Elizabeth daily monitor. [volume] (Elizabeth, N.J.) 1868-1880, 1869-03-01
AN AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE
CONCLUSION.

'Dance, dance ~ cried Ftzmanrice.
His voice seemed to rouse him. |
think the agony I endured for his sake
must have made me insane as believe
him. for began to dance almost as
wildly as he, but to sing and laugh was
impossible. My tongue Glove to the
roof of my mouth. l forgot my dread
of the savages-the peril which men
aced us--in the terror of the idea that
Fltzmaurice had lost his reason.
st may quiet Them" he sang, after
a moment they are crazy as children
for a dance--jump, skip !"
began to collect my thoughts, and
be abe better to understand Fitzmanr-
ices strange performance. I now
glanced towards the savages. The I'm
expected sight had evid .ntly struck
them with surprise some of them had
dropped their javelins- others leaned
over the rocks in wrapt attention.
The old man and few of the lead
ers still continued to expostulate with
their companions but these no longer
listened, pushed back the infuriated
commanders when they attempted to
fling their javelins.
The savages, like the aborigines of
all those strange lands, were only chill
dren OF o larger growth. The slightest
thing amused them or excited their
color, and enterprises by the most tri-
fling occurrence.
They sought now to understand the
strange scene. What were those two
men about ? What meant those leaps
those wild movements, hat gay song.
which Fitzmaurice still continued in
full vigor, occasionally varying it with
o whistle loud and clear as bird S
melody.
The crowd began to express their as
constituent and their curiosity by little
cries, rather sweeter to oar ears than
the yells of rage and menace with
which they had made the night tef,re
The principal amusement of the Aus
tralians was the dance, and this new
one performed before their eyes had
all the merit of originality truly, it
must have been singular spectacle.
By this time | understood every
thing, and now that my fear for my
friends sanity had changed into admi
ration for the presence of mind which
had saved our lives, or at least had Civ
en- us this respite. I was able to join
more heartily in his exercise and evc
aid him in the vocal part of the per-
Torrance.
At length Fitzmaurice, who never
during an instant evinced the slight
est sign of emotion, called, or rather
sang, as if portion of the tune he had
been shouting, with all the strength Oh
his lungs
''Where are our guns
''About thirty feet off y chanted in
answer.
(which way ?" pealed back in his
deepest baritone.
Toward the left,' responded my
tenor.
He made an odd variation in Polly
Dawson, and introduced
$50 much the. worse-t they are moi
on the road to the boat"
"Shall I go and get them p cried ]
forgetting to sing in my eageruess.
mo, no-don't talk Sing don't
try to get them yet. Keep on dancing
little by little we will approach the
place where they lie. -
I began dancing madly toward the
guns, but Fitzmaurice's warming voics
stopped me-
''Take care, take care-not so quick!
Follow me in circle, widen it gradual
ly."
But before we had taken many steps,
the savages appeared to suspect our in
tention their murmurs checked Fitz
maurice at once, SO perfect was Iii,
self control.
Come back, /" he sang to a lively air
'fthe entertainment is not over yet"
The mad hope which flashed into my
mind died out with the first failure.
felt my strength giving way, my limbs
almost refused to bear me through
th 1t dance of death.
Courage, courage y sang Fitzmau-
rice. eff we get out of this, I'm sure