FOR OUR BOY'S & GIRLS

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 30, 3 February 1894, Page 3 (Supplement)

FOR OUR BOY'S & GIRLS

With the Waikas.

A Chivalrous Dog and a Narrow

Escape.

Br Stevens Vaii,

Struthhbs was discontented, so was Bones; the causes were different, bub the effect the same. Strubhers had knocked about Central America for almost four months on a vain quest for adventures, which would make his college vacation a unique one, and fill his rooms at the' Hall' with trophies and the boys' ears with thrilling stories. Bones was beginning to rebel at the society of native cure, whose combined forces did not suffice to give him a semblance of the delightful scrimmages he was wont to have in old Cambridge. Struthers latesb vagary—and owing to his father's liberality he was able to indulge in many sueh —was the chartering of a small native schooner. With a crew of six black Caribs, he was now striking the Mosquito Shore of Honduras, on his way to Cabo Gracias a Dios, where he expected to catch a homeward bound steamer. He yearned for tho delights o£ civilization and ice, and felt thab after all, the conventional pleasures of tennis, canaling and dancing at Bar Harbour were perhaps preferable to the uncertain joys of mule-back and hunting in the wilds of Central America.

His class-mates would hardly have recognised in this bronzed-faced, white-clad young man, sprawling on the deck of that little craft in the Carribean Sea, the immaculate Sbruthers, who had lefb Cambridge such a short time ago, lich in hopeß and the possession ot a most complete and painfully new hunting and camping outfit. The outfit, or whab remained of ib, was rusty and battered, bub the hardships which had wroughb this change in his ' impedimenta1 had been vastly beneficial to the owner, in hardening his muscles and broadening his shoulders.

With Bones things had not gone so well; an almost steady diet of bananas had made him tain, and between the chigoes and garrapatas very little of his glossy coat was left, save in Bhreds and patches. •' It's too bad, Bones, old fellow; they haven't lefb you much hair,' said Struthers. '!Never mind, your troubles will soon be over—l say, Ossorio,' turnine wrathfully upon the Carib captain, 'what is this beastly, old country of yours good for, anyway ? I haven't had a decent) adventure or seen anything worth telling in the whole length and breadth of it.' •You haven't seen him all, Buckra,'replied the Carib, a splendid specimen of that common race of black smugglers, who dart along the Caribbean coast in their swift dorys. ' Way yonder,' he continued, pointing towards the west, • is de lan ub do Waikas ; plenty fun dere ; but white man no sabez him. No white men dere, not eben Spanish man, only Waikas, Buckra, only Waikas.' ' Perhaps your right, Ossorio, about the plenty fun—at any rate, I'll have another try ab amusemenb before I cut the country ; so put about) and make for some river you think your friends, the Waikas, may live near.' •Berry good, Buckra, I put 'em dory about.'

Soon they were sailing along the low sandy coasb which lay to the left, and as they rounded a little cape Struther, cried out: ' Look, there's the mouth of the

river.' 'I see him,'answered the Carib, * make we pub in dere. I think me, p'raps, see Waika town soon by.' The Carib'a supposition was correct, for the ecbooner wae soon near enough for them to perceive the high-peaked thatched roofs and bamboo walla of the native houses nestling among tho waving palnm and plumy cocoanub trees which lined the river bank. 1 Diß is de Rio de la Patraca, an dafc Waika town,' said the Carib as the dory drew nearer. ' Dey habin' one big time, too,1 he continued, as the fainb croon of reed instruments and the' monotonous drone of tom-toms were wafted across the water. ' Make we slip in de riber an' s'prise de Waikas.' This they succeeded in doing, for the schooner was over the bar and abreast of the village beforo the natives were a*are of their preseuce. Then they came running and jumping down to the river bank like so many children in high glee over the arrival of strangers, and the possibility of beads and perhaps a little rum. • Queer lot,' mused Strubhers, surveying the dusky crowd which watched with intense interest the preparations for landing. • Don't look co much like darkies in spite of their assorted degrees of colour—Spanish blood, I suppose, mixed in. What costumes 1 Breech clouts for the men and scanty skirts for the women bub I fancy sealskins and ulsters would be rather out of place in this climate.' The landing was soon made and the Carib, polyglot that he was, acted as interpreter in presenting Strubhers^ to the old chief, Dama Pisono, who at once bid tho strangers welcome, and conducted them to his watla, or house. Installed in a vine hammock within the semi-darkness of the wabla, and with a large gourd of cool pineapple mishla at his eide, Strubhers forgot his discontent and asked many questions of Pisano through the Carib. He learned that the music they had heard was part of the ceremony attendant upon the death of an old Sukia, or 'medicine man,' whose funeral was to be held the following day. • To-morrow, at first sun up, de fun'ral begins—Dama Piasno asks yon if you win' to see him—better you do—may be it 'muse you,' said tho Carib with unconcious sarcasm.

Strubhers gladly accepted bhe invibation, and after paying his ro9pecta to the old chief left in company with Ossorio for a stroll about the village. At sunrise the next morning he was suddenly aroused by bho rabble of musketry, followed by doleful howls and lamentations. Rushing oub of the watla, where he had spent the night, he saw a large pib-pan (dugout) coming slowly down the river, while on the bank abreast of ib, marched two columns of Waikas, the men constituting one colunm, the women bhe other. In the pit-pan was the dead medicine man, bis three widows, and a solitary paddler. The oarpman gave vont to hia feelings in wailings, which were astonishingly loud in proportion to his size. The marching crowd on the bank was sileut, save for the occasional discharge of musketry, to frighten away, the Carib said, Lassa, the devil, and his attendant evil spirits. The pit-pan made a landing and the coffin, followed by the crowd of silent Waikaa. was carried along a narrow trail into the forest, The open space of the burial ground was in the midst of the dense jungle—a small circle of light surrounded by impenetrable darkness. The huge, towering trees with their heavy tangle of swaying vines, formed about the inclosure a compact wall, whose sombre greenness was brightened in paSchos

by the gorgeous colours of orchids, while the sunlight glinted through the lacy canopy of intgrtwined branches and casb odd patterns upon the crowd of ducky Waikaa about the open grave. Uoom was made for Struthers, Osßorio and Bones, and at a signal from Piaano the crowd fell back, the new Sukia stepped ' forward, and the ceremonies began. ' Bending low over the Bwathed body, the Sukia began in a low, rapid murmur to bewail his loas and recount che good deeds of the dead man ; one by one the women joined in—bhe chanb increased rapidly in velocity and volume until ib formed a grand swelling chorus of distress, then slowly it died away into an inarticulate sorrowing. In a silence broken only by the muffled tones of the tom-toms and the sobs of the crouching women, the new Sukia kneeled down and solemnly stuck little wooden images of men with uplifted sword-like machetes in the ground. This, explained Ossorio, was to frighten away any evil spirits who might attempt to steal the body. The dead man's entire kit of weapons and a bunch of plantains were placed in the coffin with him, to profc6cb and feed him on his long journey to the land of evtfjjJastiug felicity. The tom-toms throbbed away with increasing loudneßs and seemed to spur the exhausted women on to fresh exertions. Slowly rising to their feet they joined hands, and forming in a circle about the grave, danced solemnly around it, keeping step to the dull beats of the drum. Again the low-murmured wail began and continued until it reached a frenzied pitch. Faster beat the drum and faster whirled the women about the open grave in a wild ecstatic dance, until weak a#l dizzy they sank to the ground, squirming and clutching at the grass about them, while the foam flicked from their mouths as from rabid animals.

Once more silence fell upon the assembled crowd. The Sakia stepped to the grave, and with his machete despatched three dogs and a cat, which were to bear the dead man company on his journey. ' I say, Ossorio, this is horrible —it's voodooism — let us go,' muttered Struthere. ' Yes, Buckra, o beah an' voodoo ; de Waika's long time come from Africa ; dey still keep up de r'ligion ob der faders. But make me wait; he stop now, see, dey do something else,' added the Carib as the native swayed back. The crovird parted and two hideous old hags stepped into the open," dragging between them a trembling young native girl, who cast terrified glances before her. ' Shame to whip such a nice little girl,' murmurs the Carib.

' What do you mean—who is going to whip her, aud for what reason ?' demanded Stru there. *

' De Waika man tells de dead Sukia 's her fader,' answered the Carib. ' Waika always whip de 'lations of de dead man at de tun'ral; maybe she do something when he live he no whip her for—dey whip her now for- shuah.'

Hardly had the Carib spoken, when a brawny Waika back stepped forward with a, heavy manatee whip, which flashed through the air down upon the girl's shrinking Bhoulders, and left a long red welt of tortured flesh.

A shriek burst from the girl, and she writhed and twisted vainly to escape from the clutches of the hags who held her.

• Look out, Ossorio, I can't stand this,' gasped Strubhers, ' I'm going to stop it!' • Mind yourself, Buckra,' whispered the Carib, • do Waikas done bruk your head if you try to stop him.? But the faithful Bones, who had crouched till then at Struthers' feet, relieved them from all further responsibility, for, as the Waika raised his arm for the second lash, Bones, aba whispered word from Struthers, gave a low growl, and, gathering himself together, made one of his famous jumps and launched hjs forty odd pounds of bone and muscle straight ab the executioner's breast.

Ib was all so sudden that the Waika was down, with Bones tearing at his throat, before the assembled crowd realised what had happened. Then with fierce yells machetes were drawn, and the men made a rush at Bones. Struthers and Ossoria were before them, however, the former vowing he would shoot the fir9t man who touched the dog. Bones obedient to his master's command, released the Waika, who, staggering to his feet, rushed to the grave, and seizing from beside ib a loaded musket, raised ib to take aim at Struthers. Before he could fire, a knife thrown by the Carib pierced his right arm, which fell limp at his side. 1 Make we fo1 de boat,' roared the Carib, ' or we done for sbuah !'

To make a stand against such overwhelming numbers was madness, so the two men dashed into the trail behind them, hotly pursued by the shrieking, maddened mob of Waikas.

On and on they dashed, till they were breathless, till their hearts beat against their breasts as though they would burst through. With every step their pursuers seemed to gain, and Struthers wasabeutto give up in despair, when a glimmer iv the heavy shade ahead revealed the river. They crushed out into the open, and in an instant had jumped into the pit-pan, which had recently borne the corpse of the Sukia, and were well out into the river when the angry Waikas emerged from the forests. The yells of the disappointed natives spurred them to Bwifter paddling, and they were on the schooner's deck before the Waikas could launch another dugout.

The Carib crew was hastily roused and armed, and preparations were made to receive the Waikas warmly should they attempt to board the dory. The Waikas were too cautious to risk an immediate attack, but Boon had a dozen pitpftns manned and armed. 'Ob, for a breeze,' cried Struthers,' to take us out over the bar and away from these diabolical heathens !' But no breeze came, though the anchdr was catted and all sail set ready for the wind.

On came the Waikas, the war drums beating, the gourd 3 rattling, and the men yelling like deilions. Closer and closer crept the pit-pans, while the men on the pchooner lay cloee to the deck and awaited the onslaught. The tense strain of the moment seemed almosb more than Sbruthers could bear without shrieking. Suddenly, amid the pandemonium raised by the Waikas, came sounds of rasping and creaking overhead. The Carib looked anxiously aloft from his place under the bulwarks and gave a cry of gladness. • The wind !' he cried. * See, Buckra, de breeze has caught de sail an' de pulleys an' masta is singin' with joy 1' Hardly had he spoken when a shout of anger came from the Waikas. Struthers, raising his head above tho taffrail, saw the pit-pans slowly falling behind, while the freshening breeze carried them faster and faster towards the open pea. For a long time ho watched tha receding canoes, until they were but specks far astern. Finally the Carib touched his shoulder. ' Buckra,' said Osporio, ' we is out at sea now. Which way must I head do dory ? You want to make for Cabo Gracias an' de home eteamer, or you tink you want to hab come more 'vent*res ?'

Strnthers turned slowly upon the questioner ; he looked first ab the peaceful Bones who wan slumbering blissfully on a coil of rope, then at the fading shoreline, and replied with a little catch in his voice. ' No, Ossorio, I think this adventure will do me for a time—let it be Cabo Gracias and the steamer.