Lumi's Lagoon.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 237, 3 October 1908, Page 16

Lumi's Lagoon.

By OWEN HALL

CHAPTER X. A FRIEXD IX NEED. " But Bill," I said, as we made our way through the scrub, Bill tramping along in front, and I following, hugging the curious box to my breast. "But, Bill, I don't sec how I'm to get it open; there isn't a keyhole, and I can't feel any hinge, either —we'll want something to open it with." Bill glanced at mc over his shoulder "Without slai-keniug his Dace. " Well. Sonny. I ain"t a-saying but what it's natral, too—not mc. But what I say i<—theer ain't no hurry. You an' rue's got one or two things for to see to first, if I ain't mistook." "What things Bill?" I asked, unable to gue~s what he meant: for what could possibly be more important than to find out what it was that Mauwi had been keeping watch over all these years? •' Well, now, Sonny. I ain't a-sayin', 'tweren't to be expected neither; but suppose you an' mc an' Lumi here were to get speared, I ain't not to say sure as how th.tt theer box would make us comfortable neither." Bill didn't look at mc as he made the suggestion, but I knew him well enough to feel sure he meant it. '" Do you think they'll come after us, Bill? " I asked, a sudden doubt of the value of even Mauwi's treasure under the circumstances coming over mc. " Couldn't Lumi stop them?'" I added, the remembrance of my own rescue flashing across my mind. " Wel] ; Sonny, here ye are—you ask hi ' • \>e hail reached the top of the bank, and could see Lumi floating idly in his canoe on the still water below. His face was turned the other way, and his head was bent forward, as if he was listening. Perhaps he had heard us coming. " Lumi," I shouted. " Here we are — Bill and mc. We want you come have talk." Lumi held np his hand as if to warn mc to stop, as he leplied: " Xo make talk; Lumi hear." It was evident from his attitude that he was listening with all his might. Bill held uf hi* hand and we both stood lookins at him for a minute or two without speaking. Lumi could hear something I felt sure, though neither Bill nor I could catch a sound, except the low boom of the sea on the reef; it couldn't be that Lumi was listening to so intently. At last he looked up with a puzzled look on his face, and stared at us without a word. " What Lumi hear?" I exclaimed. " Lumi hera noise—plenty far; one time, two time, three time—Lumi no can tell."' " Whereaway you hear, Blacky?" Bill broke in with his deep voice. Eor an instant Lumi seemed not to understanu the question; then he turned ar"L jiointed towards the sea beyond the lagoon. Bill seemed to think for a minute. "Theer?" he said, at last, looking where Lumi's hand still pointed. "Well, I ain't a-sayin' but what that's queer, too. that is. What sort of a hail might it 'a been, now. Blacky?" he went on, ■without looking round. " Like ? Like " Lumi repeated the "word, as if he was seeking for an answer. " Like bird —ally same bird, plenty big." " AH same bird, plenty big,"' Bill repeated. " Well, now. blowed if that mightn't 'a stood for the whistle o' one o' them bloomin* steamers, neither; but what would one o' them be o-doin' ot round them parts? Xo, 'taint likely— not much, it ain't." '• What's that, Bill?" I exclaimed, looking behind mc with a start. Bill listened for a moment, and then the sound came again. " Come to that, Sonny, I ain't a-sayin' but what that sounds like niggurs, that does." " But they won't come here. Lumi says they won't; they're all afraid of Mauwi, you know." "Well, Sonny; I ain't got no objection to that, neither. I ain't none to anxious for to see "em round here —you bet. But what I says is this, Sonny: They ain't all niggurs, neither. There's Bob .Stringer, and if I ain't mistook, Bob wants you an' mc bad —he does. Xo, nor 'taint Mauwi as'll stand in Bob's way, neither — and don't you forget it." "But the black-fellows won't come. He can't fight us by himself, can he, Bill? " I exclaimed eigerly. " So much the better. Sonny; if so be as Lumi ain't mistook; though, mind ye. I ain't a-sayin' as Bob ain't no coward, neither. Give him a spear or a club, an' I ain't a-sayin' but what he'd make a try. No, Sonny, nor I ain't a-sayin' as I should be altogether sorry, neither." I glanced down at Lumi, who sat in the canoe, looking up at us, as if he, too, bad heard the sound, but wasn't quite certain. "Lumi," I called to him; "Lumi! Bob come; he want kill Bill and mc." For an instant Lumi sat motionless: then eh said, almost as if he was peaking to himself: '"No come close Mauwi." " Oh, but Lumi, Bob no 'fraid Mauwi. Bob come. Bob bring plenty man." I wondered what b<i would say, for he sat quite still for a minute after I had spoken. Then he suddenly dropped the blades of his paddle into the water, and with two sweeps drove the canoe ashore. In another minute he was standing beside mc face to face with the frowning figure of Mauwi. Eor the first few minutes it seemed to dazzle bis eyes, but as he continued to face it, Mauwi seemed to lose his power over him. He threw back his head proudly, as if in defiance of the terror of his race, and ?o stood for a minute without moving: then he turned away. "Lumi no 'fraid Mauwi," he said proudly. "Lumi ally same white man. Pight white chief now." "Right ye was. Blacky." Bill exclaimed, laying a great hand on Lumi's shoulder. "Nor I ain't a-sayin' but what ye'd do it. too; but Bob ain't for you this time, Blacky—not if I knows it." "But. Bill." I said, "what are we going to tight with?" "No more I ain't a-sayin" but what theer".-. sense in that, too. Sonny," Bill remarked approvingly; "but what I sez is, s'pose you an' mc an' Blacky here has a look on t'other side o' them eoaky-nut trees on the hill. There's trees there, and where theer's trees theer's mostly sticks o' some sort —an' don't you forget it, neither." What Bill said was true. There were trees, as well as bushes, growing on the slope of the hill, and perhaps Bill could break off branches for clubs: it seemed the only chance. "Didn't I say Bill would know what to do," I said to myself, as I looked at him with admiration. "We paused for a minute or two, wait"njfi ior some other sound to guide us as

to Bob's movements. Since I had heard the shout that alarmed mc first there had been nothing to guide us as to where they were, or how they were likely to attack us; but at last it came again— a wild, irregular cry of many voices, that came from the direction where I supposed the village w-as to which we had been taken first. It had barely died away before it was answered, and the answer seemed to come from beyond the shoulder of the round hill, as if a second party w-ere coming that way. , It" was Bill that spoke. "Well, I ain't a-sayin' but what it gives Bob credit for that —not mc. He don't mean for you an' mc to give 'em the slip, don't Bob—you bet on that, Sonny. I ain't a-sayin' but it's time we was a-gettin' of them sticks—and don't you forget it. neither." "But what shall I do with Mauwi's box, Bill,'T asked, looking helplessly at the treasure I had hugged so closely, but which seemed for the moment to have lost some of its importance. "It will be in the way if we have to light." "Right ye was, Sonny," Bill replied cheerfully. "S'pose now, ye was to lay it aboard Blacky's craft. I ain't a-sayin' as how it'll run away—leastways it ain't done much runnin' this while back; an' if so be as Bob gets the weather gauge on us, ye mightn't need it—not to say immediate. If so be he don't, 1 ain't a-sayin' but what ye can trust Blacky here for to hand it over." ! "Mc put in canoe?" I asked, looking at Lumi, and holding out the box, at which I had seen him glance more than once. He drew back a little. "Mauwi box?" he asked, gazing at it with a curious, fascinated look for a moment ; then he drew himself up. ''Lumi no 'fraid Mauwi; Lumi ally same white man. Lumi take." He held out his hands as he spoke, but I felt sure the effort was a great one. "No, Lumi! " I said. "Mc tp.ke. Mc get box. Mauwi 'fraid mc." I Almost while I was speaking I had j run down the bank and deposited my I treasure in the bottom of the canoe. ' Lumi's eyes followed mc, but he said nothing. In another minute I was back again, and we had started in search of weapons for the fight that seemed to bo near. It was farther than I had expected. At first there was only scrub and bushes, but nothing heavy such as Bill was ( looking for. Then we climbed farther up the slope, where we could see the trees ! were bigger, and we had nearly reached them when I was startled by a yell, far louder than anything we had heard beI fore; it was evident we had been seen 'by the black-fellows, who most likely thought we were trying to hide among , the trees. ! We stopped, and I turned to see where they were, and at the same moment Bill exclaimed in a tone that was almost a shout: ! " Well, now, I ain't a-sayin' but what ! I'm blowed, neither." J I looked at Bill. He was staring in exactly the opposite direction from the place the yell came from; but as my eyes followed his 1 understood. From where we stood we looked down on Mauwi, and the lagoon, and the ocean beyond; and there, just in sight, rounding the end of the circular hill, was a ship—a big ship—with a slender jet of smoke curiing up betwen her masts. It was a steamer. CHAPTER XL THE VENGEANCE OF MAUWI. Bill stared at the unexpected sight for a minute without moving, then he turned to Lumi. "Lumi, see the ship?" he asked, .uumi looked, and nodded. "Lumi go, tell man send boat?" he went on. Lumi loo*ked at mc. "Lumi go; white boy go too?" Lumi replied. "Xo, Lumi," I exclaimed, eagerly. "Lumi go; mc stay with Liu." '"Canoe no carry Bill too," Lumi said thoughtfully, glancing at Bill as lie spoke. "Not much, Blacky. I ain't a-saying as we had none too much to spare in smooth water, you an' mc, neither," Bill said with a laugh. But you an' Sonny here might manage." "Xo, Bill," I said obstinately. "Lumi can tell them where we are, and perhaps his people won't stop him. They could easily stop mc before we could get to the canoe; see where they are now?" I added, pointing to a band of black-fellows who were hurrying in a direction that would bring them to the head of the lagoon. Bill looked at the men, and then back again at Lumi. "Lumi go say white man here?" he asked. "Lumi no 'fraid black man kill him?" Lumi's eyes had followed Bill's hand as he pointed first to the ship, and then to the crowd of hurrying natives. He drew himself up proudly. "Lumi go," he said slowly. "Lumi ' bring white man- Black man no stop I Lumi. Lumi great chief." j "Lumi, quick, come back.*' I said laying my hand on his arm; "and, oh Lumi, take care box Mauwi." He seemed to hesitate for a moment: then he took my hand in his own and lifted it from his arm very gently. "Lumi no take box Mauwi. Mauwi no like. Lumi leave shore any-right." He turned away suddenly and darted down the hill; before he had gone fifty yards he stopped and faced us again. "White man go Mauwi. Mauwi no hurt white man," he shouted; then he started once more at full speed. "Xo more I aint a-sayin' but what ye made a fairish landfall, Sonny, when ye took that theer blacky in tow, neither," Bill remarked as he looked after him. I watched Lumi while Bill looked for a club, and he was barch- out of sight before Bill come back with a clumsylooking branch, which he had torn from a tree, in his hand. "Xo more I aint a-sayin' it's handsome, neither. Sonny," he observed, "and I aint got time for to trim it. not now. for them nigirurs is comin' along at the rate o' knots, an' don't you forget it. It's about time you an' mc was a-laying a straight course for that there Mauwi, if so be as we means for to make the port afore Bob gets in." "But I haven't got a club, Bill: what am I to do?" "No, Sonny. I aint a-sayin' as how ye have, neither. I didn't see none as would fit ye; so thinks I, Sonny'll keep alongside o' you, wi' his weather eye liftin' to look out for squalls." Bill had already started down the hill, and was ploughing his way through the scrub like a ship under full sail in a choppy sea. and as be spoke be looked at mc over his shoulder without checking his pace. "Oh, but Bill; I wanted to help. I might as well have gone with Lumi if I couldn't help you."

"Well, now, 1 alnt a-sayin' but what yell help, Sonny," Bill said, as he slackened his pace for mc to come up; "and besides that I aint sure but what I'd rather have ye under my lee if so be as the weather's heavy. "Stiggnrs is all very well; but the best on 'em aint much when ye gets yer back to the wall. That's wheer you an' me's goin' to be, Sonny, if I aint mistook, afore them man-o'-w-ar sailors gets ashore for to bear a hand." "Man-o'-war? Was that a man-o'-war, Bill?" "Well, Sonny, if she aint, she's a fairish imitation—that's what she is, an' don't you forget it-" The news was so startling that for the moment I forgot my helpless position, and the grievance that Bill hadn't thought mc -worth arming. If she was a man-o'-war we should be safe if we could only wait till they got on shore. Xow I understood why Bill had tak.en I Lumi's advice so readily, and was trying to get close to Mauwi before we could be intercepted. If the other black fellows -were as much afraid of Mauwi as Lunii had been, even Bob wouldn't get them to go near him. I suppose that, like most sailors, we jwere no great runners, but we managed to force our way through the tangled scrub a little faster than the black-fellows who were trying to get between us and Mauwi. We had nothing to spare, as they were within two hundred yards of us, I should think, when at last we came out of the comparatively clear ground in the grove of coacoanut palms. Then Bill stooped deliberately to pick up a nut. though we coiftd hear a voice—evidently that of the . leader—urging the natives in their own language, ornamented with a mixture of English oaths. Bill's only remark, as he looked about for a better nut, was: "Well. now. Sonny, I ain't a-sayin' but what Bob's hot—not mc." Having at last selected a nut to his taste, Bill said to mc: "Xow, Sonny, s'pose ye were to show mc the course ye sailed when ye tirst made the acquaintance o' that there bloomin' Mauwi. I ain't to say none too anxious for to make more holes than what's ' needed through this 'ere scrub, if so be as Bob wants for to make a carridge road, I ain't got no objections—not mc." I hadn't thought before Bill spoke what an advantage we had, after all; then I remembered how hard I hail found it to force even a little path through tbe thick jungle that surrounded Mauwi on that side; how would Bob get his blackfellows through, even if he could get them to face it at all? (To be continued daily.)