TALES OF THE WILDERNESS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1102, 15 April 1911, Page 6

TALES OF THE WILDERNESS.

THE PEOPLE OV THE SWAMP. • ." ' LANDS. ' . (Br Will Lawsox.) (All Eights Reserved.) Henare, the Maori lad, lying face downward among the fern and long grasses, watched in absolute silence the scene, in the small pool below him. Here tho river that meandered through flic swamp lands met the buttress of the. hill-slope*, and turned to tkirC it. At the point of meeting the -wafer had scoured a deep hole, in this quiet place, Parera the Grey Duck was training her brood of ducklings. At great speed they darted hither and thither, small, downy things of self-complaceut mien, or with bends [hrust downward in the shallower waters by the banks, they elevated tiny tails iu an endeavour to feed on the bottom-weeds.

Far away, wide and level, stretched the swamp, ioug grass and reeds and rushes making a khaki-coloured scene that was dar.keued litre and there by patches of browu-flowcrcd, green-leaved llax-clumps, and by open pools of brown irater, shallow and breeze-rippled, where l'nkckp the Swamp-Hen stalked on long stilt-like legs, and Jlatuku the Bittern stood stock-still by the pool sides with his long bill pointed skywards. And overhead, sweeping and quartering- the swamp lands, Kahu the Harrier and his fellow.-i hung as a menace to the dwellers in the swamp lands. As Henare watched, the shadow of Kahu flittered across the bright pool wherein the ducklings swam. The hawk turned and came back again, turned once more and prepared for his swoop. But the Grey Duck fluttered in alarm about her young, every ono of whom dived. When Kahu struck at tho last to . disappear his talons clawed only- the empty water, while Pa'rera, with her wings, splashed themarrauderwdl. The boy laughed aloud, and threw a short stick at Kahu, who swept away far up tho hill-side thare to rest and consider the position. One by ono tho small, downy submarines bobbed up to tho surface of the pool, neither they nor their motli-sr taking any notice of Henare. It was but February, and no guns would sweep the swamp lands until Hay, so the denizens thereof were not shy. But at any time none of the swamp people minded tho quiet Maori boy who did no harm to any, just spending his days in watching them all, and learning their innermost ways of living.

Pukeko of the red legs and wids-spread, long-clawed toes, who built her nest on a small island of rushes, was an old friend of- Henare. Leaving his lair by the quiet pool, the boy went by devious ways to a place whei:e he-could watch Piikoko. There she stalked with her brood of young. It was late afternoon, and at evening and early morning the swamp hens fed; (luring tho day they hid among the rushes because of Kahu, who, though not very bold, was most persistent. Pukeko was very handsome, her back was black and her breast bright indigo blue, while under her tail and coverts her feathers were pure white. As,she fed, she sometimes lifted her food to her beak with her foot. Her young ones followed her example in all she did —queer-looking birds, with black bodies and dull-red legs and yellow beaks. Always the swamp hens watched for Kahu, and rarely did that cowardly harrier disappoint. Perhaps the innocent and defenceless bearings of Pukeko was too much temptation. for. • the hawk. So quietly, '-.ind, it seemed, unwarily, the swamp-hens fed. But when Kahu swooped what a change was.there! One young bird had strayed apart from the brood, and the watching hoy knew that this would be the target for the hawk's assault. And if Kahu had attacked as does Karewa, the Quail Hawk, fiercely and fearlessly, nil would have been over for the chick. But, ever cautious and alyrays, halfhearted, Kajju lingered ere ho attacked. So when his-talons, closed on the young swamp-hen, Pukeko and her mate- wcro charging with shrill, harsh cries that attracted other swamp-hens, like long-legged dragoons across tho shallow swamp., Pukeko and her mate reached Kahu before he could rise, and beak and claw plied furiously compelled the coward, to release their clamouring youngster; Kahu retired sulkily, and went foraging along tho reed beds in search of unguarded nests, where there were eggs to rob. With a suddenness that was surprising to tho watcher, the swamp-

hens resumed their quiet feeding, just as though nothing untoward had happened.

The sun, setting behind a low hill, threw its shadow across the swamp. Henare was climbing this ridge at its lowest point, homeward bent, for tho Maori does not care £or the dark. At the crest he rested on what was a strange thing to bo in this quiet place—an' old ship's carronade Hint was set theTe so as to command a broad lagoon. The sun threw the shadow ot boy and gun across this pond, in which were- duck and teal and pukeko. Henare recollected how at the beginning o£ the last shooting season men had come with nowder nnd loaded up this old cannou, using shot and nails and load slugs as missiles. In the K i'ey of dawn they had waited, and when the first peep of light had shown tho crowded birds feeding about tho lagoon, the cun had roared and kicked to scatter death across the water. The memory moved the boy so that he threw a stone into the barrel of the cannon ere he went on his way. Over the swamp lands all manner of voices were calling, frogs and crickets croaked and shrilled, and like a beast bellowing afar off the. roar of Slahiku the Bittern rumbled in throbbing tones. The sun went down; Henaro hurried home. In the star-lit darkness of a very cold morning, the first morning of the month of Slay, two men moved quietly across tho paddocks to tho hill wliero tho cannon was standing. They spoke in soft tones, for each carried a double-barrelled gun, and it was advisable that tho birds should hear no disturbing sounds until the guns spoko. In addition to this armameut they had with them ammunition for the old cannon. They were not .sportsmen, merely pot-hunters, who slew by fair means or foul. In the darkness they made their preparations; the first gleam of dawn would let loohe red havoc nmid the unsuspecting birds. As- these men topped tho rise and began to clear the cannon, of stones and other refuse, Henare slipped like a. shadow down the hill-side and away to tho right around the margin of. reeds that bordered the swamp. All was still, no. wind rustled, tho' stars'fhoiie clear. About the wide swamp lands other men with shot-guns were taking up their positions in readiness for .the coming dawn. In the freezing cold they waited, guns in hand and dogs at heel. Then across the silence boomed the hollow call of Jlatuku-the Bitteni. From afar an answer came, and again silence. Henare, well hidden, chuckled at the excellence of his imitation of the bittern's call. .Removing his hands from his lips, he sent forth tho shrill cry of Pukeko, nnd from half' a dozen places responses came. Henare. well pleased, squatted in the cold like the other sportsmen to wait for the dawn. He heard the quiet voices of 1113 caunoners. •The stars to the eastward began to pale, the sky lost some of its darkness there, a young duck quacked amid the reeds. Into the sky the grey was creeping, the guns were getting ready. lii the light of the dawn the-ennnon on the hill-top took shape against the sky. .Presently, when tho ducks moved out to the wide lagoon to feed, it would belch death, among them. • Heuaro watched the lagoon closely. Soon a dim shadow that was Parera tho Grey Duck moved out of the reeds only to disappear again amid them. From thi» far si<ta of the swamp came the crack of a. gun and with whirring wings a dozen birds came over to the lagoon beneath the hill and alighted on its quiet surface. So far the shot had only excited their surprise. Aa the light grew, more birds moved from cover. Henare knew that scon tho cannon would roar.nnd the guns crack. Fie had moved close to the water's edge away from the line of fire.

Suddenly, to the astonishment of tho men, the loud alarm signal of an old drake rang out. As one bird, the ducks on .the lagoon rose in a whirring cloud. Crash! Too lato, the cannon bellowed; only one belated that by dead on tliß water, while at the tremendous sound every bird in the swamp took wing, The

air scorned filled with boating wings. Then the real sportsmen, taking rapid aim, stepped into their own ami many a backthrown leal or fonrard-pifchin; qrey duck testified to their excellent shooting'. J''or an hour the fiisiliule continued, iill the birds touud shelter or winged far away to distant waters. With the ri.-ing sun, tho .shooters wended their homeward way Hlicn all was quiet llenarc, with hands and lips, sounded all the calls he had learned that would tell his terrified friends tn.it tor a time Micro would be peace. Jiut his heart was sad for he knew that tins was the beginning of many weeks ot sorrow for the people of the swamp lands who had dwelt so long in security save for Kahu. At the thought, flying heavily, the harrier Happed overhead in his lalons a. wounded teal. To the cannon on the hill he carried it, and sittiV on tho powder-stained liarrcl, began to pluck and eat it. Henare shook his fist