As we neared it, we saw several
natives' smokes, and immediately the whole region seemed alive with
aborigines, men, women, and children running down from the highest
points of the mountain to join the tribe below, where they all
congregated. The yelling, howling, shrieking, and gesticulating they
kept up was, to say the least, annoying. When we began to unpack the
horses, they crowded closer round us, carrying their knotted sticks,
long spears, and other fighting implements. I did not notice any
boomerangs among them, and I did not request them to send for any.
They were growing very troublesome, and evidently meant mischief. I
rode towards a mob of them and cracked my whip, which had no effect in
dispersing them. They made a sudden pause, and then gave a sudden
shout or howl. It seemed as if they knew, or had heard something, of
white men's ways, for when I unstrapped my rifle, and holding it up,
warning them away, to my great astonishment they departed; they
probably wanted to find out if we possessed such things, and I trust
they were satisfied, for they gave us up apparently as a bad lot.
It appeared the exertion of travelling had improved the go of the lame
horses, so I took them along with the others in the morning; I did not
like the idea of leaving them anywhere on this range, as the natives
would certainly spear, and probably eat them.
Pages:
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214