The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-02-20
GAME WITH DEATH
Incident That Had Ending of
Black Ingratitude.
Yarn Heard by Traveller Tells How
Australian Aborigine Escaped
From the Great Hurricane
20 Hours In the Sea

Whilst we waited at Cairns OF the
North Queensland coast for the New
Guinea packet to be under way across
the Coral sea We got ear Of Cape
York aborigine who had some years
before astounded the Australian world
by saving his life from the sea in the
midst Of a great hurricane
The wind had fallen down so swift
ly-and with such furious white viO-
lence (said they)-that Of the five hun
dred luggers Of the pearling feet
which It cast away, some were blown
to the bottom within a few rods Of
shore with the loss of all hands
In the season Of the great hurricane
this aborigine was shipped aboard a
Iugger of 1s tons to fish the Great
Barrier reef on the Cape York coast
for shell and beche-de-mer. When the
big wind came down (said he) 1t lifted
the little 1ugger clean out Of the water
like q leaf In a gale-aad flung her
back cRpsized and cast away. And so
swift was this, and wanton, and COM
plete, and careless and lazy, that the
aborigine was greatly astonished, for
he had not thought that any wind
could accomplish it.
It was then near six O'Clock OF a
Saturday evening. And all at once
It was dark The wreck OF the Iugger
vanished in the surprising night and
a smother Of broken water. What a
turmoil there was-how the wind tore
on the crests Of the magical wave
and drenched the air with a sitting
mist of spray-and what a confusion
Of noise and movement, and how
black, and how white, the rush Of the
night-the aborigine could not with
! any art relate; but said with his eyes
popped out, in the recollection Of the
magical performance Of that jinkie-jin-
kie gale, MY word, one big fellow
seal"
He was tossed and driven like a
chip Of driftwood all that night Csaid
he); his head was up, his heels were
up, he was rolled over and over. he
was beaten deep under water, the
breath was blown back in his mouth
and he fancied sometimes that the
wind picked him up with its hands and
cast him through the air, from crest
to crest, clear Of the sea-which was
doubtless true, for the wind was mag
ically strong, and in magical wrath
and magically as sticky as gum.
In the morning the aborigine fell IN
| with his lubra {wife); and the lubra
stood by-to help him (said they), be
| ing stronger swimmer than he, and
a more cunning diver after shell and
beche-de-mer, and more daring and
elusive in shark-water; so that hel
value was known to all the masters o.
1uggers out Of Thursday island anC
known quite as well, you may. be sure
to the aborigine. By and by-dawI
long ago come and noon near, and the
wind abating-these two could glimpse
the land from the crests of the waves
It was far away-a low, blue line
Yet now, wing found themselves
they set out heartily, in about theil
fourteenth hour on the water, to wiz
the shore.
In the afternoon the aborigine be
gan to fail The thing was too much
for him. He lost heart (said he); be
was worn out, and NEEDED food-sIeepy
too, with weakness. His anxious little
lubra must rest him, now and again
support him whilst he lay still, ant
once, indeed, whilst he nodded off t
sleep, and in this way refreshed hi:
strength and spirit.
And so they SWAN together. ant
paused to rest. and swan on-thi
woman having no rest at all, but lend
ing strength to the man, at shortening
periods, all the while. In the eni
they crawIed up the beach and fel
down and slept for long time.
It was then eight o'clock of a Sun
day night; they had been in hurrican
water a matter of twenty-six hours
and the man would surely have gon
down had It not been for the faithful
little lubra- And they did not wax