A MATTER OF SALVAGE.

NZ Truth, Issue 84, 26 January 1907, Page 8

A MATTER OF SALVAGE.

(By Herbert Ci Kent, Author of "The Order of Release," "New Chum," Etc.'i Etc.)" rn^rite untroubled by cultured fobla, ■ 'Or the i dense that fume' and fret ; . .-■■.. Por against the wisdom' of all their schools, ■ ' 'I would stake mine.instinct yefi. _ Eor the cynical strain m the writer's song, . . =" : '. Is th<s] world, not lie, to blame ; ■'■_■■„ '■'['■■■ And I'll write as I think m the knowledge strong, That .thousauds; think the same. .' , ' ". ..'."";■ -—Henry Lawson.

CHAPTER VIII.

Caxbo surrendered, and allowed the other tol. "jabber."' ,

THE ISI/AND AGAIN.^-BRAY'S .•..."!• •■.■■■>? ; ' ' 4Ve „wiii -njQw;. return for a, time to Fraser .JEs^aip^ One" fine^mornifig^ :a^ ■bout -two -months after, the capture"; - of Muliett, and about 30 miles south of 'where that event had taken place, a small group of aboriginals had? made their / camp, near the white sandy beach. \.. .-... ..^.'i This group consisted of some old! friends, namely Teddy, his, wife, and. child, and Carbo,, with i .his family ;< and this . particular, morning . they were watching a ketch, ' whi'clb was ; i sailing close inland, almost within a stone's throw of the- gunyahs, wMoh had only been recently erected. "While they were, watching, the sails were lowered, and the anchor l^t. go, and a very short time after a small boat was lowered, 'whioh contained two persons, one of whom was bur old acquaintance, Bray, who was sitting m the stern, while the, other, evidently a seaman, was rowing. ; As soon as the iboat ran up on the !beach .the blacks crowded around, aafif in^tiifea fronj Bray, as he stepped ashibre, "What have you to giive/' and, on receiviag a most i equivocal' answer, they stood back, somewhat disappointed." "Wfcat you wafnt, anykow ?" inquired Teddy.. ■ ..' * .

"Oh, you speak English' pretty : well: I want to find the place where a ship was wrecked some time agio. ,oan you tell me ?'' ..'.,' • 1 While Bray was speaking, -Teddy, was cogitating," and this was fiow he. reasoned. . This : new white ; man had not come there to do the •blacks any good. No white he had ever met. had . been of much use to them, Ifhe showed hfan where the submerged, hull of the, Bonnie Dundee lay 'it niight be the ]l cause of their tiemainai'g m the district, so he there and' then determined to- throw '.'this fellow" off the track; it possible. ; ''Yes, I know., Down that waylong tinie ago,"; pointing. to the southward.,. :. ,' ..''You bii*. live, long time, longa this place ?*' i^iuired -Bray-,' who,, like a great many white men, who should kho# hettei, , iittagined that a.; black man uiide'Mattds'pjgedn /'English bet- r : fcer than he does the pure thing. . "Yes, I live a long time here." ."■Pp. you remember a white man who -,i was saved from that wreck?" !Urayvw«is beginning to see that Tedifiy*eould. speak as good English as " himself, if he liked.. ("My word.", chipped m Carbo, "I kiio-,v V/hitefeller. 'Arry bin call 'inr. I pick em that feller out of .water; r? ■'■'■-. This was not quite correct, as my reader will remember, but it ,was near enough for' Carbo, who did not ■ reason on exactly the same lines as Teddy, ' but thought that this "old fella"' might possibly be . Harry's father, m winch case -he might have something to give. ' "' "You shut .up,-. Carbo. I bin jabber this fellar.;'; . ... „ .., . , ' «.i i)in jalMv, t co, ' ' ■ .replied Carbo, who Lhoucht Teddy was gojng-to "work points" on hwn. . "' "f 'don't tare a han;: v>'ho laboers as IpnK as "tints, of you tell mc-wberc that ship. wa?i wrecked." Carbo <vas : Ui^ lifting his arm to noinl-io the northward when. Teddy iai.-ht h-M of his wrist, and orderp..J torn io !-hut up, or lied "breaK his juw." '-so, Vuxvvir, ' been ttiere mural times tefore, to lit» wost,

,' "You take them- plurry women and kids; away, quick' an' live. I'll show the . whiilefellcr where ship bin' get drownded."' • ..^o Carbo _ "hauled .the gins and picanfnnies" away , but 1 n«t without ; a row., which culminated m, a "scrap" between JMrs Teddy. and his missus.

"That ship, his brealc up m pieties away down i>hat place. Everything get- , drownded, only Harry. He come live at' my damp." . -'>Ho,W' long did he; stop ?" „ : "libng.time.-' ' 'How did he get ■ away ? " ."Walk over t'other', side land. He boat, then go to Maryborough.". look; here, mate—- you're a 'sensible' blackfellow! I want to know where the other ship was lost a long time since.' 1 •

"Other ship," said Teddy, evidently astonished.- "No other ship been this.p^ce." . ' .. .

' 'How- long have you been on this island ?« : '-:. .■..,'"

"I been here always. I born here —Fraser Islander ( me.. Sometimes been on mainland, working, then come back, stop here. "

Bray -put his hand m his pocket and produced a few clay pipes and some tobacco; which he held proVokingly before the Wack, well knowing that an aboriginal will dp alniost anything for tobacco, and in' this he was right, for they are- the, *m6st obliging people m the world, 'when' paid for it, and as soon as they discover what you want-, they ; will tell you exactly where to go and find it, in \ consideration of payment m advance. If any person asked a blackfell.ow- to tell him where his horse .was, although the animal might have been dead twenty years', the aboriginal will start ' on an' ■imaginary track, and keep going as long as the tobacco and tucker last ; when they give out, '! Lost that feller track, boss. G-o back store— find 'im again."

But Teddy was not an average native;; on the contrary, jhe possessed good reasoning powers, and had determined to put the white man wrong if possible ; but, at the same time, he hadn't the slightest objection to being paid, just the same. . "You show me where .that ship was wrecked, and I'll you plenty of tobacco." • .-•'..

"You giiVe tucker, too ?" "Yen, I'll give you- plenty of tucker too."

"All right. You give me -that bacca and pipes, go to; ship and get tucker/ then I show you." - Bray called the man who had pulled him ashore, and instructed him to go back to the ketch and bring , a good lump of lieef and some biscuits. Upon bearine this order Teddy called Carbo, and, giving him , a good share of .the tobacco, told him to jnake hi" fellow fire— "bymby beef."

It did not take long for Carbo's crowd to build up a roaring fire, round whid) they squatted, smoking the white man's "tobacco, and audibly wondering why he had Riven it, and what he would require m return.

When the b.oat came back, Bray handed over a good supply of bisei'ilis and beef, upon which Teddy promptly asked for tea and sugar, which was promised, for the shipowner saw distinctly that unless he could get these people on his side his search would be very much prolonged, and he knew that the only way to propitiate them was by a liberal distribution of "tucker and bacca." So. leaving them to enjoy their meal, he wen-i on toxu'd, and uaado prenata-

Itions to stand off for the night, as there was no secure anchorage near, first promising to land early next [morning, and bring more "stuff" with him. 1 The next morning Bray, and a man named Smith, whom he bad engaged as diver, landed with a good supply of stores for the blacks, which was given to them on/ condition that Toddy showed them where the wreck of the Bonnie Dundee was lying. " ? course • the aboriginals, ' wHh the { ception of Teddy, gorged theiuse 1 /, and became utterly useless. Iff.-u^ay had kept back payment unt»y'the work was done he might toav^F Wad Car bo's assistance, who iK'ould without doubt, have shown him the 'right direction, m spite of Teddy ; but, as Carbp'was now completely out of it, the former had things all his own way, arid h© started off m a southerly direct-ion, followed by the white men. ' .

. "How far have we to walk?" inquired Smith, who was not built, for sprinting, being much top. bulky to get over the ground with comfort to himself.

"Aye— if it is very far we might as well sail down m the ketch," saM Bray. Teddy stood still, and pointed to a bluff head of rock three miles from where they stood. "Near that feller," he replied. "This side or the other ?" inquired Smith. ..•■•;."■ •■■■■;...■ "Ldnsra this; srjide.'- . Teddy; xin^ahtSs^p.; shake them/ : off without tramping too far. He knew that some of the wreckage had drifted on to the rocks near the tiea/d, and thought they would itake' a good look round and depart.

On the way Bray tried hard to get Teddy to admit that he knew something about the Prince Albert ; but it was no go. The wily black \ knew nothing about that vessel, and never, for a moment did it cross his mind that it was the ship of Old Ben's corroboree that was being inquired after. .. Under other circumstances , it would have been very different. He would probably have tramped all" round the island, and pointed out places where" fifty wrecks lay, but he had not recovered from the shocks caused by the arrest of Mullet, ' and : the' subsequent capture of Bendigo, followed as it was by a visit from the Protector of Ah originals, who had captured th<e King and most 1 of the other blacks, and put them on a "Reserve" on the mainland.

: A few of them had "escaped, and were still "on, the island, and, m the absence^of the K'iaiffi.: Teddy was the! Acknowledged 'leader., ". and, according to' liis. calculations, .the sopiier he got rid of i'hp white -men. .the 'better. Gn arriving near) the "hea>d," the black pointed to a rug-god "reef which ran, some distance from the beach, and said that was the place where Harry's ship was lost. He also told them, under, cross-examinat'iqn, that the seaman' was the only survivor, and he had lived m the black's camp until the police had taken hinl away. He was positively certain that the man had never left the camp during the whole time he was with them, as he was too closely watched ; and, as for the piece of gold, nothing like it had ever' been seen m that district, and, if Harry had any, he must have got ,it after he left, the camp. .

"•Did the sailor .go right away with the police/?" "Yes ; ihev -.walked to B.ogimbah. That's where the old Mission was, .boss,;, ancj ihen^, went ..alonga Mary"bor'b r ."'"'- v - '• ■'"'\' : ■'"'/ '• : '.' ■'""

This was very unsatisfactory' for the searchers. Bray, had made sure that all he had to do was just to cruise around near the old blacks 1 , camp, and he .would see the wreck, probably 'under water ; but if the blacks knew nothing about it, and Harry ; bad been their prisoner during the whole, of the time he had spent on the island, there must be something wrong with the sailor's yarn. ..'.".' ' "

'It's my firm opinion," said Smith as he sat down on the sand, panting from the exertions he had gone throimh, ' 'it's my firm . opinion— an' I ain't a goin' to make no secret of it— the sailor bloke tried to take you down." • • "That be d '."replied Bray. "His tale was right enough. The Prince Albert was lost, and she had the 'gold aboard, and thus Harry knew where the place was."

" 'E might a'.know'd, but praps 'c didn't tell.. 'Owever, Mr Bray, it ain't no concern o' mine, as long as you likes ter pay me a pound a day lor bain' 'ere, am' two pounds a day .for 'divin', I'm satisfied." "And the worthy Smith wiped his face with a very doubtful looking handkerchief, and went on panting.

Bray, accompanied by Teddy, climbed out on to the reef, and searched carefully on both sides, but there' was no sight of anything like submerged wreckage. Pieces of wood were, lying about, ■ some of them jammed tight between 'the sharp-pointed rocks, and others strewed along the sand; but it was evident that they were pieces' of the Bonnie Dundee, as they showed no sign of being m the water any Jength of time. However, they kept going until nearly sunset, only pausing for a "bit of lunch," and at last the white man had to. admit that they were wasting time. After holding a conversation, they agreed that either Harry had told the tale with the intention of getting money on the strength of it, or, he had picked up the £old on the cither side of the island, while m the company of the police. "We'll get back aboard./ I don't see any good wasting time here."

"Not a bit," said Smith. "It stands ter Woomin' reason, the black-feller can't show us a wreck if there ain't no bloomin' wreck to show. 1 '

"No, and I ain't going to run into a lot of expense looking: for it. We'll just, start to-morrow" morning and sail round the coast close m, till we come to the other side of the island', mear this place they call Bog-* imhah. There's a channel between that and the mainland. The fellow may have got the stuff there. First losi; is the best loss, but. by the holy smoke, Crowtlier was right. I was a d fool to let that fellow go. ' • ■

So they went back on board again and spent a week sailing up and down. On one occasion, anchoring for the. night within a hundred -yards of the skeleton of the Prince Albert, and, if they had not got under weigh and stood out to sea an hour before daylight, thpy would certainly have seen the object of their search.

But it was not to be, for- after this the ketch worked her way south, round Hook Point, and a