The Washington times., 1901-11-17

foot.
Ihat night we again camped in the for
est, making a slim breakfast on proyiS-
ions brought with US, The fourth day
found US hacking our way through under
brush peculiar to Australia called law
yers and barristers." because its fhorns
and brambles catch ono at every turn
once Charlie hesitated, turned back. and
struck off in another direction down an
embankment. we plugging after him.
What wild chase that wasi Two white
men blindly following the apparently
crazy course Of a black fellow into places
so remote that It would be impossible
to find our way out OF them alone. Such
IS the confidence In that country in the
| ability of a tracker
Charlie now crawled the greater part
| OF the way on his hands and knees mi
nutely examining twigs and branches for
/ signs Of freshly broken passa geway for
the fugitive. Every action betrayed his
intentness upon his task He was about
ten feet ahead Of us. when we heard him
give a subdued exclamation of delight
i catch white fellow quickr' he said
when we came up. and triumphantIy
pointed to a seIS9 of cloth hanging to a
broken twig.
after some four hours more Of scram-
| ping through the underbrush we reached
river, Charlie crouching attentiveIy
along the ground until he came to the
Dank. There, in the damp earth, two foot
prints were plainly visible.
What are you going to do now?" ask
ed the officer of Charlie.
For answer Charlie leaped into the river
and struck out for the opposite bank.
The tide was rather strong and carried
him down stream bit, but he swan val
iantly. while we sat, tired, travel-stained
ana hungry, on the trunk of a fallen tree
and watched his ebony wool bobbing along
the water. Emerging on the other side he
ran dripping for 20 feet or so, following
footprints that again stopped at the
waters edge
here the tracker paused He was plain
iy puzzled What had become of the cat
Tie thief? Had he recrosSed the river. or
swan down as far as he could and landed
on either bank, then struck into the
woods again? After sharply examining
the ground and satisfying himself that
the man had not remained on that side
charlie swan back, landing a few wards
below us. By his actions we saw that he |
had found the tracks again. The man had |
indeed recrossed the river, but where had |
he gone to after that?
trust uacker to guess riddles of that
sortl
Suddenly Charlie commenced to brush /
aside the leaves and twigs along the edge
OF the bank, uneovering the space between I
MIN ana US until he caught up with u.s.
we were sitting beneath a huge eucalyp-
tus tree. and L should perhaps explain
that our trees of that variety in Califor-
MIA are dwarfs compared with the oriSi-
inns in q tEa Arr-- 4
country.
white fellow no can fool black fell
lew" he said, smiling, wet and breath
less. Then we saw that the fugitive had
carefully covered up his tracks while
backward. and, strange to say,
they terminated under the very tree
where we were.
Apparently the man hunt was at an end.
Our game had vanished into space.
Charlie dashed into the thicket, and
hastily secured a strong, pliable vine used |
by the natives in scaling tree trunks too
smooth to climb. This he threw about the
tree, enclosing his own body, and fas-
tened it by wreathing it togther, holding
the ends with his hands. Working this
hoop as a sort of lever, he began to scale
the tree.
We looked on IN astonishment. Not a
human being was in sight above ground,
What clue could Charlie be following
low? Did he expect to find his man in
he sky?
Up went the black until thirty feet in
he air. Here we noted that the main
runk of the tree had been broken off
lears before, forming a crotch for the
lew branches that had sprung up on
.ither side.
Then most astonishing thing hap
,ened-
Reaching down into the hollow of the
lalf-dead tree trunk the tracked seized
something at the same time shouting to |
he officer below:
Boss, Bossl 1 catch white fellowI He
'lay possumi"
OCt of the opening appeared a mans
lead, and a more miserable object 1 have |
ever seen. He was trousled. dirty, gaunt,
l have said that a tracker
lways runs down his game. This time he
ertainly ran II up. Charles skill ut
ingtailed possum hunting helped him out,
or very often when native has killed |
lis game with 4 boomerang the animal
S caught in tree branch and the hunter
las TO climb for It in the manner l have
described
Charlie got US safely back TO the cabin.
nd later on 1 bade him and the officer
-ood-by The cattle thief, of course paid
he penalty of his crime. He said that
a tracker would be put upon his
rail. he had hoped to give him the i'm :
re ssion THAI lie had drowned while
the-river.
Another entertaining experience to me
fas my journey with Boko. Bloko was a
avoritc of the Government. having been | Q
m Victorian n | i
lumber of cases He was after a couple | I
+ absconders. headed for the border. a
hen l joined him and officer Gervin, of | =
he Glenn Innes Police Department. Bio II
o. like all traCkers, could climb trees IL
lie an ape and was a. fine athlete, having o
'onderfui endurance. The efforts of the 7
eeing men to discOncert Bloko amused :
i'm very much. For example, they had .
lr some distance Travelled on horseshOes. | d
ne walking behind the other to initiate Il
lc steps naturally taken by horse. | q
hen one had carried the other to ais
Iise the fact that two persons mad gone
yer the ground Either OF these subter- Il
iges would have readily confused, If not v
sceived. the average man. After fifty | n
lies of hard tracking through gOrges "
ld forest junglcs we-that is to say. the d.
acker and the oificer-captUred their II
en-. u
Trackers have a horror Of travelling after -
irk being constantly in fear of meeting | =
lie "Bunyib" a fearful monster with II
airing eyes. which they believe 10 be the ri
,irit of an old aboriginal king who | "
ANS around Swampy land at night to | -,
aclrer half out Of his wits by telling | y
m you will send the Bunyib after him. al
hey also believe that giant lives on %.
Ountain tops waiting to Kill them with .,
ub Hence they never sleep top Of Il -
ountain near swamp. always pitch u'
. their brush tents or minis, on To
v level patch. Their only religious be ra
+ is that a huge god who has been lying -
leep for ages will some time awake and ~