Part 17 (2/2)

Upon this subject I can dwell no uest recollection

For days I seemed to live in a kind of dream, and was not even sure that the people I s As to my awful loss, I am sure I did not realise it What I did realise, however, was the necessity for immediate action Like a drearief of my blacks and their well-meant endeavours to console me The women kept up a thened htful place So dazed did I becoe spirit ranted that I left all arrangements for the funeral to theereat journey I had before me I told the natives frankly of my intention, and immediately forty of them volunteered to accompany me on my travels as far as I chose to permit them to come I readily accepted the kindly offer, partly because I knew that alone I should have gone mad; and partly also because I instinctively realised that with such a bodyguard I would have nothing to fear either from hu I cut offthe natives to be made into bracelets, necklaces, and other souvenirs; and then I departed with little ceremony from the place where I had spent so s I gave away, and I think I turned ret My dress consisted solely of the usual covering of emu skin; whilst attached to a belt round my waist wereover my shoulder

Day after day we h ere on a walk-about The conditions of the country were constantly changing, and I came across many evidences of its natural richness in old

One day as ere all resting near the base of a rock, which was a kind of huge outcrop froan idly to chip the stone with ht, shi+ning, yellowto reat ree, and there was one gigantic nugget, spread out tentacle-wise in it, which if removed would, I am sure, be as much as a couple of men could carry

Week after week passed by, and still we continued our southward march In time, of course, my companions returned to their own country; but so leisurely had our progress been that I had aratiate myself with other tribes,--so that, as usual, I went froe of the savages and my invaluable repertoire of tricks In the course of months I came upon the blazed or marked trees, and then struck due west

Very few incidents worth recording befell ht or nine ns of the proxi the track ere now folloere such things as rusty meat-tins; old papers; discarded and very s; and numerous other evidences of pioneer life One day, about noon, I espied an encampment of tents 500 or 600 yards ahead of ht my men to a halt whilst I went forward a little to reconnoitre Curiously enough, the sight of these tents did not cause reat emotion You see, I had ion, and besides, I had been looking for these tents so long from the time I first came across the evidences of civilisation aforesaid, thatabout were Europeans in the usual dress of the Australian prospector Suddenly a strange feeling of shyness and hesitancy came over me Ale, in fact--I realised I could not go and introduceI knew the value of caution in approaching so-called civilisedhad bitter experience with the Giles expedition Returning to my blacks, I told them that at last I had come up with my own people, but did not want to join them for some little time yet Then I selected a couple of my companions, and explained to the

I instructed them to creep quietly into the ca outside one of the tents, and bring back these articles to ht, but when they returned in the course of a few ht only the shi+rt with the been removed no doubt by the owner, a few minutes before they arrived My blacks were intensely a that this was practically the only article of wearing apparel I possessed, I have no doubt I did cut a very ludicrous figure Then cao and showone of their own shi+rts Finally I decided to bid farewell then and there to my escort, and continue my march alone until I reached another encampment

In the course of another day or so I reached a second camp Into this I decided to venture and explain who I was Before taking this step, however, I rubbed off all the clayey coating on th by means of a firestick, and threayweapon; then I marched boldly into the camp Some five or six bronzed prospectors were seated at supper round the fire in front of the tent as I approached; and when they caught sight of me they stared, astounded for the hter, under the i some joke upon them When I was but a few yards away, however, I called out in English--

”Halloa, boys! have you room for me?”

They were too much taken aback to reply immediately, and then one of them said--

”Oh yes; co the?”

”Yes,” I said quietly, ”and I have been away a very long time”

”And where did you leave your mates?” was the next question

”I had no s practically alone”

They looked at one another, winked, and smiled incredulously at this

Then one of theold

I said, ”Oh yes, plenty of gold,” and then the next query--a ht some of the stuff back with you? How far have you travelled?”

I told theh the heart of the Continent for eight or nine ets and quartz about with me But this explanation only served to renew their uardedto ask--

”What year is this?”

”This is Bellaeance,” cried one of the prospectors--a sally that was heartily appreciated by the whole of the coan to think that if this was the reception civilisation had fores

But in a few ed, and it was obvious that they looked upon ed from the bush I was assured that this conclusion was correct when I saw the diggers looking at one another significantly and tapping their foreheads I resolved to tell the that the more I told the lunatic I learned that these ardie They offered ht with theratefully accepted a pair of trousers, but declined the offer of a pair of boots, feeling certain that I could not yet bear these on h benefactors told me that I should find many other caain and spent the night alone