第102章

I make a perambulator--Meeting with whites--A dreadful habit--The miracle of Moses--Preparing a demonstration--An expectant audience--Yamba growing feeble--One tie snapped--Yamba's pathetic efforts--Vain hopes--Yamba dying--Nearing the end--My sole desire--A mass of gold--I seek trousers and shirt--An interesting greeting--Astartling question--Towards Mount Margaret--The French Consul--Ireach London.

I always felt instinctively that any attempt at missionary enterprise on my part would be dangerous, and might besides afford jealous medicine-men and other possible enemies an excellent opportunity of undermining my influence.

Sometimes, however, when all the tribe was gathered together, Iwould bring up the subject of cannibalism, and tell them that the Great Spirit they feared so much had left with me a written message forbidding all feasting off the bodies of human beings.The "written message" I referred to on these occasions was my old Bible.Of course the blacks failed to understand its purport as a book, having no written language of their own; but my manner and words served to impress them.

My natives seemed ever to manifest the keenest interest in the accounts I gave them of the wonderful resources of civilisation;but experience showed that I must adapt my descriptions to the intellect of my hearers.For example, I used to tell them that in the great cities ("camps" I called them) there was never any real darkness if men chose, because there were other lights at command which could be turned off and on at will.The most effective analogy in this respect was the twinkling of the stars in the heavens; but my hearers were greatly amazed to think that such lights could be under the command of man.

The blacks had long since put me down as a great spirit come to visit them, and they even located by common consent a certain star in the heavens which they decided was at one time my home, and to which I should eventually return.Every time I made a false step, I had to devise some new "miracle" by way of counterblast.

On one occasion I actually made a perambulator for the conveyance of children! It was the very first time that these primitive savages had seen the principle of the wheel applied to locomotion, and it passed their comprehension altogether.With childish delight and an uproar that baffles all description, both men and women almost fought with one another for the honour of pushing the crude little conveyance about.The perambulator was made out of logs, and was a four-wheeled vehicle; the rims of the wheels being cut from a hollow tree.My blacks were also much amazed at the great size of my mountain home; but their wonderment increased greatly when I explained to them that some of the buildings in the great "camps" of the white man were as large as the hills, and much more numerous.

Elsewhere I have spoken of the extraordinary system of telegraphy that exists among the blacks.Well, in the early eighties news began to reach me that numbers of white men had appeared in the north; and in one of my many long tramps I one day came upon a party of white men engaged in prospecting.I speak of this remarkable meeting thus abruptly because their tent met my gaze in the most abrupt manner possible.It is ever so in the Australian bush.

I found that this party was by no means an isolated one, and Iactually stayed in various camps for a few days, before returning to my mountain home.I need hardly remark that the white men were far more astonished to see me than I was at meeting them.Of course I could have joined them and gone back to civilisation, but this I would not do without my native wife and family.It was in the Kimberley district that I met these parties of prospectors; and I may here remark that I had for some time been aware of the existence of this auriferous region.I learned afterwards that the Kimberley was geographically the nearest point I might have made for in order to reach civilisation.

When I settled down again in my mountain home I soon fell into my old way of living, which was practically identical with that of the blacks, save that I did not always accompany them when they shifted camp.Parties of natives were constantly calling upon me, and would stay perhaps three or four days at a time.I encouraged these visits, and invariably prepared some entertainment for my guests,--even going to the extent of providing them with wives, according to native custom.But, you will ask, where did I get wives to hand round in this convenient fashion? A very interesting question this, and one which requires a somewhat lengthy answer.

Now, the blacks do not look upon the advent of a female child with any favour; on the contrary, they frequently get rid of it at once in order to save themselves the trouble of taking it with them when on the walk-about.

As I was always very fond of children, I decided to try and put a stop to this dreadful habit of child-murder, so I made it known far and wide that parents could pass their girl-babies on to me, and Iwould rear and look after them.The result of this widely-advertised offer was that I soon had quite an orphan asylum established--an institution which was valuable to me in many ways.

Quite apart from the satisfaction I derived from knowing I had saved these children from a terrible death, I was looked upon as a kind of prospective father-in-law on a gigantic scale, and young men came from all parts to treat with me for wives.

As I have said before, my regular reception days were held at the new moon.

My visitors, as well as my own people, gradually grew to have quite a reverence for the Bible; but I am afraid it was not on account of the sacredness of the book, but rather owing to the wonderful things it contained, and which were interpreted by me in such a way as would appeal directly to the primitive minds of these people.