Читать книгу Talmud - Ivan Dexter - Страница 8

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It was the 21st of December, 1870, when the meeting with "Talmud" took place, and it had an effect on Strangway and his companion which they could scarcely have anticipated. Their intention the previous night was to make a return start for distant Nardoo Station, and report to Mills the result of their pastoral discoveries. The presence of the pale stranger, however, altered their plans, as they both felt there was an extraordinary mystery attached to him, which might be solved in the locality. It seemed to them that the weird sounds heard at the waterfall and on the stony spur, were inexplicably interwoven with the queer creature, who had joined them. Each hour the latter remained, he appeared to grow more human like, so to speak. His intelligence was developing, whilst his eyesight was being restored in an almost miraculous manner.

"What say you to spending Christmas here, Tom? I have formed an idea that we may make a remarkable discovery about these ranges," Strangway said to his companion.

"I am thinking the same. In fact we have already made one strange find. What about the danger though?" Stanley answered.

"I don't know why it is, but I have lost my fears in that respect. There may be a few tribes of blacks in such a locality as this, but you know we care little for them. So far we have not been molested in any way by them. Certainly we have been very fortunate, and a week or two here should not alter our luck in that respect. They would be most likely on the plains too, and not amongst the ranges," the leader replied.

"I am curious also to examine these hills."

"Then we will stay say for ten days and start back on the 1st January," concluded Strangway.

This resolution was imparted to the stranger—or "Talmud," as the two explorers now began to call him. He appeared to half-comprehend it, and when he saw his companions proceed to make the camp stronger and more comfortable for the extra stay, he quickly joined with them in the work. That day they spent entirely in this work, and also making a small enclosure for the horses, as they could not be taken up the ragged ranges. On the following morning, the three men, taking with them enough provisions to last for a couple of days made a start on their exploring trip.

Talmud had improved greatly during that short period, and was now able to comprehend, not only most of the orders given him, but also to clearly speak a number of words. Both Strangway and Stanley noticed that he pronounced them with a peculiar accent. The pallor on his face, too, was becoming less, and this took away a good deal of the ghastly appearance he had at first presented.

The camp was situate almost at the base of the chief range, and starting away about two hours after sunrise, an altitude of five hundred feet was soon reached. The highest point seemed to be quite fifteen hundred feet, and as the men advanced the structure became more rugged and forbidding. Near the base rich vegetation grew and though in the valley below rocks could be seen, it was plain that they were merely detached boulders which had broken away from the parent mass and been precipitated into the lower area.

As Strangway and his two companions climbed unforeseen difficulties presented themselves. The steep ascent was covered with a loose detritus which crumbled under their feet and threw them back. Short shrubs grew on it but they afforded no hold, coming out of the loose soil at the first touch. So difficult was the assent that by noon, not more than half the distance had been made, and a partly level spot being reached, a halt was called. From their position the sun beat down upon them with great force and the perpendicular rocks afforded no shelter from its vertical rays. On the previous day a sort of "skull" cap had been given to Talmud by Stanley, as when first seen he had no head-covering. This was but a slight protection from the sun, but the ex-sailor was engaged plaiting him a sort of trimmed "cabbage tree" which would be more effectual.

"What is the matter with your face?" Stanley asked the stranger, as they sat around having some food.

Strangway looked up with surprise as the question was asked, and turning his eyes from the panorama below to Talmud, was startled to see that the ghastly white color had given way to a florid redness. The man addressed simply put his hand to his face and made no reply.

"He is sunburnt, don't you see," cried the leader, "and now Tom, I am beginning to see what the matter is. Our friend here has been living in a cave or somewhere like that where the sun could not reach him. He has been a captive amongst the blacks I suppose."

"Yes, there may be something in that. He told us he lived 'below' and it seems that he cannot have escaped very long. He will be as bronzed as you or I in a week or two," Stanley answered.

It was quite evident that Talmud was very much sunburnt, but painful though it might be it made him much more presentable, and his companions did not fail to note the change. After a short rest the upward journey was again resumed and fair progress made. On attaining a height of about one thousand feet it was found that the pinnacle peak was separated from the hill they climbed by a narrow gorge a couple of hundred feet deep. Dense vegetation grew in it, and as the sun was well down in the western horizon the whole place was in a sombre shadow. At top it was not more than three hundred feet from one peak to the other so that the gorge or canyon was almost inaccessible.

"This is an unexpected obstacle," observed Strangway.

"Yes, but we can get across it. Some of these clefts in the sides should lead us down," replied his companion.

"We must either go into the gully or back to the camp. We cannot stay here to-night as there is no water," the leader said.

The summit of the peak on which they stood was a bare dry rock, but in the gorge abundant water could be seen. At the bottom a small creek coursed along, and on the opposite side a number of tiny streams gushed out of the rocky sides and fell in fine spray in several instances over a hundred feet.

"I think we should go into the gully. If not we will never be able to examine these hills. It has taken us nearly all day to get this far," observed Stanley.

"Then let us find a path down."

Going along the side for about a hundred and fifty yards, a crevice, apparently worn by the action of the water was found, and headed by the ex-sailor, the decent was begun. As the sun sunk lower in the horizon, the gloom of the mountain gorge became indescribable. It made itself felt in a strong way on the nervous systems of the men, and had they been less courageous the attempt to descend would have been abandoned. It was a veritable valley of the Shadow of Death and when after half an hour's careful effort the bottom was reached, the two men looked round with shuddering wonder. The place had the appearance of a gigantic grave. It ran north and south, and looking along it, the gorge had even the shape of a titanic grave. The glimpse of blue vault far above only heightened the cimmerian gloom of the canyon, and the frowning rocks, which rose abruptly gave one the impression that they were on the point of crashing into the ravine.

An extraordinary growth of strange vegetation covered the bottom. It was such as the explorers had never yet seen in their extensive travels. A species of palm grew abundantly, whilst a tree, which grew in patches, presented a luminous appearance, which did something to relieve the gloom. As night fell, this tree glowed something like the fire tree of Western Australia, but Strangway who knew the latter, said the one in the gorge was of a different species. Many of the shrubs were a pale—exceedingly pale green, whilst others had leaves almost white in hue.

"We must fix ourselves up here the best way we can," Strangway said, "give us a hand Talmud to make our camp."

As the leader spoke, he turned to Talmud, and was surprised to see the change in his appearance. His eyes which had been partly closed during the day were now wide open, and keenly alert.

"Your eyes are like those of a cat. You appear to see better in the dark than when the sun is shining," Strangway remarked to him.

The only answer was a self-satisfied smile, and the next moment the strange man was engaged forming the camp with an alacrity greatly in contrast with his two companions. He ran through the dense vegetation to the stream and brought water, and after returning he gathered wood in places, that to Stanley and his fellow explorers seemed quite dark. By their watches, the explorers knew that it was not yet sunset, and after getting more accustomed to the place, their feelings of awe wore off, and they thought little more of their surroundings. They made a large fire, which as it blazed up, threw fantastic shadows upon the rocks, and as they danced with the flickering flames, they gave an air of ghostly life to the spot.

About eight o'clock, the darkness of the valley was intense, though on the western side of the range it was yet quite light. The three men were reclining on the eastern side of the fire silently smoking, when without a moment's warning Talmud sprang up to his feet, trembling in every limb, and almost overcome with intense terror. Pointing a shaking finger towards the dense thicket, some thirty feet away, he cried in a loud voice—

"Blacks!"

Strangway and Stanley jumped to their feet, grasping their rifles, and in an instant they were beside the terror-stricken man. Following his outstretched finger they could discern two eyes gleaming out of the darkness. Without waiting to see whether they were those of a man or a lower animal, a friend or a foe, Strangway rose his rifle and fired. If a man-of-war's broadside had been exploded it could not have made a more terrific effect.

It seemed as if a hundred rifles had been fired. Shot after shot was repeated for fully half a minute, and then as the men silently listened the report was taken up again and again, it being fully a minute before the last echoes died out. For fully half a minute the two men stood irresolute looking into the thicket. The gleaning eyes could no longer be seen, and Stanley was about to suggest a search when he and his companion were nearly petrified with fear by the sudden outburst of another rifle volley.

"What can it mean?" Strangway asked when it had died away.

Seamen are proverbially superstitious and Stanley could give no reasonable explanation of the phenomenon.

"Can it only be an extraordinary echo?" the leader once again queried as his faculties became more collected.

"I never heard an echo like that in my life," replied Stanley in a low voice.

At this point they were again interrupted by a repetition of the sounds though on this occasion they were much fainter and before they finally ceased they were repeated seven or eight times. Under other circumstances, the explorers might have sought a rational explanation for the occurrence, but in such a place, and bearing in mind what they had experienced during the two previous days, it was not to be wondered at that the dark cloud of superstition enshrouded them. Then, too, was the fact that they had probably slain a human being. Bushmen in those days cared little for the life of a black, and if it was only an aboriginal who had fallen before Strangway's rifle, it would not trouble him or his comrade much. As they looked at the queerly shining eyes of Talmud, distorted with terror, and reflecting the firelight, it occurred to them that it might be such a half-supernatural being as him whom Strangway had sacreligiously fired on. If so the weird volleying might be accounted for.

Strangway was the first to recover his self possession. Seizing a flaming wand from the fire, and with pointed revolvers he ran across to the thicket, and plunged the lighted torch into the spot where he expected to find something slain. The place was vacant, but the undergrowth showed signs of having been trodden on. As he moved the torch about the mass of dead vegetation which had been accumulating for centuries caught fire and in an instant the thicket was ablaze. This at first did not cause Strangway or Stanley much concern, but as they saw the fire spread with marvellous rapidity, and thought of the dense growth, alarm took the place of apathy. Fortunately for them the camp was pitched on a small cleared spot, but close around it was a deposit of dry vegetation. Calling on Talmud the two explorers ran back and commenced vigorously to increase the cleared circle. They were joined by the stranger, and as he plied his task his companions could hear him talking—apparently to himself—in a language or jargon such as had never fallen upon their ears before.

"What is he saying?" Strangway asked hoarsely, for a thick cloud of pungent smoke was now resting around them.

"Heaven knows. Some spell or incantation I suppose. I've been in nearly every country in the world and heard most languages of the earth, but never before did I listen to such gibberish," replied the seaman.

"Aye, gibberish indeed you may well call it," answered Strangway, as he stood for a moment and gazed round at the weird scene.