CHAPTER II.

NZ Truth, Issue 76, 1 December 1906, Page 7

CHAPTER 11.

The -Black's Camp—A Prisoner at Large— ■■'■■' ■- : Mulletfs Speech. ,- J 1 Fraser,' or Great Sandy: Island lies to the eastward of ttie boast of Queensland- It is about one hundred miles m length trom north to south, and averages about eighteen miles m width. Oh, the extreme north of , :a point known as 'Sanely Cape, there is » j 'small settlement scattered about near the j Might-house, the light- from which can he seen riiany miles at sea. There is »lsp ; . another light well- known to mariners on the most southern point, but the bulk of the island is practically uninhabited by white 'people.. .. On the. West Coast at a. place called Bor gimbah, there had been: .a Church ot :. England Mission station, established (some few years.before the time when my story opens) for the purpose of converting to Christianity a number of blacks, who had been deported from various .parts of the State by th© Queensland Government. But. as the mixture of Northern criminals, Warrigal blacks from the main land, and Praser Islanders j had not blended harmoniously, the mission had been broken up, and the greater number of the blacks inhabiting it removed to a similar-place m the north, only to find the j same want of success. At last the Great | Master sent a big wind and razed the northern establishment to the ground, arid behold, the last state of those men was worse than the first. Some few blackfellows and gins with their children 'had., been. .left be- j hind to shift for fchemselreg, and they were scattered about m small groups living as best as they could, and only joining issue during one :of their frequent battles or corroborees. -„ When our hero recovered from the stupor into which he had fallen he looked around hardly able to realise that he was the only survivor froni the wreck, and as soon as he was able to move with any degree of ease', he shambled down to the water-hno with the faint hope that some other member of the orew might have been saved, but he could see no living object,. and heard nothing but the dull roar of the waves, as they tumbled m and brok« with a crash almost at his feet. -'. • ' . ■ _■ "No hope," he muttered sadly. "They are all gone. I suppose the only thing. I can do is .to majce tracks across the island, and get aboard, some passing ship, or I might find a fishing vessel. The poor, old skipper said something about a mission Station, but I fancy he said it was abandoned. I must hang around m the shade a bit,- and tnen rlook.-f.pr. some trhiwjd f ood. ? I suppose the Void chip' is about broke Up, and the stuff will soon wash ashore. I'll just— " "Good-day, Boss." . - Harry turned with a. si;art, and confronted an almost naked blackfellow, who had approached -him noiselessly from behind. He was clothed m just the uppor half of a pair of very ragged trousers; which, certainly provided more ventilation than covering, and held a boomerang m one hand, while with the other he was vigorously scratching himself. ■•■■.. "Hello," said Harry, who. did not quite v know whether to be' pleased or frightened. "Where the — • hangmen t did you spring from?" " ...'■, „ ; ' ... "No spring from nowhere, live longa this place. Where you spring from, Boss?" "I've been shipwrecked. Look!" and Harry pointed mournfully to the debris on the beach. "That's all, that is left of my ship, and I'm the only one alive." "What whitepheller go on water at all for? He d— fool, I think it." '(That's so. I wouldn't sell a farm, and go to sea myself just now. But, I jsay mate, can you get me something to eajiP" "You wantem tucka? Come alonga mine. I give tucka." . •■,..:•' The black looked first at the wreckage, then at our herp, after which his good-humor-ed face opened with' a grin, which nearly separated it into two halves, then he turned Hnd walked with a quick spring step towards a clump of forest timber; which :lay, spme, distance inland. Harry followed, up quickly as his stiffened limbs would allow, but soon found that it was impossible to keep pace with his new acquaintance. "Hold' on shipmate,- or you'll leave me too far behind." The Aboriginal stopped and turned, while an expression of contempt crossed his "black but coirifely" face. "Wha" for stop? I 'go. You pick'em up tvdek. S'posfe I stop, plurry gins eatem up all the tucka,'' and turning again ho Hurried off, and was soon swallowed up m the thick hushe'Sj while the shipwrecked seaman slowly, and painfully, picked his way barefooted among the prickly grasses, bare-head-ed beneath the sun's blinding , and> over-, powering : rays, faint with hunger and fatK gue, arid sorely bruised from the knocking about he had received m reaching the shore. Still; ,^e. struggjecVon, and, afjte'r .what seemed to him a tramp of some"" miles, but which was really only about 600 yards, he found himself, for the first time m his life, m an aboriginal's "camp." ..:.'•'- This "camp" consisted of a number of "gunyahs," or rough sheds ;of branches; And one or two "hnimpies," These latter were merely sheets of bark placed endways m the foi-mof-Vtrunqatecl cone, the flat top being formed by a curled sheet of the same material, which held the others m their places, the whole structure being supported by forked sticks, which seemed to have become "upV ended" by mistake, as they were wofully m the way of exit from or entrance to the "humpy." . As Harry approached the camp .about { Half a dozen black, filthy, nearly naked j forms arose from a crouching position round n mean-looking, spiritless fire, and two, who seemed, m spitp of their color, to be tall, well-made men, suddenly fled into the bush, leaving behind the women and one old man, j who looked up and nodded, and then wept 3n gnawing a bone, which he held between liis skinny paws. Of the three women, one was almost as old as the man, but the other two were much younger; all three were clothed m indescribable garments, which had sertainjy seen better days, . but which even now seemed to fulfill the purpose for which biuey were evidently intended, namely, to ' jather, and hold, with never-failing tenacity, ill the dirt they caino m contact with. One woman was young, and of very .diminutive stature, with sharp features and yellow,

beady eyes. She seemed to answer to the name of "Daisy," and held a slimy colorless infant m her arms, whose eyes were so wide open with fright that it seemed to Harry he would never be able to shut thorn again. The other woman, known as Agnes, was evidently middle-aged,, and had a naked pot-bellied brat "at foot;" she was also clothed after a fashion which may be better imagined than described. The three women were smoking some evil-smelling rubbish, m short well-colored clay pipes of the length generally known m polite circles as "nose-wannors." An old, rusty kerosene tin ha.lf full of " gummy" wa,ter, a billyr can with no handle, which would have acted on a pinch" as «,' colander, if. the bits of rag which were used to caulk the leaks had been P uUed c out, A "nuiia," two bqomerangs, three half-starved, scahby, mongrel dogs, completed the equipment of the camp, &Pd proved, if proof were necessary, the. truth of that saying that— "a man's riches consist, not m the extent of his possessions, but "J tn <L fewne ss of his wants." .N o wp nder i j that Harry ; hesitated about accepting his new I acquaintance, "Carbo's" invitation, to sit 1 down and make 'himself qpmfortable, for sucha picture of squalid misery and undiluted filth, had nwer. crossed his field of view before. However, he did at last drop himself on the ground, this being the least painful position he .could .. jjasiftpe. '■.>!'.. "Wpt for you brin.getn .this' fellar OftrDO ?"' screamed the old woman. "We don't wanfcem white man." "Shut up, mother. I find 'jm longa beach. Xou get some tueka, Daisy, quick an\ live, man can't live about suthin' to eat." I)aisy scowled, and putting 1 ' her child down,- produced from a hole m the ground, wrapped m gum. leaves, a few small cooked fish, which she reluctantly handed to the shipwrecked sailor,- who lost no time m putting ..them .out of sight; she then gave him a drink of water from the 'mysterious billyc,an, a s nd catching hold pf her infant by. one leg, she laid it flat on. the ground and washedits, face with v a piece of her skirt, Which she : tore;; off for the purpose, first dipping it : in the aboye-nanied billy-can, luckily for bur hev.o after he had drunk.frpm it, but heeapefully noticed the proceeding, for future.'. guidance. In the meantime Garbp was explaining, partly , m the native dialect, arid -partly m pigeoii Enpsh.'lio w llei^ad ( foutid ther flailor, and what hd;3iad seen on the beach. \ Having finished his tale Carbo inquired where the King jind Teddy were, and why; Bondigo and Mullet had so suddenly rushed away- upon their arrival. ' '!Bymby find out" ,repl:ed old- Martha. "Teddy come howi" And the old dame nod. do hex head in' the direction of the ti-tre©i scrub. 'on her left; . .. , In a. few minutes Teddy appeared. He was a, fine stalwart black, like the rest not trou- i Wed -fry a superfluity of clothings, but this ■ was amply made up for by the dirt j he. carried with him, m fact h© .was fairly j encrusted with ; it. He wfts also blessed ! with a shock head of wiry hair, an,d had aj good-humored expression of countenance. In | his right hand he carried a- 'gummy bag i half filled with oysfae.fs, which he, threw. dow.» | on reaching the fire,, .Without showing: the] least sign of astonishment at Harry's pre-? sence, he shook hands with him and inquired m. excellent English—. "Whew a;-e ; . vou .bound for, mate.?". "I don't, know yet, I've been cast ajehore, andl would like to reach the main land." "Any other men saved from the ship?." "No. Ifone, I'm sprry to say, A]l drowned.'' "Are you su.r« about tt^fc ?" inquired Teddy, shrewdly. ."There wight be sppie of 'em got ashove lower down the coas,t." . [ ;^'Not ths slightest hope. There were only two. of us left aboard. The captain and myself, and Tve 'looked ail f along "the beach for him." ."Where ditl the other men go to? You must have had 'more men aboard when you started," , .-..•■ "They were all knocked overboard the ; night before, All hands were pn the main I y^rd, when the, masts were struck^ by light-' [ ping. N9l none of them were saved. Only me," said Harry sadly. ; . ; ! "You might strike across the island over there where tUe sun sets- That would bring you to the' old mission. You'd have to wait then till you covjld get aboard an oyster boat. There's one other road, but' you couldn't find it." At this moment Agnes (who had just bf en hard at work, smacking . her "picaninny" [ across the plumpest part of his body, m antij cipation of something wrong he was going | to do) joinod m the conversation. The wonI der was that the two men had been able to talk together so long without interruption, gonsidpring tljftt thppe were three unemployed women 'm their vici?iiby. However, Agqes hastened to rtinedy this state of affairs, a^d made up for lost time by an emphatic statement, which showed that close attention to her smacking duties had not prevented her taking an interest m the ' dialogue. "STou stop aionga here\ mister, till the other men come. , They'vegot.a aayl Teddy isn't King. yet;" and Agnes. showed her teeth .and . tossed her head, m a manner which plainly showed that inc ase there should be a new occupier of the throne, elected, Teddy could not make too sure of her vote. "That'll do you now," said the last-named individual, half rising from the .ground, on-. which he was laying. "If your, man '.ud just break your jaw a bit ofteher, you wouldn't jabber so much." . s -.■-•»-(,.. This loudly-expressed opinion, qet.afl- the women screeching at once, -the' dogs 'Joining merrily m qborusj not to- nientio'R the prats," who add.cd, their .quota to the geperal din. After a fenie-w^ aft^p'auseitl- -for bfeaib, except Agnes, who having beexvjjl^nfclor^ fully five minutes had a stronger pressure" of steam on, so she. kept things going by calling Teddy a number>of ,namesi> which i^ is to be ' sinbajrtly: hpped sh6 r h"ad T leafnt during ' her»wo yeaTs' enforced stay *'on the mis- ( sion^ , ;.;..:.', : '" „.. .-v, ? ! While the 'rdV was at its height a new- ! comer: a.rriT!e i d I( pn;,the-saenej;.in ,t||je person of , Teddy's - yji^ejv who,: hadv ; pe.Wj,to th.e^reek . for water, . which ,she carried m- a dilapidated , bisquit tin. paving deposited this safely under a bush, she, with a yell which would ' have dpne credit to Donnybrook m its palmiest, days, sailed, into Agnes literally ,, tooth ajid naii. S^Gin^-so uwch- £un going on P^jsy- not. resist, the te?«ptatipn so she "chucked*' her picaninny into ft, thorn bvjah . to., keep i(; fluiet, and. fastened on to th^. nearest of.ti^e two combatants, everybody interested. ' J)ior a couple ot minute^ • -things .looked anyhow-" Then old Martha "ipok a, hand," and spiking a nulla, which had, been'^e^^j tujlj reposing on. the ground, she.alsp ed business m right-down eai-nesi.^and^M^ lowing the* old-time maxim to th^.lel.i^^ "whei-Gver shs saw a head she hit '&%&milm | Harry forward to combatants, bufc he was at once P U^^^|^^H by Carbo,' who demanded "fai? P'«S^^ffl| "Let, 'ein go, Poss," said Teddy, v^fe'^^^ffl quietly laying oysters on tho coals' tp;^^^^ and did not seem to be m the least ttf|iis|j||| by. current events. "Let 'em go. I&f%mmS& squartv bymby." ■ • ; :^^^^^ And there was no mistake, they Jdid;^^^^ \Vhack-thump-scrateh-tear-yell-sci;eam/a|jS'^|(A with words' which could- not bfe F6^ti;vinji ' either bible or prayer-book, until the^oo'ti 1: stranded sailor began to think that fte^Must >' unknown to himself have cro6§ed tfojb "ffart^l river, that poo.a write of," and landed iij.] the lower regions. For, *iri»jy nowiierd 1

outside of hell could such a sight be seen, or such sounds be heard. "That'll do now," suddenly shouted .Teddy,, as he rose to his feet. "Stop it. Three' to one. Como out cr that Jinny," and he caught hold of his wife's arm. to pull her out of the inelec, but Carbo rushed forward to "chip m." "You let 'em have it out, Teddy. Your woman started it. Let her fight it out." Teddy made no verbal reply, but suddenly turning he "lent Garbo one," m. the. shape of a terrifio blow on the face, which would hatre knocked out an ordinary maa for good. Carbo was not an ordinary man, but a full-blooded aboriginal, and he' retaliated by returning the "loan" with all the strength at his command,, and the two men were soon going merrily, until Teddy put m a bit of "fine work," m the. shape of "one on the point," and Carbo dropped senseless,, The victor then rushed* m between Jinny and her assailants, and scattered- the latter, and concluded the whole business by banging his "missis" across ih^ head with a "nullah." . "Get out o' my sight you — . You can't fight a little bit." Then giving the prostrate Carbo a g-entlo tap "to top up vrith," -lv& squatted down, and proceeded with kis <zxl[inajy arrangements. ''These women are a d-«- nuisance, 1 * .-ho remarked to Harry, as he took the oystejs off the fire, and swallowed them, one by one, red hot. j. Carbp soon recovered and crept- inW hjs gUjnyah, to reappear after a few minuses, looking none the worse for his share m the fray, when he took a seat. on the ground," and helped Teddy to put away the few bivalves that remained. In fact, they were ju|t as good friends as ever until "next time*" The women, too, JQined the group m. owapar^ tivf. sUe^e, ev^n the large*syed;, dirty-^cefli naked, brats drew near, and kept a^fih&rij I look-out- for any, half eaten, or 'discarded oysters, which niight he thrown , -their wpay, and the mangy dogs sat on their hind legs m close proximity to the picaninnies, ready to snap the moment the latter grabbed for stray morsels. - "Well, dash my wig, but jou're a queer lot," said Harry, when things were "quiet again. "If .your present* form, is the result of four years' mission training, and' you are fair specimens/ of converted; ones,, there's, something wrong with the machinery. That's about all I've got to say about; it. 1 ' ■.<•'!"■ "Oh, we'^e'all rjgjit," said .Teddy, with a grin. "A bit of a scrap' now and then does no harm. 'The.gins' : 'ud have things all their •own road- if ■ a man didn't. , flatten 'em out now and.thep." „ ... : , •''..•.. \ "Do yQU think you could §how me the way across the island to-day, Teddy. It is of no use my staying here. There doesn't seem to. bo anything saved from, the wrecif, you see she .was loaded with cotflg." ; : . The black scratched .his head and ponder--od. The more Be scratched. ; the ; mor& : he pondered. ;■ It .Beemed;ytQ :Harry ; a* though important matters hfld; to be f^irly^ci^r^jahed into bis head, before he could giyefth'ein'nei' cessary , attentiori. "At. length; the ' cavity j m. hjs face gradually openetj, and he an T swered, hesitatingly. i ' . "You see, boss, you couldn't find the track. The scrub's too thick, and besides it's near dark." ■ ■? "Bat coujdnjt you show me the way ?" ."I could— yes boss, I cpulu, but"-r-jerking his tbjjmb m the. direction where his ' wife sat wiping $he blood f rom y her f^ce with a piece or stringy bark— "there's my : . old woman, there; she wouldn't fet nic; v ' .. Harry thought this was a queer idea. He had just been an unwilling spectator to the manner' by» which a blackfellow reasoned with his wife, and i-elt curious to know how the wife*Vould reason with ; . the husband. His private opinion was that on this island, and among the people, the husband was the better half of the married couple, and n© said bo. . "That's right enough, but a .womawV bqss, when ii comes to barracking, ja,n' q. jojp like thfs 'ud only go to barracking. When it comes to slogging, the nian'g. bogs' all :th,e.' time. '. You camp here till the King abtl the other blokes come. That'll be' 'fore sundown. We go nbw on beach an' look at ;vship^ ■ >:.: -.■:, : - 1 „. . .; ;,.V^,;,.: >> So to the beach- they went,, and searched up and down, but nothing could be seen of any value. Piles of wreckage, tangled rppe, broken timber and other things were heaped together m inextricable cqqfusion, .but nqthing that could be carried away, A few hundred yards out to .aeAw.«*:<i'.,tM disr masted hulk could be seen fast breaking up, 'by the action of the .wave?, ljut sl^e w^s Qut of their reaph, without e^pe^diigg tv lot hi labour m reaching her. A blackfellow will not work, anS Harry's energy had punk almost to vanishing point, /V; . " So, they returqe.d gamp empty-banded, and spread out before the fire, .where they remained, \ until .dark^e^s closed around. The sailor Wd dropped into an unjeasy, slumßer^ when he awoke with a stdrt; on hearing the dogs barking furiously, Soon, aj towards the crackling undergrowth and sound "of men's voices the approach of the "King, and the other blokes." A few minutes afterwards ' several . dark fqrma stepped into the circle Qf light eogt by thp glowing fire, ' ut#n_ which a • number of 4?^y branches had been, heajped, . T.!he first to arrive was 4 tall,j weJl-ipadoi man, with a full beard and moustache. Tms individual had a pair of piercing, black eyes, and, like the rest of his folldwers, wore very little m the way of. clothing r Around, his. neck was a brass chain. which supported on his hairy chest, -a - crescentrshaped . plate , of the same metal, on which were engraved, ihe words-^'Tatriok .:o'Brien, King of Eraser Island, A.D.; 1899." .'.,'.-. / ,...' this wa,s "King, Paddy." He was" ? Teddj^ < ' brother,: and physically as fihe^tf ipeoimen of a native black as cpuld be fouqd "jn .ft day's march," - ■ ■' '" • He was immediately followed by several Otheiv men, t an 4 %?, number of, women an 4, children^ As soon as he'ii^ticeo!' Harry he stepped up and shook hands with him, ing m fairly good English— '' "Hello, whitefella/I King this 'couiitHy; What're you goin' to gib 'em." ' • . "Very glad to see, you King. I can't give you anything. I've nothing." ■ • With this reply ajl his Majesty's interest m the wrecked sailor ended. He was willing to be civil as -Jong as there was-=any chance of getting -anything, but if • t!^ stranger had nbthiiig, he, for his part, was* not going to be bothered with him.r ■■■■■', 's- ■ V So Paddy sat down on his hams, and^jiftiijr looking round and grunting, he drew' to, iguana from tlte mputh of the bdorp.us.bag^o had been carrying, and -carefully laid it oft the red hot embers to cook. Another pf the men emptied the contents of, a rußbyJftin' tin on the ground, and commenced eating a number of fine, fat grubs, whioh. required no cooking, but l«rjod vainly v to escape m all directions, ■•' . „• .. ; V / .' After "polishing off", as many, as he, could conveniently pack^. m his "inna^di.^.th^.jiv, dividual called his "missis, ",\yr}ff> promptly appeared, smoking something,, whiofi horribly, from the head of- an old clay pip^ This ha silatched out of her mouth and mjfc 0 his own, and allowed her and, her pofgy $rifant to capture arid .eat WlO |bw remaiawhiph were fast making off fo Wms, Jess dangercujs l<?PßJity. Iliipl 1 of the men pi'bduoed something m gSK^Sktty.' of "tucker", froni. agmowhere, aqd B^^hrough a similar performance, always little for their gins and pjcaninHj^p/high^yas thrown to them and snapped H^£||||MLby the half-starved ours, which W^^iwa^fti'med around the partakeijs ,of PhHB the women 'seemed perfecttheir share, it was not for i^^^^WF* 1 ancl l°°ked on m disgusted pass any remark, but like itu^^pgOTmEan's parrot, he thought a lot. IP^j^^^pas "topped up" by the dogs lick- 1 was left, which was not much, aisj Chen fighting a»i!g themselves. ! £jJMjgii the qwidrdptida $ob too Hois?, Hi*'--Wg>^& w-.ized them^Cy (aie scruff of their |

necks, and threw them outside the sacred precincts, to have it out their own. way, which ,was a. loud way indeed. This little difficulty being satisfactorily settled, King Pat suddenly remembered that they had a guest, and nerhaps he might be h:mgrj also. ' "Got any tucka, boss?" he inquired, without seeming to care much what the answer might be. "No," replied pur hero with a very palpable sbu44ev. "I don/t think I want any tonight, thank you." * • "Must have tucka," said tis Royal Highness, m a most decided tone. Looking around his eyes lighted upon Queen Topsy, 'who Sftt just "without tho pale" contentedly gnawing at the tail end. of the "gobanna" her Wing husband had jusfc thrown to her. He' demanded m a peremptory tone that it shouJd be handed back at once. "filjtae, come on, give that back here quick an/ live, or I'll bang yer," and suiting the action to th,o word ho leaned over and snatched the tempting; morsel from her hand, ajitf ajrter giving her a gentle tap across the greasy face,' for want of promptness m obey- • ing orders "chucked it" to Harry, remarking .at the sajne time, to his coasoi-t — "Wliat sort ©£ plurry Tnaniiers you call that, hey! Stufiin' your fat panch aiv man got nothin'. yon'se vrimmen wants teachin' manners." i >.- ;• '•t'hia was just a little too much. A "deep sea." sailor can, and does, eat almost anything, but ojjr friend, half starved as he w»s, had to draw ft line somewhere, so he drew it on the near side of the half gnawed tail of a. lizard. . A landsman would probably have refused to take it, or if hV had been coin^ pelled by aboriginal etiquette to accept, would, speedily hp.v© found .p. more suitabla^^ ]£esßtaah», bnt oitf. sailor was shrewd enough $sk%SvlK»r Ti^coiild kill. two,. birds wjy.h; one sto^'f 4 an4 at the same time [retain ffae .little digs&J''Mo k^d left, so* he politely. ;handed back the piece of oißfal back to the sable iady, who had been forced to part with it, and who was _ watching- him with greedy, envious eyesj'tous getting rid of tho obnoxious tuoi keirj and securing the;, friendship of the |mqs|; important person m that kingdom, by brie, gtroke of diplomacy. /The King stared with astonishment ; ho had never witnessed such an act of self-sa crifico m liis life, and he had seen a great deal, having b_een fQUf years on 9, "mission," durjnjg, which tin^e he hadf been "converted" live times, baptiaed twice, and confirmed thre» 1 ty»i^ •;'.;-' : .-...- „ ■'■•..■. ' . 1 '"By 'g6Bh,"'h'e said, m $ tone which showetl N that Jihere. was very little left, m life to>> wonder at— '*By gosh, whitephclla no jpJurry sense anyway." • But tfee .?!whitephella".had his own ideas on. tho. subject. ' f > ;. ."Look her© 1 , King,". eai4 Teddy, as soon aa ho «aw. ithaij b\is' vpyaj b*otl^pv had get os-er astonishment. "The white blpfc.3 wants to get ovey t° Maryborough, He's Ijewt slung up on the back beach here. I'd better go and put him on the track to Bogimbah. Tic's no good herß." . ; J' "^0 plurry goqd anjwlier©," gvavply an-< swer#4 the Ki»g. "Got nufchin' to gibi". .. ''Tpu just wait a bit Teddy O'Bvieh," said 4 man, wjio bad been laying on his back, •bj^^d. trpjn the.flreJighfc by a thick busli. "ilobody asked -Wini to come sneakin' lonjia this plaeo to p;o and tell the white paoi>Ua where we're oamped. Let him scop till wa shift again." ■ •' „,... ; -Harry immodiafcijly recognised the speaker. li'w»a.."MuUeti",'.th'B, mau who. had sudi'^nly.plear^d, oufe witb\ his maie "Bendigo, t: on j fciis arrival Immediately aftei'^ Caibo' \u:& brought, him „,}n. .. then gave ."the mob" his ide?.i; on the sub'jecb m. the native language^ Avhi,:'a w-ere afterwards interpreted to our hero 1..y Teddy. . They ran this way — The blocks had been "imprisoiicd" ai tha mission Jitatlori' for spvne years, and it v, u9 jonly thrp.ugh Jhe missionaries qnarreiii'ig ampng themselves, as to VhQ woulcl bo 'top bosß'^ that the place had broken upj and tiicy .had bgetj ftble tp escapq. ;;Th,ey all knew that as as the ",P rot ?cfco.T of Abor-:;-in-Jl8". lparn.p^ Ijheir whereabouts,, he would qqme and capture them, and they woukl rnce more be m ca'ptiyity, either, on a, "mission* pr rgseicya. and "forced tP „\voi-k without pu^, while tseir,. ijply ' recrcatton wcjuld. be to uoleija oilurch, and H»ten 'to the' pleaching of kniissibnary, ifho, no douVt, reoeiveda ft.bulous amount of money- by way of sajaiy, which money W»s really collected for th« blackfellpw,. *nd he, never got it. The swid missionary di(|. them. no. goo^; ho c.ily "spoi^te4" ' ilSsat : s6n>o Wonderful place (lie bjacfc woulcl go to "after he died," aslonj ag h« c jailed all day for nothiHg'v and went to church all night "while fie liv^d." By thia ari-a-n'gemenl the- ; anid missiouaries, had plurry gooj} >imeß J'dotfn below*" How wQ\ilu the blackfeUow«tand, ev«n,if he.wcjil fco thiq fine plaoe-aft^r death ?. ; It was a j»ilite fellow's h^eavep anyjsay; .thjgre >as no huotina,' pa.figK'ting, "HP.' tucker— nothjn s a bi^'pan lilce4i why : he wo^ldri't he able even to baig liis '«missis" if she jabbered he^d p|fi AH^tnese dire disasters would certainly befall them, if they let this white maifcgo *nfl talk, yarns about toem. Bendigo then sat down thoroughly exhausted, and was immediately followed "on the stump" by Mullet, who also enlarged uj-.on the troubles which would come upon them, if they mixed up with the whites again. Isov» they were free and could do pretty, well na they liked. He was a Fraser Islander, that's what he was, and had also been on a mission, where he had sung hymns, till lii 3 threat was, sore. They wouldn't give him anything, they only tough t him to \york nnd gfpvr stuff for the wb^te.-men- to eat. They all knew how their ;1 forefathers had dea'lfc •with tSese- people, when they came pokinj about,'. -If they .didn-'t, let them ask old-.. Ben'(po^ting:-^b Wat decrepit octogenarian, .who! .cw&bed At 'the entrance of a gunyah, trjWS i° he»r what was going op); he would e^UgbteVi^ them. They were just as" good ntfaa ' to-day i» • .ibf ir f athets were of - old, in^j.jhad just as- good_tQeth and stomachs. iThere was plenty of fire Burning, and. as< us\ial-T"they.V ere short of meat.?' .•• ' AtM^'e oonclusion of Mullet's speech a. jpud murmur went round the circle of !is-. teriers.' v Some o£ the men seemed scared, • while others wo; §nJY .elected; 'the women, jabbered and -file dogs yelped, while Harry, a&h, calmly unijbn^oiou* of the point e.t issue. sp+ fTsddj >Md neglected, to iiUorprfct lh« -~ S pe^.|T'- : :l \[-', 'j^-S] 1 ;'/-:'- t , -.■ I '■_ ~^h>'r^^^i[l ki^d^r b&ti-m. ■< ■■<* ■>■ -it tjiesai w'era ißen^igo'e :opJJW9>& I °"' 3 ' \ ' :* 4j; (ToJ?g _ Continuea;}' I. ...