A VOYAGE WITH A SEA-GULL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4560, 5 December 1882, Page 4

A VOYAGE WITH A SEA-GULL.

A NEW ZEALAND FAIBY STOBT. By Johk-a-Dbhams. [Bpboiaily tvbittbh job the stab.] Ghastbb IV. Hour after hour we flew onward beforo tho wind, and hour after hour I watched the black waste of waters ; tho huge billows ; the «l«:.iri!ig er. sis and hieaing slopoa of whito foam. Above ua, the grey vault shut out the stars, and thick volume? of cloud rolled aoroßS it, .at a speed, however, much slower than our'own. I did not lose consciousness, or bocomo weary, or even wish for sleep as the right progressed. I merely became impatient, and hoped to escape from the monotonous wilderness of howling aturrn. At last tho wind began to abate, and the storm to slacken. Either it was dying a way or we were outstripping its fury. Presently I could sco, and hear blbo, that the sea wag becoming smoother. Gradually the blackneßtt overhead ohanged to leaden colour. Tho dawn wna at hand. Just then we plunged into one of the thick mists which iv theso latitudes often precede and follow dawn. I could feel tho cool, inoiot vapour touoh and envelope me as we cut our way through it. Boon, tho nun must hnvo arisen, for behind us the light increased, and ahead I witnessed a singular sight — the grey m%t penetrated and riven by shafts and broad bands of silver. Boneath, tho wttßh of the waves oould be plainly heard, though the surface of the sea was hidden from view. Soon a different and louder Bound struck upon my ear. "What is that?" I askod. " The ooean rollers breaking on the Sydney oliffs," replied the bird ; " let us wait a moment, Binoe the mist is fast vanishing as the day gains strength." She paused, hovering in the air, and it came about as she had fluid. The mints floated away, end we found oursolvea floating aloft in the golden air of morning, with the famous harbour of Sydney a few hundred feet below "as. MatiT travellers have praised its beauty. What would they hare said could they have ■een it as I saw it. The morning mists rolling away revealed the long winding harbour, with its innumerable arms and baya. The waters sparkled in the sunshine $ the hills inland still kept the row-coloured tints of dawn ; tho city between lay silent, half ■sleop, bathed in a hßza of pearly smoke ; and bahiud, the opon oooon danced and dashed and finally thundered against the cliffs beneath us. " Now for an overland passage," said my guido. "Thoie mountains look blue in tho distance now, but we shall croBS them before an hour has passed." In loea than half that time we were above their bare ridgeß, above their valleys, here clear, there filled with timber. Then we gained undulating, tree-covered country, then orosaed moro hills, and finally found ourselves above a long stretch of almost level plains, with, mountains dimly visible to the northeast, This was no eucalyptus country, with its expanoe of sparse, pale g?een foliage, nor was it yellow with the spinifex, an would hava been the en so in the horrible deserts of Western Australia. It was simply a' great rolling plain of groy, with a few brown, baro looking hills hero and thoro. We flew low, and I could sou flocks of sheep rambling over tho scanty grass. In one place we passed over a small mob driven by a mounted shepherd and two dogs. I could hear the barking of the latter, and see their outstretched panting tongues. It must have been intensely hot, but I experienced no more inconvenience from it than I had from tho cold of the previous night. About mid-day wo passed beyond tho limits of oven pastoral civilisation. A wild limestone range, flaring, barren, and Lot, took us some time to oroei. In one of tho valleys I saw blaok objeots clustering round a speck of red and a thread of amoko. This I took for a native encampment. Ihen wo came to genuine desert, dry and sandy ; thon to a donso forest of a different character to tho trees further south. This forest covered miles upon miles of broken hills, interBooted by valloye, not dry and barren now, but filled with tall trees, among which I could see gleaming; threads betokening pooh and reaches of water. At laat, ufter crossing an unusually high ridgo, we struck upon a broad valloy walled in on either aide by noble cliffs of eandatone. They shot up sheer from the rich bottom of foreat to a height of 200 ft, and in places more. Then oame a sort of terrace, covered with tall grass, waving shoulder high; then another rampart of steep cliff, about half tho height of the lower one. Ab we continued in a northerly course the gorge widened into a broad valley, and the forest which had filled it was broken by graasy flats. The stream in the centre widened into a fine rivor, and my bearer nearing its surface, followed at my requost its winding course. At places on its banks the trees reoeded ; at otherj they grew thick and clase : here a forest of cedar, there palms, and the tea-tree to whose leaves, pendant like those of the weeping willow, the tailor bird bows its nest. Kangaroos were numerous in the open flats, and in ono I noticed a herd of cattle, probably descendants of those who had run wild. Flooks of parrota screamed and flew hither and thither among the trees, and the rivor swarmed with swans and wild duoks. I oould eoefish leaping from tho water at the insects which hung in tho hot, still air ; but though I lookod eagerly for alligators, of whom as existing in North Australian rivers I had heard, I buw none. Ab we procooded the river grew broader, the treos tailor, and tbo banks lower and more marshy. Anon the stream divided, and I oould hear tho low rour of the sea beyond tho intervening branches. Suddenly the treos oeaßod, and below ub lay a broad lagoon, with nothing but a Handy strip botween it and the lea. Tho salt air blew freshly around us as we flew over a bar, white with tumbling foam. To our right, the coast stretching northward*, high and rooky. On the other side, nothing to bo Boen. Wo were on the Gulf of Carpentaria. The tropical afternoon was now halfway advanced. " By evening," said the sea gull, in answer to my question," I hope to reaoh New Guinoa, where we shall spend tho night in a favourito resting plaoo of mino." 80 we pushed along the broken coast of York Peninsula, and towards evening reached what sho told mo waa Torres Rtrait. Boforo ub appaared innumerable '■ tie islands. Beaohing these we soon saw • - high ooatt of Now Guinoa directly in f n. . If Sydney had been boautifulin the sic/ f the morning, what waa it compared •>■ this evening scone? Tho hundreds of islet j cloao around us were of every shape and ei«e, but for the most part high and peak-shaped. Borne wore inaccessible, their bold cliffs shooting straight from the oocun. In others the sea, which was almost calm, rolled on shelving beaohea of white sand, or splashed the palm trees with its salt spray. Everywhoro tropical vegetation, brilliantly green, covered orory level spot with vorduro, and olung feather-like to avou the steepest oliffa. There was just enough wind from tho north-east to keup tho sky clear and tho sea blue ; for in a dead calm in tho tropics both bcoome ri>. I and greyish. Iho sun was just touching 1 1 > western horizon, with .tho rim of his u>i. loudod goldea disk, when wo roaohod what my guido told mo was Now Guinea itself. Beforo us lay tho mouth of what appeared to be a winding fiord, whose hoadlands were two perpendicular oliffs of somo five hundred foat in height. Of theao the eastern ono yot, lay bathed in sunshine, while its fellow threw a lengthening shadow over tho groon water which bathod its foot. Into this shadow wo ■ailed, and kopt along closo to Iho cliffu face, apparently Booking a convenient rusting place. Thus wo pained somo distance up Iho narrow inlet. Ahead I could heur tho rear of what I guoasod was a waterfall, :• : , *ure enough, turning a ooev.or we atoj>p«<l > watch a considerable volumu of water ling itsolf in one solid aroh Bheor from Bummit to son. After a pause of a minute, tho bird mounted through the air, and finally settled on a led go of rock near the stroam'a odge, ■nit.hia :\ few yarila of where it took it* final plungo. "The sun has set, and wo aro not in a land of twilight," she raid. "In v littlo while it will be dark." And in truth tho (lurk, at i: :lio lines ofl ho " Anoiont Mariner," came at. .>f.t) s'rido. Yet anyono who hua aeon n ti epical night will know that its durkness ia light itself, compared with tho afternoon, let, mo say, of a London winter's day. I ■.vutchod tho Htars como out, afc first ono by one, ecatturml through Hits palo ei|:i"«o uf Muo; then, in troops, tho L(|UHdrotm of tho hunt of hownn. I wiu wo!:dorinc when t! ■ "on wonkl rino, when tho bird, who wiu i- 'in>,» motionless , with folded wings, recoiuin- -i-.d mo to elcop. "Spirit though you uri 1 , r.n intorval of £jrgyU'uln:ei will refresh you. iicmorabor.

it is written, •He giveth his beloved sleep." Do not suppose that Providence refuses this most precious of gifts to immortals more than to men, or that eternity is never rest, but wakefulneis without end." "But how am I to sleep when I do not feel in the least weary or drowßy ?" " You have but to wish fer oblivion to gain it. Of all their privileges spirits value this the most, thifc they can Bleep and dream at will, sinoe they have no body to torment the soul into consciousness when it would fain be at peace. It is the body which, with ids feverish strength or feverish weakness, keeps the soul a prisoner, and grudges it its briof flight from earth to the land of rest." Doing as I was bid, not unwillingly, I willod to sleep, and in a fevr seconds had lost consciousness. When I awoke, the scene had utterly changed. The cliffa, tho trees, the swirling stream, the roar of the waterfall had all vaniihed. In their stead waa perfeot calm. I could neithor hear nor see anything. No! Far above that unolouded sheet of blue was the sky, while far below I could just distinguish a vague, vast murmur as of the open sea. I had awoken in mid-air : ljing half • [ way between oarth and heaven, and feeling in truth at least as near the one as the other. If X had nevor known what it was to be utterly happy before, I knew it now. This was the rest I had so often longed for on earth. My bird was flying at full speed, untiring as ever, at a rate which would have passed a horse at full gallop, an expreßß train, a mail steamer, er even a balloon with ease. But I had grown used, not only to the fact (that had never troubled me) but to the idea. I had ceased to trouble and hold fast to my guido. I lay there peacefully, as on a motionless bed of down. " Where are wo ? " I aßked. " Where is New Guinea?" "Five hundred miles hehind us, she replied. " When you willed yourself to sleep, you forgot (or rather I forgot to tell you) to limit your time of slumber. Conoequently at dawn this morning, when I wished to start, you were still buried in dreams. I knew, however, that the sun, which rouses all nature, would wake you too as soon as his rays touched your faoe, for tho sunbeams stir all spirits into activity. Therefore I took you up and resumed our journey. Bince sunrißC, however, the Eastern sky has been oovered with olouds, and it is only now that the sunbeams have struck and awakened you, as in Bgypfc they used to do the statue of Memnon." " Then, whither are we bound ? " I asked, without either showing or fooling the least surprise at all this, for I aeemed past the power of emotion or excitement. "To Japan." "To Japan. So be it." And lying still I speculated lazily and dreamily on what 1 should 830 there. Like moßfc others, my notions of tho far East were vague in tho extreme. I had an idea of Japan as a group of islands where everything that was beautiful was grotesque, and all that was grotesque was beautiful; where everything which was not of lacquer work was of porcolain ; where tho men dreesod and wore their hair like women, and the women had an irreßißtible resombknee to big, quaintlydressed dolls ; where tho houßa roofs re■ambled umbrellas, and the umbrellaß were quite big enough for house roofs ; in short, where most things wore topsy-turvy, bub whore all were interesting. The scenery I had hsard of bb lovely. Was not Japan called— (or was ib China ?)— " the Flowery Land." (To be continued.)