page 174

Chapter XX. On Murder Bent.

Thewhare we occupied was a building of no great size, Merely sufficient for sleeping accommodation for the whole party. It was one of the most recently erected houses in the pa, and bore evidences of the presence of the white man amongst the natives. The fireplace was in the middle of the building, and so constructed that the smoke was conducted up a chimney, formed principally of wood, through the centre of the roof. This, while it did not interfere with the occupants sitting on all sides of the fire, kept the atmosphere free from smoke in a way not usual in Maori dwellings. It was our habit to sleep around this fireplace in such a position that we were each some distance from the other. We had gradually accumulated a number of the best mats that the Maoris possessed, and could make ourselves particularly comfortable on the thick layers of dry fern provided for sleeping on. The hard wooden pillow used by the Maoris we had displaced by something less exacting and more in keeping with civilized notions. Against the door, which had previously been allowed to stand open, we had nightly of late placed a framework to prevent entrance from the outside without our knowledge.

page 175

The walls of the building were tolerably strong, but were only about three feet high. The roof, however, was very light, but thoroughly effective as a wind and waterproof covering.

In these quarters we slept without any feeling of dread or insecurity. The Maoris were strictly upright, and respected all our belongings with most unflinching honesty.

The evening of the theatrical performance we did not retire early, but sat over our fire chatting until past midnight. In our moments together we had only one theme—how to get away from the Maoris. This was the topic we discussed, and every conceivable plan was brought under review. The project of the kite was still the favourite one. It was around it that our strongest hopes clung; to it our fullest thought was given; about it our deepest secrecy was to be exercised; from it our highest expectations flowed. Despite this, the wooden floats had not been neglected, and we had written several copies of the following:—

This is a message to inform the finder, and through him the friends of James Gordon, Robert William Brock, and Alexander Macdonald, that they are now prisoners amongst a tribe of Maoris inhabiting a tract of country about five days' journey west of Lake Wakatipu, and between Milford Sound and Lake Te Anau; that, in company with Dr. William Richards and Mark Charles Lode, they left Queenstown on 18th December last, and six days afterwards fell in with the Maoris; that in an engagement with another tribe of Maoris Richards was killed. Lode has wandered away from the Maori village, and no trace of his whereabouts can be discovered. We have reason to believe that the nearest way to reach the Maori settlement would be to start inland from Milford Sound, and strike towards the south-east from ft large waterfall we have ascertained to page 176exist about three days' journey north-west of the Maori pa. The Maoris are quite friendly, but refuse to let us leave their village, fearing that a knowledge of their existence may thereby get abroad and bring about their dispersion or extermination. We earnestly entreat any person into whose hands this message may fall, to send it without delay to Mr. Robert Henry Chapman, Castle Street North, Dunedin, N.Z.

To these documents each attached his signature, and, after carefully folding them and wrapping them in strips of flax, we deposited one in each of the wooden floats we had constructed, and fastened them up securely, ready for sending on their voyage of discovery at different opportunities. These floats we then laid aside, so that they should not attract the attention of any person entering our whare.

When we started out on this exploration I was chosen as the historian of the journey, and have continued in this disconnected and informal way to record from time to time the incidents of our journey. This had occupied me at times very agreeably, and helped to wile away many an hour which otherwise might have proved very wearisome. I had come fully provided with a supply of scribbling books and pencils, and was able to take up the narrative when opportunity offered. I also had a small pocket inkbottle and pen, so that we were able to write the foregoing messages in ink.

After we had laid aside these floats I said to Gordon, who sat thinking deeply—

"Have we done wisely in saying anything of the death of Richards and disappearance of Lode in this message? Should we not have kept back the worst news?"

page 177

"No, I think not. If any of these papers are found they will surely be sent to Chapman, and a knowledge of the truth is more likely to stimulate our friends to an immediate attempt to relieve us."

Gordon's reasoning seemed to me conclusive; and after a few minutes' further conversation we lay down to rest.

Thinking over the subject of the kite-flying, an idea all at once struck me. I called to Gordon, who was not yet asleep, to get his opinion.

I proposed that the duplicate which we had made of my narrative should be folded up and addressed to Chapman, and attached to the kite we should send off. I expressed a fear that Jars, or some of his friends, might some day steal our papers, or perhaps cause a fire of our whare, and the record would thus be lost.

"Wouldn't it be better to hide the duplicate in some safe place?" replied Gordon. "You would most likely lose the copy you send off with the kite."

"Well, I'd like to try it, and we might see about hiding the one kept here. Heaven only knows when we may get away from this place," I continued, somewhat despondingly.

I was now tired out, and with the physical part of one's being worn and weary, the mind is very sensitive to feelings of despondency and hopelessness.

"We will talk it over to-morrow," said Gordon. "Good night, old man."

"Good night," I murmured quietly.

Macdonald was already snoring lustily, and I soon found that Gordon had also fallen off. Something impressed me page 178with the idea of a movement of footsteps near our whare, but I was then too sleepy to notice it, or give any active attention to the thought, and soon fell into the arms of the drowsy god.

My sleep was not free from dreams, and, under the influence of the performance we had seen that night, my mind wandered back to the death of Richards and the events relating to the disposal of his body. Then I thought I saw his cold, stiff, embalmed and frozen body rise from its shelf, and, after wandering about in the ice cave for a time, walk forth into the darkness and proceed quickly towards the village where we had enjoyed the companionship of his living spirit. Then it entered noiselessly the whare where we lay, and, as if it could find no resting-place there, I saw it flit about in the interior of the building, pass round gazing at each of our sleeping forms, and then fall with a thud in the darkness upon my chest, and nearly choke me with its weight. At the same moment something soft and heavy fell upon my outstretched arm and woke me. With a sudden movement I sprang up, and instantly felt myself clutched by a pair of strong arms, one hand of which attempted to grasp my throat. I was able to free myself and call out to my companions, who immediately sprang up affrighted. Grappling with my assailant, we both fell to the ground, and I felt myself in the grasp of a powerful man, whose attempt to throttle me was only frustrated by his being pinioned from behind by Gordon and Macdonald, who together speedily overcame the intruder. Hearing someone running from the whare, and feeling that my assailant was page 179safe in the hands of the others, I quickly went outside, when I saw two men rushing off, one of whom I was sure was Jars. They were, however, too far away to give any prospect of success to a chase. I therefore at once returned to the whare, and procured a light by which to examine the intruder. This proved to be Ramana, the brother of the man who had been missing from the village. He had been armed with a short, strong spear and a sharp stone mere, either of which would prove a very effective weapon in a close encounter. I could only attribute my escape to the darkness of the apartment and the uncertainty as to where he should strike. Had he not stumbled on my outstretched hand and so awoke me, the chances were strongly in favour of his having brained me with the mere while asleep. When we had made him securely a prisoner he refused to utter a word, so that we could only conjecture the purpose of his visit. When I told my companions what I had seen, and Gordon had interrogated the prisoner as to whether Jars had any connection with this visit, I thought I read on the man's face a faint confession that the Frenchman was implicated in his attempt. My supposition on the subject was that the treacherous Jars had prevailed on Ramana to seek utu for the loss of his brother Rimana and his wife in the murder of the pakehas. By no other means could I explain this visit of assassination. It was a proceeding utterly at variance with all I have been taught to look for in the Maori character, and so devoid of other motive that I made up my mind I had arrived at the true explanation of the crime.

As it still wanted some hours to daybreak, we deter-page 180mined to await the coming of the morning before taking any farther action. We found that a hole had been cat in the roof of the whare, through which the murderous Maori had entered, and by which his companions on the outside had doubtless been made aware of the failure of his attempt. At first we thought it advisable that we all should sit up and watch, lest a further attack of some sort might be made on us; but as Macdonald volunteered to act the part of sentry, Gordon and I eventually lay down to try and add to our somewhat scanty supply of sleep. When we had fallen off and had slept for perhaps an hour, we were suddenly awakened by a sharp cry from Macdonald. As we got up in response to his call, he pointed to a spear which had fallen through the roof. At the same instant we became aware that a part of the roof of the whare was on fire. The wretches had returned to the attack, and were trying to effect their diabolical design by setting fire to our building, to this end employing one of the wellknown devices of the Maori in attacking an enemy's village, of throwing fire-sticks attached to their spears. Fortunately we had no difficulty in extinguishing the flames; but had we not been watching, our whare and its contents must inevitably have been consumed. This occurrence, of course, put all notion of sleep out of our heads, and we were not sorry when the welcome sight of the first streak of dawn greeted our view, and shortly afterwards the great red sun pushed slowly up above the horizon and flooded the valley with its crimson light.

While sitting in the whare waiting for the first glimpse of day, I reflected on the narrow escape we had had, and, page 181pondering fully over the events of the night, I could not but recognise the wonderful intervention of Providence in filling my mind with the dream of Richards, and so preparing me for the occurrence which had formed such a narrow escape from assassination.

Shortly after daylight we made an examination of the immediate vicinity of the whare, but did not discover anything giving a clue as to who were the other men interested in the attempt on our lives.

While we were thus engaged Te Kahu came up, and we at once informed him of what had taken place. Directing us to remain outside, he entered the whare for the purpose of questioning the Maori. When Te Kahu entered, Macdonald joined us outside, and we walked around the whare at some distance from the building. Presently we saw struggling on the ground a pig which bad previously escaped our notice. On going to the animal we found that it had a spear stuck deeply in between its shoulders, and penetrating the backbone. This poor brute had evidently been struck by one of the weapons thrown at our whare in the darkness of the night.

Very soon Te Kahu emerged from the building, and informed us that he could not get anything further out of the man than that he was actuated by a desire for utu, or revenge; he would not say for what, nor who were his accomplices. This, however, I had already conjectured.

When Te Kahu saw the stricken porker he uttered an exclamation of delight, and then explained to us that this poor brute's fate had saved us from any further risk of molestation for the same cause. The thirst for revenge— page 182or blood for blood—had been quenched by the blood of the pig. He immediately proved the truth of this by leading out our prisoner and showing him the wounded animal with the spear of his friends still sticking in it, whereupon Ramana clearly demonstrated his contrition for his act, and acknowledged the intervention of Providence. He further expressed to us his desire to be our friend, and his determination to prevent any harm coming to us from those who had acted with him in the attempt on our lives. Nothing would induce him to give us any hint as to who were his accomplices, nor could we get any satisfaction to our enquiries as to whether Jars was implicated—an evidence of constancy and integrity for which we could not but admire him, and giving a lesson I would have liked to read to the treacherous Frenchman.

Acting on Te Kahu's advice, we released Ramana, and were amply assured that our clemency would make him a faithful friend and ally.