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Potona or Unknown New Zealand

Chapter VII. The Lonely Isle—Traces of Inharitants—Our Plans are Changed

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Chapter VII. The Lonely Isle—Traces of Inharitants—Our Plans are Changed.

After breakfast it was proposed that we should separate into several parties and explore the neighborhood carefully in case of any natives being in the vicinity. We divided ourselves into three parties; Harry and Moroney were to climb the ridge to the left, and search as far as possible in that direction; Hunter, Spanish Joe, and Smith were to do the same in the direction of the right; while I, taking Smart with me, proposed mounting the same ridge as Harry's party, and then following it right up as far as possible, Harry in the meantime descending on the other side. Swabs was to stay in camp and look after our things.

Bidding one another good-bye, we started on our respective ways. After parting with Harry and his men on the top of the ridge, Smart and I began following up the summit, gradually ascending higher and higher. My intentention was to try and reach a very high spur which branched off from the main one some distance above us, and from page 39 whence I hoped to obtain a good view of the surrounding country as well as the sea. Our struggles through brushwood and great masses of rock were just a repetition of those of the preceding day.

The sun had passed the meridian when we at last found ourselves standing on a bare plain of about an acre in extent, which formed the summit of the spur we had been making for. I was not disappointed in my expectations of having a good view from this point. Far below us, and stretching away north and south and to the horizon, was the ocean. In vain I scanned it with my small pocket-glass for a sail. It was unbroken, save by the white crests of the waves, which seemed to be running high. Turning to the right, the opposite ridge completely shut out any further view of the country in that direction. Towards the left, however, we could see over the next spurs; and beyond them the same wild densely-wooded ranges and dark ravines appeared as those in our immediate vicinity. Behind us the ridge rose higher and higher until it joined the towering snow-peaked mountains, which ran parallel with the coast, and seemed to form the backbone of the island.

“Surely no human beings have ever lived in these parts,” remarked Smart; “there does not appear to be the slightest indication of any inhabitants.”

“No,” said I; “however, perhaps our companions may have discovered some traces of natives nearer the seashore.”

It was now time to think of returning to camp, and I determined to strike straight down the right side of the ridge, instead of retracing our steps by the way we came up. By doing this I judged we should hit the small lake we had discovered the day before; and perhaps be able to shoot a few ducks for supper, I having brought my gun with me.

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Having arrived at this decision, we regained the main ridge, and began descending the opposite side. It was rough and rather dangerous work, for now and then we loosened large stones, which would carry us off our feet, landing us on our backs. On reaching the bottom I found we had struck rather below the lake; so we turned upwards, and soon emerged on the clear space which surrounded it. As Smart was evidently getting knocked up, I told him to remain where he was and rest, while I went in search of some game.

These were apparently all near the upper end of the lake, so I started in that direction, following the left shore. After walking nearly two miles, I came within gun-shot of a flock of teal. I was standing at the outer end of a small spit of land which projected into the lake, and the birds were swimming about between me and the upper shore, a distance of only about a hundred yards. Seeing my gun was properly loaded, I raised it to my shoulder and fired, and had the satisfaction of seeing two birds floating dead on the face of the water; but to get them it was necessary for me to get round to the upper shore of the lake. In a few moments I arrived opposite them, and in another brief space of time I had the birds safely landed. There was now no time to be lost in returning to camp; so slinging the teal over my gun, I started to rejoin Smart, following the opposite bank of the lake to that I had come by. This brought me very near the small island which was before mentioned as being apparently situated near the middle of the lake, but was evidently much closer to this side than the other.

Arrived opposite the island, curiosity prompted me to swim across to it, the distance being only about a hundred yards. Late as it was, I could not resist the temptation to become better acquainted with this silent little spot. page 41 Hastily stripping, I stepped into the water, and in a few moments I had swam into its shade.

The thick bushes completely overhung the water on this side, but on swimming some distance round it I discovered a clear space of ground, on which I landed. The island could not have been more than twenty or thirty square yards in extent.

Pushing aside the thick bushes, I found myself in a small clear space, so completely surrounded and enclosed by the dense undergrowth that I could not see the slightest opening in any direction; nor was the water which surrounded this little isle visible in any way. But what astonished me most was a small dilapidated hut which stood at the foot of a good-sized tree that grew at one end of the open space.

Advancing towards it with the utmost caution, I reached what had once been a rude doorway. The hut had been built of a few upright logs placed in the ground, and the interstices filled up with clay and long grass. The roof was composed of rafters, tied with flax to a ridge-pole and to the upright logs, and the whole was thatched with the same long grass that had been used for the sides. The hut could not have been more than five feet high, and ten feet long by four or five in width. The whole structure was very rudely put together, and for some time I was at a loss to conjecture whether it had been built by natives or Europeans. On entering the open doorway, however, I found clear evidence of it having been inhabited by the former, though seemingly not for a long time. In one corner was a heap of fern and grass, which had not been disturbed or lain on for a considerable period, as shoots of long rank grass had grown up through it, and the fern was was quite rotten and decayed. In another corner I found a rough fish-hook made of bone, page 42 together with a broken spear, the handle of which had some rude carvings on it, evidently the work of natives; while at the end of the hut some pieces of shell, not unlike mother-of-pearl, had been let into one of the logs forming the supports to the roof.

How long I might have gone on raking up the dead fern, etc., and searching every corner for something else, it is hard to tell; but I was brought to my senses by feeling myself getting chilled, for it must be remembered that all this time I had not an inch of a garment of any description on me. This reminded me that it would be dark before I got home, and, besides, Smart would be getting anxious about me.

Emerging from the hut I found the air very cold, which indicated that the sun was getting low; so bidding good-bye for the present to the hut and its sombre little resting spot, I plunged into the water, and was soon ashore. Quickly putting on my clothes, I started at a brisk pace, and shortly afterwards rejoined Smart, who was beginning to wonder at my prolonged absence. He being quite rested and refreshed, we set off down our old tracks towards the camp. The sun set before we were half way home, but luckily the moon was near the full, otherwise we should have stood a good chance of spending the night in the bush.

Just as we were within a few yards of the edge of the bush at the back of the tent, we were brought to a sudden standstill by a repetition of the mysterious voices of the previous night. They came from a thick mass of underwood which separated us from the tent. Goodness!—how my blood did creep and turn cold, while poor young Smart kept close up to my side, shivering and shaking with fright.

“Confound it all,” I at last exclaimed, recovering myself with an effort, “I'm not going to stand this kind of page 43 thing night after night; so here goes to fathom the mystery.”

Pushing forward, I forced myself right into the midst of the thick barrier of bushes, etc., from which the sounds had proceeded. I looked and peered in every direction without seeing any sign of a living creature, and was just going to sing out to my companions at the camp, when from a bush close to my ear burst forth again the hideous unearthly laugh!

This was too much. With a yell that would have done credit to a North American Indian, I gave two or three tremendous leaps, and alighted right in the midst of our companions, who were standing round the fire, evidently expecting the appearance of some fearful monster from the gloomy woods. My sudden entrance into their midst, however, was nearly proving fatal to me; for Harry, on first hearing the strange cries, had seized his gun, ready to use it on the first sign of any man or beast which showed themselves, and the awful yell I gave, combined with the mysterious noise just preceding it, made the men really believe that some devilish creature was bursting out of the forest to attack them. Harry raised his gun, and had I been in the slightest degree less active than I was, I should have terminated my career then once and for ever. As it was, he fired, but luckily just too late, for I heard the shot whistle over my head as I alighted on my feet amongst them.

The first few moments of surprise over, the men simultaneously put the question, “Where is Smart?”

But my tongue refused to speak; and the men, putting their own construction on my silence, began to manifest fresh symptoms of alarm.

Suddenly we were startled by a shout from the edge of the bush, and at the same time Smart emerged, swinging page 44 something round his head, and dancing about in all directions.

“I've got him!” he exclaimed. “See the ‘imp of darkness,’ the ‘wild Maori,’ the ‘inhabitant of Purgatory,’ which has frightened the very senses out of eight English sailors!” Then rushing into our midst he held up a large black-plumaged bird.

“How did you catch him?” cried everyone at once.

“Why, you see,” said Smart, who was evidently not a little elated at his triumph, “You see, I was following close at the captain's heels when he was searching the thick bushes from which the cries had come. When they were repeated close to our ears the second time, I was quite paralyzed; the captain's yell roused me and this noble bird at the same time, for he flew out of the tree right against me, nearly knocking me down. In my fright I grappled him in my arms, and then the whole truth of the mysterious sounds burst plainly on my mind. ‘So you are our worthy friend of last night, are you?’ I cried, at the same time knocking his head against a tree, whereupon he gave vent to the very hideous laugh that has startled us so. I quickly despatched him, rushed out of the bush, and here I am.”

“And are you shure it was this same bird as made all thim hullaballoos?” inquired Pat, evidently not half satisfied yet.

“Yes, I'm certain,” replied the lad.

“Thin, good riddance to bad rubbish!” said Pat. “Take that!” giving the bird a kick, “for a dirty ugly spalpeen that ye are!”

Cook now announced that supper was ready, and we lost no time in setting-to, our day's hard walking having given us all keen appetites. While regaling ourselves on a first course of fish, cook proceeded to clean and roast the teal page 45 I had shot, and which I had luckily stuck to. These furnished a second most delicious dish; the whole washed down by draughts of good strong hot tea. After the meal was over, each party proceeded to give their day's adventures to the others. Mine and Smart's having been already recorded, it is useless to repeat them; suffice it to say, that my discovery of the deserted hut caused considerable interest.

Hunter's narrative of their day's events was of no particular interest; they had discovered no signs of natives, and reported that the appearance of the country beyond the high ridge on the right-hand side of our little camp tallied almost exactly with that I had seen in the opposite direction; the same range after range of steep, densely-wooded heights; the same dark ravines running back to the mountains.

Neither had Harry's party made any discoveries of inhabitants; but he reported that, having descended to the beach opposite where the schooner was wrecked, they found the shore strewn with numerous remains of herself and her stores; the wreck itself had entirely disappeared. Amongst other things, they picked up a small barrel of gunpowder, and in a seaman's chest washed ashore they found, besides a lot of clothes, a rifle taken to pieces, together with a supply of cartridges. These things, together with the gunpowder, though slightly damaged by the water, were yet of considerable value to us, and had been divided between Harry and Maroney and brought home; the powder having been previously removed from the keg, and tied up in two pieces of sail-cloth found on the beach. The chest was identified as having belonged to poor Macpherson. It was not without considerable difficulty and toil that the two managed to transport their additional burdens over the steep ridge to the camp; but they succeeded at last, and earned the well- page 46 deserved thanks and commendations bestowed upon them by their companions.

“And now once again, boys,” I said, when all the day's events had been told, “once again and finally let us decide the important question of our future movements.”

While we had been talking, heavy clouds had begun to gather above and around us; the wind moaned through the trees, and came in gusts down the ravine. Hardly had I finished my sentence when heavy drops of rain began to fall. Everyone immediately sprang to his feet, and the few articles that were scattered round the fire were hastily conveyed under cover, and we all hurried under the shelter of the tent. In a few minutes afterwards the wind had risen to a perfect hurricane, the rain falling in torrents.

Luckily we were well protected from the violence of the former by the high hills surrounding us and the bush behind the tent; but the rain very soon flooded the small level space in front and at the sides of us, and by the morning the water was some inches deep.

This gale decided the men to give up any idea of starting southwards until after the winter; and as the spot we were then camped on was evidently unsuited, on account of its low-lying position, for a permanent abode during the rainy season, it was agreed that we should migrate to the borders of the lake further up the ravine, and there erect a more substantial dwelling than the tent would be.