Part 15 (1/2)

Without asking leave they all set off, having first provided themselves with large baskets which Rob and Edgar had been busy in manufacturing.

They would certainly not have been allowed to go without Betty, but she was watching over little Sybil, who was unwell, and was not aware that they had set out. They went along to the westward on the edge of the scrub which the flood had not reached--indeed, its traces had even disappeared from the surface which it had covered. They were somewhat disappointed at first in not finding fruit in the abundance they had expected, and so they went on and on until they reached a part of the scrub sufficiently open to enable them to penetrate into it. Here Rob and Edgar thought that they could without difficulty procure plenty of fruit. They were soon hard at work picking away with great delight.

”Keep together,” cried Rob, ”or we may chance to lose ourselves.”

”No fear,” answered Effie, ”we will look where you go.”

Edgar said the same. Rob felt very proud of being the leader of so large a party, but in his eagerness to pick a quant.i.ty of fruit, he did not watch over them as carefully as he should have done. On and on they went, Rob making a remark every now and then to those near him.

Presently he heard Tommy shriek out, ”A snake, a snake!” and throwing down his basket, he ran off towards the more open part of the scrub.

”Come back!” cried Rob. ”It is only a paddy-melon, and won't hurt you or any one else.”

Tommy, however, would not stop.

”Come along, Edgar, and catch the child,” cried Rob, forgetting Effie and Albert, whom he had not seen for some minutes.

It was some time before Tommy could be overtaken.

”You stupid monkey!” cried Rob, when he caught him; ”there are no snakes here to do you any harm.”

Tommy, however, was not easily persuaded, and still a.s.serted that he had seen the head of a big snake. At length they got him to come back and pick up his basket.

”Hulloa! Where are Effie and Albert?” asked Rob. ”We left them close here, I am sure.”

They looked about in every direction; they shouted, but no answer came.

”This is provoking!” cried Rob. ”I expected those children to keep close to us; see how obstinate they are! I'll make them remember this when we catch them.”

Rob became very anxious when, after hunting about for some time, he could find neither his little sister nor his cousin. How they could have got out of hearing seemed incredible. Rob, though very clever in his own opinion, was in a serious difficulty. While he fancied that he was going west, he had turned east; and thinking that he was just getting out of the scrub, he found himself, to his surprise, close to the river.

His first exclamation was, ”Dear me! how could we have got over to the other side?” Then, after due reflection, he recollected that was impossible; he must have gone in an opposite way to what he had supposed.

Darkness came on. Tommy began to cry, and Edgar felt very much inclined to join him. ”Poor Albert! poor Effie! Where can they have gone?”

They were a long way from home, they knew; but they dreaded going back without their little brother and sister. Indeed, in the dark they would be unable to find their way, for they had no notion of steering themselves by the stars. The fruit, though very fit for making jelly, was full of seeds, and not satisfying; but they had no other food, so at last they sat down and ate enough to allay the cravings of hunger.

The alarm at Stratton became very great when the children did not return. No one knew in what direction they had gone, but the baskets they had made had disappeared; consequently, it was supposed that they had set off on an expedition to pick fruit. At that hour it was impossible to see their trail; even Betty could not do it. However, Mr Hayward, accompanied by the boys and Bruce, at once started in search of the missing children. They made their way along the edge of the scrub, and penetrated into it whenever they could find an opening, cooing at the top of their voices, and shouting loudly, ”Rob, Tommy, Effie, Albert! answer! Where are you?”

No answer came.

”I trust that the black fellows have not got hold of them,” said Mr Hayward.

”We must pursue, and get them back,” cried Harry. ”Savage as the natives are, they would not dare to injure them.”

Mr Hayward did not reply; he might have known more of the natives than Harry did.

At length, having gone some distance, they heard a faint cooey in reply to theirs.

”Hurrah! That must be Rob's voice,” exclaimed Harry; ”though where it came from I cannot tell. I will cooey again.”