"UTU":

Otago Witness, Issue 3912, 5 March 1929, Page 8

"UTU":

A story ° f EARLY NEW ZEALAND.

By

K. WATSON

and

PAUL H. HOWARD.

(Copyright. —For the Otago Witness.)

CHAPTER S.—THE HEAD-HUNTERS. About this time, news was received ■which threw the inhabitants of the pa into a state of angry excitement. Their ire was demonstrated by many an angry speech from the assembled warriors as they taki’ed up and down the marse, waving their tomahawks and twisting their faces into hideous grimaces. • Rumour said that the white general “ Witimoa ” in Wanganui had planned to exterminate the Hau-haus and was gathering larger forces to do so. Furthermore, it was stated that he had promised a large sum of money for every Hauhau head brought in. Karere hearing this decided to abandon the pa and retreat still further inland to a place called Pukerau. They decided to hold it, until the women and children, who had been sent ahead with the food and baggage, should reach safety. Karere knew that, encumbered as they were, their rate of progress would be slow; therefore he ordered that a few of the women should remain with the fighting forces to cook the food and tend the wounded. Hine prompted by her new horn vengeful feelings for the pakeha, begged' Karere’s permission to remain with the others. The apathy with which she had viewed their preparations for war, gave place to a ceaseless activity which manifested itself in many ways. Now she, as daughter of a rangatira, took the lead in anything concerning the welfare of the tribe. It was for this reason that she was anxious to stay in the pa with Kura and the other women, and she induced Rangiwhenua, her unwelcome suitor, to teach her to shoot, so that she might take her part in defending their position. Secretly she hoped that she might meet Tupara, and in some way revenge herself for the death of Hikimapu. For two days she remained in the pa, working feverishly. At dawn of the third day they were suddenly attacked by Rupara’s whites. Knowing them to be a superior force, the Maoris left the pa at the rear, and Karere ordered Te Whata to escort the five women to safety, while he and his warriors covered their retreat. They were to meet at nightfall at the confluence of the Waitoa and the Whakanui. Whata was averse to leaving the pa before the others, but Karere insisted; Whata had always been in the forefront in times of war, and he felt that hia. dignity as a Maori warrior had been outraged. As the women left the pa, an occasional bullet whistled over-

head. Hine gazed back. Situated as it was upon a hillock, the pa caught the rays of the. rising sun which had broken through the early morning mists that still lingered round the tops of the neighbouring forest trees. A puff of smoke, following a report, was the only indication of the whereabouts of the invisible foe. A tumult of contradictory emotions surged through Hine’s heart as memories of the past came to her; she realized as she had never done before, what this, war really ■ >■

meant that she and the pakeha were parted forever. She was s..u >. recalled her short, yet happy association with Mona. These white men, hidden there in the scrub, were her friends, Mona’s friends, and behind them were women, who, like herself, were anxious for their success. Although Mona had gone out of her life, her influence was still strong upon Hine, who wondered vaguely at times why it was that this influence should be stronger than that of Kura her own mother.

A yell of rage from Ani, interrupted her thoughts, and turning she beheld the stout wahine, • with blood streaming down her face, shaking her fists in-the direction of the invisible pakeha. A flying bullet had grazed her cheek and inflicted a slight wound. “ Hasten, Hine, lest a bullet from Tupara get you! ” cried Kura.

Thus admonished Hine hurried to overtake the others.

As the travelling was easier there they, made their way by the higher levels, although at times they were obliged to cross deep gullies between the ridges. These gullies narrowed and became steeper as they went further inland; over the slopes of one of them a fire had recently raged so that, denuded of bushes, as it was, there was no help to be had in descending.

Kura, laden with a heavy basket of kumaras, was in front with Hiki, wife of the Tino who had been killed. All at once she screamed, and Hine was terrified to see her mother slipping down the rough slope. The kumaras she had been carring, falling under her, aided her rapid descent. There was a shriek of terror from all as she disappeared over a rocky ledge. With a great fear in her heart, Hine dropped her load and scrambled to the foot of the rock, closely followed by Hinauri. There with bloodspattered face was Kura, lying motionless.

Calling her mother by name, Hine bent over her. Kura opened her eyes and gazed round for a moment in bewilderment. The other,, women who had come near, stood looking on helplessly.

“My foot! It is my foot! ” she groaned. Although it caused her agony, Kura knew that immediate action was necessary ; but first her foot must be attended to. She called irritably to Ani, the stout wahine whose cheek had been grazed by the pakeha bullet. “ Come on you great Pukunui! Don’t stand there staring! Go and get'some of that root to boil! ”

At any other time, Ani would have deeply resented being called a “ Pukunui ”, even by Kura, Karere’s, daughter, but now in the urgency of the moment, she hastened to do her bidding. While Ani and Hiki ran to seek the root, which the Maoris often used in making an ointment, Hine and Hinauri made a fire on which to boil it. For this purpose, they used an old tin can stolen from some European homestead. As soon as this bush remedy was ready, Kura’s ankle was roughly bandaged. This accomplished, there remained the more pressing- problem of climbing the opposite gully-side. As it was almost impossible to carry Kura up the slope, and equally impossible for her to climb unassisted, for a short time consternation reigned in the little company. Kura, however, solved the difficulty. “ e must get to the top. ' Once there we can hide in a cave that lies on the far slope of the hill.” All agreed that this was the best solution to the problem. Therefore Ani and riinauri, being the strongest of the women, placed their arms round Kura’s waist and having raised her, commenced to climb the rugged slope. Fortunately, the creek had stayed the advance of the fire that had cleared the opposite side of the gully, so that the scattered bushes now aided them in their ascent. Nevertheless their progress was slow, and at the end of an hour they were only half way up the hill. Kura sank exhausted upon a ferny bank and except for the laboured breathing of Ani and Hinauri, no sound was heard. “You —Ani and Hinauri—rest; Hiki and Hine-maru will take a turn. ~e shall not be long now!” groaned Kura. Suddenly all were startled by a shot from the opposite ridge and they looked in the direction of the sound. Several brown figures were seen to be retreating from bush to bush, firing as they did so. “ Ahai ! It is Rewi, my man. >,ook there he is! ” cried Ani.

Te Whata had now come up and took in the situation at a glance. “ There is no time to be lost ! The pakeha are very strong and our men are hard pressed ! ” It was evident that Ani’s cry had been heard, for their men folk stopped and seemed to be consulting together. Then, resuming their retreat, it was evident to the watchers on the hill that their tactics had been changed ; instead of going down ■ the slope of the gully, they moved along the face of the ridge at right angles to their previous line of retreat. At once Kura knew that her father wished to divert the. pakeha’s attention from herself and her companions.

“ Make haste, you women! 1 will remain here ,behind this rock. ” So saying, Te Whata, rifle in hand, concealed himself behind a jagged rock, determined to frustrate any attempt at pursuit on the part of the pakeha. Hine-maru and Hiki then came forward to relieve the two other women and the upward journey was continued painfully, -s they struggled grimly on, they were afraid for their men; every shot fired might mean the death of a Ngati-moko warrior. At last, with great sighs of re-, lief, they gained the top, and as the stopped to rest, the exhausted women were startled by the sound of firing which came from below them. No time was to be lost and the three struggled onward until they reached the cave Kura had in mind. Here, tired and weary, they sank down to await Te Whata’s coming. Soon the firing ceased, then as time went on, and neither Te Whata nor

the other men had put in an appearance, the suspense became unendurable. What i uld the silence mean? Had their men all been slaughtered ?, “Go! Ani! and see what vou can

find out 1 ” urged Kura. Ani crept from the cave and descending the hill for some distance, uttered the cry of the mo-poke four times in succession. It was answered at once from the foot of the hill and she knew that ‘eir men were near. Scrambling towards the place whence the answering signal had come, she encountered Rangiwhenua, who presented a sorry spectacle. His almost-naked body was scratched and blood-stained, and blood was flowing from a wound on his shoulder. Briefly he told all that had happened since they had separated. Meanwhile the others anxiously awaited Ani’s return. At last they heard her laboured breathing as she approached the cave.

What news? ” they chorused running to meet her.

“The pakeha has retired.” she answered briefly. In their relief Hinauri and Hiki joined hands with Ani and commenced dancing triumphantly, rolling their eyes and whooping loudly as they did so. “ And our men? ” asked Hine-maru. Wailing mournfully, Ani answered: “ Raimahapa is dead.” Instantly the women ceased their dance, and came forward anxiouslv. A yell of mingled rage and grief broke from them.

Hine, herself could not restrain a cry of g.ief. She had a vague feeling of disappointment in the pakeha, mingled with her natural sorrow at the death of Raimahapa. The other women continued their wailing, but Hinauri, becoming now more anxious for her father’s safety, called Hine aside and together they went back to the place where they had left Te Whata. Reaching the rock ’ behind which he had concealed himself, they looked at each other in alarm. There was no sign of Hinauri’s father. The rock was spattered with blood, and it was evident that a terrible struggle had taken place. Hinauri hurried downwards and shortly after, Hine, hearing her agonised cry, followed with a sickening fear in her heart.

There, indeed, was the body of Te Whata. Hine gazed at it in horror, scarce believing what she saw. The head was missing! The head-hunters had done ‘ eir work !

CHAPTER VI.—THE PAKEHA SOLDIER. Hine-maru was filled with an ungovernable fury; taking the deceased warrior’s hatchet, she shook it in the air. Hinauri threw herself down beside her father’s body and in an-abandonment of • grief, commenced to wail in a heart-rending manner, while Hine, with a vague idea of finding the head-hunter and obtaining ntu for Whata’s death, left her and scrambled down the slope. At one part she encountered a rocky ledge and suddenly remembering Kura’s mishap, made a detour to avoid it. As she broke through the trees at the foot of the rock, she beheld a sight which at other times would have convulsed her with laughter.

There before her, dangling helplessly a few feet from the ground, was a pakeha soldier. He, like Kura, had slipped over the rocky ledge, and some part of his accoutrement, having become caught in a tree stump, he was held prisoner. Here a fat Maori warrior had found him, and having first taken his coat and vest, bound his hands behind his back, then, with a grim humour, left him, as he thought, to die.

Thus he was at Hine’s mercy. “ Undoubtedly,” thought she, “ this was the pakeha who had slain Te Whata.” Here indeed was her chance for utu. She would slay the white soldier and leave his dangling body to rot where it hung. Exultantly she rushed forward holding Te Whata’s patiti aloft. As Hine reached her intended victim, she glanced upward and met the fearless gaze of the white man. They regarded one another in silent conflict. Hine observed that his hands were bound behind him. Who had done it? He had neither coat nor vest, and his shirt was almost torn .from his back. She noticed the brown hair which curled in rippling waves on his brow. There was something in his face that thrilled her. The expression in his fearless blue eyes awoke some dim memory. A humorous smile played round his firm mouth as he said quietly, and with a calmness surprising in the circumstances: “ Well, what are you going to do? ”

A sudden horror of her intention filled Hine and, almost involuntarily, her uplifted hand fell to her side. An unaccountable thought of Mona came to her ; she Hine-maru, could not slay a pakeha. Humiliated, she avoided the white soldier’s quizzical gaze. His eyes seemed to be reading into her very soul, and she stood dumbly before him. “ Well? ” he asked again, his eyes twinkling with amusement. ' Hine knew enough English, through her association with Mona, to.understand him. After a momentary hesitation she said, in a low voice:

“ I come to kill you, pakeha ! The white man laughed. “ And now,” he returned in excellent Maori. “You are going to set me free! My dear girl you couldn’t kill a fly, much less a white man! ” Why should you kill a poor pakeha anyway? ” “No!” she said brokenly. “Hine could never kill; but you, pakeha, you killed my kinsman, Te Whata! Why? Oh why did you do it?” “ Was the old gentleman your relative, then?” he asked with compassionate humour. “ Yes, he was Te Whata, my uncle. Now he is dead. Do you hear that"? ” she asked. The sound of a plaintive cry came from above. ■_ “It is Hinauri, mourning the death of Te Whata, her father.” “ I am sorry,” he answered simply. A mental picture of Hinauri, prostrated with grief, beside the body of the fallen warrior, came to Hine, and again the fierce desire for Utu filled her. She felt that it was her duty to slay this pakeha who had himself slain one of her people. Still laughing the white soldier remarked banteringly: “ So you really intend to do it, then? ” “ Yes, yes, pakeha,” she said as if urged against her wishes by spine inward force, “ I must have utu.” In spite of her decision the girl went forward with hesitating footsteps, but still the pakeha regarded her with unflinching eyes. At that moment a new sound broke the sylvan stillness, it was the noise of some one crashing through the underbrush. Hine turned to listen and, knowing that if it were a Maori he would butcher this white man before her eyes, she sprang forward instantly, slashing at his belt, crying as she did so: “ You go, quick! ” He came heavly to the ground, bearing Hine with him. With the instinct

of self-preservation, he. sprang to his feet and was soon hidden in the bush. Hine remained where she had fallen and,

with woman’s wit drew the blood-stained handle of Te Whata’s patiti across her cheek. The Maori was coming nearer, and she could hear him puffing and blowing. It would be Rewi. She would pretend that she had fallen from above and hurt herself. It was as she expected, and Rewi, Ani’s husband, broke through the bushes; he recognised Hine, and taking her by the shoulder and shaking her, asked, “ Where is the pakeha? ” Hine who had closed her eyes, now opened them and beheld Rewi glaring down at her. He of course knew quite well that she had set the pakeha free. What would happen to her if he told the tribe?

Rewi was thinking along somewhat the same lines. He had noticed the pakeha follow up a “ friendly ” Maori who had tracked the women. Except for the fact that his cupidity had been aroused by the sight of a watch chain which he had seen shining on the pakeha’s breast in the seting sun, he had no purpose in following him. He had arrived almost on the scene of Te Whata’s decapitation, when hearing the sound of hurried footsteps, he crouched behind a bush. From this hiding place he saw a Maori, whom he recognised as a “ friendly,” emerge from the bush, swinging by the hair a head, from which the blood dripped as he clambered down the steep hill-side. Almost immediately after the Maori’s appearance, a pakeha, whom he recognised as the possessor of the coveted watch chain, came into sight. The white man had nearly gained on the Maori, but in order to intercept him, took a short cut and inadvertently slipped over a steep bank. Rewi was vastly amused to see that the pakeha had become entangled in the bushes, and now remained dangling in the air. As he moved forward with the intention of dispatching him, Rewi thought of a better .plan. His big, almost naked body heaved with silent laughter; what a joke it would be, to tie the pakeha’s hands and leave him hanging there to die slowly. Hearing Rewi approach, the pakeha looked up, and, knowing that he could not expect mercy from a Hau-hau when one of their tribe had just been beheaded by a “ friendly,” he resigned himself to his enevitable fate.

The Maori began to mutter to himself and the pakeha was surprised, when, instead of being tomahawked, he was stripped of his coat and vest. He was still further astonished when his hands were securely bound behind his back. With a grimly humourous smile the Maori pushed him more securely upon the stump and then departed, on the track of the “ friendly’ ” and the pakeha, to his horror, realized that he had been left there to die.

Rewi presented a ludicrous appearance in Hine’s eyes; he had donned the pakeha s coat and vest, which would scarcely button across his protruding stomach where the coveted watch-chain was prominently displayed. Hine knew that it was the pakeha’s vest and she resolved to tax him with the theft in order to divert his attention from her own weak position.

“ Where is the pakeha, Rewi ? Did you let him go?”

“ Te Pakeha?” asked Rewi, rolling his eyes in well-stimulated surprise. “ Yes, and what will my grandfather, Karere say, ’ she said following up her advantage, “When I tell him that you freed this pakeha who has killed his brother ?” “Killed his brother?” echoed Rewi, “What does Hine mean?” For answer Hine pointed up the hill whence came the sound of Hinauri’s weeping. “Who is it?” asked Rewi. “It is Hinauri, mourning her father’s death. What will she say’ when she knows that, you have set free Te Whata’s slayer ?” Hine was relieved when, having diverted the fat warrior from his purpose, she saw’ him go up the hill in search of Hinauri.: She rose, and as she stood, undecided what to do, was startled by a yell of rage from above, and presently, Rewi crashed through the bushes, evidently in pursuit of the white soldier. Hine filled with disturbed thoughts, commenced to climb the hill towards Hinauri. What had she done? She, a Ngati-Moko, had freed one of the hated pakeha, one who, moreover, had slain her own uncle. She had been traitor to her own people. What would Kura and the poor Hinauri think ? And Mona? Not even Mona could excuse her action, in freeing a pakeha, for even according to European standards, she had done wrong. Reaching the blood-spattered rock, Hine shuddered when she saw the headless body, beside which squatted the desolate Hinauri. Taking the weeping girl in her arms, Hine drew her to her feet and slowly they, commenced to climb the hill. As Hinauri stumbled blindly up the rocky slope, she was supported tenderly by Hine whose tears flowed in sympathy. Hinauri’s anguish accused Hine and she was filled with remorse at her traitorous action. She had had her chance for utu and she had failed to take advantage of it. How she hated the pakeha at that moment! Never again would she let such an opportunity slip by. What a weak fool she had been! She should have killed the white soldier. Suddenly a new and terrible thought struck her.

Supposing she had not freed the pakeha ? Rewi would have come and HIS head—with the fearless blue eyes and the wavy brown hair—woidd soon be adorning a pole in front of the whare, that Karere would build at the new pa.

Hine shuddered with horror at this hid, eons-'thought.

“ Nd pakeha, no,” she cried aloud, to the astonishment of Hinauri. “ Hine. Maru could never have done it!” (To be continued.)