LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7180, 3 June 1891, Page 1

LITERATURE.

THE WEB OF THE SPIDER. A TALE OP ADVENTURE IN THE MAORI WAR. £By H. B, Marbio'jt Watson, author of "Marahuna," "Lady Faint Heart," &c] {All rights reserved.) Chaftbb XIII. THE BLACK BUSH. The night was a dolorous one. The air ha 3 grown cooler now, even cold, but the opaque profundity of the bu3h oppressed ana stifled. There seemed no space to breathe in that dark prison. Blackness encircled them, and impenetrable, unknown myßtery. Their footsteps were set forward, but whether toward the deepest heart of that remote and solitary wilderness, they knew not, nor coald conjecture. They went at a hazard on the indifferent knowledge of their leader, bowed with foreboding of a horrible fate. And in the passage they were tortured with a hundred exquisite inconveniences — their feet slipped under them, prickly climbers tore them, supplejacks stopped their way, their lessening energies fell upon rough and cumbrous barriers, a score of paina fretted the worn bodies as they climbed, and groped, and sidled through the malignant forest. There were no words, but a call from the leader to the backward in the moat uncertain stages, and the sharp orders in direction. Fatigue dogged their feet. Falliser, himself, inured to the toils of a hard life, slackened, and breathed heavily through a training nostrils. A great and fearful care gnawed at hia heart, for 'twas his reckoning that led the party. Behind him, Foster bolstered the wavering steps of the poor girl, panting and staggering in his tracks. In silence followed the Maoris, resigned, after the quiet apathy of the race. The hours had rolled on when, at last, Poster uttered a cry of dismay, and Pallißer tamed. The ranger was supporting the frail body of the English girl, and Pallisor's face straightened rigidly. " She's gone," whispered Foster. •' Bih !" Baid the other, scornfully, " it's a faint, fool ! and be stooped over her. " Lay her against the tree. We can go no more to-night." " Confonnd the black bush!" cried Foster, fiercely. He put his burden to the ground, and sprinkled water from his flask upon her face. "Ifß all right," he said, presently. "She's coming round. Tou're right, I was a fool," and he laughed oddly. " What time do you make it ?" asked Palliser. « Two." " Tes, I think so. Aofcea, rest," said he. "We may be white bones to-morrow." The Maori girl seated herself on the ground without a word, pulling her mat over her shoulder, as was her custom. VThat was my word always," said Matuku, moodily. " I should prefer to die by the Bea." " Miss Caryll, you're better now," said Fallisez . " Can you sleep ?" " I think so," she whispered. " Then Bleep, in Heaven's name." Silence fell upon them, and the night passed on. Then there came a strange sound, as of a roaring of the distant sea. " What is that ?" eaid Foster, springing to his feet. " Hußh !" said Palliser, warningly. •• Have you never heard that Bound P It ih raining on the surface of the bush. There must be a storm out to-night." "There's no rain here/ whispered Foster. *• No, this is the underworld. The fortunes of the world have no concern with us," returned Palliser, with bitter irony. " Good Heaven !" cried Foster. The girl near him stirred, and he went over to her. She opened her eyes. •• Are you feeling hungry, little gel ?" he asked. She shook her head. "Not much," she said faintly. " Be brave," said Palliser. Foster was rising from beside her, when she clutched his arm and drew it towards her. " What is it ?" he whupered. "Do you know?" said she, "I want to go foraging myself, but he won't: let me." A look Of bewilderment was on his face, and he stared pitifully at her. " She's wandering," he whispered across to Palliser. The latter uttered an exclamation, and coming round, bent over her. "No," he said, "it's all right It's only exhaustion. She'll be right in the morning. Here, give her some of this. I saved it for emergencies, and this is an emergency." He put a flask in Foster's hands, and went back to hia seat. The dull morning broke at last, and Blowly they girded themselves for the new day. For breakfast they had once more, the roasted fernroot with berries of the wild fuchsia, which served to stay their hanger, though not to satisfy. Yet Palliser was relieved to see that Mies Caryll seemed better ; the long rest had benefited her, and she ate heartily of the poor meal, bearing herßelf with cheerfulness. A broad smile spread over Foster's dark face at toe first evidence of this. " You wasn't up to much last night," he said reproaohfully. "Fin afraid I was a trial," she returned. " Not a trial," said he, "but you gave me a turn when you wandered." " Wandered," Bhe echoed, opening her eyes. " Did I say anything foolish ?" " 'Twas rather foolish — leastways, some? what mad. But the words were sensible enough." "What did I Bay?" "Well, you talked about wanting to forage," Foster laughed and continued ; "You're pretty fit this morning though." Miss Caryll looked askance at Palliser, who was smoking with an air of supreme ■ abstraction. •' I don't see," she replied, " that there's anything so very mad in that." " What P" said Foster, " you forage ? Good gracious, Misb Caryll, you ain't fit for the bush. No woman is, God help her. Not but what you ain't as good as any of them. I'll take my solemn wager I never saw a girl come through them niggers more pluckily. But then, save your eoul, it's build, not pluck, that tells in a bußh." She turned to him eagerly. " But, Mr Foster, I have build, haven't I? Look at xny limbs j they're strong and hardy, I'm quite sure. And I've plenty of muscle, too," and she fingered her arm critically. "You'll do pretty well," he nodded, approvingly ; " but then you can see from last night " "Oh," Bhe broke in, "I've been co ashamed of that; But then, you see, that wasn't quite a fair test, for we hadn't had proper food. But I was bo angry with myßelf, and " "Angry," he interrupted. "Bless you, no. Now I don't consider that little affair anything. It really don't count. The fact was, we were all as near knocking under as possible, and I'll go bail we wouldn't; ha' got another half-mile on our stumps. No. i was mightily glad when jou fell, if you'll . excuße my saying it in that way," he said apologetically. "I'm glad you don't think I was very weak," she replied ; then she hesitated and went on with a display of embarrassment, and .in a: lower tone. "You know, Mr' Foster, I don'fc want—" But here casting a side glance at Palliser, she thought she discerned on his face c deliberate smile,

and broke off abruptly, turning away with a little sweep of her skirts. Their weary march waa renewed, and hour by hour they dragged themselves along without change, or the hope of change. At midday they had been for thirty hours without sustaining food, and the long exertions were telling upon their appearances. There was a thin and haggard look in the faces, and though they still moved stoutly their progress had become slower. About this time Pallieer had grown desperate of coming upon the track. Their course must have been diverted by some accident into the recesses ot! the forest, else they must long since have reached their destination. For some little time past it had seemed to him that their route had lain uphill. There were small gullies and ravines, and bottoms in the path, but on the whole he was inclined to think they were mounting a slow ascent. When they halted at noon, it seemed Unlikely that they would go further that day, so exhausted were they all. A long pause ensued; some slept, while others sat wearily against the trunks of trees in apparent unconcern of life. On all had fallen the shadow of their probable fate, and none but felt indisposed for talk, hugging to himself his own sombre reflections. Foster, it is true, endeavoured to disarrange this ordered quiet; but his remarks met with so ungracious a reception, that he, too, was fain to grow quiet and thoughtful. The peace, as it were, of the grave, held the bush, and all but those warring human souls. But presently Fc>3ter, knocking the earth from bis boots, began to whistle softly. It was an idle, unconscious whistle, and its desultoriness grated on the austerity of Palliser's mood. " For pity's sake, drop it," he said, irritably. "We know our fate without a premature funeral service/ Foster stopped ; unawares, he had been whistling hia old tune, "Down Among the Dead Men." "Tea, that was very foolish of me," he assented, with his imperishable good humour. "I ought to whistle something with ' hallelujah' in it," he suggested, cheerfully. " Ob, whistle what you like," said the other, now ashamed of his impatient illhumour. But Foster made no answer, and once more they were sunk in silence. A.t last Palliser rose, and called Matuku to him, seeing whom in consultation, Foster joined then. " I want," said the leader abruptly, "to find out if this is the base of- a mountain we're on. My calculation as to direction is this ; we've been going as nearly as I can make out East north-east since we left the ravine. 2?ow where are we ? Of course we should be on that infernal track, but I warned yon the bush waa hell. Matuku says he'll swarm a tree and see what we've struck here." But Maluku's arduous climb brought no comfort, for it brought no understanding. As far as he had been able to discover, they were crossing a slight spur, but the higher ground immediately in front barred his view, nor could he discern any familiar point in the restricted landscape. They were emerging put of a hollow, but whether upon a tableland ot upon a mountain was not settled by the observation. " I think," said Foster, " I • could do better at it than the nigger." " Very well," said Palliser. '•" Up you go-" Foster shook his head. " This here's a big thing, and I'm going to take my time over it. I ain't going to be fetched up by Borne mountain blocking the way. I'm going to chooße my tree." " Then take your gun with you, in case you should Bee something above ' a spider. I, too, shall go out before it is too late.'* Poster made hia way through the buah down a short deep gully, and mounted a ridge beyond, toward what he thought the likeliest spot for an unimpeded view. He climbed a tall rimu, but found the prospect dark with frowning cliffs, towards the face of which hia feet were turned. Hastening, he reached this coign, and began a tedious and difficult ascent of the precipice. He was weaker than he had fancied, and the muscles quivered in his fingers as they clutched the rock edgeß; half-a-dozen times he rested and looked down at the dwindling foliage, but at last he had scaled the height, and sitting down upon the ledge, waited to recover breath. The view that met hifl eye was curiously unfamiliar. Sunk in the dark bush, he had not dreamed of such an outward presentment. From bis point of vantage thirty feet above the upper level of the pines, he could see the surface of the forest as the rolling bosom of a bay. Westward and southward, as far as the eye could reach, it ran in dark green undulations, rising and falling and rising again, without break or colour, till it was blurred upon the horizon. Bough and irregular, misshapen and distorted as it was at his feet, distance softened and unified it, so that the general appearance was that of a vivid homogeneous carpet stretching to the sky interminably. It was about the middle of the afternoon, and the sun hung in the We3t, dazzling the weak eyes of one so long in idarkness. Far off under his orb stood in a white light faint tumbled hills, which Foster took to hold the gorge in which they had escaped the Ngatiawas. Where then waa the track? He turned from the cliff side toward the North. The buah flooded over the rolling westward and broke irregularly . upon the base of a mountain, immediately before him. The cliff on which he stood and from which the black . bush sloped slowly over a long chine into the sky, might well | be on a southern spur of this mountain ; but its peak was invisible, as was its shape and its projection. To the East his view .was barred by email outlying ranges. Upon the limit to the Northwest were some elevations which he calculated must mark the forest of Te Taaru. Satisfied at least to have the directions hy heart, Foster descended into the lower bush and made for the halting-place. He had had no use for his gun. When Foster had left, Palliser and Matuku set out upon a long and determined expedition for food. Before departing, Palliser approached Mies Caryll to acquaint her with his intentions; but, finding her lying upon the ground with closed eyes, he thought her asleep and did not disturb her. Instead, he left his brandy flask with Aotea, with orders to administer it to the girl when she awoke. Then Matuku and he struck into the bush. For the Bpace of three hours they were upon this quest, and at the end, wearied and exhausted, were with empty hands. Starvation now stared them in the face, for they were all too far gone for a further effort ; unless food were found before morning they must dispose themselves for this ugly fate. With Buch considerations in his mind, Palliser, with his companion, drew into the camp, and flung himself upon the ground in very weariness. As he did bo, Foster came up excitedly. "ForGod'B sake," he said, "come and make out what Aotea's eayinpr. I don't know, but its something about Miss Caryll. Where ie she P" Palliser rose and went forward. "What is this tale, 0 daughter?" He asked. "What has befallen the pakeha girl who was left in your charge in the camp ?" " How do I know ?" returned Aotea. " I am very faint and sick. Have I not been telling the tale to the black pakeha here ? I was asleep, and I awoke, and the pakeha girl was awake also. So I gave her the' brandy as you bid me. - She refused at first,' and said what I could not understand, shaking her head. But she refused; that

was certain. And I said Parihera had ordered it, and she laughod a little, and at last she took it. She drank it making a grimace. And then feeling hungry I ran into the bushes to search for kanini berries ; and I could not find any kanini berries. But when I came back behold there waß no pakeha girl, and I called to her, but there was no answer, only the answer of the bush. And I sat down and waited, for I wa3 hungry and I was very faint and sick. And I Baid Farihera will bring back some food, and lo ! there is nothing." "How long is this ago ?" asked Palliser. " How can I say when there is no eun. I •; is half way between the time of your going out and the time of your return." Palliser turned to Poster, frowning. " She's gone into the bush," he said, shortly. " Good Heaven !" cried Foster. " It's starvation. Confound the black bush! Poor little gel, her witß are gone. Curee the black bush!" " She must have been gone a couple of hours now, so that as she's not back she must be lost. I doubt whether she had strength enough for more than half an hour in the tangle. We must separate," he said, abruptly. " Strike upwards, Foster. She wouldn't go back, probably. Matuku can go down to the left, and I'll take the middle track." Swiftly the arrangements were made, and the three worn men tramped off through the brake once more. Their courses lay at a parallel for the first hundred yards, and they called to each other for directions at intervals, but presently the paths diverged, and they drifted apart. Matuku slipped stealthily into a flat below a gully, calling in his deep bass voice, while Foster suddenly took to his heels, and Palliser heard him crashing through the undergrowth shouting hoarsely as he ran. Presently the sounds of the two died off, and he found himself puohing quietly over a small slope, stopping to coo-ec loudly at every ten yards. {This Story icill be continued in our issue of Saturday next.)