PART VI.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8375, 22 July 1905, Page 4

PART VI.

A DUEL,

llutherford was not long in enjoyment of his new double felicity before being called on to pay the penalties of suecassful love. In a word, lie had aroused the envy of a former lover of his youngest wife. This was a little, Native called Orakaki, of a malevolent turn of mind. By him the whit© man was promptly challenged to a duel by way of utu, or revenge, for the loss of his ladylove. In vain Rutherford tried to get out of the encounter. The chiefs and tohungas seemed to think it was quite the correct thing, under the circumstances, and, moreover, tho fair Bpecka herself urged her husband to vanquish the diminutive challenger, for whom she expressed the profoundest contempt.

Finally they met, the weapons being blunted spears. Rutherford's armour consisted of his flax mat and a pair of long, leather sea-boots, reaching to the thigh, given him by Watson at Cook Strait. Unfortunately for liim, his success in love was not borne out by the chance of war. In vain did he endeavour to spit the small but active Orakaki. At last the latter feinted to run away, and turning suddenly on the Englishman got in a tremendous thrust on Rutherford's, left knee-cap, which, in spite of his leather thighboot, brought him* to the ground completely 'disabled. The affair was at once stepped, and the defeated bridegroom borne back to his whare by his two wives, after which he spent the principal part of his honeymoon on crutches. His wounded leg stiffened, giving him a permanent? limp. AN EXPEDITION SOIJTH. For the six years following his marriage there are few entries of consequence in Rutherford's journal beyond notes of feasts and shooting or predatory expeditions, involving occasional loss of life Then Amawahi decided on an expedition southward. Provision was accordingly made for the support of some thirty warriors and the usual complement of burden-bear-ers. "I took," says he, "my wife Epeeka with me, and we were attended by about twenty slave- women." The route from Oxnihaki (the village of Amawahi) is hard to follow with any distinctness, but they seem, after much land travelling, to have hit the coast and. to have got canoes from a friendly tribe of Arawas. A couple of months' slow travel was diversified by a skirmish, in which the travellers lost eight men and were for some time in danger of total extinction. Luckily, the chief of Rutherford's associates managed to make terms with his rapidly-assembling enemies, and thereafter the feasting was confined to pigs, potatoes and an occasional slave. Then we find the party arriving on the coast of Cook Strait, at a place called by Rutherford Taranaki, but which is more likely (judging from surround^ ing circumstances) to have been Terawhiti, or thereabouts. There they were received by a powerful chief named Otago, who had come from "the South Cape." By this last, CapeJPailiser, the south-eastern extremity of the North Island, is probably meant. It would appear that Amawahi and Otago had met for the purpose of renewing a former alliance, with a view to a raid against the Ngapuhi, as we shall see later on. Then ensued the usual meeting ceremonies, and several days of enormous feasting — apparently at "the expense of the sea-coast Natives, on whose territory the affair took place.

ANOTHER PAKEHA-MAORI. Here, for the first time sine© the death of Jones, the wanderer met a white man. This was an individual called James Murray, whose story was singularly similap to that of Rutherford. He had been cabin-boy on tne Sontn'Sea trader Bonito, of Sydney, which had put in near Cape Palnser and, sent a boat's crew ashore. After procuring supplies of water and promises of ample wooding facilities, by the payment of a couple of muskets, the incautious whites, at the invitation of the local chief, camped ashoro that night, the ship (a small barque) standing off and on. In tie night five of the six were simultaneously tomahawked, Murray's life being spared on the request of the chief's daughter, who. (as in the case of Rutherford) had taken a violent fancy to the youth. In the morning the Sydney barque sent a second boats crew,

thinking* the others were temporarily deserting. These Murray contrived to save from destruction at the risk of his own life by rushing to the beach holding up the head of the chief mate, which he had snatched from a dryingpolo. Alter going through tho tatooing ceremony and being raised to chieftainship, Murray married the girl who had saved him. It is worth mention thac in this caso the Sydney ship, on tho day following the massacre, brought up off a coast village and iired a six-pounder cannon into the huts, killing eleven Natives. Murray had now been eight years in the country, and had become so completely reconciled to the Native life that ho had resolved never to leave it. He was -twenty-six, nandsorno, and splendidly tattooed. "He told me," says Rutherford, ' ' that he had heard of the capture of our ship (the Agnes), and gave me an account of the death, of Smith and Watson. lin turn related to him ray. story and what I had gone through." From this it appears that. a general, if slow, circulation of news extended amongst the Natives of a fairly accurate and reliable character. Also, that accounts of more or less public events, such as the arrivals of all ships from the first, was faithfully chronicled in the oral traditions, of whioh probably the tohungas were the principal guardians.

A SHIP.

After a stay of six weeks near Terawhiti, Rutherford and Murray, with six Natives, went on a fishing excursion to the eastward. Here he describes a large, land-locked harbour, which no doubt was Welligton. One morning, to Rutherford's great excitement, a large barque was sighted in the strait, beating westward, against a light air and ebb-tide. "We could easily have caught her," he adds, "on tho next board, but Murray would not consent to the attempt. He told me that lie had promised Otago to hold no communication with ships, ' ai;d that, even had ho bee*h willing, the Natives "with us would not have allowed him. And, to my bitter disappointment, £he barque stood on, and was soon hull down."

A TRAFFIC IN HEADS,

The party of Maoris under .Amawahi started homeward soon after Rutherford's return from Wellington Harbour. After a journey of six weeks, mostly along the coast, they arrived at the East Cape, where they met another ally of the chief of Omihaki. This wa«s a well-known leader, whom the sailor calls Bomurry, but whose name was probably Pornare. "Re had with iuin," continues the narrator, "five hundred warriors and several war canoes, in one of which I observed a trunk, having on it the name of Captain Brin, of the Asp, South Seaman. These people had with them a number of muskets, with polished barrels, and kegs of powder* _ns well as great quantities of provisions. They had, it appears, been on a war expedition, and* had plundered and murdered nearly evorv person that lived between the East Cape and the River Thames. This great warrior showed us several of the heads of the chiefs Avhom he had killed on this expedition, and which ho intended to take back to the Bay of Islands, to trade for gunpowder wrtu the wh filers and South Sea traders that touched there. On parting with us they sailed north, in immense canoes, each of which held more than one hundred men, and which were splendidly handled, having lugs made of flax-matting. ■ '" After this we struck inland, as before, and in due course arrived at Omihaki, where I was received by Eshon, my eldest wife, with great joy."

(To be continued.)