness, which it seemed was followed by a fall upon the earth, a few kicks and struggles, and lastly by death, for the black ended his performance by stretching himself out stiffly and closing his eyes, saying: "Jimmy dead; black fellow dig big hole and put um in de ground. Poor old Jimmy!" Then he jumped up and laughed, saying: "Killum all um snake! No good! No!" "I say, Joe Carstairs," said Jack Penny, who had watched the performance with a good deal of interest; "don't that chap ever get tired?" "Oh yes; and goes to sleep every time he gets a chance," I said. "Yes! but don't his back ache? Mine does, horrid, every day, without banging about like that;" and as if he felt his trouble then Jack Penny turned his rueful-looking boy's face to me and began softly rubbing his long man's back just across the loins. It was very funny, too, when Jack was speaking earnestly. In an ordinary conversation he would go on drawl, drawl, drawl in a bass voice; but whenever he grew excited he began to squeak and talk in a high-pitched treble like a boy, till he noticed it himself, and then he would begin to growl again in almost an angry tone; and this was the case now. "Here, you're laughing!" he said savagely. "I can't help being tall and thin, and having a gruff voice like a man, when I'm only a boy. I don't try to be big and tall! I grew so. And I don't try to talk gruff." "Oh yes! you do, Jack," I said. "Well, p'r'aps I do; but I don't try to talk thin, like I do sometimes." "I couldn't help laughing, Jack," I said, holding out my hand. "I did not mean to ridicule you." He gave my hand quite an angry slap and turned away, but only to come back directly. "Here, I say; I beg your pardon, Joe Carstairs," he said, holding out his hand, which I shook heartily. "I wish I hadn't got such a beastly bad temper. I do try not to show it, but it makes me wild when people laugh at me." "Well, I won't laugh at you any more, Jack," I said earnestly. "No, don't; there's a good chap," he said, with the tears in his eyes. "It's partly why I came away from home, you know. I wanted to come and find the professor, of course, and I like coming for the change; but it's principally that." "Principally _that_!" I said. "I don't understand you, Jack." "Why, I mean about being laughed at! Everybody has always been laughing at me, because I grew so thin and long and weak-looking, and I got tired of it at last, and was precious glad to come out to New Guinea to stop till I had grown thicker. For I said to myself, I don't s'pose the savage chaps will laugh at me, and if they do I can drop on 'em and they won't do it again." "It must have been unpleasant, Jack," I said. "It's horrid, old fellow," he said confidentially; "and all the more because you are obliged to laugh at it all when you feel as if you'd like to double 'em up and jump on 'em." "Well, there, Jack; I give you my word I won't laugh at you again." "Will you?" cried Jack, with his face beaming, and looking quite pleasant. "Well, that is kind of you. If the doctor wouldn't laugh either I should be as happy as the day's long." "I'll ask him not to," I said. "Oh, no; don't do that!" he cried quickly then; "he'd leave off laughing at me just out of pity, and I'd rather he laughed at me than pitied me, you know. Don't ask him not." "All right!" I said. "I will not." "I'd rather he laughed at me," said Jack again thoughtfully; "for I like the doctor; he's such a brave chap. I say, Joe Carstairs, I wish I could grow into a big broad-chested brave chap with a great beard, like the doctor." "So you will some day." "Tchah!" he cried impatiently. "Look there--there's long thin arms! There's a pair of legs! And see what a body I've got. I ain't got no looking-glass here, but last time I looked at myself my head and face looked like a small knob on the top of a thin pump." "You let yourself alone, and don't grumble at your shape," I said sturdily, and to tell the truth rather surprising myself, for I had no idea that I was such a philosopher. "Your legs are right enough. They only want flesh and muscle, and it's the same with your arms. Wait a bit and it will all come, just as beards do when people grow to be men." "I sha'n't never have any beard," said Jack, dolefully; "my face is as smooth as a girl's!" "I daresay the doctor was only a little smooth soft baby once," I said; "and now see what he is." "Ah! ain't he a fine fellow?" said Jack. "I'm going to try and do as he does, and I want to have plenty of pluck; but no sooner do I get into a scrape than I turn cowardly, same as I did over that little humbug of a crocodile." "Don't talk nonsense, Jack!" I said. "'Tisn't nonsense! Why, if I'd had as much courage as a wallaby I should have kicked that thing out of the water; and all I did was to lay hold of a bough and holler murder!" "I didn't hear you," I said. "Well, _help_! then. I know I hollered something." "And enough to make you. The doctor said he is sure he should not have borne it so bravely as you." "No: did he? When?" "To be sure he did, when we were sitting watching last night." "Bah! it was only his fun. He was laughing at me again." "He was not," I said decidedly. "He was in real earnest." "Oh!" said Jack softly; and there was once more the pleasant light in his countenance that quite brightened it up. I was going to say something else, but he made a motion with his hand as if asking me to be silent; and he walked on to the front to go behind Ti-hi, who was first man, while I went and marched beside the doctor, and chatted with him about the country and our future prospects. "It seems, almost too lovely," I said; "and it worries me because I feel as if I ought to be sad and unhappy, while all the time everything seems so beautiful that I can't help enjoying it." "In spite of perils and dangers, Joe, eh?" he said smiling; and then we went on threading our way amongst the magnificent trees, and every now and then coming upon one standing all alone, its position having allowed of its growing into a perfect state. Again we came upon one of these, literally alive with parrots; and, as I stopped to admire them, I could see that when they opened their vivid green wings the inner parts were of a brilliant flame colour, and there was a ruddy orange patch upon the little feathers at the inset of their tails. Then we came upon monkeys again, quite a family of them, and instead of running away and leaping from branch to branch they began to chatter and shriek and dash about in the greatest excitement, just as if they were scolding us for coming among them, chattering among themselves directly after as if meditating an attack. Before another hour had passed, after noting the beauty of the butterflies, which seemed to increase in number as we penetrated farther into the interior, we came next upon an enormous tree full of gaudily-tinted parroquets, which were nearly as numerous as the parrots of an hour before. "We sha'n't want for food, Joe," the doctor said, "so long as we have plenty of powder; parroquets and parrots are fruit birds, and splendid eating. Look there." As he spoke he raised his gun, fired, and directly the report had struck my ears I saw Jimmy and Gyp set off at full speed. They returned both at odds, the one growling, the other calling his rival a bad bunyip dog, but both holding tightly by a large bird, Gyp having its head, Jimmy the legs. It proved to be something between a turkey and a pheasant, and from its look it promised to be good eating, for which purpose it was handed over to Ti-hi's care. The leader now bore off a little to our left, the result being that we once more struck the river, to find it a large swift stream, but not an attractive place for travellers, since from that one spot where we stood beneath the shelter of some trees I counted at least twenty crocodiles floating slowly down, with the protuberances above their eyes just visible, and here and there at least thirty more lying about on the muddy banks. Towards evening, as we were journeying slowly on, Jimmy came running back to fetch me, and catching me by the hand he led me through some bushes to where a thickly wooded park-like stretch of land began, and motioning me to be silent and follow him he crept from tree to tree, till, having reached what he considered to be a satisfactory position, he pointed upward, and from behind the tree where we were ensconced I looked among the branches far overhead, and for the first time saw one of those wonderfully plumaged creatures--the birds of paradise. I could have stopped there for long, gazing at the beautiful creatures with their fountain-like plumage of pale gold, but time would not permit of my lagging behind, and to Jimmy's great disgust I hurried back, and determined that no object should lead me away from the great aim of our journey. The turkey was ample as a meal for us, but we wanted food for our followers, so as to husband our flour and biscuits. Birds were all very well, but we wanted to kill something more substantial, and for a long time past we had seen no sign of deer, though traces of buffalo were pretty frequent in spots where they had made a peculiar track down to the river, evidently going regularly to quench their thirst. The sight of the buffalo tracks formed the subject of a discussion. Fresh meat was wanted for our followers, who made very light of birds, and one of these animals would have been invaluable to us just then; but the doctor decided that it would not be prudent to follow them, they being rather dangerous beasts, and therefore, though the meat would have been so useful both for present use and to dry in the sun, we gave up the idea of trying to obtain any, preferring to trust to finding deer, and continued our journey. We had gone very little farther, and I was just about to propose to the doctor that we should venture as far as the river and try for some fish, when there was an alarm given by the native who was leading, and in an instant loads were thrown down and every man sought refuge in a tree. We did not understand the natives' words, but their actions were easy enough to read, and all followed their example, the doctor and I getting up into the same tree, one which forked very low down, and we were just in safety when we heard a cry, and saw that Jack Penny was in difficulties. He too had climbed part of the way into a tree, when he had slipped, and in spite of all his efforts he could not at first contrive to get back; and this was just as a rushing noise was heard, that I thought must be a herd of buffalo, but, directly after, a drove of small wild pig came furiously charging down. My attention was divided between the sight of the pigs and Jack Penny, whose long legs kept dropping down, and then being spasmodically snatched up. I burst into a roar of laughter, and Jimmy, who was standing, spear in hand, upon a branch, holding on by another, danced with excitement and delight. "Pull yourself right up, Jack," I shouted, and I had hard work to make my voice heard above the grunting and squealing. "I can't," he yelled back. "Then kick out at the little brutes," I shouted; and just then he lowered himself to the full length of his arms, swung to and fro, and half-a-dozen pigs rushed at him, but he had gained impetus, and just as they made a dash at him he swung his legs up, and clung with them to a branch. "Hurrah!" I shouted; and then a sharp squeal uttered by one unfortunate pig as Jimmy drove his spear through it as it passed beneath his feet, and the sharp report of the doctor's piece, brought me to my senses. The scene had been so comical, especially as regarded Jack Penny, that I had forgotten that I was letting several good dinners slip away, and I had just time to get a quick shot at one of the pigs which was stamping his hoof and grunting defiantly at Jack Penny, before the whole drove, including one that had received an arrow from Ti-hi's bow, swept by us as hurriedly as they came, and were gone. "Not hurt, are you, Jack?" I said, preparing to jump. "Keep your place," cried the doctor; "they may come back." "Well, I shall have a better shot at them," I said. "You foolish boy!" cried the doctor. "Why, the boars would rip you to pieces." I returned to my place at this, and it was fortunate that I did so, for directly after, as if in the wildest of haste, the pig drove came dashing back, to stop as hastily as they came up, and stand snapping, tossing their heads, grunting, squealing, and at times literally barking at us. A couple of shots which laid low one of their party seemed, however, to scare them, and they dashed on once more, and hardly had they gone twenty yards before there was a loud thud and Jack Penny fell from the branch, where he had been clinging, flat upon his back. "Oh my!" he cried, as he sat up and looked about. "I couldn't hold on any longer. It's lucky they are gone." "Look out!" I cried, swinging myself down, dropping my gun, and pulling my hatchet from my belt; but Jack would have fared badly if he had depended on me. For the little boar that had been wounded by an arrow, had dropped, apparently dying, when its companions swept by the second time, but it had fierce life enough left in it to take advantage of Jack Penny's helpless condition, and leaping up it charged at him, its tusks glistening, and the foam tossed from its snapping jaws falling upon its sides. A bullet would have given the fierce beast its quietus, but the doctor would not fire for fear of hitting Jack, and he sat with his gun raised waiting for an opportunity. Jack saw his danger and rolled himself over, trying vainly the while to drag his axe from his belt. Then just as the furious little boar was dashing at him, I saw something black dart down from above; there was a rush, a squeal, and the boar was literally pinned to the earth, while Jimmy stood grinning and staring from the doctor to me and back, as if asking to be complimented upon his feat. For it really was a feat. He had jumped fully ten feet to the ground spear in hand, and literally thrown himself upon the little boar. "A magnificent jump, Jimmy," I cried. "Jimmy de boy to jump," he said, complacently. "Pig, pig kill Mass Jack Penny, Jimmy no spear um." "Yes, I 'spect I should have ketched it pretty warmly," said Jack, gathering himself up. "Oh, I say, I did come down such a bump, Joe Carstairs. It seemed to shake my back joints all to pieces." "Jimmy spear um lil pig, pig," said the black. "Yes, and I'll give you my knife for it," said Jack, taking out his great clasp-knife. "It's a real good one, Jimmy, and I wouldn't have parted with it for a deal." "Jimmy got knife," said the black, with a contemptuous look. "Jimmy don't want knife." "Well, then, what shall I give you?" said Jack. "Tickpence," said he, grinning; "give Jimmy tickpence." "Why, what for?" I cried. "What are you going to do with _tick_ pence?" "Spend um," said Jimmy; "black fellow spend money, money. Give Jimmy all a tickpence." "But there's nowhere to spend it," I said. "Nev mind, Jimmy spend tickpence all a same. Give Jimmy tickpence." Jack had not a single coin about him, neither had I, but fortunately the doctor had one, which he handed to Jack, who gave it to the delighted black, and it was forthwith thrust into the pocket of the curtailed trousers, after which he strutted about, leaving the other blacks to perform the duty of dressing the pigs. _ |
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