CHAPTER XV. A WHITE SLAVE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8315, 13 May 1905, Page 1

CHAPTER XV. A WHITE SLAVE.

Che white prisoner followed his sayconductors across the open glade by a footpath which led through a grove of the same shiny-leaved trees that- had previously attracted his notice, He wondered what they were going to do with him. The chief was not a bad-looking man, but so frightfully tattooed that the captive could not be •ure whether his expression was a smile of- encouragement or a malicious grin In anticipation of some awful death for which he was reserved.

*The old chief led the way; frequently looking round to see if Graham followed, and the nest kept olose behind, determined that he -should not ;. escape. They soon entered, a large garden or field, where a number of men and woH#tt, furnished with strange wooden implements, were 'busily engaged in digging and weeding the orop. The eye» of all were turned on the stranger with; .curiosity. , Most of them were women and slaves, their savage masters made little distinction between the two, and in thfc presence of their chief they dated not .leave the work ; but Graham heard many an exclamation of wonder aa^ passed. ; The soil, of a deep, chocolate hue, was easily worked, and, to judge by the numerous- heaps of- stones piled up on tyery side, was of volcanic origin. In B^ery direction were little mounds, planted with a creeping, broad-leaved vine, the kumara or sweet potato. ' The young doctor was directed to sit cinder a tree at one side of the potato field, while his captors, leaving two gentries to. stand guard over him, disappeared: into a hut at some distance. The^only other building in sight was an open shed between him and this hut, ia Vhich burnt a fire, tended by several women, who appealed to be preparing food. They directed their looks so constantly towards him, that Graham wondered if $hey were taking his measure nnd*arrariging their ovens accordingly. I' A. few yards from where he sat, an iffd man, enveloped in a cloak, squatted in the ground. His face, partially turned from Graham, wa« deeply tatIjpoed, and his hair, decorated with a few feathers, drawn up into a knot on the top of his, head. , The ojd warrior did Bot take the least notice of Graham, vfhd thought he must be asleep. This conjecture was strengthened by the appearance of his partially-averted face, a)id closed eyes, Jaut he could, not understand his. choice, of so exposed a situation, right in the hot sup, when sjtiade' might have been obtained close at hand. "There was a fascination about this immovable . figure " that Graham was at- a loss to explain, until, a gust of wind, suddenly lifting his cloak, he saw, to hi? horror, that ' there Vas nothing beneath, v "What he ' had thought; ■■■.■ 66. be ; ; &...;jnan was only ai severed head, stuck uson/ a stake. had hardly recovered the shock occasioned by this gruesome , discovery, when a thick-set savage walked truculently up to tRe effigy, spat in its face, and harangued it for several minutes with much energy. Oould Graham have understood, he would hardly have been reassured as to his own fate, for the taunting speech ran as follows:

. "Ha, ha! Pairangi! Called after the fair sky. : A man of peace! Thou wouldst have run away, l ,wouldst thou, but my mere (stone club) > overtook th^e?"and shaking the glancing weapon before the sightless eyes, he continued, " None can escape this ; hatfr it Hoi drunk the blood of. ; thousands ? Where are thy legs? Did not my slaves pook - them for me? Where is thy father? He is roasting in an oven. And where thy brother? He is eaten! .Where is thy wife ? Why, in my whare (hu% weaving mats for me, her husfcand. Where are thy children? There fc>hey are, O man of peace! 'my slaves, With loads on- their backs, carrying food for me."

.Concluding, with an insulting gesture, the burly savage walked over to the lirge shed and disappeared within.

, Graham bore the pangs of hunger as beat- lie could, and watched a band of oultiyators who weeded the kumaras with forked sticks; they worked in a vjaty leisurely manner, squatted on their heels. In another pai-t of the plantation, twenty men and women in a. row displayed much energy in breakJug , up ; a piece of ground with long pointed stakes, provided with a projection on which to place the foot. The strokes; given simultaneously, were timed to a quaint song. Beside each wan, and within easy reach,: lay his weapons, ready for instant use, a fact which spoke eloquently of their liability to sudden attack, and showed Graham what an unsettled state the country must be in, when they could not even feel, secure In the cultivation of their fields, in broad daylight. ■ His , reflections were interrupted by I^o jarrival of ; two, women bearing fooa. One had a kind of open basket made from. x tHe broad-leaved flax, lined with green leaves^ and' containing a quanttty of-sinbking-hbt kumaras and taro (an edible root), while the other carried a • mess of fish. She with the potatoes was young and pleasant looking, a great shock of black hair shading her tawny face, but her lips were rather fall and, her pose a trifle broad for Graham's fancy. He got more than one glance from her soft, dark eyes, which made him think that this daughter of Eve, at any rate, was not looking at him with an eye to the pot. ?Che other, a shrivelled old hag, bore the marks of toil and hardship on her wrinkled face; her lips and chin were tattooed a deep blue, the sign of marriage with this primitive people. She Bpnled, not unpleasantly, on seeing How eagerly he devoured the fish and potatoes, whioh he found excellent and cooked to a turn; but in his present famished condition almost any kind of fpod would have been- , welcome. .. The younger woman, brought some water in a calabash, and when he had quite satisfied his hanger and thirst one of the sentries walked over to tVe large shed to inform those within of the fact, and, returning in a few minutes, made sign for him to fol-

low.

"They eannot> mean miK)hief, thought the yq^ntgnian, as he walked between his two guards, ■'■' or I should riot have been m^fced to eat." He did not know the Maori customs. •The iraildihg to which they led him if as about twenty feet long by twelve broad, with a high roof sloping from a ridge-pole in the centre, wide-pro-jeoting eaves, and low" -walls, which gave the structure a sq(uat appearance. U!n» roof and sides ytexe thatched naih

bulrushes, and the front gable decorated with grotesque figures carved inwood. They entered through a low door at j one end, and found within a dozen warriors squatting on their hern's. At the further end, on a rude kind of couch, reclined a ' white-haired old j chief, whom Graham thought tho finest an- most venerable man he had ever set' eyes upon. Notwithstanding his advanced year? he appeared tall, strong and upright. There was a thoughtful seriousness in his face and a solemn gravity in his demeanour, that distinguished him from all around and at once commanded the Englishman's respect. His face was so covered tattooing, worked into \beautiful scrolls and broad curve?, that it was impossible, by an examination of 'his., countenance to determine his age. In ms case the tattooing not only gave an expression of directness, but a certain barbarous dignity, as of one accustomed to command obedience. After a time Graham observed, what had a>. first escaped his notice, that the cnief was blind, or nearly so. This was the famous warrior, Hauraki, paramount chief of the Kaipara tribe; victor' in a hundred fights, and, wwe his sight was unimpaired, the scouige of all the surrounding tribes. Even now the terror of his name was so great that few dared afctaok the" old lion in his stronghold. Immediately benind Hauraki sat two women — his wife, old and bowed with years, but still retaining a rugged kind of beauty, &nd his daugnter, a young girl of about twenty, , with a lovely oval face. Both were fairer i~an any of the Maoris hitherto seen ,by Graham. He had already noticed tuat the shade of colour varied a good deal, some being .quite dark, though wie majority were of an olive complexion; but these two were so fair that he could see the coloar mantling in their cheeks, while the girl was so decidedly handsome that the young man could not keep hre eyes off her. Hauraki asked a, few questions* of Te Puia, the grizzled old chief who had effected Graham's capture. His j language, consisting principally of J vowels, sounded softer in the European's ears than his own It seemed to Graham the language of a lazy race, averse to much exertion, even in their speech. Te Puia, by ,a few clever signs, askea Graham whence he came, to which the prisoner replied by gestures, indicating the sea and swimming ashore, signs that were apparently understood by those present. . ..'■.' * A long conversation ensued between juauraki and Te Puia, ending in quite a heated argument. As far as Graham could make out . from their looks and gestures; Te Puia was for keeping him prisoner,/ while the blind old chief counselled putting him to death; and when the rival . chief appealed to the otuers the majority sided with the elder. ' His conclusions were very accurate. The majority demanded the stranger's death. .Had he not desecrated the sacred karaka. grove by gathering and eating the berries, which were tapu (prohibited)? Nothing but death could atone for such an outrage. But Te Puia and his party contended that it would be unjust to award so severe a, ' punishment -for a crime committed itfignorance. . • . . | Graham s.tood erect, and tried to maintains an ■unconcerned demeanour, although he knew the question under discussion was one of life or death for him. In spite of his critical situation his gaze frequently wandered to the two women, who differed so much from the others in appearance that ..' he thought they must have sprung, from another race. He occasionally encountered .in the soft, dark eyes of the younger an expression of mingled wonder and compassion as if her gentler nature could not bear to contemplate the horrible fate which her people designed for him. . " I wonder if she could intercede for me?" thought Graham. When next the beautiful maiden raised her eyes, he ventured to throw an appealing look across. She evidently saw and understood, for the colour mounted in her cheek as she bent down and whispered eagerly to her mother. The old dame made a curt reply, and, when the request was repeated, shook her head and glanced significantly towards Hauraki.

Graham watched the maiden interoeding on his behalf with breathless, interest, for he know that his life now hung by a thread. At this moment two athletic Maoris advanced towards him with flax cords in their hands, and a tall? gaunt warrior, with a head like a mummy, so tight was the yellow, tattooed skin drawn over the angles of his face, picked up a heavy club and balanced it dexterously in his hand. Graham, observant of these hostile demonstrations, gradually backed towards the door. He did not intend to be led like an ox to the slaughter. He would make a good fight for it and die game. Pretending to stoop down and examine his wounded feet, he braced himself for resistance, and did not notice the young girl bend forward and speak to old Hauraki himself. Her soft, musical voice acted on the grim old warrior like a charm, and his determined expression relaxed into" a smile. The maiden spoke rapidly and earnestly for 'a few moments. Hauraki was apparently disposed to comply with her request, but the colloquy was interrupted by the prisoner, who made a sudden dart for the door. Tkis was guarded by Bokino, the thick-set savage whom Graham had seen haranguing the trtinkless effigy outside. Placing one foot behind the Maori's heels, the dalesman threw him backwards with a violent jerk and escaped. The whole manoeuvre occupied but a moment. Outside, he snatched a short spear that leant 'against the doorway, and, rushing to a tree, faced his enemies with his back to the trunk. He made no. attempt to further flight, knowing that such would be useless, "but preferred dying with a weapon in his hands to being bound and perhaps killed by torture. Instantly^ all was confusion in the hut. The captive' 8 escape had been so sudden as to take the Maoris by surprise. Shouting to those in the kumara fields to stop the fugitive, they rufehed after him, 1 but halted .abruptly when the tall, athletic Englishman turned fiercely at bay.

Five of the younger warriors began their war-dance, and approached Graham warily. The rest, including the late occupants of the hut and the lar bonrers outside, "formed a circle round the tree, their faces gleaming in anticipation of the savage scene about to be enacted, and, as all were armed, escape for Graham was impossible. The five savages worked themselves into a frenzy in the ' orthodox Maori fashion, thinking, no doubt, to strike terror into their victim before clubbing him to death; but at this critical m'o4 ment Graham advanced a step from the tree and held m> his- band. Forgetting,

in his excitement, that they oould not understand a word, he shouted out in English: . "Hauraki! I thought you Maoris were brave warriors, and fought fair, man to man. What do you call five to one?"

His strange speech and wild gesticulations arrested tho attention- of all, while the mention of Hauraki's name caused them to look towards him for guidance. The old chief said something in reply, which, of course, Graham did not understand; but, taking advantage of the paijs, he raised his hand, and, touching each finger, pointed to the five opponents ; then, holding up one, he pointed to himself. This ; was understood, and told to the old chief by his daughter, Hirawani. After a word or two, Hauraki nodded his and issued a short command, in obedience to which four of Graham's opponents retired, leaving only the burly Rokino. This new arrangement was hailed with a yell of delight. The sport of seeing 4 man fight for his life might thus be prolonged, and when the onlookers saw that Rokino was to be their champion, they were in no, doubt as to the result, for he was their most famous young warrior — a great toa (brave).

Graham came from under the tree and faced his antagonist, a thick-set savage, with strong, bull neck, deep chest, and well-developni muscles,, bin low the middle height, but so immensely broad as to look shorter than «he re&lly was. His face was dark, even fo- a Maori, with coarse thick lips, the upper protruding in a. remarkable manner beyond his. wide flat nose. - He was aimed with a beautiful greenstone mere, or flat club, about eighteen inches long, cut from one solid piece of stone.

This mere was a famous tribal heirloom, and was held in such esteem that its possessor was dfeemed invincible. Tho stone, of a rich clouded green, and semi-transparent, was so hard that years of labour had been required to fashion and polish it, and one blow vith it had been known to split a man's head open from crown to chin. The burly ruffian into whose possession had passed this coveted weapon, had already enhanced its fame by many a doughty deed. He now stood twirling the ponderous club in his nervous grasp as if it were a feather, and smiled contemptuously in anticipation of the easy victory which lay before him, and boasted to his comrades of the utu (revenge) he would take for tihe irdignity suffered at the pakeha's (vhite stranger) hands.

Graham's short spear was hardly a match for the king of Maori weapons. Still, the young Englishman, finding the timber stout and tough, never doubted the issue — was he not the best swordsman in Cumberland ?

Rokino, having eyed his tall antagonist for a moment, rushed straight on him, uttering a piercing yell and brandishing the glancing mere above his head, and Graham stood on his guard to, ward off a swinging blow ; but, when the Maori came within reach he suddenly altered liis tactics, and thiust the mere directly at Graham's temple. Nothing but the dalesman's wonderful quickness of eye prevented his being brained on the spot, ; and though he turned aside the weapon, it grazed his forehead, causing him to a-eel for a moment, while he fancied he heard a woman's scream.

The same cunning stroke was tried two or three times in succession, but now that the Englishman knew what ti expect, he had no difficulty in warding it off. This made Rokiuo furious. Ri shing in again, he aimed a blow at Giaharn which, had it taken < effect, zctvsh have split his head open. . But, with a deft movement, Graham averted the terrible mere and dashed the butt of his spear into Rokino's face before he had time to recover himself. Blind and mad with rage, Rokino rvshed at his adversary, whirling his mere like a windmill ; but Graham had iiov-- taken his measure. Avoiding the ill-directed blows with little difficulty, hs transfixed Rokino through the nwscles of the right arm, and caused the mere to drop from his nerveless fiigers. This placed the Maori hors-dt-combat. He turned a ghastly hue, and sullenly awaited the death-stroke; but Graham had no desire to rouse the angry resentment of the savages standing round.

He picked up the mere and handed it back tq his adversary.

This chivalrous act was greeted with a murmur of applause from the chiefs, but Itokino slunk away, his black heart filled with revenge, and in after days, the Englishman had bitter canse to repent his clemency.

Almost before Grahani had time to recover his breath another Maori champion stepped forward. Totara (the lofty pine) quite equalled the Englishman in height, buf had the advantage in lightness and activity. He was armed with the hani, a two-edged sword, made of hard wood, and in the very first round Graham received a vound on the shoulder, which elicited a shout of approval from the onlookerSj while it spurred him to more rapid action. Dashing aside the hani, he shuck Totara to the earth with a heavy blow on the chest, and placing his foot on the prostrate Maori, he poised his spear; but again withheld his hand. A' second time was his clemency misplaced. No sooner had he turned aiyay than the treacherous Tctara sprang up, and brandishing his hani rushed after the too confiding Englishman.

Again raiTg out a woman's warning scream, and he faced round barely in time t6 avoid a sweeping blow from the two-edged sword, which whistled within an moh of his ear. The savage, however, did not follow up the attack; he turned and fled. The result of the fighting, so far, had not' turned out as had been expected. While many of the chiefs, with whom Rokino was no favourite, were not altogether displeased at his discomfiture, the younger warriors thought only of the insult to their tripe, and called loudly for revenge. After such an exhibition of prowess, none dared meet Graham in single combat. A man who, armed only witfh a short spear,, could overcome the herculean Rokino and his invincible mere, must be possessed of a demon, which made him more than a match/ for any single antagonist. Several, therefore, advanced together, bent on his destruction. - -

Noting their revengeful purpose, Graham retreated to his tree, and braced himself for the final struggle. He. felt that hiß hour had come,' and,' clenching his teeth, met them with so dauntless a front that the boldest paused. Standing thus, with his eyes fixed warily on his foes, he saw a figure break through the crowd and run towards him. It was Hirawani, the chiefs daughter. Forcing her way between him and his opponents, she motioned them to retire,, at the same

time calling out that Hauraki had given her the white stranger tor a slave, and she would not have mm injured. , , . A A scene of wild confusion followed. The savages tried to pass Hirawani i and slay the pakeha, while she called on her father to interfere, and when they tried to drag her away she threw ncr arms round Graham's neck and clung desperately to him, in spite of ail tneir efforts. „ „ At this crisis, Te Puia's ™l> ra t in ,S voice was heard above the tumult, Diading them leave the captive alona, on pain of instant death. Seconding His words with many a sounding blow, he at length succeeded in dispersing the angry mob. who only gave up ( l;ii elr prey with sullen reluctance. lnen, calling Hirawani's mother, Toana, he advised that the pakeha, to whom he had taken a fancy, should be removed out of sight.