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Updated: June 27, 2025
We had two days of cattle-hunting in the Copper-mine hills, and then we started westward, in the tracks of the Cadi, to make for Barlas's station. The second day we camped at Bora Bora Creek. We had just hobbled the horses, and were about to build a fire, when Bimbi came running to us. "Master, master," he said to Drysdale, "that fellow Cadi yarraman mumkull over there. Plenty myall mandowie!"
"Well, Black Jack, what do you do with your prisoners?" The fierce look died into a broad grin, and he showed his white teeth. "Make fire; eatum," he said, promptly. "Make big feast." "Go back!" growled the so-called king. "No. Mumkull; kill, eatum." "Not now. Be off." The black darted back to his companions, and the beachcomber turned to Carey. "Want some more proof?" he said. Carey was silent.
"You had better go ashore and join your men." "Jackum men? Jackum boys." "Yes, go and join them." "Jackum 'top 'long o' Car-ee boy." "No, it is not safe. You must go. Big Dan is going to shoot powder and kill." "Big Dan shoot big gun; mumkull eberybody?" "Yes; be off while you can." "Car-ee boy come too?" "No, I am going to stay here with the doctor." "Jackum 'top 'long doc-tor too."
"Well, rather," said the man, with a peculiar smile. "We shall have a kind of supper ready soon; so call off your men at once." "All right; only no games." "Treachery?" said the doctor; "I had no thought of anything of the kind." "Here, Black Jack, let go, and take the boys forward. No mumkull, baal, spear, baal, nulla-nulla. Plenty much eat soon. Get out."
"Mumkull, eatum. Good, good," cried Jackum, and the noise made below roused the sleeping serpent, whose head rose up, showing the mark where the mouth opened, and Carey could see the glistening forked tongue darting in and out through the orifice at the apices of the jaws.
"Mumkull kill a fellow," Black Jack said, and to emphasise his meaning he put out a hand in the water towards one of the basking serpents, snatched it back as if bitten, and went through a regular pantomime indicative of his sufferings.
The doctor pressed the hand which took his, but made no reply in his utter exhaustion, and Carey drew back uttering a sigh, as much from pain as anxiety. "It's no use," he muttered, "there's no help for it. I've got to do it all." "Big Dan go mumkull ebberybody?" asked Jackum, quietly, and as if it was all a matter of course. "No, no," cried Carey, angrily. "I'd soon kill him."
Carey took another biscuit from the basket and put a very small dab of treacle upon it, to the black's great disgust. "No, no, no!" he yelled, with childlike annoyance. "Plenty 'ticky plenty 'ticky." "Not good," said Carey, mockingly. "Kill a black fellow." Black Jack's face expanded again into a tremendous grin. "Yah!" he cried; "baal mumkull. Good good good!"
Then with wonderful accuracy he went through the movements of a crocodile creeping over the sand, and then made a snap at the boy's leg with his teeth, making believe to have caught him, and to be dragging his imaginary prey down to the water, ending by wagging his legs from side to side like a tail. "I see," cried Carey. "Crocodiles. Yes, I know." "Big, big. Mumkull black fellow, white boy.
Jackum used his hands, but stopped short directly after to point. "Tickum, tickum. Mumkull," he cried, and Carey made out the spear-shaft performing some strange gyrations some twenty yards away, before it once more disappeared. As Carey owned afterwards to the doctor and Bostock, he still felt a little white, and his heart was beating heavily.
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