THE GREENSTONE IMAGE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1425, 22 June 1899, Page 8

THE GREENSTONE IMAGE.

BY WILLIAM CARTER.

CHAPTER I.

(Written for the "New Zealand Mail.") I met him during the course of a day's ramble near the shores of Lake Taupo. He was a very old Maori, bent and shrivelled to the resemblance of a lining mummy, by extreme old age. Yet there was a* dignity and bearing about hiin. which sugested caste, much above that boasted by the tribe he lived among In the prime of life he must have presented a striking figure, with bis long flowing beard, thick moustache, piercing black eyes, and great statue. His nose was rather of a Jewish mould. Although it was difficult to judge his ex-

act Weight-, owing to his stooping altitude, he could' not hare been less than six -feet seven.’ The- Maoris I quest rone,*t .said he was a great ago; so’old, in tact, •that no native in those parts could tell. He was reputed to hare been an owl man, just as I saw new, when they were 'children; and was believed to be immortal.* .1 tried to persuade them to ■bell me why he was considered to be so; hub with little result at first,, as they always turned the subject ingeniously, while a strange fear stole into their eyes. After muoh pressing and bribing with tobacco, several cf those with whom I had intentionally made friends for this purpose, informed me he had been a tohunga or priest, many years ago. They feared him greatly; he was said to possess great supernatural powers. No further coaxing on my part would ‘induce them to supply me with further information. I was destined to hear more of Ids history in a. manner totally uniooKcd for by me. My name is Edward Smeeton. I was staying by the lake in company with three natives, and another nn’.ii, whose name wa3 Robert Bonbon. dc were on our way to the uisi/ric,. sv.irounding Mount Tongariro. _ with the intention of prospecting. We had heard, too, from tire natives whom we had met. in the Wanganui district, some months before, that a large greenstone idoi was supposed to be concealed somewhere near tire Kaimanawa Mountains. W e did not give much credit- to this tale, putting it down as one'of ’he many fanciful creations of the native mind. However wo intended to keep a sha-j) look-out for anything of that 'kind. It wa3 while camping near the small settlement of Roto Ngaio, waiting for two horses several natives had gono to retch fo-r us, that I first came in touch v.ith the person described at the commencement of this story. I had wandered some rollers by myself -that day. leaving my companion Robert •BenboW, or as he was more Bob. in the camp, resting, for it* was a • Sunday. I had just ascended a low hill oomposetl of pumice, where i found an old disused burial ground. Dot tea over it were .strange grotesque figin.es in wood, marking the last resting place of some tribe. Near by, too. there stood what appeared, to have .been some kind of- temple. • Moss-grown, stained with continual exposure to the weather, the few remaining posts did not give much indication of what it had been. Whilst I .stood there in the East-departing daylight, looking at the scene of desolation before me, I noticed a peculiarly .notched stick lying half bunded in the debris of the. ruins. Stooping. I diew it out. I had not examined if for many minutes, before I fancied I heard approaching footsteps. Do cue was in sight when I looked anxiously around me. . I knew the natives were rather jealous of anyone intruding on then burial places; although the feeling v,as not so strongly against it now as formerly. I was ago in intently examining the stick, evidently notched by Maori bands, when I was startled in rather an unpleasant manner, with a native exclamation, in long-draivn tones. Ante! ,te waikama, Ante! te waikama. : A.-u-e,*- Looking quickly behind me l ..beheld tho samo old Maori I had mot some days previously. The look on his faca was diabolical. . “Tenakoe (ten-ar-koe),” I said, when I .had recovered from the jar my nerves had sustained. With an agility I should never have given him credit for, lie darted forward and snatched the stick from me. ‘-The pakeha would profane the sacred grounds,” he hissed. ‘‘He would steal the stick on which I have : placed my tapu. The record of my dead ancestors he would carry away,” *hb : -continued in contemptuous tones. “There was a time when nothing but d-satl! would for this insult,” and he- strode up and down before me in an excited manner. orjj.-It did not last long, however, he was now calmer. “When the pakeha first , came tp our land, it was ever so. Pro..fanatipn of all we held sacred, and contempt for our welfare. It was ever, dEfaere Mai! Haere Mai! Tenakoe! 1 while ,:they, robbed us of our all. They would meet, us in soft tones, as the wood pigeon greets its mate; while they took away our means of earning bread and us destitute. They met us with a sfiiile, and desired us to toil as they did for useless wealth.-**. We were here to live, and enjoy the blessings of Rangi •j - n ot ' to' heap up rich es. Be!Cause we would-not let them occupy the

land, they murdered our young men. The wail of the brotheriess are heard in the lane?. and the motherless r-n in silence. The widow mourns for her slain husband, and cries aloud for her son’s return. The lamentations of thewabine ascend. The starring tamiti (child) seeks its dead mother, for the people starve . Disease .they .spread among us, and wo die. The spectres of the maimed file past us -in the evening, and cry for vengeance. Your tehungas convert us to their thought-, and bid us give no heed to hunger. The people disappear, they are swallowed up. There will soon be none left. Alio! Aue!” His voice had ended in a longdrawn mournful wail. We regarded each other in silence for a while. Then raising his voice once more he began. “Why did Te Heu Hen die ? Te Heu Heu the great, mv blood relation, Alas! Why have tho spirits taken him away? Perhaps some day he will return to avenge the wrongs Gf the people.l Put now, he is dead. The thunders of Tongariro are bis requiem. The mount a iu is an everlasting monument to his greatness. In the daylight the ashes fall around his resting place; tho falling stones avoid the sacred spot. Pillars of. fire ascend atnight to light his path; the'path cf To Heu Hen’s spirit when it- walks abroad. The people mourn for you. The wife of Tongariro (Mount Pihangaf) mourns for you, and would wrap you in her shadow, in the heat of the day. The seagulls of Taupo were mourning for you, and the distant tribes bow thenheads and weep. The pakeha alone looks disdainfully, and. laughs. W lien shall we see you more, Te Heu Heu: To Heu Heu the great. Ala*! My friend Te Heu Heu.” With an imperious gesture he moti into me to leave the spot. Not wishing to create a bad foiling against its.'among the Maoris in the settlement. I complied, for I knew that he had great influence over them. The last I saw of him he vra.% standing iu sharp silhouette against the sunset, in the old. burying ground; while a sound, as pf a chant for the dead, was wafted toward•> me by the evening breeze. I told Robert of my adventure when I reached the camp, late that night. He looked very grave, and expressed the wish that it would not get to tliecars of the natives in the vicinity. “They would never allow ns to leave without a deal of bother: for they might think we intended desecrating other places on mu* way. We would never be allowed to approach ihe sacred mountain of Tongariro: and F particularly want to try our luck around there, if unsuccessful in 1 he Kannuuaw as,” said my companion. “I wish tho.se lazy fellows would harry along with those horse'-.” Early next morning they a: rived, amid much shouting iu (Maori. 1 hey had been obliged to seek them on the Kangaroo- Plains, .some distance from our camp. T expect they had given the natives some ,frouble in catching them, for it is quite a paradise for horses. It stretches for miles, a broad expanse of waving tussocky grass moving in windy weather like the billows of the sea. Carefully rolling up our swags, and seeing that nothing in the shape of mining tools had been forgoten, and especially taking care to see our two bieechloading shot guns were in their places, we struck tent and started. IVhat a, splendid .summer morning it was. - The foliage surrounding the quaint Maori dwellings was resplendent with the rays of the morning light, while the pumice cliffs, dazzling white, formed a sharp contrast to their varied tones of golden, grey and russet green. On the western side of the lake the distant range of the Hauhara Mountains were half obscuied by mist, giving them a peculiar fairy-like appearance. They seemed not to belong to this earth, seen through their gauzy curtain of blue haze. South-west rose the bold bluff of Karangahape, faintly seen, and according to Moari tradition guarded by fabled monsters. Rising from the waters of the lake, a sheer inaccessible wall, to the great height of a thousand feet, ono of the most imposing spectacles of the lake shores, no wonder it was associated in the Maori .mind with all manner of romantic ideas. The people in the village we were leaving, now began to stir. It was hard to believe that those people were savages, to see’ them walking peacefully among their

neatly built huts : while crowds of laughing, well-fed children ruu«out- to paddle t!:-' dHue - f Taupo. Yes, they were once cannibal*, and still entertained a deep hatred of the pakeha. Listen to those two lirtie Maori boys quarreling, and you will soon be convinced that the savage -til] exists within them. ‘Til eat your head." “My father will eat your head.”

CHAPTER ff. We were now well on our way towards the southern portion of the lake, where Tongariro and Mount Pihanga reared their massive shapes ; with the still more gigantic form of Ruapehu, towering up behind them, its snowy cap shining in the sun. It was now towards the middle of the day, and the heat was intense. Our horses began to lag. Poor brutes, wo felt it hot enough with nothing to carry, but they were carrying both us and our none too light baggage. Well, we would stop soon for a light snack: they could rest then. Be were ridiifg over pnmie. and there was pumice at our side ; towering above us on our left, to the height of two hundred and sometimes five hundred feet. The heat was reflected from it in all directions. It made the eyes ache, and yet felt a giddiness stealing over you: which was only counteracted by looking to the right occasionally, where the restful blue-green of the warm lapped the edges of the shore. “By jove! It is warm." exclaimed my companion Robert, or as T generally called him. Bob. We will stop at the next clump of trees if there is water to be got, and boil the billy. The air will Ire coolei I daresay, after the hour we shall spend for dinner." Just then we turned the corner of a pumice cliff, and found a delightful clomp of native trees, in terming--led with the English pencil tree: wln’c a little rill of water ran merrily between them. We were all glad of a rest, and the Maoris willingly led our horses away and tethered them with their own. some distance up this small gully. They thensquatted beside them, and produced the inevitable pipe. for they are great smokers.. We soon hod the billy slung over a blazing fire, throwing in a handful of tea, and placing the fragrant /beverage between us. '•They are a superstitious lot," remarked Bob. jerking with his thumb towards them. “What- can you expect though ? All these- savage tribes are more or lews. I suppose it is the wild life they lead, among still wilder •c-mery. that makethorn that way. We ourselves are very superstitious sometimes, with, nil our civilisation. Bye the bye. Smeeton. and his face grew grave, 1 have been thinking over that little affair of yours in connection with that old tohunga last night. 1 have a presentiment, somehow, that trouble will come of it." “How?" 1 asked. "V» e hame given Inn the slip if lie does intend juischiei. "You might think so,” anxiously continued Boh, ‘-/mt you know what a bother we had to get these three Maoris to accompany us. It they get wind of youi adventure on cur way round they might refuse to go with us any further, ami wc would have rather a bant time of u by ourselves ." The- i wo of us sipped our tea in silence for a’few minutes, ‘’However, continued my companion, ‘•we will not anticipate : bid when 1 mentioned their tendency to supernatural belief. I was going to quote an example, the facts of which came under my own personal notice. This is not tin* first time T have visited Lake Taupo. f was here helping to survey with two or three others. We had just conic in from a hard day’s work, and put up at a Maori settlement some miles above Roto Ngaio. IVc were seated on the floor of a raupo hut. in true Maori fashion, enjoying our tea. or trying to; for it iitoraiiy swarmed with the übiquitous Ilea. There were three of us. and we were discussing the doubtful truth of a- tale told us by a Maori that day. He said that for the past three weeks the Maori fishing on the lake at night bad seen a spectre in the shape of a headless skeleton rowing a canoe towards them. Of course we- laughed at their, what we wore pleaded to call, morbid imaginations. We were not a little perturbed, though, when suddenly as we sat there, a Maori dashed into tue hut, crying out. “The At an, the spirit, - ’ pointing towards tho water. He was'greatly terrified, and Was trembling violently. W! ien we questioned liim he said he had been one of a party,-fishing that night, and that as'they started for home again the spectre suddenly appeared and chased them to the shore,t where it could now be seen rowing- silently about. Hastily rising vve. all rushed outside, towards the edge ;of the water. It was a very rough

night, with sharp yv.sts of wind now uni again.. Tire moon shone through the broken clouds with a pah? light. Eure enough, about a chain from the shore ws could see what resembled a man rowing a small canoe. Suddenly the clonus which obscured the moon left it for a, while, and there before us, shining ghastly white in its light, was unmistakably a headless skeleton, apparently rowing swiftly from us. The moon was again hidden, and when it re-appeared a few seconds latc-r on,the appariaticn had gone. I can tell you felt a little qualmish as we bent, our steps back to our hut. It was too rough to venture after it that night, and I was not sorry when we gained the friendly shelter. There was much discussion of it, and similar ghostly subjects before we retired, we decided to go out the next night if it was at all fine, and clear the mystery up. Accordingly; with four natives we started in one of the numerous canoes the following evening and rowed about the lake. Presently we sighted it, but it was moving at a rapid rate towards the southern end' of Lake Taupo. Now. this part of the lake-was firmly believed bv the Marcus to be tne haunt of a ianiwha. or evil spirit ; who delighted in luring canoes towards Ins hiding place, and then suddenly with an upward motion of his back upsetting it. The Viiifcrtunate person who happened to be in it was carried to the bottom of the lake and devoured. When they saw and, with loud cries of fear, rowed with oneand all bent their backs to the paddies, and. with a loud cries of fear, rowed with frantic hurry in the opposite direction, and no entreaties or threats from me or my companions would induce them to stay longer on the lake that night. We were- determined, however, to get to tiie bottom of this strange affair, so two night,s afterwards found us three, for we could not persuade a Maori to accompany us this time, again on the lake. We were just about to give it up as a bad job/, when it again made its appearance, near the middle of this inland sea. It was not moving very fast, apparently just undoing along. None of us felt very 'brave as we gradually approached it. its arms moving backwards and forwards, a* it plied the oars. I have never felt such an. uncanny feeling pass ever me since, as I did that night; as we slowly drew near tliis dreadful headless thing, shining with a strange phosphorescent- light. We were now six oar strokes from it, and I rose in the canoe, feeling anything but courageous, intending to strike at it with one of the paddles “Hold on! Hold on!" said one of my companions. He was too late-. Crash! descended tile oar on the thing before me. It had struck something hard. There was rattle of bones as they fell to the bottom of the old canoe, and both my fellow oarsmen burst into peals of laughter: in which I joined when 3 had recovered from the nervous tension I had undergone. Ti turned out on examination to be one of those Maori skeletons occasionally met with. They sometimes buried their death or I should say. placed them on pieces of wood, or tied thorn in a sitting posture, as though rowing, in canoes; and then sent them adrift.. This one had evidently come down one of the numerous rivers which flow into the lake. It had probably lain in some backwater, jammed last in the sand, or against a snag until a fresh, stronger than usual, had dislodged it. The arms had been tied to tlic paddles, and* the movement of the watei against them, together with Cue currents which abound, had deluded us into tlie belief that it. was actually rowing. (To he Continued).