LOST IN THE BUSH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9611, 8 September 1894, Page 2 (Supplement)

LOST IN THE BUSH.

A STORY OF QUEENSLAND LIFE. CLEVER BLACK-TRACKING. * A HIGHLY-READABLE aCCOUnb of successful black-tracking in North Queensland is reported in the Northern Miner (Charters Towers). The search was for a boy named Charles Parker, aged 11, who got lost on Lauderdale Station, 12 miles from Pent* land. The day on which he went astray was Thursday, July 26, and though th 6 expedition set out next day, some time elapsed before it came within " measurable distance" of the wanderer. Young Parker was out riding with his elder brother, and the two got separated. The elder took ib for granted that the younger had found his way home to the head station, bub when he arrived there no news was to be had of Charles. A very large search party was organised, and the principal dependence was on black boys, who included police trackers named Arthur and Jackey, and a station hand named Paddy. The pursuit was very tedious owing to the rough nature of the country traversed. At times several of the party had to break off and go back to headquarters, owing to their horses giving out; and at times there was difficulty in keeping up the stock of provisions. A ROUGH AND WILD COUNTRY. The trail proceeded, at the outset, over hard conglomerate, and, hand in hand, the black boys advanced, at a snail's pace at times, at others almost running. On one occasion it was thought the blacks must have gone wrong, for they walked straight across a rockbound plateau to the edge of a precipice, but without a moment's hesitation they swung round and followed for 200 yards an invisible trail along the glassy surface of a declivity. " You bin lose 'em inquired one of the whites Paddy shook his head and walked on. Just as,it, was strongly feared that the track was lost Jackey yelled, and, breaking a branch off, | stuck ib in a small sandy place, where was clearly outlined the print of the boy's foot. This was on Monday. At nightfall each day the lasb visible track was marked and the party camped till morning, sometimes going to sleep without food. On Tuesday the tracks were picked up as soon as it was light, and in a couple of miles they found where the boy had camped on Gorge Creek on a sand-ridge, probably on Sunday night. Crooked Creek takes its rise in the gorges, and has perpendicular banks in some places 100 ft high. When it gets into the open country the banks die away and the watercourse is lost in a swamp. Ib is where the watercourse is lost that the boy crossed it, | and his tracks went firm and straight across the surface. "That fella bin strong; no fall about," chuckled Arthur, as he pointed to the bee-line of the wanderer's footsteps. With fear and trembling, however, it was noted that tho tracks, once across the creek, headed up into the gorge country, consisting of high precipices and rockbound ridges covered with iancewood trees. THK ZEAL OF THE BLACKS. Great eagerness was shown by the blacks, who, when on the trail, " made no bones" about slinging their horses adrift for the whites to look after. They disregarded everything except the trail. Mr. Albert Taylor, their first lieutenant, walked when they walked, rode when they rode, and when the trail was lost he stood at the last print so that the " point of commencement" would nob be lost. At such times, while the trackers were laboriously finding their way step by step, the whites would be scouting ahead looking for soft places, and several times they picked up the tracks in front and called for the trackers to come on. During Tuesday the boy's handkerchief was found, and also where he had camped at night alongside an anthill. There was found a tiny piece of leather lining, which he had torn out of the heel of his shoe. Late in the afternoon the boy's tracks joined a cattle pad, and with a yell the four black boys tore off at full speed on their horses, two on each side of the path. The whole troop rode at full split for about six miles. Hope was high that the boy would be found before night. The trackers had shown twigs which looked as if they had been quite freshly broken, and good bushmen thought the fracture could not be six hours old. They were wrong—ib was 24 hours since the boy had passed ; the cool weather and cloudy day had prevented the twig from drying up, as would have been the case had the sun been shining. HARD UPON THE TRAIL.

On Wednesday, the black boys, as soon as they could see the tracks, began to run them. They led over easy country, and six miles from camp the blacks found where the boy had camped the previous evening on the ridges between Crooked and Amelia creeks, at least 20 miles from where he had spent Monday night. Jackey remarked, as he viewed the depression where the boy had lain, "Nob far now," bub the party were then in for a bit of bad luck, for they struck a box-tree flat, which had been submerged with water and dried up as hard as a board. On this the tracks were almost invisible. The blacks had to lie down with their faces to the ground to detect traces. One boy demonstrated they were all right by showing a faint indentation not much larger than a sixpences, in the centre of which there was a trace which looked as if a nail in the sole of the boot had caused the impression. The flab was nob extensive, bub they were no sooner out of it than they came on conglomerate and bouldery country, and for half a mile sometimes there was nothing bub bare stones. The black boys had no difficulty, however; hand in hand they walked ab a smarb pace, the disturbed stones belling the course of the boy's walking. At last they struck Amelia Creek, where the Diamantina road crosses it, and here tho boy had left his crosscountry course and taken to the road, taking his boots off before he did so. This was instantly noted by the blacks, who, trembling with excitement, cried "Close up now," and dashed along the road ab a gallop. THE BOY FOUND. After a few minutes' galloping, and at) about 2 p.m., they pulled up and signed the boy was found. Round a turn in the road the searchers saw the little wanderer trudeing manfully on, the saddlecloths rolled round his waist, the bridle hanging round his ' neck, and the saddle resting on his shoulders. The white searchers were deeply moved, and the blackboys hugged themselves with delight. Johnny became almost hysterical, winding up with a burst of tears. The lad had nob heard them, so his uncle rode up and called out. He turned, but did not look interested or glad, and did not even take a step towards his rescuers. Mr. Murphy thought he had lost his reason, and said, " Do you know who I am?" Ho replied, " Yes, uncle." In answer to inquiries he said he was not hungry, bub he drank a little brandy and water, and ate some slices of bread and butter which had been saved for him. After this he complained of a headache, and on his uncle's advice he lay down, and they allowed him to sleep for a couple of hours. His face was grimy, and had a worried, withered look, bub he spoke strongly, and Mr. Murphy is I of opinion he could have kept going for j another two days. He said he had had i nothing to eat for tho six days he was out except one mussel which he found ab a waterhole and enjoyed immensely. When the boy woke up he said he was very hungry, and was given a little more food. The party then moved on to Blair Athol station, where they were mosb kindly received by Mrs. Buchanan. Next; day they rode back to Milray, and on Friday, after eight days of absence, Charlie was restored to his homo. Messrs. Jones, Childs, and Taylor, who know the country well over which the boy travelled, are of opinioh that in the four days after he lost the mare Charlie walked at least 85 miles, some of ib over as rough a country as there is in Queensland, carrying his saddle and accoutrements, which weighed exactly 91b. This is marvellous work for a boy of eleven, weak from want of food. In a dry season he must have perished from thirst. THE BOY'S JOURNEY THROUGH THE BUSH. Had the lad nob been found, he would have reached Blair Athol station in about a couple of hours, foi; ib is on the road which he intended to follow. He said when found, "I meant to camp on the road to-night and go on ib all to-morrow and camp on ib again, and then if I found no house I was going to turn off." He had an idea he was following up Warrigal Creek, on which Lauberdale is situated, and could hardly believe he was 100 miles from home. He would nob admit he was lost, and judging from the firmness of his tread and the direotness of his course, he does not seem to have realised that he was " bushed." This was fortunate, for if he had lost heart he would have broken down in the first few

days. He said he lifted to camp at sundown, whistle a few tunes and - then fall asleep. In the morning his feet were so cold that they used to wake him just before daylight,and as soon as the morning star was "two yards high" he would set out and walk till nearly noon ; then he would lie down near water for an hoar or two, and afterwards sgo on till sundown. He used the saddle as a pillow, and the two small saddlecloths kept him "pretty warm." One night a dingo " with red eyes" oarae within a few yards of him when he was in bed" and started to howl, but he threw a stick and hit the brute, which decamped. That he had an idea which way he wanted to go is shown by the fact that he only cut hid tracks twice, once when he was on the mare, and the second time when he could not get out of a steep gorge, and so had to retrace his steps. As an exhibition of bushcraft, Mr. Murphy thinks it impossible to beat the work done by Paddy, Arthur, Jaokey, and Johnny. Messrs. Jones and Taylor, who are . well up in such matters, state they never saw it equalled, for though the boy had . days' - start, and went over the roughesb and hardest of rocky country, they followed him • from first to last without one long stoppage or once losing his tracks. Aborigines are usually not fond of work, but the four trackers were keener even than the white men ; without urging, they were tracking at daylight, and would not cease until night fell; nob a moment was wasted. Arthur was one of the blacks who was taken to Victoria to track the Kelly gang.