The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-07-28
AN AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE.


w.
The haggard, drawn co~untenance o
Samson Harris's wife saluted them a
they hurried up to the door of thu
hut, and in that encounter, where
each sought for news or hope, it was
plain enough TO read the bitter tidings
written 10 each anxious face. Ander-
son turned away with a groan, and was
proceeding toward the dense scrub,
when Samson called to him to halt, as
he kicked at the black shepherd to
rouse him from his heavy sleep.
Ten minutes after. with Teddy lead
ing the way, they we're examining the
ground, step by step, in the hope OF
finding the track By which Mary had
entered the scrub, but the grass was
so trampled in every direction that the
task seemed hopeless. Footprints and
trails were laciDg and interlaclng, one
destroying the identity of the other;
but though seeking as 1t were entirely
In the dark. they pressed on hour at
ter hour. Ever and again, either the
father or Anderson shuddered when
they came upon some spot where blood
saliied the fair green heritage with its
crimson stains, aud when such q place
occurred, they traced the blood-spots
trembIIngly, and In dread lest they
should stumble In their next step up
on the body of her they sought.
But no such narrowing sight met
their gaze; and still to and fro they
searched, shouting at intervals, till
night again put a stop TO their efforts.
Day alter day passed OF lndetatIg.
able search, and the thought occurred
again and again to Samson that the
blacks must have dragged the poor
girl off with them in their retreat; but
Teddy would not hear of II, saying,
wait a bit-fnd um s0oni black fell
Ter no take white girl away" Ander-
son, too, seemed Of the opinion that
Mary was still near at hand. and with
torn and bleeding hands an face he
still keptup the weary. Sc arch, till long
after it was certain that if the poor
girl were found in the scrub life would
be there no more.
Dense-impenetrable almost-the
scrub extended mile after mile. to an
indefinite distance, presenting Q
the sa a features so that, If the poor
girl had been alarmed by the savages
and hurried for safety into the wilder
ness, guide there was none; and, ! Ike
man others, she might toll On tillshe
fell exhausted to perish of hamilton.
To & dweller in EOgland the idea of
being lost in the bush seems absurd;
but out Ia the great Australian Wilds,
where everything is on so grand-so
apparently inimitable-a scale, strong
and ardent men have been before now
known to wander from the beaten
track to where pathway there was
none through the undtrOdden wild,
ADD to wander on and on till death
nut an end to their sufferiDg5.
But had Mary wandered away in
dread fleeing for safety through the
thorny waste? They could not answer
the Question:; and, In spite of making
az ever widening circle to try and dis
cover the trail, all seemed vain. Sam
son would have pushed off by the
track taken by the savages, bat for
the persuasion of Anderson; and
though so far disappointment had at
tended his efforts, Teddy seemed
pleased e.tbe trust reposed in him.
and often, down upon hands and
knees, be examined every blade OF
grass and leaf.
The traces left by the marauding
party extended round the hut, and for
some distance back into the wild 10
every direction; and it was beyond
that circle that the principal efforts
CT the seekers were directed; but days
wore on without any success, the diff
fculty growing greater each hour, IN
a land where vegetation is rapid, and
grass would soon spring up where the
foot had pressed, as was very appar
emit; for on the eighth morning, when
they again started upon their appar-
entity hopeless task, the tracks OF the
saveges were In many places hardly to
be seen. All dread OF their enemies
seemed lost 10 this great trouble, and
they wandered on, hour after hour,
needless of danger, till on this last
day they they we're at q spot many
miles from home, where was an open
ing IN the dense scrub-the rough
head of rock and huge boulder being
thrust here and there through the
soil to form a desolate wilderness, far
as the eve could reach-mile alter mile
Of rugged stony undulation, upon
which the SUI beat down with a heat
that was all but uubearable.
For days past Teddy had been tact
turn and moody, hunting on still, and
apparently examining every inch OF
gr0uod; but he hardly answered when
spoken to, apparently under the i'm
preston that Samson and Anderson
were disappointed in his tracking abll.
iCies, OF which be was very proud. and
had before now often proved to be OF
no mean order.
Evening was fast approachiDg, when
it seemed to Anderson that the black
had made some discovery. for he was
pressing OF in one particular dlrec-
ton, though, when shou ed to, he
took no heed. Tired aud worn. how
ever, sick at heart with many disap-
pointments, father and lover sat down
10 resi-, when at the end of about an
hour they heard the we'll known
''cooey" of the black reiterated again
and again. So. Responding. they rose
aud proceeded in the direction of the
sound, to meet the black at last look
ing eager and vet startled-apparently
afraid to communicate his intelligence
to Samson-and turning in his track
to retrace his steps for a couple OF
miles, when, just as night was falling.
he halted, stepped aside, and pointed
Upwards to where there was a little
emInence visible in froat of the father.
For Heavens sake push on, cried
Addison huskily; but Samson grasped
at bis arm and would have stayed him
had he not thrust him aside and dash
ed forward, to be out of sight in a few
moments amongst the bushes which
here grew thickly.
FIVE minutes passed and he did not
return, when. staggering like q
drunken man, Samson following In his
steps. with eyes bent upon the ground,
aud brain apparently stunned, feeling
that some dread horror was about to
be revealed to him, but only in a
numb, helpless way. The black came
ofosa hehfud uafohinO him IntenItV