EIGHT YEARS' TRAVEL Iff AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2253, 6 May 1897, Page 51

EIGHT YEARS' TRAVEL Iff AUSTRALIA.

(Wbittenfok the Witness Little Folks by compagnon, waikawa )

XVIII.

There are many different species of owl in Australia, including the horned and screech owls. The latter emit 3 a sharp, piercing cry. very similar to that of a woman in distress calling for aid, or suffering great mental or bodily agony.

A settler of my acquaintance, who was a recent arrival, took up a section of land in a locality far removed from any habitation. Some one, either for amusement or in ignorance, had been stufficg him with all sorts of thrilling stories about the ferocity and bloodthirsiness of the blacks — so much so that the settler was in constant dread of these people when he settled in the busb. One night he heard some disturbance among tha sheep in one of his paddocks, and thinking probably tbat dingoes were about, be took a gun and went out to scare them away. leaving his wife alone in the house.

As he proceeded on his way, and after having travelled some distance from bis home, he heard a cry as of someone in danger, and immediately it occurred to him that the blacks had carried off bis wife. He ran towards the spot whenoe the scream proceeded, bat ag he neared it a cry, louder and more piercing than before, was heard further on ; and being now convinced that his wife was in the hands of the savages, he was greatly agitated and rushed frantically onward. At every Btage in his exciting chase the cry of distress preceded him, until breathlees with running, and frenzied with anxiety he sank to the ground completely exhau«ted, a prey to the most fearful thoughts. Recovering, he retraced his steps towards his house, intending to obtain a horse and pursue the blacks. To his surprise the fire burned brightly, and the light streamed through the window pane. Cantionsly approaching, peering around furtively into every bush lest some of the savages were in concealment waiting to murder him, he at length reached the window, and gazing in beheld his wife fast asleep in an armchair by the fireside. It wag a screech owl he had heard, and on relating the circumstance afterwards he assured me that a more terrible fright he never had before or has had sjnea, the cry of the bird being precisely similar to the wail of a woman in great agony. But- however interesting or beautiful the birds'already mentioned may be, there is one, the very name of which excites an involuntary Bhudder, and that is the common English raven. This is a bird allied to the crow, but a good deal larger and more rapacious. It lives on carrion, but will also kill small animals and pick out the eyes of the larger ones when these are rendered helpless by disease or accident. Even human beings are not exempt from attacks by these ghoulish birds of prey, as can ba attested by a very trying experience. Once I had occasion to go in pursuit of some working bullocks that had strayed overnight, and although following steadily on the tracks all day long the bullocks wore not overtaken at nightfall, so I hobbled the horse and camped, intending to resume pursuit in the morning. Unfortunately the horse was driven away by a stampede of wild mustangs shortly after day-dawn," and while returning homewards on foot I lost my way. Words cannot depict the horrid sensation which overwhelms you on realising that you are helplessly lost in the bush. The judgement seems to utterly forsake you —you wander in one direction for some distance, then suddenly retrace your steps,, fearing that, you are going the wrong way ; and this aimless wandering wearies you tenfold by reason of the agonising thoughts within. - For four days I roamed unceaßingiy first in one direction and then another without food of any kind, and, worse still, without any water excepting that obtained by fiuoking gum leaves or chipping notches in currajong trees with sharp stones. Faint and weary, I used to lie down anywhere and dreamed of home and fine dinners! My tongue was parched aud swollen, ao that to articulate became impossible, and a dry, burning, feverish feeling was continually annoying me by day and night, but these were nothing to the ravens. A*; snndown they would come near to my camp, and croak and croak, oh 1 so horribly 1 and as strength began to fail me and my voice grew faint they gradually became bolder, hopping nearer and nearer, until almost within touch. Their steely, white-grey eyea aeemed to fascinate me, and by their horrid croaking they made me shudder as if I were listening to my daath knell. At times they fought in their eagerness to approach me nearer, and though 20 years have passed since this occurred I cannot look on a raven or listen to its hoarse, funeral croaking without rfcalliug vividly to mind one ot the most anxious periods of my life. And yet, these birds do much good. They are, as ifc were, the scavengers of the land, removing all dead and decaying matter which would otherwise be hurtful to man. The little folks must be aware from reading the accounts iv newspapers that when no rain fails for many months (as sometimes happens) in the hotter parts of Australia, many thousands of stock of all kinds perish, and occasionally the smell cl dead bodies can be experienced everywhere. Let me give you an instance of how dreadful must be the losses to runholders when a drought takea place, and al&o the dangers to life from inbalirg bad air. A shepherd, or boundary rider, as they are called in Australia, had 14.000 sheep placed' under his care, with strict oiders to water them every afternoon. The tank to which ha was ordered to driv3 the sheep was not ia the paddock where they were, buo in one adjoining", and the shepberd had to open a gate every time the sheep were taken; to the lank. Well, this inhuman bushman left, his sheep for three days, and wenfc to drink at a grog ihanty. The sheep, knowing by instinct the way to the gate which lad to the tank of water, gathered as usual toba let through to drink, but uo one came, and they rcmaiufid there until they all died of thirst. The poor things had clambered up one upon thG other until their bodies when found reached half-way up the fence. Now, dcn'fc you think that shepherd deserved to be very severely punished 1 When a child is hungry or thirst.y, or in ceed of anything, it can ask for whatever it wants, but when a dumb brate suffers it cannot aolicfc our aid —one must give to it. Therefore it is our duty to watch very carefully ever every creature committed to our care, lest by neglecting to supply its wants at the proper time we perpetrate an act of cruelty and becoffiG despised. Be kind to your pets.