A LEGEND OF FERN FLAT.

Observer, Volume X, Issue 624, 13 December 1890, Page 15

A LEGEND OF FERN FLAT.

Near a pretty little village in this wondrous wester* land, Where diggers delve for riobea in the Buller's golden sand, And the night winds howl in fury through the pine trees great, Like a lot of little Chinkies in a aad immoral state. Twelve months ago the soul of one, whose work on earth was done, Had flown, or was supposed to fly, beyond the shining sun ; And now the other Chinkies had a mad and wild desire To purify the dead remains— the bones, in faot, by fire. Then to a bold ' barbarian,' a son of Erin old, They offered, if he'd raise the corpse, five sovereigns bright in gold : But Paddy laughed and shook his head : 'No less than fifteen ' quid ' 111 take, I'm sure you'll give it too ' — and by jabers so they did. Now, for fear the naughty diggers should the ceremonial see, And change a sacred function to a horrid howling spree, The Chinkies launched their frail canoes upon the Buller wide And bore the dead and living ' John ' safe to the other side. The night fall dark and dirty upon the eastern shore, The Chinks sat sad and silent, the Europeans swore, As half drunk they danced and capered wild about the dead man's head, Till the master of the ceremonies was nearly burned instead. But in the crowd a joker bold, who guidea the minds of youth, Upraised his hand and stopped the row, became the ' boss ' in truth ; 4 Ho ! Silence there, prop up the bones, 'twill soon be break of day, And yet we've only just begun this very sultry play.' An iron plate was on the ground, 'twould neither break nor bend ; They dumped the Chinkie down on this upon his latter end, Then lit the little logs they'd stacked in various kinds of ways, And with bated breath they waited for a most almighty blaze. He would not burn. These clever folk had quite foxgotten that A Chinaman, alive or dead, is anything 1 but fat ; Then his poor bones they greased with lard and other little things, And linseed oil poured on his head, as priests anoint their kings. • The figure fizzed; from earth to Heaven arose a deafen ing roar, It echoed through the lonely glen, it thundered 'long the shore ; And in the dark pine forest shone a blue and lurid light Whose dreadful ghastly glare destroyed the majesty of night. Just around this fearful figure where the crowd had gathered nigh, The scent, though not delicious, yet was anything but 'bigh'; Bnt it came with awful vigour, as from a dread abode, In little waftß and wavelets to the hard adjacent road. The folks who travelled by that night had nothing much to cay ; They held their mouths and noses tight — they hastened on their way ; For the perfume pretty pungent would not— you may guess the rest — Remind one quite of Araby — ' sweet Araby the blest.' The Chinkies gathered up the dust a 9 in a heap it fell, Of what had been the head and heart— and other parts as well ; Then Blowly, sadly all went home across the Buller great — Where they're living now (I know it) in a moat immoral state. And the ' boss ' of this great holocaust went home to watch and pray, And performed a more important part upon another day ; But he said when all was over and the wedding at as end : — • I'd rather fry a Chinaman than help to wed a friend !' — Homba. "Reefton, October 16th, 1890.