THE HIGHLANDER'S REVENGE.

Southland Times, Issue 870, 23 December 1867, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE HIGHLANDER'S REVENGE.

A STOET OF THE EAEIiY ATTSTEALIAN" SETTLEB3. By the Author of " Edith Travers," etc. CHAPTEE 11. Our leader alighted, and led his horse into a portion of the hat designated " the kitchen ;" bat the - whole dwelling consisted merely of two rooms, and there was very little distinction between them. "We followed his example, removing our saddles, which was almost all the alleviation we could afford to the weary auiinals. "The beasts inu3t e'ea take their chance like ourselves, and I canna tell whether I be glad to see ye or no, for we have a lot o' black-fellows a great deal nearer to us than is pleasant ; and it's odds if yell aid us or add to our danger," said the shepherd. " We'll try to aid ye, Jock,!' said M'Tavish ; " but I'm afraid that if the defenders are increased in number, the assailants are so likewise, for there are blackfellows on our track." " The de'ii !" exclaimed Jock. - And the next moment the presence of the savages was announced by a frightful yell; and through several crevices between the slabs of the hut appeared the sharp points of our enemies' spears. We had no means of resisting the attack, neither of adding to our defsnce, save by raising the beds and the mattresses of the shepherd and his son against the walls on one side of the hut, and all the rugs we could muster on the other. Our position was perilous in the extreme ; our only hope being that assistance might arrive from the station oefore the slabs of the hut gave way, or before we perished with thirst, for the shepherd had but a scanty supply of water to be distributed amongst so many. It is true that we had provided ourselves with a few bottles of rum ; and this liquor served as a stimulant, though it was of little use in allaying our thirst. The sight of a large chest of tea, which Jock had lately received from his employer, added to our irritation, for if we had availed ourselves of it, the appearance of smoke issuing from the chimney would at once have suggested the idea of cooking to the enemy, and caused them to be still more daring in their attack. In this manner four nights and three days passed away, by which time we were almost mad with thirst. One of our horses had died from a spear wound, the weapon having penetrated the wall against which the poor animal stood; and we, apprehensive of a similar fate, sat huddled together in the middle of the room. Still were we horribly conscious of the presence of our foe, and of the incessant shivering of their spears, the points of which had now made fearful rents in the fragile edifice. The moaning of the cattle at a distance also prepared us for another calamity, though I — a stranger then to bush life — was not aware of the cause till M'Tavish exclaimed — " These infernal savages have speared the poor animals." But things had now reached a climax, and suddenly the shower of spears ceased, and the sound of firing was heard, followed by a yell, which M'Tavish called an order to retreat, and this announced that the enemy had taken flight. " Courage, my poor fellows !" said my uncle, as he broke open the door of the hut. " Half your foes are dead, and the other half in no condition to do much harm." Our deliverance was now effected, for my uncle, alarmed by the delay of our party, had sallied forth, accompanied by iis stockmen — -just in time to saTe us from destruction, as our little fortress could not much longer withstand the attack. But we found that three hundred head of cattle had been speared by the savages, and .the rest of the herd driven away, although the greater portion found their way to the station. " So, nephew, this is your first encounter with the blacks, I suppose," said my uncle, when he released me from my captivity. " I cannot call being bailed-up in a hut "by these fellows an encounter with them ; but I'll let them see what I can do one of these days," I replied. And 1 have kept my word. After a year spent among my uncle's family, I gained some applause for my skill as a bushman — though I had little merit for the same — having taken to that sort of life with the greatest eagerness. At the end of this time I went, with my eldest cousin, to reside at his station — the place where the shepherd's hut had formerly stood. One evening, as we were going to visit our relatives, we were surprised by perceiving indications of a bush fire in the distance. This would not have seemed an extraordinary circumstance during the heat of summer, but the season was now far too much advanced for such a thing to have happened, excepting by extreme carelessness on the part of those who had lighted a fire in the bush, or by wanton mischief. Whilst we were debating about the strangeness of the occurrence, a boy came running towards us, exclaiming, "The blackfellows have set fire to the station, and have speared some of the men in the stockyard." We galloped on as fast as our horses could carry us, but arrived too late ; for, although the ground was strewn with the corpses of blackfellows — several of the stockmen also being killed — on entering the house, we found my uacle and all his family inhumanly slaughtered. I am not generally supposed to be a tender-hearted man, but, even after this lapse of time, I cannot speak of that occurrence without feeling almost as much anguish as I experienced on that terrible night ; and, therefore, I pass over the description of a sight which sufficed to change the whole current of my nature. But I ask, do you wonder that I henceforth became the bitter enemy of the blackfellows ? If you had seen that poor old man lying dead, his grey hair dabbled in his blood — if you had seen his beautiful daughter, Isabella, pierced by the spears of these savages — if you had had the

cause for hatred that I have, there is not one amongst you who would not likewise have been their enemy. But do uoi suppose that one amongst I their tribe escaped unpunished, as every settler, for hundreds of miles around, mastered all his men to hunt the scoundrels to death ; and, in less than two months, there was not a blackfellow in the district. t We did not care how we destroyed them. Once, we got an old field-piecf| that some naval oflicer had left as a trophy of his deeds to his descendants, and it did us good service ; for we charged it with broken glass and fired it off amongst the scoundrels. Nicely mangled they were, as you may suppose, and a hideous noise they made ; but we soon put a stop to that, for we lighted a good fire, and threw the dying into it. Ha ! I shall never forget one old fellow, who had | lain on the ground, pretending to be dead. A cunning trick of theirs ; for they think white men respect a corpse. However, he did not play his part very well, for he trembled — perhaps he was frightened — and we soon gave him cause to be so, as we threw him into the fire, on the top of his companions. An obstinate old fellow he was, being determined not to die if he could help it ; and hoping to escape, he crawled away from the burning logs like a snake. He had some spirit in him, that blaekfellow ; but we threw him back again into the flames, and he was burnt with a snake, as one lay coiled up amongst the scrub ; and so we got rid of two reptiles at the same time. That was the night which haunts the memory of my friend M'Lean ; but he is only half a Highlander, and does not know how to hate. I did not stop with this exploit. How could I ? A pretty thing it would have been to give way to idle sentiment, when I had just taken up land in a district where the blackfellows had not been taught how to behave themselves — and I said so to some good neighbors of mine, who fancied that savages were to be gained over by kindness. If I had not known to the contrary, I should have found it out, for — just by way of convincing my charitable friends of their mistake — 1 distributed blankets amongst some of the natives, giving them at the same time both rim and flour ; and, to reward my bounty, they speared some of my cattle. But we soon brought them under subjection. The next year, I had a narrow escape ; for, as I was rowing down the Murrumbidgee with a couple of friends, a dozen blackfellows lay in ambush amongst the mangroves ; and as soon as they thought we were in their power, they assailed us with their spears. It was a miracle how we escaped ; and it would have been altogether an impossibility, had not the river been unusually high at the time, and the current very strong ; and, consequently, we were carried out of their immediate reach, and enabled to row away faster than even the nimblest of all nimble blackfellows can run. Such were the men — animals I should say — whom my righteous friends said I should trust. However, we treated our foe of the Murrumbidgee as we had treated others ; for we had a good stock of powder and shot in our boat, and we peppered the rascals pretty well with it, giving those who escaped unhurt plenty to do in looking after their wounded companions, without pursuing us any farther. In a few weeks I reached my station, where I found a well-intentioned gentleman, lately arrived from the Old Country ; who, knowing very little about any colonial race, and nothing at all of our aborigines, argued, as others had done before him, on the advisability of treating them like brothers, meaning, as philanthropists generally do, giving away what they did not want themselves ; for I humored my well-meaning friend for a little while, and distributed blankets and bread, as I had formerly done; but having important business in Sydney, I left my station under the superintendence of my friend M'Lean. I was absent several months ; and, on my return, found that my two compassionate friends had been trying the argument of weak tea, and still weaker talk, on the natives. " No weak measures will do with these fellows," I said, in answer to their assurances that their plan would succeed. And the result proved that I was right ; for in the course of a few weeks, our black neighbors, having joined a tribe of their allies,. mustered in great numbers, and it required all our exertions to prevent a disaster similar to that I have already described. Fortunately, however, we were well armed, and by this time even M'Lean admitted that mercy would be madness; and thus, byavigorous attack, we either killed or dispersed our treacherous enemies. That district has been safe from their attacks ever since, but the station on the Murrumbidiiee continued to be infested by a prowling set of fellows, who were continually pilfering when they did not venture upon acts of greater violence. However, we allowed them to poison themselves with adulterated flour ; that is to say, flour adulterated with arsenic. M'Lean pretends that the spirits of these fellows haunts him in his sleep ; but I can't say that they trouble my repose, though I often see the murdered forms of my poor uncle, his amiable wife, his innocent children, and especially the beautiful Isabella, and till I see them no longer, shall I be an enemy to the blackfellows. Understand, however, Ido not mean such miserable creatures as the poor drudge employed about this hotel, though I think even he would not be safe from the hatred of my cousin — the only survivor of that unfortunate family. I have not seen Donald of late, for he now resides in Queensland ; but three years have scarcely elapsed since he was the principal agent in exterminating a whole tribe of natives. Nor has the transaction been regarded with horror ; for the blackfellows in that particular district had a short time before repaid the hospitality of a charitable man with a cowardly

murder. Nevertheless, I think Donald was rather actuated by a determination to revenge the death of his own relations than that of his Queensland acquaintances. It is true that many years had passed since the massacre of my uncle and his family, and that the Queensland tribe hafi no hand in the affair, nor, indeed, anytf one in existence, at the time of the latter^ occurrence, but is it to be supposed that I Donald should ever show mercy to a blackfellow, whatever his tribe or district ? This is understood by the very authorities, who have proclaimed the shooting of an aborigine to be a felony ; for Donald fires at all he may chance to meet, with impunity. As for myself, I have o£ late ceased to raise a hand against them ; for the remnants of the scattered tribes I occasionally meet are to abject for my revenge. My revenge, you perhaps think, ought to have bee^n appeased by what I have already done. I try to think so sometimes ; but when the images of the friends I loved so well arise to my memory, I feel that if I would live apparently at peace with the natives, it must be by avoiding them. For a Highlander can never^ji^ give. • ',■.<■/ i-:.":' The guests listened in silence to this narrative of a long-cherished hatred ; and when the speaker concluded, a long suppressed sigh broke from his auditors. All felt that Ferguson must have sorrowed deeply for the death of his relatives ; but the impression the story made was not the same on all. Some there were who, even whitat living the life of Australian settlers, still felt very much as their fathers had done, when it was the first duty of a clansmen to revenge the death of his chief; and these seemed ready to applaud whenever Ferguson spoke of the acts of wholesale extermination in which he had taken part. Others had shuddered to perceive how relentless he was still in heart ; for he appeared to dwell with satisfaction 'on those portions of his tale which chiefly referred to the cruelties he had practised ; and then his eye flashed fire, as if it would say — " I hate them still." But amongst the group were a few who fancied those proud dark eyes had glistened with tears at the recollection of Isabella. Perhaps Mr Lightfoot thought of his wife and children ; for at the conclusion of the Highlander's story, he said, " We are not sufficiently thankful to the noble pioneers who cleared our path from so many dangers ; for if they had not dispersed — and in some cases, destroyed — whole tribes of these blaekfellows, should we now be enjoying the blessings of civilised life ?" " Ye're right there, Mr Lightfoot ; but these blessings have been purchased at a fearful price, and it's a sore trouble to remember these times," said M'Lean; who, during the greater part of the storyy had sat with his face buried between his hands. " Civilisation has seldom been introduced by gentle means ; nor, in spite of the rigorous measures resorted to by our friend Mr Ferguson, can it be said really to exist where a bushranger is either protected or regarded as a hero," said Mr Ellison. " Nevertheless, there are lights as well as shades, even in a bushranger's career," remarked Mr Wildman, a barrister, who was often retained in defence of these Australian freebooters ; " and," he continued, "if it were not too late, I could tell you of an adventure that " — " Was not foreshadowed by a dream, I hope," said the doctor. " A dream ! No, indeed ; there is almost as much actual busy life connected with it as in the stirring narrative of our friend Ferguson ; but as it is late, I will postpone my story till another night." " ilou've frightened that fellow out of his senses, Ferguson — I heard him tell Mary not to let the poor black body into his room," said the doctor, who now returned, after a visit to the bar ; for the doctor, as well as Mr Ferguson and a few deep drinkers, often sat over the parlor fire till the small hours of the morning. Mr Ferguson smiled contemptuously ; and he and his countrymrn then entered into a discussion respecting local topics. Stupid as such may be, they often occupy as much time as more heroic subjects ; and whilst the gentleman were thus engaged, more than an hour slipped away. Suddenly they were aroused by a dull sound overhead, like that of a man striking with his fists against a door; and presently; a voice, naturally weak, but rendered still more so by fear, was heard to exclaim, "Mr Ferguson ! Mr Ferguson ! — The blacks are upon us ! — the hotel will be burnt, and we shall all be murdered !" " What has that cockney idiot taken into his head now?" demanded the Highlander. " Ower much toddy I'm a thinking," replied the doctor. No — no! They are here, Ferguson. I had hoped never to see a tribe of blackfellows again !" exclaimed poor M'Lean. Mr Ferguson regarded his friend with a look of disdain, asking him if he had lost his senses. But the recollection of those deeds in which he had formerly taken a part was too much for M'Lean ; who, throwing himself on a sofa, endeavored, by burying his face amongst the pillows, to shut out^ the vision of the past from his "mind's' eye," as the actual sounds met his ear. But so different was the effect produced npon Ferguson, that he said to the landlord, who had now entered the room, "Jf you want to prevent bloodshed, keep your revolvers out of my way. I do not wish to shoot those blackfellows." By this time the excitement of Mr Skimmilc became so great, that the joint efforts of the landlady and. the chambermaid were insufficient to hold him, and he rushed wildly into the parlour, exclaiming that the hotel was attacked by a troop of blacks,

" Keep youself quiet, sir ; they are beating a retreat," said the landlord. " We have sent them some rum and cold meat ; for they have been celebrating the moonlight night, by holding a ' corroboree !' " ; Concluded.