<h2><SPAN name="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI. <br/><span class="cheaderfont">AFTER THE FIGHT.</span></SPAN></h2>
<p>It was indeed a terrible sight the two friends gazed
upon. On the ground where the fight had furiously
raged lay scores of dead blacks in all attitudes, just
as they had fallen. It made them shudder to look at
the scene. The terrific nature of the blows dealt was
apparent, for most of the dead had their skulls fractured,<span class="pagenum">[149]</span>
and their features were ghastly and distorted.
Their weapons lay near them, and Edgar picked up
the club which the powerful black who fought the
Enooma chief had used. It was a great weight, and
fully three feet long, and capable of dealing a fearful
blow, even in a weak man’s hands. The end was
covered with blood and hair, showing that the Curracoo
had killed many enemies before he was slain.</p>
<p>‘You will bury these men?’ asked Edgar.</p>
<p>‘The Enooma must have burial,’ said Yacka; ‘the
Curracoo are not fit to be hidden away;’ and he struck
a fallen black, who still showed signs of life, over the
head with his club.</p>
<p>‘That was a cowardly thing to do,’ said Edgar.</p>
<p>‘They are not fit to live,’ said Yacka, and went on.</p>
<p>‘What a brute he is, after all!’ said Will, in a low
voice. ‘He is no better than the others.’</p>
<p>‘He is a savage at heart,’ said Edgar, ‘and we
must make allowances for him.’</p>
<p>‘If he kills defenceless men like that,’ said Will, ‘I
would not give much for our lives if he felt disposed
to turn upon us.’</p>
<p>‘He will not do that,’ said Edgar. ‘We are his
friends, these men his enemies. Had the Curracoo
won, they would have treated the Enooma in the
same way. This savage warfare is the same the
world over, I expect. It is a horrible sight.’</p>
<p>‘Over a hundred killed,’ said Yacka, with a savage
smile; ‘and we have many prisoners.’</p>
<p>‘Shall you kill the prisoners?’ asked Edgar.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum">[150]</span></p>
<p>‘Yes; and leave them as a warning to the tribe.’</p>
<p>‘How will they be put to death?’ asked Edgar,
who had read of the tortures inflicted by savages in
Africa and elsewhere.</p>
<p>‘That will be decided,’ said Yacka. ‘The Enooma
know how to kill their enemies.’</p>
<p>After a gruesome tramp over the battle-field, they
returned to the camp. The victorious Enooma were
already commencing to celebrate their triumph.</p>
<p>Edgar saw a group of prisoners, about forty or
fifty in number, bound with thongs made of some
kind of reed or long grass. They all looked terror-stricken,
and evidently knew what was in store for
them.</p>
<p>‘Poor wretches!’ said Will. ‘It would be a kindness
to shoot them.’</p>
<p>‘We must not interfere,’ said Edgar. ‘It would
be risking our lives to do so. Even Yacka would not
stand that.’</p>
<p>‘You saw a dance at Yanda,’ said Yacka. ‘You
will see a genuine war dance soon.’</p>
<p>Towards night the big men of the tribe assembled
round Yacka, and all squatted on the ground.</p>
<p>‘They are deciding the fate of the prisoners,’ said
Will. ‘I hope it will not be very awful.’</p>
<p>The consultation did not last long, and Yacka came
towards them. He seemed pleased at the prospect
before him, and laughed harshly.</p>
<p>‘It is good,’ he said. ‘All die a dog’s death.’</p>
<p>‘Will they be hanged?’ asked Will.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum">[151]</span></p>
<p>‘Some,’ said Yacka. ‘Wait and see.’</p>
<p>There were many trees near the camp, and they
had big white branches a good height from the
ground. Ten of the Curracoos were brought
forward and thrown down under the trees. They
were then raised feet first, and bound with their
heads downwards round the trunks of the trees.
Others were drawn up, feet foremost, over the
branches, and left hanging with their heads touching
the feet of the others.</p>
<p>Edgar protested to Yacka, but he took no notice.
The black was looking at the fearful scene with
savage delight. There was no mercy to be got out
of Yacka, so Edgar did not speak to him again.</p>
<p>Other blacks were brought to these trees, cast
down on their faces, and spears were driven through
their backs, pinning them to the ground in such a
manner that they could not get free. Their cries
were fearful, and made the place seem like a hell
upon earth. Some of the cruelties were too fearful
to relate, and yet Yacka watched it all with fiendish
glee. When the last prisoner had been tortured and
left to die a lingering death, Yacka was satisfied.</p>
<p>‘We cannot trust you after what we have seen,’
said Edgar. ‘We shall go back. Guide us to Alice
Springs; if not, we must risk it, and go alone.’</p>
<p>Yacka was dumfounded. He could not understand
the reason of their distrust in him. He had
acted according to the customs of his tribe, and
knew, had the Curracoo won, the Enooma would<span class="pagenum">[152]</span>
have been treated in a similar way. It was the
fortune of war. The Enooma had gained the victory;
why should the white men mistrust him because the
tribe had taken their just revenge?</p>
<p>‘Yacka is your friend,’ said the black. ‘You have
come to no harm. We make war in our own way.
You kill many men with big guns. I have seen them
fired. They kill many at one shot. It is more
terrible than our wars.’</p>
<p>‘We do not torture prisoners,’ said Edgar. ‘You
are no better than these savages.’</p>
<p>‘I am the son of Enooma,’ said Yacka; ‘therefore
I am the head of them. The head guides the
body. I am the chief, the king, and I am above
them all.’</p>
<p>‘You are as cruel as they are,’ said Edgar. ‘If
you are the King of the Enooma, why did you not
kill these men at once, not torture them?’</p>
<p>‘It is the will of Enooma,’ said Yacka, ‘and she
must be obeyed.’</p>
<p>‘The White Spirit would never allow men to be
tortured,’ said Edgar. ‘There is no White Spirit
over the Enooma; it is a black spirit, and full of
evil.’</p>
<p>‘You saved Yacka’s life,’ said the black, ‘and he is
grateful. If my tribe know you call Enooma a black
spirit, Yacka could not save you. Follow me. It is
not far. Yacka will lead you back when you have
looked upon the White Spirit, and seen the gold and
beautiful stones.’</p>
<p><span class="pagenum">[153]</span></p>
<p>The agonized groans of the tortured blacks sounded
terrible, and Edgar said:</p>
<p>‘Kill these men, and we will go with you.’</p>
<p>Yacka hesitated, and Edgar, noticing it, said:</p>
<p>‘I took your hand in friendship; now it is stained
in blood. Kill these men, and I will forgive you, and
the White Spirit will be glad.’</p>
<p>‘It shall be,’ said Yacka, and moved away towards
the camp.</p>
<p>How he prevailed upon the tribe he did not say,
but the tortured men were killed, and their groans
ceased, much to Edgar’s relief.</p>
<p>After this experience, there was no telling what
might happen if another encounter took place with a
hostile tribe, and the Enooma were defeated. Yacka,
however, had no intention of proceeding alone, and
Edgar and Will found the tribe was to accompany
them. Marching many miles a day in the company
of a tribe of warlike blacks was a novel experience.
Edgar had many opportunities of noting how they
lived and their habits. He soon learned that the
Enooma were excellent marksmen, and could throw
a spear with as great accuracy as he could shoot.
They used their boomerangs dexterously.</p>
<p>Yacka was an adept at throwing this peculiar
weapon, which is almost in the shape of a half
crescent, and is made of very hard wood, smooth and
shaved down to a sharp edge on the inside curve.
Yacka could throw his boomerang high into the air,
until it appeared a mere speck, and it came down in<span class="pagenum">[154]</span>
a series of curves until it fell at his feet. No matter
how far he threw the boomerang, it invariably returned
to him.</p>
<p>The first time Edgar attempted throwing a
boomerang he was rather astonished. Instead of
going high into the air, it gave a few curves, then
flew rapidly backwards, and Edgar had to duck his
head quickly to avoid a blow.</p>
<p>‘It is not so easy as it looks,’ he said to Will.
‘Have a try?’</p>
<p>Will took the weapon and tried, with no better
result; in fact, he came off worse than Edgar, for he
got a severe blow on the shin. The blacks were
amused at the white men’s clumsy attempts to throw
the boomerang, and their grins of satisfaction exasperated
Edgar.</p>
<p>‘They imagine we can do nothing in this line,’ he
said to Will. ‘We must undeceive them, or they
will have a very poor opinion of us. We have not
many shots to spare; but it may be as well to show
them how deadly a gun is.’</p>
<p>Edgar explained to Yacka that it was not fair the
blacks should have it all their own way.</p>
<p>‘Throw your boomerang, and I’ll engage to hit it
in the air,’ said Edgar.</p>
<p>Yacka did not care to risk his own boomerang,
which was carved in a fantastic manner, so he took
another, and, after telling the blacks what Edgar
was about to do, he flung it into the air.</p>
<p>As it came circling down Edgar fired and hit it,<span class="pagenum">[155]</span>
but it did not split with the shot; the marks, however,
were plainly visible, and the blacks were not
only terrified at the noise, but amazed at the result.
It was Will’s turn next, and he elected to try his luck
with the revolver.</p>
<p>Yacka fastened one of the blacks’ loin-cloths to a
tree, doubling it into a small space. These cloths
were made of thick skin, probably kangaroo, and
when doubled it offered strong resistance to a
bullet.</p>
<p>Will fired at twenty paces. The bullet passed
through the skin and flattened against the tree. On
seeing this, the blacks regarded the revolver with
much interest, but would not handle it.</p>
<p>The Enooma blacks were athletic fellows, and
could run, jump, and wrestle in a manner that surprised
Edgar, who knew a good deal about such
sports.</p>
<p>In his Redbank days Edgar had run his hundred
yards in even time, and he was in splendid condition
now.</p>
<p>One of the Enooma, called Ouwana, they noticed
was a fine runner, and Will suggested Edgar should
try his speed against him.</p>
<p>Yacka, as usual, arranged matters.</p>
<p>Ouwana was a tall, lithe-limbed black, about
twenty years old, and with a less repulsive cast of
countenance than many of his tribe. He was quite
willing to run Edgar, and Will measured out the
distance as near as he could stride it.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum">[156]</span></p>
<p>Yacka acted as starter, the signal being a loud
clap of the hands, and Will was judge. The blacks
grew quite excited over the race.</p>
<p>Yacka’s hands met with a crack like a pistol, and,
trained as he had been to start smartly, Edgar gained
a slight advantage. He ran his best, but before he
had gone fifty yards it was a hopeless case, as
Ouwana passed him like a flash, and simply won
hands down.</p>
<p>Edgar was amazed, not so much at being beaten,
as by the easy way in which it was done.</p>
<p>‘He’s a champion,’ said Edgar.</p>
<p>‘He would be good enough to win one of those
big handicaps we saw advertised in the Sydney
paper before we left Yanda. How much was the
prize money?’</p>
<p>‘About six hundred pounds, I think,’ said Will;
‘I wish we had Ouwana there.’</p>
<p>‘So do I,’ said Edgar; ‘it would be rare fun to see
the black fellow “down” the cracks.’</p>
<p>The days passed quickly, and Edgar and Will
had no thought of time. They did not even know
what month it was, and were dead out of their
reckoning as regards the days of the week.</p>
<p>What surprised them most was the fertile nature of
the country. They had passed across a vast sandy
plain, and taken some days to do it, but ever since
they left it behind they had been tramping over what
Edgar knew would not only be excellent sheep
country, but would also carry cattle. Grass was<span class="pagenum">[157]</span>
plentiful—not brown, dry grass, but green and juicy—proving
there had either been recent rain, or there
was plenty of moisture in the earth.</p>
<p>It was not a flat, dull, and uninteresting country,
for there were hills and valleys, and trees and shrubs,
and beautiful wild flowers and blossoming trees were
found in many places. Wild berries and fruits they
found, and running streams of water, which seemed
to find their source in the many caves with which the
mountains were honeycombed. In some of these
streams, which at times were sufficiently large to be
called rivers, crocodiles were found, both large and
small. The larger crocodile was voracious, and it
was not safe to bathe when any of them showed their
ugly heads, but the smaller species was harmless, and
never ventured to attack them.</p>
<p>The Enooma blacks were fond of the water, and
often risked their lives bathing and swimming where
crocodiles were to be seen.</p>
<p>Ouwana was especially venturesome, and often
speared a crocodile in the water.</p>
<p>Yacka said he had seen Ouwana fight a crocodile,
with a shortened spear like a dagger, for the mere
excitement of the sport.</p>
<p>Edgar managed to further earn the goodwill of
the blacks by saving Ouwana’s life.</p>
<p>The black dived into the stream, and was swimming
in the centre, when a huge crocodile appeared
close beside him. The hideous creature opened its
monster jaws, showing great ugly teeth, and in<span class="pagenum">[158]</span>
another moment would have ended Ouwana’s career.
Edgar luckily had his gun with him, and, taking a
steady aim with the barrel used for ball, fired. The
crocodile sank like a stone.</p>
<p>Ouwana was unaware of his danger, and at first
thought Edgar had fired at him. This roused all the
ferociousness in the black’s nature, and it would have
gone hard with Edgar had Yacka not come up and
explained.</p>
<p>When Ouwana found out what Edgar had done he
showed his repentance for doubting him, and his
thankfulness for his delivery from a fearful death, by
kneeling down and putting both arms round Edgar’s
legs. He then looked up into his face with such
sorrowful eyes that Edgar patted his woolly head,
much as he would have done that of a big dog.</p>
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