"Nonsense!" said Uncle Jack, and he looked very sternly at the black.

"But it is not nonsense, John," said the old lady. "Surely you don't mean to say that I do not know what I'm talking about. That dreadful man is a descendant of the old Philistines. You heard him say as plainly as could be something about Baal."

Norman burst into a roar of laughter.

"Norman, my dear, how can you be such a rude child?" cried the old lady reprovingly.

"Why, aunt, baal means none, or not any."

"Nonsense, my dear!"

"But it does, aunt. Baal black fellow means that there are none about."

"Baal black fellow," cried Shanter, nodding. "Mine not see plenty--all gone."

"There, aunt."

"Oh dear me! what a dreadful jargon. Come here, sir, and I'll give you some damper."

Aunt Georgie seated herself, took one of the great cakes she had made, and broke it in half, holding it out to the black.

"He doesn't deserve it," said Uncle Jack, sternly.

"Big white Mary gib damper," cried the black excitedly, taking the cake and sticking it in his waistband, while he slipped his spear out of the handles of his bag. "Shanter find white grub. Plenty all 'long big white Mary."

As he spoke, he emptied the contents of his bag suddenly in the old lady's lap, laughed at the shriek she gave, and walked off to devour his cake, while Norman and Rifle collected the curious white larvae in a tin to set them aside for a private feast of their own, no one caring to venture upon a couple that were roasted over the embers.

Just then the captain was summoned to the evening meal, and after a glance round, he called to Shanter:

"Here, boy," he said, as the black came up grinning, and with his mouth full; "go up and look black fellow.--That's the best way I can think of telling him to relieve Tim," he said.

The black nodded, shouldered his spear, and marched off.

"He obeys you," said Uncle Jack, who had looked on curiously.

"Of course. So he does you."

Uncle Jack shook his head.

"No," he said. Then the incidents of the day were related, and the captain looked thoughtful.

In due time Tim came down from his perch, and took his place where the evening meal was discussed in peace, but not without an occasional glance round, and a feeling of dread that at any moment there might be an alarm; for they felt that after all they were interlopers in an enemy's country, and on their voyage out they had heard more than one account of troubles with the blacks, stories of bloodshed and ma.s.sacre, which they had then been ready to laugh at as travellers' tales, but which now impressed them very differently, and filled them with an undefined sensation of terror, such as made all start at every shadow or sound.

CHAPTER TEN.

"THAT BLACK IS OF NO USE."

Strict watch was kept, but the night pa.s.sed peacefully away, and the morning dawned so brightly, everything around was so beautiful, with the birds singing, the sky all orange, gold, and vivid blue, that in the glorious invigorating air it was simply impossible to be in low spirits.

The boys had no sooner started to climb the hills and scout for danger, than they met Shanter, who came toward them laughing.

"Black fellow all gone. No see bull-cow and big horse fellow. All gone away. Budgery job. Shanter mumkull all lot."

He gave then a short war-dance, and a display of his skill with his spear, sending it flying with tremendous force and never missing the tree at which he aimed, into whose soft bark it stuck quivering, while he ran up, dragged it out, and belaboured the trunk with his club.

It was an expressive piece of pantomime to show how he would kill all the black fellows he met; and when he had ended, he stood grinning at the boys, waiting for their praise.

"Oh, it's all very fine, old chap," said Norman, speaking for the others; "but how do we know that you would not run away, or be mumkulled yourself by the black fellows?"

Shanter nodded his head, and smiled more widely.

"Mumkull all a black fellow--all run away. Budgery nulla-nulla. Plenty mine."

He whirled his club round and hurled it at the nearest tree, which it struck full in the centre of the trunk. Then as he picked it up--

"Shall we trust to what he said? If he is right, we needn't go scouting," said Norman.

"Let's go back and tell uncle," suggested Tim. "There's no need to go on the look-out," cried Rifle.

"Those people are Tam o' Shanter's enemies, and he would not go on like this if they had not gone.--I say, I want to see you use this," he continued, as he touched one of the flat pieces of wood, the black having two now stuck in his waistband.

"Boomerang," cried the black, taking out the heavy pieces of wood, one of which was very much curved, rounded over one side, flat on the other, both having sharpened edges, such as would make them useful in times of emergency as wooden swords. "Boomerang," he said again.

"Oh yes; I know what you call them," said Rifle; "but I want to see them thrown."

As he spoke he took hold of the straighter weapon and made believe to hurl it.

"No budgery," cried the man, taking the weapon.

"Mumkull black fellow." Then, taking the other very much curved piece of wood, he gave it a flourish. "Mumkull boomer."

"Who's boomer?" said Norman. "Black fellow?"

Shanter gesticulated and flourished his curved weapon, shook his head, stamped, and cried, "No black fellow. Boomer-boomer."

"Well, who's boomer?" cried Rifle. "A black fellow?"

"No, no. Mumkull plenty boomer."

He dropped spear, nulla, and boomerangs, stooped a little, drooped his hands before him, and bent his head down, pretending to nibble at the gra.s.s, after which he made a little bound, then another; then a few jumps, raised himself up and looked round over his shoulder, as if in search of danger, and then went off in a series of wonderful leaps, returning directly grinning.

"Boomer," he cried; "boomer."

"He means kangaroo," cried Tim, excitedly.

"Of course he does," said Rifle. "Boomer-kangaroo."

"Kangaroo boomer," replied the black eagerly. "Boomer." Then taking the straighter weapon, he hurled it forcibly, and sent it skimming over the ground with such unerring aim that it struck a tree fifty yards away and fell. "Mumkull black fellow," he cried laughing.