THE TERROR OF TANKERVILLE.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12972, 27 November 1907, Page 5

THE TERROR OF TANKERVILLE.

By Geoegb A. Best. Through the mist which hung like a pall above the waters of an unfamiliar sea, the sun appeared blood-red and angry. In the nigh valley, away to the westward, the billows of a new river were still rushing madly toward the inundated lowlands in the wake of tho first great wave which the treacherous wall of a hillside reservoir had set free in the darkest hour before dawn. In the bed of the River of Death lay the demolished town of Taaikerville, its submerged streets etill illuminated by the glow of a dozen incandescent lamps distorted into weird shadows the main gruesome objects that rolled by in an endless procession just beneath the surface. And, high on. the hillside, the engines of the generating station were still clanking noisily, for the engineer had long sinoe fled from his post to gaze in silent horror upon the struggling forms which floated by, in twos and threes, on the relentless tide below. In the centre of a floating table a man sat tailor-wise, grasping a pistol in his right hand. His face, framed by a long tangled beard ana s mass or unkempt hair, was cruel and and repulsive. His shirt, open at the front, showed a newly inflicted wound ob the breast. The human derelict was an outcast and » felon who had been so often described by the police as the "Terror of TankerviUe," that he was known in the district by no other name. ♦ The frail raft spun like a top on the ebbing tide; but the outcast clung tenaciously with his bare feet to the few !■ yards of wood which formed the deck i of his craft, holding the shining thing in his hand high above the reach of the water. * A hand shot out suddenly from the i centre of the whirlpool and three fin- ! gers grasped the narrow ledge of the i table top, causing the raft to heel over dangerouely. The three fingers worked

convulsively for a -moment, and the fourth, a mere stump, moved in nervous sympathy with the others. The pistol spat viciously toward the submerged side, and the raft gently righted iteelf. In the whirlpool astern a white face revolved slowly for a moment and then disappeared. A child's voice rose clear and shrill above the roar of the rapids and the crash of grinding wreckage. The man with the pistol lowered the wf« o the first time and .turned ca»UOTsb round in the direction- tf the *o<md At the same moment some flonting vessel in the shape of a large bath or , cistern, struck sharply against tho end of tho raft and capsized, leaving a tiny form etrogpling on the •««'<» of the water, within arm's length ot the outcast. . „ ~ The engineer on the valley side shaded his eyes, for the sun ha<l changed from blood-red to gold and the floating objects on the great lake wero bathed in a dazzling white light. For c moment the rift arjj-enred indistinct and shadowy, then it glided down the stream on a silver ray. and the figure of « man and a child out in bold relief against a, dark backI ground of bracken and fir. I « • • "Where are we goin' to, grandad?' , asked the child, gazing up at hw strange companion with a pitiJul smile. "To kingdom come, moe' likely!" replied tho "terror" grimly. "Hold on tight an , don't git askin' mc questions, an' don't call mc your grendid, 'cos I ain't." , „ "I always call old men 'grandad, said the boy confidentially. "I had a real grandad once, *»n' he was somethin' like you—but prettier; yes, ever so much prettier! I s'pceo kingdom come'e a long way off? ,, "Xot so very, judgin' by appeaianccs." '•Iβ it tho same 'kingdom come' as 1 cay in my prayers, just before 'Thy will be done?" •'Mebbo it is." "Is it a eom'forble place, like home?" 'It couldn't bo much wuss nor this, inyway." '•Will dad an mam be there, too?" "I reckon they've arrove already. Where did you leave your dad this morning?" "He woe standin' by the bedroom : window. An' the room was all so full of water that the chairs were floetinibout like ships. An' dad held mc up an' kissed mo lots. Then he put "mc in a big bath, which hadn't any water in, an , told mc to hold on tight, an', an'—l can't remember any more, granded." With a groan the outcast hurled the pistol into tho water and drew the boy close to him. "Why, you've hurt yourself, grandad!" exclaimed the boy, at sight of the wound on the breast of his companion. "You've hurt yourself badly, an' never spoke 'bout it." "There's nothing to speak about in a ecratch like that," growled the Terror. "Did you get hurt savin 1 somebody " "Taint likely!" [•Daddy did. He saved a man from bein' torn to pieces in the mill, an' lost hie own finger." The outcast started convulsively. "Lost Us finger, did hoP" he gasped hoarsely. "Which finger was it?" "The finger that you point with." "Right hand or left?" "The hand you don't write with. Did you ever see dad?" "Only once." "An' did you see ihis poor finger?" "I wish to heaven I hadn't!" "Where did you see him?" The outcast did not answer. The raft was travelling more evenly now, but a quarter of a mile or so ahead lay a long reach' of broken wEter. "Our ship'll never get through that rapid under a double weight," mut- I tered the outcast, keeping his face averted from the searching glance of the child./"One!of usjll have-to quit. , *' "Are you sayin* your prayers, grandad P" asked the hoy innocently. "I wasn't exactly prayin', but I reckon I'll try if you'll tell mc what to say." The child looked up wonderingly. A great change had come over the rugged face, which was now bent down eagerly towards his own. "Tell mc what to say, quick! There's no time to lose?" cried the Terror, with a furtive glance at the rapid ahead. " "Bless dada and mamma, an' make mc a good boy." "That's no good for mc! cay what you said afore 'bout 'Kingdom come. , " "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will he ■doneP" "Yes, that's better —I've said it. Is there anything else? Anythin' about forgiving?" The boy looked up with an expression of real terror on his face, for the words weie spoken with fierce earnestness, and the arm which held him so tightly waa roughly withdrawn. The outcast crouched down beside him in the attitude of a wild animal ready to spring. "Do you know anythin' about forgivin'P" demanded the man, still douching by the boy's side. "I'm trying to think, grandad. Will forgive us our trespasses do?" "Ay! that the best prayer of all. Anything elseP" "I can't remember no more, grandad," said the child with a" sob. • "Don't kneel like that any longer, ' 'cos man saye it's a lazy way to say prayers, an' I want you next to mc again." "How do yon a prayer P" asked the Terror, raising himself slightly on his fingers and toes. "You cay 'For Christ's sake, Amen.' grandad." "For Christ's sake, Amen!" murmured the outcast as the waters closed over his head. , "I saw the Terror shoot a drowning man," declared the engineer, address- ' ing the small audience of survivors which had assembled in the saloon of Prospect Hotel. "He was sittin' on a raft, and he raised his gun and shot the first man who drifted alongside." "Just like tho beast!" growled the saloonkeeper. "He'd had shot his own mother rather than wet his own ugly hide!" ! "I hear that the body of Jake Conroy , has bin found with a bullet hole in his i head," said another suggestively. "His ■ liljtle boy was took offa table top by a party in a boat, an' the poor little chap 'as bin askin' for grandad ever since."' i "Have any others bin recovered since ■ noon?" asked the engineer in a low i tone of voice. "Only tho body of The Terror,' " re--1 plied the landlord, carelessly. "They ■ say his face looks quite -peaceful an' happy, like one who smiles in his sleep, \ but 1 can't quite swallow that. ,, [ "It's not altoeether onlikely," said 1 the engineer, tfioughtfully.. "Drown- • ing is a less painful death than hangI ing, any day of the week. I reckon • that 'The Terror' died laughing just 1 becos' he'd cheated the hangman." i ~—-"*——- ———————

MAGISTRATE'S COURT. « Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., presided at ' the M*gtstra.tos Court yeetenkiy. Millicent Stonborough and Elisabeth Adams, teoond offenders for drunkenness, were each fined 10s. in default 43 hours' iroprieomment. John Wilson pleaded guilty to drunkenness and using obscene language. The Magistrate inflicted a fine of 5s and costs on the first charge, in default 24 hours' imprisonment. For using dbsoene language he was fined £5 and costs, in default one month's linprisornnttrt-. Emily Russell, an old woman, eonrioted on a charge of vagrancy, was given the option of going to the ►Salvation Army Homo for six months or to Lytteltou gaol for three months, and sho decided on the latter course. Frederick Hickmott, a brewer, woe charged with failing to cancel duty stamps on beer barrels. Mr Vincent said that the broach was due to an oversight. Tli© drfonde«t ' had « man specially ippointod to cancel the stamps, but lie was away when the barrels were sent out, am: the man who took his place did not kuow he had to cancel the stomps. The Magistrate said that probably it was due to negligence that the law had not been complied with, and he would inflict a fine of I'Os and costs. Mary Ann Richardson was asked to contribute to the support of tihrce children in the Ohrist-tlmrt-h K-cceivJnj» Home. Mr M«»l----ley appeared for defendant, nnd after hearing evidence as to her hicome, the Magistrate declined to make an order. J. Bethka was ordered to contribute at the rate of 2s a week towards the support of a relative in a Government institution. The Magistrate made uo order in the case of Robert Henry Wilson Bethka, against .whom a similar information had been laid. Richard John Guy, for disobedience of a maintenance order, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. William Main© applied for a maintenance order against his son, James Thomas Maine, but the Magistrate, after hearing the letter's evidence, thought tho defendant had treated complainant very well, and declined to grant the application. ADJOURiVED. Christina Cameron was charged by the Health authorities with failing to allow the inspectors to make an inspection of her.premises. Mr Wright appeared for tho prosecution, and, aftf r citing the sections under which the' charge was laid, said that the information was really due to tflie dirty state in whidh defendant's children were sent to school. They had been expelled from two schools on account of being infested with lice. The inspector visited her house, and she tofueed to allow the Health Officers to inspect the place, and on one occasion pointed a gun at one of them. .J. Mackenzie, an inspector under the Public Health Act,''said that defendant resided on the Waimakariri road. He visited her house on October 25th, for the purpose of inspecting it, but was refused admission. After a great deal of persuasion, he wae allowed in, and found the children halfclothed and dirty. On another occasion she presented a gun at him, and told him to clear out, if he did not want to receive a charge of shot. During the intervale she used to keep them waiting she set to work and cleaned up the house. Inspector Kershaw,' who accompanied him on one occasion, suggested. that a little soap would not do any harm, but she replied: "Soap! Why'it costs 8d a .par!" Inspector Korshaw gave evidence as to what occurred when they visited the house. ' ■ ' . ■■'.■' ' Defendant stoutly denied that her children were dirty or that they had been expelled -from* any school. She would have allowed Inspector Mackenzie to inspect her house if he had not. used insulting language to her. She intended to proceed against ' him for dofkhnatidn of , character. The Magistrate at this stage ad- , jonrnod the case till Saturday, in OTder to allow Mr Wright to obtain the evidence of Mr Blank, tho Truant Officer.