LAWLESS DAYS

Otago Witness, Issue 3853, 17 January 1928, Page 77

LAWLESS DAYS

A STORY OF OLD NEW ZEALAND AND THE SOUTH SEAS.

By Mona Tracy. (Copyright.—Bor the Otago Witness.) SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I.—Dick Arden, son of a colonel ■who -was killed at Corunna, regards with hero-worship his uncle, Captain Nat Arden, of the Pride of the Indies. When he is 14 he decides to run away, and join his uncle's ship. On the wharves, which are hidden in fog, he is led to the ship, and slips into a boat covered with tarpaulins to hide till the open sea is reached. CHAPTER ll.—ln the darkness Dick hears disturbing sounds and reference to a man called Major Marlin. Next morning he reveals himself to a seaman, and asks to be taken to the captain. To his horror he finds it is not his Uncle Nat at all, but another man. He is on board the Currency Lass, a convict ship bound for New South Wales !

CHAPTER lll.—Captain Stark makes Dick’s life on board as pleasant as possible, for both he and Watts, the sailor, see that he is speaking the truth. Watts tells Dick many stories of the south’rd islands of New Zealand, where the sealers go.

CHAPTER IV.—The Currency Lass rounds the Cape of Good Hope, but does not call at Capetown, so Dick has no opportunity of telling Chptain Nat of his whereabouts. A convict, Folsom, fights Dick, but he is rescued by a guard. The ship is becalmed in the Indian Ocean, and typhus fever breaks out among the convicts. Dick helps in the hospital. Folsom pretends to have fever, and stirs up a rebellion, which is eventually quelled. He vows to be revenged on Dick. CHAPTER V.—The ship reaches Sydney, and Sydney Cove fascinates him with its many types of ships. The convicts are put ashore, Folsom still wearing irons. Captain Stark agrees to take Dick Home under his care. He meets Governor Macquarie. Dick is much interested in the talk of New Zealand and Mr Marsden.

CHAPTER VI.—GOOD NEWS FOR DICK.

The next few days were delightful ones for Dick. Given his full liberty, he spent many hours wandering about Sydney, gazing at the shops, the houses, and the people, or watching the convicts at their tasks of road-making, building, . and gardening. Everywhere he found much to interest him, even in the gardens, where strange plants, flowers, and vines so utterly unlike any he had ever seen before, made him realise that this was indeed a strange, wonderful land of the South Seas. . Best of -all, he liked to idle about the waterfront, watching the ships that came and went. On one occasion he watched a ship setting sail for Van Diemen’s Land; She took with her a party of convicts, who, having committed some fresh crimes since their arrival in the colony, had been sentenced to the more severe punishment of the Port Arthur prison, or the Van Diemen’s Land coal mines. Dick knew that Folsom was among these unfortunates. Indeed, he had heard that Folsom had been lucky to- have escaped with his life, so desperate was the crime of mutiny held to be. Dick had arrived in New South Wales, Regarding it, as did so many Englishmen of the day, as one huge prison. His few days in Sydney showed him his error. Many of the shopkeepers, the merchants, the artisans, and the seamen were men who;' having earned their freedom by good behaviour, were now gaining their living in the town. Not a few of them had been transported for trifling offences ■—some, indeed,, for holding opinions which did not please the' British Governmeiit. These people were now setting out to’niake for themselves homes in the jiew country. They were, in fact, helping to build up a prosperous colony; and Dick, remembering Governor Macquarie’s words, realised that here, in this distant part of the world, out of a convict colony there was already emerging a valuable part of the Empire. In all, he had two weeks in Sydney. By that time the Currency Lass was ready for sea again, the stores for Norfolk Island aboard, and the ship cleaned from stem to stern. It was not until the night before she was due to sail that Dick heard a piece of news which set him skipping for joy. After visiting Norfolk Island the Currency Lass was going to New Zealand for a cargo of spars!

“ Is it really true ? ” Dick asked Captain- Stark.

“/True enough,” grunted the captain, . looked far from , happy over the matter. “ The best spars in the world

are to be found in the New Zealand forests. I’d not ship such a cargo willingly- I’m far from anxious to call at New Zealand, but his Excellency has had orders from Home, so go I must. I take it you’re pleased, lad? ” " Pleased? ” Dick’s face showed his delight ; and Captain Stark r for all his illhumour, could not forbear to smile at the boy’s eagerness. There’s mor e than that.” The captain frowned again. “ We’re to take passengers. Major Marlin goes back with us; also a little girl, the daughter of Mr Inspector Morell, an officer of this colony. The child’s mother has lately died, and the child is being sent Home to relatives.” “ How old is she? ” asked Dick.

“About 12, I think,” said Captain Stark. “Ye’ll please me by doing what you can to amuse her, Dick. I ow e her father some civility.” “ Indeed, I shall do my best,” Dick promised, glad to be able to repay Captain Stark’s kindness. An hour before the time fixed for sailing, the passengers came aboard, and Dick had his first glimpse of Betsy Morell. At first sight he was disappointed, for she looked pale and ill; but he could not help liking the friendly look she gave him when he was taken up and made known to her, while he liked even more the way in which she kept back her tears when she said good-bye to her father.

“She must be a brave little thing,” thought Dick. He determined that he would do everything he could to make her voyage a pleasant one. However, it was not until the third day out from Sydney that h e began to see much of her, for the Currency Lass ran into bad weather, and Betsy kept to her bed. When she did come on deck sh e looked so white and ill that Dick made haste to sling her a hammock on a sheltered part of the deck, and hurried below for pillows for her head. Betsv accepted all thes e attentions gravely. It was evident that she was quite used to having people wait upon her. By the time Norfolk Island was reached, Betsy vjas quite herself again. There being no convicts on board, she was allowed the freedom of the ship", and soon won the friendship of all. It’ was for Dick, however, that she showed the greatest liking ; and many hours the two children spent together. Dick listening enthralled while Betsy talked to him of her life in New South Wales.

When I am old enough,” Betsy said, “ I shall come back again and keep house for my father. I do not think I am going to like England. They tell me it is cold there. I am always happiest when the sun is shining—and the sunshine in Sydney is splendid.” Betsy, it seemed, had been the idol of her parents. She had her own little pony, and had often accompanied her father out riding. “ And I had my own garden, and a convict to dig it for me,” she told Dick. “I grew beautiful flowers in it—some of them native plants papa got for me from the bush. Last year I planted a fig tree and two orange' trees. I have told the gardener he is to take the greatest care of them, and also of niy roses. I hope it won’t be many years before papa sends for me to come‘back again.”

I d like to come back again myself, some day,” said Dick. . Betsy looked pleased. “Would vou truly, Dick? ” she asked. “I ]ike to hear you say that, because I think New South Wale’s is a wonderful place.” . not thafc > exactly,” said Dick, truthfully. “I wa s thinking I’d like to come back because from Sydney you can to so many interesting places.” “New Zealand, for instance? ” lamrhed Betsy. ”

“Yes,” said Dick. “And Van Diemens Land and Tahiti and Java and maybe as far as Chili. AVouldn’t you like to go to South America, Betsy? ” Betsy grew thoughtful. “ I’d like better to go to India,” she said. “ Tell me about your uncle, Dick. I suppose he. has seen a great many marvellous things. So once again Dick had to tell her of -Captain Nat Arden and his tall ship; and once again Betsy listened attentivelv nodding her head when some bit of the tale pleased her.

Next morning the Currency Lass made Norfolk Island, and the work of getting the stores ashore was begun. In the afternoon Dick, Betsy, and the other passengers were allowed to go ashore. They stared at the deserted prison, whose bad name had 1 been whispered in many parts of the world, were taken to see the governor’s house, and peeped into the barracks yard. Then they climbed a hill and, looking down through a gap in the tall pine trees which seemed

to clothe the island, they had a splendid view of the little settlement.

“ Be. careful. There may be snakes,” said Betsy as Dick, warm from the climb, threw himself down on the grass beneath a stately pine. “ There aren’t any on Norfolk Island,” laughed Dick. “ Well,” said Betsy. “ That is the only nice thing about it.”

“ Don’t you care for the island? ” Dick asked.

Betsy shook her head. “ I’ve heard too many dreadful things said of it,” she told him. “ They used to send the very worst prisoners here and treat them very cruelly. Nowadays there are no convicts on Norfolk Island —only a few settlers.” “ I thought the bad ones were sent to Van Diemen’s Land,” Dick said. “ Some of them were. But oh, what a tale those old barracks down below us could tell!” Betsy made a face. Betsy, it seemed, knew a great deal about Norfolk Island.

“ Captain Cook discovered it, and gave such a good account of that when Captain Phillip brought out the first convict fleet —that was in 1788—he was told to send a party to colonise Norfolk Island. That was the beginning of the settlement. You see, the New Zealand flax plant grows here abundantly ” —Betsy pointed to a valley the slopes of which were clothed with a plant with broad-bladed spikes of leaves—“and it was thought .that the convicts could be taught to dress the flax and manufacture it into cloth. While Governor King was in command, he made a great many experiments with the flax, and even went so far as to kidnap two Natives of New Zealand in order to learn from them how to dress the leaves; but the native way of dressing flax is a very slow process, so the experiment failed. Nowadays the ships go to New Zealand for flax, and trade with the Natives for it.”

“ Were there no natives on this island?” asked Dick.

“ Not when the white people came,” said Betsy. “ But there must have been natives here at some time, for I’ve heard that banana trees were found growing in regular rows, and that stone stools have been found.”

( “ I wonder,” said Dick thoughtfully. “ If there were natives here once, what caused them to leave it? It seems such a beautiful place.” “ Perhaps a hurricane overwhelmed them,’ said Betsy, and in answer to Dick's look of surprise, “It might easily be true, Dick. Sometimes there are dreadful hurricanes in this part of the Pacific.”

Just before sunset Dick and Betsv made their way back to the shore. Boats were still passing to and from the Currency Lass, it being Captain Stark's intention to complete the landing of the stores that night, if possible. However, the fates were against him, and it was not until noon the next day that the ship got away. Once out of the shelter of the island she met with a wind fair for the south-east. All sail set, she settled down for the 500 mile run to New Zealand.

“And now,” said Betsy, watching the island grow fainter as the ship drew away from it, “ for your cannibal islands, Dick. I hope you’ll approve of New Zealand, for you are always anxious to hear about it,”.

I wonder if we’ll make a long stay there ? ” Dick said.

“We may,” said Betsy. “I heard Captain Stark telling Major Marlin we might have to put into several bays before we get a full cargo of spars; and then we’ll only get them if we can get the Natives to help cut out and haul them to the water.”

“It will be grand,” said Dick, “to see the New Zealanders.”

“ For that matter,” Betsy told him, “ I’ve seen several of them. Mr Marsden often has them staying with him.” “What are they like?” asked Dick. “Oh, tall, brown men, with fierce faces, all tattooed. They wear curious mats made of feathers and flax. In their own country they are always fighting one another. lam frightened of them. When we get to New Zealand I shall stay on board the ship.”

“I shan’t,” said Dick. “Not if Captain Stark will let- me go ashore.” Indeed, so anxious was he to make certain of being allowed to land in New Zealand that he tackled Captain Stark that afternoon. But the captain, after smiling at his eagerness, said that he could make no plans whatever until he discovered what was the temper of the Natives.

“If they are peaceable, our stay in New Zealand may be very pleasant,” he told Dick. “If not, the less we see of the country the better.”

He was in the midst of telling Dick about the dangers of a sudden attack by the Natives when a cry arose from the look-out, “ Sail-ho!” and Dick rushed to the deck in order to see the passing ship.

She was only a speck on the horizon, but gradually as the Currency Lass neared her, she grew bigger until she could be plainly distinguished. “ A whaler. American, I’d say,” remarked Captain Stark, scanning her intently. “ And been in these seas several years, by the look of her.” She seemed to Dick to he a very little ship to have been away from port so long. . s “But surely she has not been at sea all that time? ” he asked Watts, who was standing near him at the bulwarks. “ Bless you, sonny, not she,” replied Watts. “ You see. these American ships don’t. like to return home until they’ve a full cargo of oil and bone. So at the

close of every season they put into some island or bay—mostly around the New Zealand coast, I’m told—and tie up until the next- whaling season. Sometimes a brig like the one yonder will be away cruising for three or four years.” “ Are there many of them? ” asked Dick.

“ That I couldn't say. Nobody knows how many ships there are fishing in the Pacific. Only a few of them come into Sydney, because there they are charged Customs dues.”

Captain Stark had his spy-glass to his eye. “ The Norma, Nantucket,” he read aloud. “ A Yankee, as I surmised. And a full ship, bv the look of her. She’s riding deeply?’ And indeed th e Norina was making heavy weather of it. “ I shouldn’t care to go round Cape Horn in her,” said Dick, watching her as she lumbered along. He had heard many times of the great storms that continually shouted round the Horn, as well as of the many good ships that had been lost in that perilous passage. “ She’ll make it, though," remarked Watts. “ They’re good seamen, the Yankees; and there are no smarter whalers in the Pacific.”

Dick continued to watch the whaler until she was out of sight. Where had she been, he wondered? Perhaps from one end of the Pacific to the other, to Tahiti, to the Marquesas, to New Caledonia and New Zealand;- to the shores of the South’rd Islands, and away to the south of Van Diemen’s Land, through storms, through adventure, through peril and excitement.

Already Dick desired to know more of thi s marvellous ocean to which Fate had brought him. As he gazed after the whaler he felt a pang of regret that the Currency Lass was homeward bound. . That night, as he lay in his bunk, he thought of th e little whaler, bravely making for home after her long cruise; and imagined her seamen telling their tales of the South Sea lands they had visited— New Zealand, Tahiti, Santa Cruz, the South’rd Islands. . . . Dick Arden fell asleep, at last, a smile on his lips. (To be continued.)