Page:The State and Position of Western Australia.djvu/149

 Mr. Norcott, accompanied by Corporal Blyth, of the 21st regiment, Smith, of the Police, and the two natives, Migo and Molly-dobbin, who are now attached to the Mounted Police Corps, set out to renew the search, fully calculating upon finding the little boy in less than an hour. They soon came upon the track where he had been the preceding day, and pursued it for some distance to the northward, when it was lost to all but the natives, who, notwithstanding the wind had been blowing very fresh, and had rendered the traces imperceptible to an unpractised eye, still continued to follow them up, along the beach, for about four miles, when they intimated that he had turned into the bush. Here they still followed him into an almost impenetrable thicket, through which they said he must have crawled on his hands and knees. Their progress was now very slow, in consequence of the thick bush, and the difficulty of perceiving the track on the loose sand; but the acuteness of the natives, who are certainly most astonishingly gifted, led them through it, and in about an hour’s time they regained the beach, the boy having made a circuit inland of about 400 yards. The track was now more strongly marked, and was perceptible to the whole party, continuing so over a space of about five miles, occasionally turning in and out of the bush. At the end of about nine miles further the natives were quite at fault, owing to his having left the beach and entered a thicket, which it was with difficulty they could push themselves through; they, however, persevered, and delighted the party, by every now and then crying out, “Me meyal geena,” meaning, “I see the foot-marks.” Mr. Norcott, who was on horseback, finding great difficulty in passing through the scrub, took a position on a high hill, overlooking the interesting progress of the natives in the hollow below. They were then making their way through a perfect mass of matted bush; and Mr. Norcott informs us, such was the apparent difficulty in tracking the child, that he was about to despair of success, when, to his astonishment, they held up a cap, which was known to belong to the boy. This circumstance cheered them in their pursuit, and about half an hour afterwards the track directed them again to the beach. They proceeded until they reached the Sand Cliffs, about ten or twelve miles from Clarence, one native continuing to walk a little way in the bush, in order to be certain that the boy had not crossed, or left the beach, and the other remaining with the party on the beach. Here it was ascertained he had again taken to the bush, and they found no difficulty in tracking him until