第85章

Lost in the desert--Gibson's dying advice--Giles meets Gibson--Afountain in the desert--A terrible fix--Giles regains his camp--Gibson's effects--Mysterious tracks--A treasured possession--Aperfect paradise--Grape vines a failure--A trained cockatoo--An extraordinary festival--My theory of the "ghosts."After the funeral his wife followed out the usual native conventions.She covered herself with pipeclay for about one month.She also mourned and howled for the prescribed three days, and gashed her head with stone knives, until the blood poured down her face.Gibson's body was not buried in the earth, but embalmed with clay and leaves, and laid on a rock-shelf in a cave.

The general belief was that Gibson had merely gone back to the Spirit Land from whence he had come, and that, as he was a great and good man, he would return to earth in the form of a bird--perhaps an ibis, which was very high indeed.I must say I never attached very much importance to what he said, even in his sane moments, because he was obviously a man of low intelligence and no culture.If I remember rightly, he told me that the expedition to which he was attached left Adelaide with the object of going overland to Fremantle.It was thoroughly well equipped, and for a long time everything went well with the party.One day, whilst some of them were off exploring on their own account, he lost himself.

He rather thought that the sun must have affected his brain even then, because he didn't try to find his companions that night, but went to sleep quite contentedly under a tree.He realised the horror of his position keenly enough the next morning, however, and rode mile after mile without halting for food or water, in the hope of quickly regaining his friends at the chief camp.But night stole down upon him once more, and he was still a lonely wanderer, half delirious with thirst; the supply he had carried with him had long since given out.

Next morning, when he roused himself, he found that his horse had wandered away and got lost.After this he had only a vague recollection of what happened.Prompted by some strange, unaccountable impulse, he set out on a hopeless search for water, and went walking on and on until all recollection faded away, and he remembered no more.How long he had been lost when I found him he could not say, because he knew absolutely nothing whatever about his rescue.So far as I remember, he was a typical specimen of the Australian pioneer--a man of fine physique, with a full beard and a frank, but unintelligent, countenance.He was perhaps five feet nine inches in height, and about thirty years of age.When I told him the story of my adventures he was full of earnest sympathy for me, and told me that if ever I intended leaving those regions for civilisation again, my best plan would be to steer more south-east, as it was in that direction that Adelaide lay.

He also informed me that the great trans-Continental telegraph wire was being constructed from north to south.This he advised me to strike and follow to civilisation.

I may be permitted a little digression here to give a few extracts from Giles's book, "Australia Twice Traversed" (Sampson Low &Company), for this contains the version of the leader of the expedition himself as to the circumstances under which Gibson was lost.In all, it seems, Giles made five exploring expeditions into and through Central South Australia and Western Australia from 1872to 1876.Speaking of his second expedition, Mr.Giles says: "Ihad informed my friend, Baron Von Mueller, by wire from the Charlotte Waters Telegraph station, of the failure and break-up of my first expedition, and he set to work and obtained new funds for me to continue my labours.I reached Adelaide late in January 1873, and got my party together.We left early in March of 1873, and journeyed leisurely up-country to Beltana, then past the Finnis Springs to the Gregory.We then journeyed up to the Peake, where we were welcomed by Messrs.Bagot at the Cattle Station, and Mr.

Blood of the Telegraph Department.Here we fixed up all our packs, sold Bagot the waggon, and bought horses and other things.We now had twenty pack-horses and four riding-horses."We next come to the introduction of Gibson."Here a short young man accosted me, and asked me if I didn't remember him.He said he was 'Alf.' I thought I knew his face, but I thought it was at the Peake that I had seen him; but he said, 'Oh, no! Don't you remember Alf, with Bagot's sheep at the north-west bend of the Murray? My name's Alf Gibson, and I want to go out with you.' Isaid, 'Well, can you shoe? Can you ride? Can you starve? Can you go without water? And how would you like to be speared by the blacks?' He said he could do everything I had mentioned, and he wasn't afraid of the blacks.He was not a man I would have picked out of a mob, but men were scarce, and he seemed so anxious to come, so I agreed to take him.

"Thus, the expedition consisted of four persons--myself (Ernest Giles), Mr.William Henry Tietkins, Alf Gibson, and James Andrews;with twenty-four horses and two little dogs.On Monday, 4th August, we finally left the encampment."Now here is the passage in which Mr.Giles describes his dramatic parting with Gibson.It will be found in the chapter marked "20th April to 21st May 1874": "Gibson and I departed for the West.Irode the 'Fair Maid of Perth.' I gave Gibson the big ambling horse, 'Badger,' and we packed the big cob with a pair of water-bags that contained twenty gallons.As we rode away, I was telling Gibson about various exploring expeditions and their fate, and he said, 'How is it that, in all these exploring expeditions, a lot of people go and die?' He said, 'I shouldn't like to die in this part of the country, anyhow.'

"We presently had a meal of smoked horse.It was late when we encamped, and the horses were much in want of water,--especially the big cob, who kept coming up to the camp all night and trying to get at our water-bags.We had one small water-bag hung in a tree.