A NIGHT OF TERROR UNKNOWN. UNKNOWN.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 168, 4 September 1886, Page 6

A NIGHT OF TERROR UNKNOWN. UNKNOWN.

■;.: «Ten<or twelve years.agaliwas/ visiting jidtivd ( vill&ge>ab<Jtit*vii6i niilesnout iof» |;Nftpier.* Mx. i hP^Si^»SkMJBB¥, ftf^pus , *; woman, S^ ! lif fed'W/cdti'sta'nt^drWd J< of' another . native,] disturbance^ .^lndeed,, thought- Mr. -Rh-h-* ver^foolisb*tcMtakeM Jiis f aAiiljf. Sb fdi? frbmf^b'wrl *'?' *«* U», ••-'•just, tigtoj? \p^M( r C>P$'OT k . R—^ had, caught^ Jittlel: native boy Btealing some; trifle frotn*.his> garden. '" 'He had. ff<srn f "tirffepto t nirne beerv^noyeo; by.^tt^ Jh^ <«?4^ 4S\ termined to n\ake an sx&nipj^of, boy.* An- Englishman Cwho^Had'' lived* in the village for''some'Hime^2hd i ' s khew i Mr. , R ? in. skqhgtterms /.to.^giv.e , up,, 'his idea of punishment, *as he*, said-thc natiyes were very vindictive/ and'heforone; >o)ald;^o|;;;lik^: J6;;be,;^ ;Mf.; : if he^ept Jo'Jis < deter-, mination. ;?''MrS.' tR-^r— .' and I both Pegged Mr. RR — -to .take the English- 1 man's a^vi^e/^li^^^rip^^e^ result ihan«to maker hihV n^orp "deterpaine^, ",to, do his duty, as fhe> Called it. ,-*••" !,•«» Haying had a busy-day I went to'bedearly,' and, was t soon i 'sp'und % 'as,le'epV \ I was awakened b'y'^Mr.s.iß— r-r "shaking/ and telling metin-a- dreadful whispeu^ to? get up, 'as ttie'Maoris were 1 surrounding the house. . Only half awake I thbugrit she. was as, usual "frightening herself for nothing, but I jumped^ up, 1 felt .for the- matches and struck orie. '' My friend and the twb'servants, who had followed' her in, s gave ...a., suppressed Jscream, rushed' at me, and- put •. the light, out, asking if I wanted threm'JtQ'be all murdered.- ' ' "* ' "* t ' '" ' ' " ' Just as they, had extinguished my poor light there was a sudden crash, sounding as if someone' had burst' J in_ one of .'the back windows. We held our breath, expecting to hear the Maoris leaping in, but all was as still as death, not a sound to' be heard:' Mr.R—^~ then carhe quietly in and asked for 'his gun, (declaring he would go out and face them; . '„..' His wife called their two children to her," saying, "/If your father goes, we will go too r and be all killed together.' I I, not being. one of the family,.objected, and asked Mr/R if it would not be wiser for him to steal out of trie side door(the noise so far had proceeded from the back of. the house) and go for assistance; as' the constabulary station was not many miles from us; but as Mr. R^ had his hand oh the door, there was another terrific crash, which appeared to us quite close to the room we were in. Mrs. RR — — threw her arms around her husband, sobbing! and imploring him not to leave her to die alone. ■ She had hardly finished speaking before there was, another crash- I—ban1 — bang — smash ! ? . , , , To describe our terror is impossible. -We dared not get a' light, and could only speak in ' whispers. Tor l s6me time none of-ustspoke;~and: again there was no sound to be heard. ' • I crept" quietly to' the" window, and was about to - s peep t out, when a halfcaste, servant, ; who,. had not, spoken before,, stayed my hand from, raising the blind— , - * ' Oh, Miss ! don't do that; they will, kill you if they see you.' , , , * I hear nothing. They must have gone,' I answered: " • - < • < , ''Ah! fio'j they' are 'only waiting to force us, out. We! are^ safe .rjefore daybreak •; they will not- enter ; this room before' T then, because last year a child died in" it : Gp'd',kribws' how, many hours we have to" live.* " . • . ' . As if in answer- to her prayer, the clock struck two." < , * The\day'dawris at five— three hours more,' she murmured. ,' ■. !( „ Again thectash came, which appeared stronger/ louder,^ nearer *than "before.Forlsorne rninuteli'We 1 waited f ii? n breathless suspense^, '- ,I ' nacl, sank ,'6h* r t)i"e floor in utter* 1 agony oi , despair, when ; the two .chiidfr^-^of '■ >Yhom I ' was Very* fonil^coldj .^nd jj-embling, ' ctept' ' up and put • their/ little, ' (arms.. ,rp^ridVrnej As sob after sob shook my trembling 'frame, the elßesTlitfle^girFsai'd : - * Dori'tsdtyr/ Bef ta, th4y^rfnighth'tshurt us much.' , '? ~* „ r . >'I fdplc / a', l su r d;deri I resblve. J --'Springing 1 up, I led the little ones. to,theu;p t arents,, whispered ifot-thernrto wai^quietlysand 'hope } then, before 5 anyone* could' »pre!vent me, seized aloiig-blaclc clbak^and just as there was anojher^cra^h, .'opened the side door and was out in .tfieinight. Afraid-to 4ook^round*l riished-riiadly on. At tiraesXthdUgJlLl^feeard-foot-steps after me, then felt a breath on my cheek?'*! put^nfy Hand Vd" my ears, , a.nd ! £ neith^r turned nor? stopped., i On • and pn I:ran;iwith theiSpe,ed of despair ; , my ' -breath % was i coming* in> gaSps y my heart, felt 1 p'yfstin^; IF tore: m^ fcloak MCsy tf?? a lu'l> .more/^air. Stiiron, still on. I'm blind, sinking.' I put my hands out to save my self. and fall gasping to, the ground. f For a moment I am'uMble'tb'mdvewri^en again I hear thWr^atftitiflg" footsteps. I struggle, up, iresh fear^ again, gives .me, streipgtlbjVnjl again iVusft ll M orj. How? loitg.^- have been on the road>il^ kfißw ri'^f/ f JMread'to see f the' coming c%^-^iy^!c^na^o^ t t b,ey c^n^ar^ly carry^me much ( further, wheh^oh/i asth'ankifull^sight i'fdthe/,- dusky! ytafjf *te?ifr!vi&w!'J£ 1- tear prickly hedgVo^througritH^laid^fnii

and'tornyak fifiytrf, \x tried to^sgeak, my voice 1 ifailed me, and again I oropped to the When J^becarn^ conscious, M 9- am P TO jSpWOßfm^-SSi >pla ; iningv;as t >£UV9S „J * coa^J fewe.en^ gasps' and -sobs' the 4 Maoris^-were ,'o'frly tyditihg£. for' da^br^k ;'to ; ■ rirafder ; fhe yß^—s, 15 -injjujcl^r,,", tiiue^'than^l ■;coulcLwritei -ten,, jpr^twelve ,] mounted constabulary undersi Captaini - vwere ; upon 'returning > vX^them, and, alJL^ooiif.gal* 4oping.on 'the road, -s „,, /,? ; ., „',, v •*'-•■• f On, mymehfiwe've notimeto4ose>/ th^ a^ % 'faint 1 tittee' '6f ,grey aH aßpearpd ,. m the fi east. t Ap^ pn in4eed they^dasheii,' arriving, just.jas' 'day was dawning. i <i • * . T ,> • J i..,^;{. *- Jt) t s ! ; nfeMefe';togive details ;qf tKeif" 'lotions j^sufece.it^rtq^ say]. ! th'at^aifter; (.Sjsarching?u6th:in.and ( .Sj5arching?u6th:in.and outsijde the hqu's^ there^ was » no -visible sign or tracer of* Maoris* oi 1 m'en; andVhat was 1 still mat& ,s|rang4 ,%l\ iWre 'yeifegtty . ygh^o'le. . i s.But ,. fojr r the.' -white terror/, -stricken faces ' of <the household • and, '•their thankfulness 'at beings saved; Gaptain t^4-^ Vaid'Jhe ? W,ould,have thjOu^t , that- a ; practical^ jo^e, had been ipjaypd .on, hirni ■ ' As^it iwas^l could! see>hes was: disgusiied^/ and^was,. about - to; retrea r t „vvitn his, m"en*'wHen^rs'R 'r-~- dedaired; *no ppwer wouW make Her stay, another^ ■hqur'in that house^ and begged Captain ' — ~ to fesnairf' while ;we got ready, and' \to' escort .'us well, put' of the place, to which, hie readily, agreed. , ■■ . I ■Wanting' 'something for the children,I ;had occasion 1 to'jgo" to, a large pantry Ijack of tfte house; On opening the door 1. drew back with a piercing scream'; ; everyone came rushing .in,' thinking ~I had disbovered the Maoris. There we all stood' gazing , at one another. A clreadful-scene. (for a housewife) met our- astonished gaze. The pantry had a large skylight, and rows upon, rows of dishes,. plates, cups; tins, etc., etc. The day before the cook had made and bottled three dozen large bottles of yeast. Murder will out ! 'So will yeast when jt's. corked too tight. Over Jtwo dozen bottles had burst, breaking through the skylight, knocking 1 down and smashing everything they, came in contact/with. This had caused .the crashing, smastiing 5 this had caused our Night <of Terror, my-long mad race ; and, worst of all, , through , our yeast being unusually strong instead of raising our bread had actually • raised our Armed Constabulary. 1 • „ ' Gentle Editor (I am afraid to write readers, in case there are none) can you picture our faces ? My pen cannot describe them. "