Jimmy watched us eagerly for a few minutes, when, left half starved himself, and unable to bear the neglect when others were enjoying themselves, the howls burst out again followed by a self-commiserating--"Poor Jimmy, Ma.s.s Joe not care poor Jimmy never now."

No one took any notice, and we went on eating grilled turkey and damper and drinking coffee, and all the time I was rather enjoying my importance and the fact of being able to control, boy as I was, a stout powerful fellow like Jimmy and make him as obedient as a dog.

"Poor old Jimmy cut handums. Ebber so sorry, poor Jimmy. Go and die himself. Haw--ow!"

"I say," said Jack Penny, "he couldn't dye himself any blacker, could he, Joe Carstairs?"

"Have some more coffee, Joe?" said the doctor aloud. "Here, give me a piece more turkey."

"Poor Jimmy go starve a deff," was the next that met our ears, and it had such an effect upon Jack Penny that some of his coffee got into his windpipe and he choked and coughed and laughed till he was obliged to lie down.

"If I was to cough much like that I should break my back," he said, sitting up and wiping his eyes. "Poor old Jimmy? I do like him. He _is_ a one."

Jimmy stood watching the disappearing food, then he sat down. Then he lay at full length; but no one took the slightest notice, for the blacks were selfishly busy, and we were keeping up the punishment for the false alarm to which our follower had subjected us.

At last this attack upon Jimmy's tenderest part--his appet.i.te--grew to be more than he could bear, and he sat up in the squatting att.i.tude so much affected by savages.

"Ah!" he exclaimed dolefully, "poor black fellow--poor Jimmy!" and this started Jack Penny off laughing once more, which so exasperated Jimmy that he sprang up as sharply as if stung, and ran in a rage to where his black companions were eating their food.

"Here, hi! you black fellow, Jimmy done wid him. Jimmy gib boomerang.

You no fro down wallaby."

He held out his curious hard-wood weapon to Ti-hi, who took it, gazing at him wonderingly, while Jimmy glanced at us to see if we were about to relent and give him some breakfast.

"Jimmy going," he said at last, loud enough for us to hear; but we paid no heed.

"Jimmy going; nebber come back no more," he said in a louder voice; but no one turned a head.

"Jimmy go jump river. Big bunyip crocodile come eat poor Jimmy. All um very sorry. No see poor Jimmy not nev more."

He glanced at us again, but we were laughing over our breakfast, though not so busy but that we were able to see the black fold his arms and stalk away, evidently under the impression that we should start up and arrest him; but no one moved.

"Big water bunyip glad get black fellow," he said, as loudly as he could, and with a scornful look at us.

"Here, suppose we go," said the doctor, rising.

"Go?" said Jack, getting up slowly, "where to?"

"To see Jimmy feed the crocodiles. Come along, lads."

Jimmy stopped short with his jaw dropped, and nearly beside himself with rage. He seemed to be completely staggered at our cool way of taking things, and at last he ran off like the wind, rushed back again with his eyes flashing, and slapping his legs as he darted upon Ti-hi, waddy in hand.

"Gib boomerang Jimmy, black tief fellow," he roared. "Take a boomerang.

Jimmy boomerang. Tief fellow tole a boomerang."

s.n.a.t.c.hing it from Ti-hi's hand he made believe to strike him with the curious weapon and then rushed off with it into the bush.

"Well, Joe," said the doctor, "do you think the crocodiles will dine on blackbird?"

I shook my head.

"What do you say, Jack Penny, eh?"

"Jimmy won't jump in, I know," drawled Jack.

"You're right," said the doctor; "he'll come back before long hungry as a hunter, and regularly tamed down or I'm no judge of character."

"Yes," I said, "and he'll bring back something he has killed so as to try and make friends. That's how he always did at home."

"Well," said Jack Penny solemnly, "I hope he will. I like Jimmy, he makes me laugh, and though it hurts my back I like laughing. It does me good. I never used to have anything to laugh at at home. Father used to laugh when he kicked me, but it never seemed funny to me, and I never used to laugh at that."

"Well, Jack Penny, I dare say the black will give you something to laugh at before long, for I don't suppose it will be long before he is back."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

HOW I NEARLY HAD AN ARROW TO DRINK.

We were soon on the way towards the interior again, and the doctor and I had set to work trying to obtain some information from Ti-hi, and also from Aroo, another intelligent looking follower who had been one of the prisoners made by the captain of the burnt schooner.

It was hard work, but we were daily getting to understand more and more of the commoner words of conversation, and by degrees we managed to make out that the reason why we had not come upon any native village was that the nearest was still many days' journey distant, but that if we changed our course and went down to the sea-sh.o.r.e we should soon find signs of occupation.

But I felt that this would be of no use, for if my father had been anywhere on the coast he must have come in contact sooner or later with one or other of the trading vessels, whose captains, even if they could not bring him away on account of his being a prisoner, would certainly have reported somewhere that they had seen a white captive, and the news must have spread.

"He must be right in the interior somewhere," I said; "and I'm sure we can't do better than keep on."

"I think you are right, Joe," said the doctor thoughtfully.

"I feel sure I am," I said. "I don't expect to find him directly; but I mean to go on trying till I do."

"That's the way to find anybody," said Jack Penny. "You're sure to find 'em if you keep on like that. Come along."

Jack went off; taking great strides as if he expected to be successful at once; but he did not keep up the pace long, but hung back for me to overtake him, saying:

"I say, Joe Carstairs; does your back ever ache much?"

"No," I said; "very little. Only when I'm very tired."

"Ah! you ain't got so much back as I have," he said, shaking his head.

"When you've got as much as I have you'll have the back-ache awfully, like I do. I say, I wonder where old Jimmy has got to."

"He's close at hand somewhere," I said. "Depend upon it he has not gone far. If the truth were known," I continued, "he's walking along abreast of us, just hidden in the bushes."

"Think so?" said Jack dubiously.

"I'm about sure of it," I replied.

"I ain't," said Jack. "I'm afraid he's gone right away back; and we've offended him so that we sha'n't see him any more."