myself up
with the hope that Yamba was only ailing temporarily, and that her
enfeebled condition had been brought on mainly by the misfortunes that
had befallen us of late. But she grew more and more feeble, and both she
and I knew that the end was not far off. Never once, however, did we
allude to such a catastrophe; and whenever I fixed my eyes earnestly upon
her in the vain hope of discerning some more favourable symptom, she
would pretend not to notice me.

I would sometimes take her for a long walk, which was really much beyond
her strength, solely in order that we might delude ourselves with vain
hopes. And she, poor creature, would tax herself far beyond her strength
in order to afford me a happiness which the real state of things did not
justify.

For instance, she would run and leap and jump in order to show that she
was as young as ever; but after these strange and pathetic demonstrations
she would endeavour to conceal her great exhaustion.

Very soon my poor Yamba was obliged to remain at home altogether; and as
she grew more and more infirm, she plucked up courage to tell me that she
knew she was going to die, and was rather glad than otherwise, because
then I would be able to return to civilisation--that goal for which I had
yearned through so many years. She pointed out to me that it would not
be so difficult now, as I had already been brought into contact with
parties of white men; and, besides, we had long ago had news brought to
us about the construction of the Trans-Continental Telegraph Line from
Adelaide to Port Darwin. No sooner had she spoken of death than I broke
down again altogether. The thought that she should be taken from me was
so cruel that its contemplation was quite insupportable, and I threw
myself down beside her in a perfect agony of grief and dread.

I told her I did not mind how long I remained among the blacks so long as
she was with me; and I tried to persuade her, with all the eloquence I
could muster, that, far from dying, she would return to civilisation with
me, so that I might spread abroad to the whole world the story of her
devotion and her virtues. As she continued merely to smile pityingly, I
changed my tone and dwelt upon the past. I went through the whole story
of my life, from the time she was cast upon the desert island in the Sea
of Timor, and at the recital of all the hardships and dangers, joys and
troubles, which we had passed through together, she brok