AS MAN-EATERS GO

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 297, 27 September 1938, Page 7

AS MAN-EATERS GO

By J. HALKET MILLAR. :: Author of “The Baylv Murder Lase.

CHAPTER 22. Terror had boon struck to the hearts of the Maoris by the earthquake, and the alarm had been sounded. Tiie night was rent with the torrent of invective which gushed from the fear-haunted islanders as they gathered in increasing numbers outside my dwelling-piace. My first action had been to fasten the door as securely as 1 might against an attack, for I fully anticipated a violent outbreak and that at no long time ahead. I trembled with apprehension when I considered the tireeating temperament of those arrayed against me; but the minutes dragged by and no attack came. What had become or Raumati? Jt seemed hardly possible that he had gone from tin* whare oi his own accord as lie had shown a marked reluctance to leave even with me, and the only likely solution that presented itself was that lie had been removed by force. Perhaps even now his lifeless body lay in the marae, part of the sacrifice to appease the offended gods. Outside the shouting continued for over an hour, when it suddenly ceased, the silence coining as something of a shock to my jaded nerves. By. cautiously sliding back the door-panel an inch or two i found that the Maoris had departed for some other scene of activities and I breathed much more freely, though 1 dared not quit my hiding place.

Midnight must have been long past before I elected to lie down and snatch what rest 1 could, but 1 had not time to close my eyes before a faint rustling sounded ad the rear wall of the whare. Thinking that I had by this hour fallen asleep the wily natives were making a breach in tho wall in order to strike me as I Jay unconscious of my danger. 1 had an advantage in that only one native could enter at a time, and with the cutlass and the musket, I could hold the whare against a large party. By this time I was on my feet in the centre of the whare, withholding my breath as much as I conveniently could and moving to a position that commanded the spot where the rustling continued. In the darkness I felt tho priming of the musket and held the weapon ready to lire as soon as I could discern anything to fire at. First a narrow slit of light appeared, being shown up against the glow of the fires that had. been lighted in the meeting place, and then as the opening widened a hand come into view, gently wrenching aside the rushes which formed tho wall. When a head at last appeared in the hole, I took a sight along the barrel and pulled the trigger. A metallic click sounded where I had expected the roar of the piece and, having braced my body against the “kick” that should have followed, I came near to losing my balance when it did not come. “Hush!” said a voice barely above a whisper. “Speak! Who is there?” I stammered, preparing to use the butt. “Raumati,” added the quiet voice, and I trembled with the relief. “Where have you been, pray? I had long since given you up as lost.” “I have made our preparations,” lie went on. “If we can evade.tho sentries all will bo well.” “Why did you come through the back wall? 5 ’ I asked him, explaining how only the lucky misfire of the musket had saved his life. “I came that way through force. They are watching the front. No one knows I have been away from the wliare, but I have learned much. At the breaking of the dawn they will come for us, but they will find an empty nest, for we leave within the hour, and must be far on our way when the sun. rises.” “I cannot go with you, Raumati,” I said to him. “It is better that I should stay and face the people, for there is an explanation of all this trouble and if ” “White Heron, there is no explanation!” be burst in upon me. “How can you explain the moving of the mountains? Mango has great influence here, and how could you overcome the fact that the gods have brought this disaster upon them in anger for our sins?” “Surely you do not think I was tho cause of the moving of the hills?” i said, for as lie had at one time been a man of affairs in Maoridom, he no doubt had his own ideas of my connection with the earthquake. He smiled and shook his head. “It is your misfortune. The gods have willed it, and we are in their hands, but no amount of talk will turn the Men of Oromahoe from their purpose. Therefore wo must go.” Perhaps it would bo better to give the real reasons for my objection, so after a pause I said: ••Tor myself I do not care, but. what of Ngaere? She will be left to tho mercies of tho tohunga and Tu, and that I will not abide.”

“What good could you do against so many, White Heron? If you stay, your life will he forfeit: if you go, you will ho safe, and at some other time, when the trouble has passed, you may be able to return and claim the maid. Should your lifo be spared, your presence would bo nothing but a source of danger to Ngaere. Come with me, and allow the anger of these men to die.” Put in that way, there was much to commend his scheme, so I acquiesced, and lie brightened perceptibly, turning immediately to collect my belongings, though they made but a poor bundle since I had been relieved of practically everything I had. “Now, follow mo, and step warily, for the wliare is being watched and we must give no indication that wo intend to escape,” he said when he was ready, and ho turned to go through the holo in the wall. “Wait,” I said, “I cannot go without a word to Ngaere. Stay hero while I go to her wliare.” Ho protested against this fresh madness on my part, but when he perceived that I was determined to have my way, he offered to take a message for me, the danger of discovery being less in his case than it would have been had 1 sought to prowl round the village. So, dropping what he carried, he crawled away, bearing my message of good cheer to Ngaere, the while I sat in the darkness and impatiently awaited his return.

A Story of Adventure Among the Maoris.

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In a remarkably short, time he was back, having accomplished his mission. “There is one other thing I must do,” he said then. “Ii have long had a suspicion that Mango is in league with the tohunga of the hapu to which we are going. I need your cutter,” he concluded, referring to my old pocket knife. Astonished at the request, I handed over the tool, and once more he was gone, without a word as to his intentions; nor did he refer to his escapade when he came to the wlmre finally and returned the knife. He kept his council, and I refraint'd Trom questioning hi m. All this' had taken time, and the night was nigh spent when we at last quitted the whare where I had spent so many happy days—and so many anxious days—and on all fours crept slowly away from the rear wall toward the palisades, which were not more than forty yards distant. Arrived safely at the foot of the tali posts I was puzzled to know by what means we were to scale them blit Raumati had been busy earlier in the night, and without a word lie guided me along till we came to a thick plaited rope of flax leaves, which by some means he had attached to the pointed top of one of the posts. Thqre was a narrow space between the posts (which were lashed together with a form of creeping plant which grows prolifically in the forests), but not sufficient to allow one to insert his toes to aid him in the climb.

Raumati pushed, me as far as lie could reach and with much ado I managed to negotiate the sharp points at the top and drop down on the other side, though this last manoeuvre nearly knocked the last gasp of breath from my body. In the excitement of the venture I overlooked the fact that on the outer side of the palisade there was a deep ditch, or moat, placed there to afford greater protection from invaders in time of war, and therefore I had to drop considerably farther than, I climbed on the inner side. Result, I landed on the broad of my back in the bottom of the ditch, jarring my bones till I wondeyed if it were possible I had escaped without a broken limb. As, having caretnlly felt myself over and ascertained that all was well, I turned my eyes upward, I saw Raumati • against the stars, perched precariously on the top of the fence and hauling upon the rope, to tho end of which he had attached our worldly belongings. He landed on his feet as agilely as a cat, and we crouched in the blackness of the moat while we regained our bneath. Now that we had got fairly out of the lion’s den, I had time to (reflect on the utter contempt for danger that Raumati had shown in effecting our escape. His seeming indifference had made it appear as though there had been nothing to feajr in the least. He liad spent three or four hours in the fortress moving from place to place, listening to the conversation oi the inhabitants; had obtained flax and plaited it into a rope which he had attached, not without considerable trouble, to the top of tho palisades; had, gone to Ngaere’s whare with my message and had gone on an errand of his own; and all apparently without rousing a single suspicion. So far, all was well, but he hacl made one blunder which was to he brought plainly before us ere we left the ditch. When he hauled up the goods on the end of the rope, ho ban cast it from him without detaching it from the top of the palisades, so that it now dangled on the inside for any chance passerby to see. And as Fate would have it, that chance being appeared just as we were on the point of rising to go our way. With bated breath we heard the warrior pass along inside the fence and come to the tell-tale rope. He stopped and returned to scrutinise it the more closely, his movements being plainly visible, for lie was between us and the light of the fires. Having tugged at it, the man stood for a few seconds reflecting, then he turned suddenly, running toward the marae, and in that instant Raumati whispered one word into my ear: “Run!” I needed no second bidding, nut got to my feet, scrambled up the side of the ditch by means of the ferns which grew there, and was soon making my best pace after my companion as he dived onward toward the forest, which we gained as a shout broke out. On the edge of the tall timber I turned and looked at the fortress as it lay on the eminence behind us. Fuel was being heaped on the fires; great showers of sparks rose high in the air and were lost in the night; a dull booming came from tho marae where Someone was pounding the wooden war drum. The whares stood out against the: night, the leaping flames twinkled through the palisades casting long shadows into the forest. Even as I looked, men appeared upon the raised platform. Torches flared, the light dancing in and out of tho ghastly human heads that grinned sardonically from long poles set up about the gateway. A flight of spears hurtled over our heads, and, turning hastily, I plunged into the wilderness of trees, wrapped in a darkness that seemed to typify tho abyss of primitive barbarism in which these natives dwelt. * (To be continued.)