A CRUISE IN A CATAMARAN.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7260, 21 January 1889, Page 6

A CRUISE IN A CATAMARAN.

[By " The Wabbwal..']

I did not stay long in Raglan. It is very P*etty, very quiet, and remarkably slow. I believe people from the Waikato, and even from Auckland, use the place as a holiday resort, **-.st as the Southlanders use Oban in Stewart's Island, bathing in the morning, killing time through thedayt and sleeping as long as possible. The sight of Raglan has imbued mc with the wish to visit this part of the West Coast again, say in a hundred years hence, then the people may have awakened from their trance, and the great area of fertile country may be cultivated, the natural advantages of the place may be developed, and the present easy, careless, pleasant state of things lost in the advancement of civilization. I have a great love for the picturesque, and Raglan is picturesque to a certain degree; but I believe in utility, and when the land around the Whangaroa Harbour is divided into pleasant and profitable farms I shall like the place better.

The Maori girls had taken up their positions on the grass, and had passed the gossip pipe round I don't know how many times, when we drove along the sandy road in the coach, and headed for the ranges again. The Rev. Hakupa was once more our fellow passenger. He had arranged himself in bran new garments of a character that might seem clerical to his own congregation,—an Oxford jacket of loud pattern, and five sizes too large, a white felt hat, a red neckerchief, a pair of well greased, low quarter copper fastened boots, and check tweed trousers. The old dungaree patched lower garments were tied up by the sleeves of the shooting coat, but the hat, I noticed, had disappeared. I should have liked it as a relic for a certain curio hunter; he would treasure it I am sure. The storekeeper may be blamed for the absurd dresses which one sees on the Maoris occasionally, for all the queer jumble of bygone fashions, played-out designs, and old patterns being shipped along with Christianity to the savage nations of the earth, the traders amongst the Maoris have received a mixture of garments, and have, with malicious ingenuity, (supplied to some, of their customers attire which is at once uncomfortable and ridiculous. The proudest of the old savage chiefs will wear the flax robes, his national attire; the more civilised Maori will dress in the ordinary fashion of the European; but those who are just sufficiently civilized to be vain, and just sufficiently savage to be simple, are made victims to the storekeeper's wiles, and look ridicu. lous.

The journey over the ranges showed nothing new. We descended the eastern slope at a smart pace, reached the Waipa, and travelled along its banks for a mile or so. Then I left the coach, crossed the river and boarded the Laone once more* - ' . '.

It might be considered dangerous to lea vela boat in an exposed place, especially if it contains several useful and easily carried detached articles. I should hesitate to leave the Laone near a civilized town; but I left it with perfect confidence on a river where Maoris pass and repass daily and I have not missed a single article yet. The prints of naked feet upon the loamy beach showed that natives had landed to examine my craft, but there was not a single sign of them on board.

On the morning after my return from Raglan a fair wind tempted mc to continue my voyage up river, and for a few minutes I sailed along gaily, when without warning—swish I came the wind right ahead, and my dream of reaching the base of Mt. Pirongia faded for a while. The river imperceptibly grows narrower, and the current stronger, as one journeys towards its source. Though along all its course, from Ngaruawahia to the frontier town, Alexandra, one can easily row a boat against the stream, yet when a gale of wind blows with the current it is difficult to force one's way against their combined strength. In my case I moored the boat to the bank when I couldn't go on my way. easily; then, when there was a lull, I would handle a pair of ten foot oars, and choosing, tbe sheltered bank and the lowest part o' the stream would row along steadily. In rounding a bend one would catch the wind fair again, and in such a case it was only a moment's work to hoist the sails and run before it. One evening I was sailing along at a splendid rate, and in a trice the wind came ahead. I made the boat to the bank just where she stopped, and setting the tent made everything snug. When darkness came on the wind rose to a gale, and threatened to shake the tent to pieces. I could have easily drifted down with the wind and stream to a sheltered place a mile away; but I objected to lose so much way; and besides this I knew there was a snug little cove ahead that the river had bitten out of the tall cliff iv one of its angiy moods. It was impossible to row the boat against the gale, so I took a long rope in my hand and scram* bling along the base of the cliff made this rope fast to a tutu bush, then returning on board I hauled my way up stream. In this way I warped the boat right into this cove, and not too soon, for the gale increased In violence. It shrieked and roared overhead, it rushed down the narrow valley of the river with a thunderous sound, but not a tiny gust reached mc, or shook the tent, and when it came on to rain, the steep cliff, with its cloak of dense vegetation, protected all the boat from more than an occasional drop.

When morning came I saw what a charming place the boat was moored inA high cliff had encircled a deep calm pool; on the up river side a small creek tumbled in cascades over a mossy bank, and to the right of this creek was a miniature sandy beach, which the keel of the boat touched, whilst the mast was lost in a tangle of vegetation drooping from the trees above. After breakfast I took the gun and went in search of game, for the larder was nearly empty and I wished to replenish it. I found that the only path through the scrub was along the course of the creek, so I followed It inland until it entered a narrow ravine, which I had to cross by clambering along the branch of a tree that bridged it. Working upwards I emerged on a level river terrace which bore the remains of a peach grove of immense extent, but old and blighted. Most of the trees were dead and covered with a pall of delicate green moss; but others carried fruit on their upper branches. A Maori village had once existed in this grove, or rather had existed before a tree was planted, for there were marks of banks and ditches to show where the defending walls -had been, and pits that had held provisions, or sheltered warriors. Now, the terrace is covered in places with velvety grass, showing how fertile is the soil; but the clumps of bracken and the tall bushes of sweetbriar show how it is neglected. lam ashamed to see these rich alluvial terraces on the banks of a navigable river in their primitive wildness, for it is a discredit to the country.'

Three hen pheasants rose from a wilderness of peach trees and briar bushes, a mob of ducks promenaded a sand spit on the river below mc, and seemed quite confident in the security of the close Reason though I don't think it is much respected about here. A big black rabbit got up beneath my feet, and cantered gaily over a smooth stretch of grass, until I bowled him over with a charge of No. 4. The report of the gun put up numerous quail and some swainphens, but I had secured sufficient tucker.

Climbing the highest, terrace bank, I stood- far above the river. The same wooded hill ranges appeared to the west, the same dark monotonous stretch ot

plain to theeast, all through my Voyage ♦ v£* *W*WW wuth my goal-MtC pLnS aw summit in grey would blow for evenTh^f^^S thought how desolate the cn,ITZ» *°* I m its beauty.audhowe^wS to occupy It. Without doS*tte tn »«J whitesettler's house y*£***£*»* and a Maori whare o, tZ **£? * » some hollow, bank near at h.«T^•» could see nothing of * save the old peach grove and ttKJS* of the older pa. TBen'l43£Jr^ h » steps through the tl-tree, mafcSL** of scented blossom tall as there grim and forbidding m«"St.** the earthen walls of a a trench, and commanding a sto*? 4 *» tion. for the ground descended swamp on one side, and the rive?K* other. It was bu.ll, no soldiers on their conquering mtaeh L river, and the place is knownTK, 0 * pouri,and is between Te Rore, Twenty-four yearTST J? very month the place bristled »X? the arms of Imperial soldiers. *,X many a stout-hearted colonial leknS the country round for different whatl have been looking for, and Z5 himself rewarded by a pot shot at a*&!2 foe. The Maori was not tfespUed tfJJ 1 he was looked upon as a powerful entmi and a warrior but those earthen «*£ were steps to his downfall. He tmml before them because he could nothtfn himself, and they pushed him from tha land of his people, and the river he lcriS so dearly. The Ngapuhis swept by place in their long canoes on their wjm and bloodthirsty raids. The Walkafeoa drifted past it to avenge their fanefei wrongs. Magicians held sway hessu ancient days, fairies and spirits dwelt fa the valleys below, and.before them, Z doubt, mythical heroes, slew their dragm* and their giants. I am fast stories of the Maoris, who are not the simple savages one imagines them to bL They have legends as weird and aaprobabfo as the£candinavians, and a mythology « interesting as that of the ancient G«efat I have heard them chant incantatioM when darkness approached, the meaalag of which they have almost foiw{2 themselves; and if you ask them wta they sing at night they will tell yoss it \» to keep away evil spirits, Taipo asidhia crew, who roam about in the darkom, They do this in spite, of the facttb&t tak» sionaries of half the religions in t&« civilized world have preached to them, &j4 that Christianity has been taught logs enough for a peach frbve to Seedlings, to flourish, and to die of egeasd neglect. An old belief Is hard to kill, tad the savage mind prefers somethlng'dMfc end wonderful to the simplest of modem faiths.

I stayed about Ngahimapourl for days, then there came a strong steady fair wind, before which I sailed for many a mile until I passed Te Bore, and almost reached the base of Plrongla, bat the titer curved sharply to the south, and broaghfc the wind ahead. So suddenly did tin wind shift that I had no time to alter the course of the boat, and she drifted oa to a sandbank, over which the river rushed like a mill race; there she stuck hard and fast broadside to the stream. I stowed tho sails, and jumping into the river polled and tugged until 1 got her into deep® water, and then finding the sandy bottena to be firm and the. water pleasantly cool, I started to wade up stress towing the boat after mc. "WhHifc marching along in ; this pleasant fashion I saw the prow of a big caaoa appear above the sandspit, and giida swiftly towards mc. Its occupants foigpf their work to stare at the Laone, andlba consequence was that the big canoe stftkk the sandbank, canted over a few degress* swung swiftly round with the cureeait* and stuck fast, with her stem only a few feet from the shore. Then out of the caned stepped five girls, two women, two men, and three lightly clad children. They splashed Into the river without any ado, laughed and chattered as they passed pots and provisions ashore,; and seemed as 12 they had just landed to have a picnic, I moored my boat to the bank just above tits canoe, and the Maoris crowded round it* uttering ejaculations of wonder and asking many questions. They then lighted a fire beach, over which they hung a esaigi oven and a small bucket, and almost la a trice one of the women called out that the food was ready, and tbe two men, afts* driving the girls before mc asked mc if I would " come and eat with them." £ consented, for I have a liking for nov«! picnics, and did not dread suchluxuriessa rotten shark or stinking make. The eldest of the men, a calm-looking tattooed old warrior, and I were served with a tin dlih and two spoons, and received a mess, Which was nothing worse than nicalystewed gooseberries. -After the gocsso* berries came bread and tea,-and a calks whose composition was a mystery whte& I regretted having attempted to solve, fo? it left a taste in my mouth which lasted until my second pipe. When the meal was over all the available pipes w«* filled, and a girl passed afire brandaroaitd at which we lighted them, and thea lounging on the sand we smote* in silence. The sun shone brightly cot of a cloudless sky, and the day was hc* t hft the broad clear river flowing fast os brought with us a cool breeze, ■®&khm& pleasant and refreshing. We ta&A Use forest covered mountain, and «ml 3 &3* the river enter an avenue of shady taw J I thought it'made a goodpletara. ©* canoe over forty feet long, finely shap«d and smoothly, trimmed, was laden with kits of potatoes and the belongings 0$ * small tribe. Two pigs and a Utter »'* young ones occupied a space nearly In tt* centre; in the stern, rolling about Is a soft nest of fern, was a girl toby Starisg with round black eyes at the sky and placidly sucking the handle of a smell paddle. A slender olivo-skianed W waded in the river, towing a small dog after him by its tail; his sister, with her skirt tied round her waist, scooped wator in the hollow of her hands and deJujWu him with it. Two girls, In picturesqs® attire, dangled their feet in w* river, and plaited flax, and a ha»»* some dusky wablne lounged agalatf * stranded log; and did nothing «aUy **«> Another girl squatted by the edge ot m river peeling potatoes. One of the was® played with the baby, the other was batf amongst the household gooda. *&» youngest of the men was engaged aw ningsome rabbits I had given my hsm, and tapping some ugly dogs on tfea? noses with his knife. The patriaK&# savage nursed an inflamed leg «*» chatted to mc. He was suffcrif from ah old bullet wound; w&e« w> it he would not say, tat V told mc that he did not know to>«** wounued until long after the ballet tod struck him; and then he put clay tatofcj* hole it made;but having >*><«£s*% swamp and a river the clay w »J'frL outof the wound and it haajonetm well since. I knew that the Msor*W remedy for a wound was a plug ofefcg and believed that It was g** efficacious, but the swamp and the »** spoUt its healing powers In this oat. I chatted with this far into the afternoon, and then jfg* up thethe river againbefore a fitftU w^ sww hnf surely the boat crept opfigw""* Slowly but wh itehofsm the current, until! saw tfa dw j t of Alexandwg^amtag^on^t pine trees, and the w*™ Thsn I gia defend to therlve rseog _ knew I bad journeyed aslcouldgo,ior river narrows down between and rushes over a rapid |nat«^ 4 | could not climb. * ffi"<£&, atagj the foot of under the pared to see the coantry awunu m*