"I thought that you and my father would never leave off talking last night," said Erena, as she came [Pg 214] into the hall, looking as fresh as the morn, which she not inappropriately typified. "You did not disturb me, for I slept soundly for hours, and when I awoke, thinking it was near morning, I heard your voices, or rather my father's."
"I am not certain that I should have gone to bed at all if he had not suggested it," said Massinger. "I never had such a glorious night."
"I am glad to hear you say so. It is such a treat to him to have a visit from any one who knows about books and the world, that he cannot find it in his heart to leave off. When Mr. Waterton pays us a visit, they talk all day and all night nearly."
"What is that you're saying?" called out the man referred to from the garden. "Who is taking away my character? I have no better answer than a paraphrase10 of Charles Lamb's: 'If I go to bed late, I always get up early.' There will be plenty of time to sleep when there is nothing better to do; that is, if Te Rangitake and his Waikato friends will let us enjoy ourselves in our own way, which I begin to doubt. In the mean time, let us take short views of life. So you two young people are going to look at the pah?"
"With your permission. I should like to examine it well. The knowledge may come in useful by-and-by. Who knows? When was the last attack made upon it?"
"Twice in Heke's war, more than twenty years ago. I was younger then, and had the honour of being one of the defence force. We beat off the besiegers with loss."
"I suppose firearms were used?"
[Pg 215]
"Certainly. Every tribe was well provided at that time. They bought them dearly, too, as the chiefs compelled them to work so fearfully hard at the flax-dressing—Phormium tenax being the purchase-money for muskets11—that many died of the unhealthy conditions, marshy12 levels, and crowded whares in which they lived. However, there was nothing else for it. The tribe which first became armed proceeded at once to crush its nearest neighbour or enemy, as the case might be."
"So it was a case of life and death?"
"Nothing short of it," said Mannering. "The first use which Hongi Ika made of his civilizing13 visit to England, where he 'stood before kings,' was to grasp the immense significance of the gunpowder14 invention, and make bad resolutions, to be carried out when he should return to his own country. With characteristic Maori reticence15, he kept his own counsel when staying with the worthy16 pioneer missionary17, Marsden, at his house in Parramatta, where Admiral King often met him, and was much struck with his dignified18 and aristocratic carriage. By the way, it was the admiral's father, Governor King, who took the trouble to return to their own country two deported19 Maoris from Norfolk Island, where they were languishing20 in exile, having been carried there with some idea of teaching the art of flax-dressing. This, of course, they could not do."
"Why? Did they not know?"
"Of course not. They were chiefs, and as such incapable22 of menial labour."
The weather being favourable23 to the expedition to the pah, Roland Massinger and his fair guide set [Pg 216] out with that sanguine24 expectation of pleasure which the exploration of the unknown in congenial company excites in early youth. The path lay across the cultivated plots of the tribe, where he noticed the neatness and freedom from weeds which everywhere prevailed. The plantations25 were chiefly on an alluvial26 flat, through which a creek27 ran its winding28 course. It had been swollen29 by recent rains, so, encountering a small party of women and children carrying baskets, Erena inquired in the vernacular30 as to the best place to cross. A pleasant-looking woman asked, apparently31, who the pakeha was, and after receiving Erena's reply, in which Massinger detected the word "rangatira," laughed as she made a jesting reply, and volunteered to guide them. This she did by leading the way to the side of a boundary fence; from this she extemporized32 a bridge, which, though narrow, answered the purpose. The pakeha gave a shilling to a bright-eyed elf running beside her, the sudden lighting33 up of whose face told that the value of coin of the realm was not unknown even in this Arcadian spot.
"What did the woman say?" he asked, as they went on their way towards the steep ascent34.
The girl's eyes sparkled with merriment, as she replied—
"She wished to know who you were, and when I said a pakeha rangatira, her reply was, 'Oh, quite true; he looks like one.' They are keen observers, you see, and very conservative. It would astonish you to see how quickly they find out the different rank and standing35 of the white people they meet."
"They have no modern craze for equality or socialistic rule?"
[Pg 217]
"None whatever. A chief is born to his exalted36 rank, which is undisputed. At the same time, he must keep up to a certain standard in war or peace, otherwise his mana, his general reputation and influence, would suffer."
"And a slave?" inquired he.
"Oh, a slave is forced to work at the pleasure of his owner, and may be killed for any reason or none at all. So also the common people of the tribe must obey the chiefs, more particularly in war, though, like those of other nations, they can make their voices heard at critical times."
"And the women?" queried37 Massinger.
"Oh, the women!" said Erena, while a graver expression overspread her face. "I am afraid that they have to work hard, and are not so much considered as they might be. They do most of the cultivation38, mat-making, cooking, and general household duties, particularly when grown old. The younger ones have a better time of it."
"So they have everywhere. It is the prerogative39 of the sex. It only shows that human nature is much the same everywhere, and that all societies differ less in the essentials of life than is generally supposed."
Having skirted the river-shore, a part of which was of the nature of quicksand, and so needed a guide to the manner born, they began to ascend40 the slope of the volcanic41 hill, which, as throughout the North Island, had been selected for the tribal42 castrum. After a lengthened climb, which would have tested the powers of less practised pedestrians43, they stood upon the wind-swept summit, artificially levelled, and [Pg 218] through the heavy sliding gates entered the ancient fortress44. Before doing so they had to cross trenches45, to scale embankments, and had time to note the various strategic preparations which, though crumbling46 or partially47 dismantled48, exhibited the skill with which they had been constructed. The water-supply, as in most of the "castles" of the period, was the weak point, the besieged49 having to steal out in the night at the peril50 of their lives to procure51 the indispensable element.
"What a glorious view!" exclaimed he, as, side by side, they looked on the wide expanse of land and sea which lay beneath and around them—the broad estuary52, the broken and fantastic outlines of the mountain range beyond the river-bank.
The surf was breaking on the bar between the heads of the Hokianga, while southward lay the valley, studded with the whares of the kainga and the garden-like plots of the kumera fields. Almost unchanged was the scene since the rude warrior53, standing on stages behind these palisades, launched his spear at the foe54, or, wounded in the assault, looked his last upon mountain and valley, sea and shore, but died shouting defiance55.
"What a strange thing is this life of ours!" said Massinger, musingly56. "It is less than a year since I was living contentedly57 in an English county, on an estate which my forefathers58 had held for centuries. I had then no more idea of quitting England than I have of setting out for the planet Mars."
"And do you not regret the leaving such a paradise as England is said to be, when one is born to wealth and honour?"
"I cannot say that I do. So far from it, that I [Pg 219] consider I have made a distinct advance in knowledge and development. My life then was narrow and monotonous59, leading to nothing save contentment with a round of provincial60 duties."
"But travel, high companionship, ambition, the Parliament of England,—noble-sounding words! What boundless61 fields of enjoyment62 and exertion63! Were not these enough to fill your heart?"
"Possibly. But all suddenly my life lost its savour; hope died, ambition vanished; existence revealed itself merely as a pilgrimage through a desert waste, haunted by lost illusions, and strewed64 with withered65 garlands. For a while I thought to end it, but a convalescent stage succeeded. I arranged my affairs and sold my place, resolved to seek a cure for my soul's unrest beyond the narrow bounds of Britain."
"Sold your ancestral home! How could you do such a thing? And what possible reason could you have had for such a mad step, as I have no doubt your friends called it?"
"That was the exact word they used. But I had made my choice. All things habitual66 and familiar had become distasteful—finally insupportable. I chose this colony as the most distant and interesting of England's possessions; and here I am, an exile and a wanderer in a new world, but"—turning to Erena—"honoured with the friendship of the best of guides and most charming of comrades."
She heard almost as one not hearing; then, suddenly fixing her eyes, bright with sudden fire, upon his countenance67, said—
"May I be told the reason of this breaking away from all you held dear? You said I was a comrade, [Pg 220] and, believe me, no man ever had a truer. Was it a——"
"A woman? Of course it was a woman. When is man's life eternally blessed or cursed except by a woman? When is he hindered, injured, ruined, and undone68 by any event that has not a woman in it?"
"And she was beautiful, clever, high-born?"
"All that and more; I had never met with her equal. She was an acknowledged queen of society. She had but one fault."
"She did not love you?" said the girl, hastily, while her tones vibrated with suppressed excitement.
"Not sufficiently69 to link her fate with mine for the journey from which there is no retreat. She admitted approval, liking70, respect—words by which women disguise indifference71; but she believed that she had a mission in life, a call from heaven to go forth72 to the poor and afflicted73, to elevate the race—a sacred task, for which marriage would unfit her."
"You pakehas are strange people," she said musingly. "And so she would not be happy because she desired to teach, to help the poor, the common people! And if she failed?"
"She would have wasted her own life, and ruined that of another."
"Life is often like that, so the books say—even the Bible. 'Vanity of vanities!' Either people do not get what they want, or find that it is not what they hoped for. Yet I suppose some people are happy—generally those who know the least. Listen to that girl singing. She is, if any one ever was."
They had been descending74 the hill, when at an angle of the narrow path they came upon a young [Pg 221] native woman, sitting at the door of a cottage which bore traces of European construction. A child stood at her knee, while she was busied about her simple task of needlework. The midday sun had warmed, not oppressed, the atmosphere, and there was an air of sensuous75, natural enjoyment about her air and appearance as she looked over the river meadows where the tribe was employed. Her face lighted up with a smile of recognition as she saw Erena and her companion.
"Good morning, Hira. Where is Henare? You are all alone here?"
"Oh, he is at some road-work," she answered cheerfully, "but he always comes home at night. He gets good wages from the contractor76."
"What a nice cottage you have!—weather-boarded, too. Who built it?"
"Oh, Henare and another half-caste chap sawed the boards and put it up. He likes living here better than in the kainga, and so do I. We can go down there when we want to."
"Good-bye, then. I have been showing this pakeha gentleman the pah.—Now, those people are just sufficiently educated to be happy and contented," said Erena. "He is a steady, hard-working fellow, and, as roads are beginning to be made, he is able from his pay to build a cottage and live comfortably."
"Education is a problem. If it leads people to think correctly on the great questions of life, it is—it must be—an advantage; but if, through anything in their condition, it produces envy and discontent, it is an evil, with which the nations have to reckon in the future."
[Pg 222]
"I sometimes wish I had not been educated myself," she said with a sigh. "I seem to have all manner of tastes and hopes most unlikely to be realized. Whereas——"
And just at that moment the lilt of the girl on the hillside came down to them, joyous77 with the magic tones of youthful love and hope. It furnished an answer to her questioning of fate, immediately apparent to both.
"Do not doubt for an instant!" exclaimed Massinger, touched to the heart by the girl's saddened look, and realizing the justice of her complaint. "You were never born for such a life. Nature has gifted you with the qualities which women have longed for in all ages. Your day will come—a day of appreciation78, fortune, happiness. Who can doubt it that looks on you, that knows you as I do?"
In despite of her boding79 fears and the melancholy80 which so often depressed81 her, she was not proof against this confident prediction. Her youth's hey-day and nature's joyous anticipation82 protested alike against a passing despondency.
"It may be as you say. Let me hope so. Do not the bright sun, the blue sky, the dancing waves, all speak of happiness? And yet, and yet——But here comes your schooner83, rounding the point. Our time of friendship is over. I wonder when we shall meet again?"
"When indeed?" thought her companion. But, determined84 in his heart that this should not be his last interview with this fascinating creature, so subtly compounded of the classic beauties of the wood-nymph [Pg 223] and the refinements85 of modern culture, he answered confidently—
"Before the year is out, surely. This war, if so it may be called, must only be a matter of months, perhaps weeks. The tribes, after a skirmish or two, can never be mad enough to defy the power of England. I must make a Christmas visit to Hokianga, if indeed we do not meet in Auckland before the spring is over, at the ratification86 of peace. There are sure to be festivities to celebrate the event, and you must dance with me at the Government House ball."
"Without shoes and stockings?" she said laughingly—"though I dare say I could manage them and the other articles. But we must not deceive ourselves. Months, even years, may not see the end of the war. May we both be living then, and may you be happy, whatever may be the fate of poor Erena!"
That trim little craft, the Pippi, tight and seaworthy, was anchored near the wharf87 when they returned. Certain cargo88, chiefly kauri gum and potatoes, had to be taken in, and the passengers were informed that towards sundown her voyage would be resumed. No time was lost, therefore, after lunch in sending their luggage on board, strictly89 limited as it had been to the requirements of the march. Warwick, who as paymaster had been giving gratuities90 to the native attendants who had come on from Rotorua, reported that they were more than satisfied, and would not forget the liberality of the pakeha. They would take the chance of returning to their hapu, where they had first been met with.
[Pg 224]
"It is as well to leave friends behind us," he said. "There will be all kinds of bush-fighting for volunteers such as you and I may be, and native allies often give warning when white ones would be useless. They may counteract91 that scoundrel Ngarara, who will do us a bad turn yet if he can."
"By the way, what became of him at Rotorua?"
"Oh, he cleared out. The kainga became too hot to hold him after the chief's dismissal. He will join some party of outlaws92. They will be common enough when real business begins."
The chief walked up with Mannering from the kainga, and joined the party at lunch in order to say farewell. Massinger was much impressed with the calm dignity and courteous93 manner of this antipodean noble. Apparently unconscious of any incongruity94 between his national surroundings and those of his entertainers, he might have posed as a British kinglet during a truce95 between the Iceni and the world's masters.
"A friend of mine dined with the Reverend Mr. Marsden at Parramatta in 1814," said the host, "where he met Hongi Ika with his nephew Ruatara. That historical personage had recently returned from England, where he had been, if not the guest of a king, favoured with an audience, and in other ways enjoyed social advantages. My friend said none of the swells96 of the day could have conducted themselves with greater propriety97 or shown a more impassive manner."
"All the time Hongi had blood in his heart. He deceived the good Mikonaree," said the chief. "His thought was to destroy Hinaki and his tribe, the [Pg 225] Ngatimaru, as soon as he could buy muskets. Yet he did not take Hinaki by surprise, for he told him to prepare for war, even in Sydney. Then Totara fell, and a thousand Ngatimaru were killed. But the times are changed. The Queen is now our Ariki; for her we will fight, even if the Waikato tribes join Te Rangitake. The Ngapuhi and the Rarawa have taught the Waikato some lessons before. They may do so again."
With a fair wind, light but sufficient to fill the sails of the Pippi, they swept down the river, which, increasing in volume near the heads, showed an estuary more than two miles in width. Not far from where the breakers proclaimed the presence of a bar, and opposite a point of land historically famous for tribal orgies, stood the ancient settlement of Waihononi. A substantial pier98, available for reasonably large crafts, also a store and hotel, showed the proverbial enterprise of the roving Englishman. Fronting the beach stood Mr. Waterton's dwelling99, a handsome two-storied mansion100, surrounded by a garden which, even while passing, Massinger could note was spacious101 and thronged102 with the trees of many lands. An orchard103 on the side nearest the ocean was evidently fruitful, as the vine-trellises and the autumn-tinted leaves of the pears and apples showed. An efficient shelter had thus been provided against the sea-winds and the encroachment104 of the sand-dunes. These had been planted with binding105 grasses, including the valuable "marram" exotic, so wonderful a preventative of drift. Ability to protect as well as to form this outpost was not wanting, as evidenced by the presence of [Pg 226] half a dozen nine-pounders, which showed their noses through the otherwise pacific-appearing garden palisades.
Owing to certain mercantile arrangements, the departure of the Pippi was delayed for a day; a consignment106 of Kauri gum had not arrived. This was too valuable an item of freight to be dispensed107 with; and the Rawene dates of sailing not being so rigidly108 exact as those of the P. and O. and Messageries Maritimes, the detention109 was frankly110 allowed. Time was not of such extreme value on the Hokianga as in some trading ports. Mr. Waterton expressed himself charmed with the opportunity thus afforded of entertaining any friend of Mannering's. Massinger was equally gratified with the happy accident which permitted him to meet another of New Zealand's distinguished111 pioneers. So, general satisfaction being attained—rare as is such a result in this world of accidental meetings and fated wayfarings—a season of unalloyed enjoyment, precious in proportion to its brevity, opened out unexpectedly.
"I should have been awfully112 disgusted," was his reflection, as he found himself inducted into a handsome upper chamber113, from the windows of which he beheld a wide and picturesque114 prospect115, the foaming116 harbour bar, and the aroused ocean billows, "if I had lost this opportunity. The delay in land-travelling might have been serious, but, as the Maoris are not yet a sea-power, a day's passage more or less cannot signify." So, having dressed with whatever improvement of style his limited wardrobe permitted, he allowed the question of the sailing of the Pippi to remain in abeyance117, and joined his host below.
[Pg 227]
Of that most interesting and delightful118 visit, it would be difficult to describe adequately the varied119 pleasures which thronged the waking hours. Lulled120 to sleep by the surges, which ceased not with rhythmic121 resonance122 the long night through; awaking to seek the river-strand, where the white-winged clustering sea-birds hardly regarded him as an intruder; the well-appointed and compendious123 library in which to range at will; the walks; the rides through forest and vale; the fishing expeditions, in one of which Massinger, proud in the triumph of having hooked a thirty-pound schnapper, discerned the snout of a dog-fish uprising from the wave. Then the evenings, prolonged far into the night, with tale and argument, raciest reminiscences of lands and seas from his all-accomplished host—quarum pars124 magna fuit—author, painter, sailor, explorer; such truly Arabian Nights' Entertainments Massinger had never revelled125 in before, and never expected to enjoy again.
Auckland once more! The traveller, though now a confirmed roamer, was, for obvious reasons, by no means grieved to find himself again in the haunts of civilized126 man. He had been interested, instructed, illuminated127, as he told himself, by this sojourn128 in woodlands wild. Face to face with Nature, untrammelled by art, he had seen her children in peace, in love and friendship. He was now, as all things portended129, about to obtain a closer knowledge of them in war—a rare and privileged experience, unknown to the ordinary individual. How grateful should he be for the opportunity!
[Pg 228]
His first care was to possess himself of his letters and papers. There were not many of the former, still fewer of the latter. The county paper gave the usual information, as to poachers fined or imprisoned130, a boy sent to gaol131 for stealing turnips132. The hunting season had been fortunate. More visitors than usual. The riding of Mr. Lexington, son of the new owner of Massinger Court, had been much admired. That gentleman had exhibited judgment133 as well as nerve and horsemanship in (as they were informed) his first season's hunting in England. His shooting, too, was exceptional, and a brilliant career was predicted for him with the North Herefordshire hounds. A few epistles came from club friends and relatives. They were of the sort written more or less as a duty to the expatriated Briton, but which rarely survive the second year. The writers seemed much in doubt as to his locale, and uncertain whether New Zealand was one of the South Sea Islands or part of Australia. They all wished him good luck, and foretold134 future prosperity as a farmer, which was the only successful occupation out there (they were told) except digging for gold, which was agreed to be uncertain, if not dangerous. They concluded with a strong wish that he would come back a quasi-millionaire before he became a confirmed backwoodsman. And he was on no account to marry a "colonial" girl, when there were so many charming, educated damsels at home. This last from a lady cousin, who had with difficulty restrained herself from imparting the last South African news, as being apposite to his situation and circumstances.
These despatches were put down with an impatient [Pg 229] exclamation135, after which he sat gazing from the window of his hotel, which afforded a fine view of the harbour. Then he took up a letter in a hardly feminine hand, which he had placed somewhat apart, as a bonne bouche for the latter end of the collection. This turned out to be from his candid136 and free-spoken friend, Mrs. Merivale, née Branksome—a matter which he had probably divined as soon as he glanced at the rounded characters and decided137 expression of the handwriting.
Opening it with an air of pleasurable expectation, and observing with satisfaction a couple of well-filled sheets, he read as follows:—
"My dear Sir Roland,
"Now that I am safely married and all that, I may make use of your Christian138 name, with the affectionate adjective, I suppose. The adverb in the first line was part of the congratulation of my great-aunt, who evidently thought that any girl with a decent amount of go in her, who did not habitually139 confine herself to phrases out of Mrs. Hannah More's works and read the Young Lady's Companion, was likely to end up with marrying an actor or an artist, whose useful and more or less ornamental140 professions she regarded as being much of a muchness with those of a music or dancing master.
"Well, one of the advantages of my present 'safe' and dignified position is that I can have friends, even if they happen to be young men, and give them advice. This I used to do before, as you know, though as it were under protest. 'This is all very fine,' I can hear you say, 'but why can't she leave off writing about herself, and tell me about—about [Pg 230] —why, of course, Hypatia Tollemache. Is she "safely" married (hateful word!), gone into a sisterhood, started for Northern India to explore the Zenanas, and teach the unwilling141 "lights of the harems" what they can't understand, and wouldn't want if they did?' None of these things have happened as yet, though they are all on the cards. She tried 'slumming' for a time, but her health broke down, and she had a bad time with scarlet142 fever. I made her come and stay with me after she was convalescent, and oh, how deadly white and weak she was!—she that was such a tennis crack, and could walk like a gamekeeper. I tried with delicacy143 and tact144 (for which, you know, I was always famous!) to draw her about your chances—say in five years or so. But she would not rise. Said, 'people were not sent into the world to enjoy themselves selfishly,' or some such bosh; that she had her appointed work, and as long as God gave her strength she would expend145 what poor gifts He had endowed her with, or die at her post; that in contrast with the benefits to thousands of our suffering fellow-creatures which one earnest worker might produce, how small and mean seemed the conventional marriage, with its margin146 narrowed to household cares, a husband and children! Were there not whole continents of our poor, deprived not only of decent food, raiment, lodging147, by the merciless Juggernaut of inherited social injustice148, but of the knowledge which every adult of a civilized community should enjoy without cost? And should any man or woman, to whom God has granted a luxurious149 portion of the blessings150 of life, stand by and refuse aid, the aid of time and personal gifts, to save these perishing [Pg 231] multitudes? When a girl begins to talk in this way, we know how it will end. In the uniform of a hospital nurse; in a premature151 funeral; in marriage with a philanthropist, half fanatic152, half adventurer: what Harry153 calls a 'worm' of some sort—the sort of parasite154 that preys155 upon good-looking or talented women.
"Dear me! as my aunt says, I am getting quite flowery and didactic. Isn't that something in the teaching or preaching line? I forget which. Harry says I am a journalist spoilt. I don't know about that, but I should like to be a war correspondent. I am afraid there is no opening for a young woman in that line yet—a young woman who isn't clever enough to be a governess, loathes156 nursing, would assassinate157 her employer if she was a lady help, but who can walk, ride, drive, play tennis, and shoot fairly. By the way, there's going to be a war in the South Island, isn't it? Couldn't you contrive158 to be badly wounded? and perhaps—only perhaps—she, 'the fair, the chaste159, the inexpressive she,' might come out to nurse you.
"Harry says that's a certain cure for—let me see—indecision, the malady160 of the century as regards young women. I remember being troubled with it myself once. He says I was—whereas now—but I won't inflict161 my happiness upon you.
"What a long letter, to be sure! Never mind the nonsense part of it. That is partly to make you laugh. He advises you, in the elegant language of the day, to 'keep up your pecker,' which he says means nil162 desperandum. I say ditto to Harry, and ask you to believe me, always,
"Your sincere friend,
"Elizabeth Merivale."
[Pg 232]
Massinger put down the letter of his frank and kindly163 correspondent with feelings of a mixed nature, akin9 to pleasure, as evidencing an interest in his welfare not all conventional, but, on the other hand, recalling regrets exquisitely164 painful. These being partially dulled, he had mistakenly concluded that they had no further power to wound. And now, after a comparative cure, when his tastes had been satisfied and his curiosity aroused by the incessant165 marvels166 of a fantastic region, he had been recalled to the old land, resonant167 with the past anguish21. The inhabitants of this enchanted168 isle169, with their mingled170 pride and generosity171, chivalrous172 courage and ferocious173 cruelty, had aroused his sympathies. There, beyond all, stood the figure of Erena, with her frank, half-childish ways, her countenance at one time irradiated with the joyous abandon of an innocent Bacchante, as she laughed aloud while threading with him the forest paths; at another time with shadowed face and downcast mien174, when a presage175 of future ills caused the light to fade out of her luminous176 eyes.
The free forest life, with its daily recurrence177 of adventure and excitement, had sufficed for all the needs of his changed existence. And now, even by the hand of a friend, were the seeds of unrest sown. He thought of Hypatia Tollemache stricken down in the pride of her mental and bodily vigour178, laid low in the conflict in which she had so rashly, so wastefully179, risked her magnificent endowments. Had he been in the neighbourhood of Massinger, to cheer, to comfort, to gently question her plan of life, to offer to share it with her, to urge his suit with all the adventitious180 aid of predilection181 and propinquity, what success, [Pg 233] unhoped for, indescribable, might he not then have gained?
At this stage of his reflections he collected his correspondence, and, locking them up in his long-disused travelling portfolio182, went forth into the town. Here he was confronted with the world's news, and details of this, the latest of Britain's little wars, in particular. First of all he betook himself to the offices of the New Zealand Land Company, where his first colonial acquaintance and fellow-passenger, Mr. Dudley Slyde, might be found.
That gentleman was, happily, in, but his arduous183 duties as secretary and dispenser of reports seemed for the moment in abeyance. He was engaged in packing a sort of knapsack to contain as many of the indispensable necessaries of a man of fashion, and apparently a man of war, as could be adjusted to an unusual limitation of space. A rifle stood in the corner of the apartment; a revolver of the newest construction then attainable184 lay on a table; the smallest modicum185 of writing materials was observable; and, neatly186 folded on a chair, was a serviceable military uniform.
"Delighted to see you, old fellow," said Mr. Slyde. "Sit down. Try this tobacco: given up cigars for the present—don't carry well. Suppose you've taken to a pipe, too, since you've begun your Maori career? Got back alive, I see. Didn't join the tribe, eh? Report to that effect. Girl at Rotorua, fascinating, very."
This suggestive compendium187 of his life and times caused a smile.
"You're as near the truth as rumour188 generally is," he said; "but I wonder that people concern themselves with the doings of this humble189 individual."
[Pg 234]
"New country, you know. Great dearth190 of social intelligence since the war. Tired of that, naturally. Free press, you know; say anything, confound them!"
"Another chapter in the book of colonial experience, which I shall learn by degrees. But what am I to understand by these warlike preparations?"
"You see before you a full private in the Forest Rangers191. Must join something, you know. Situation serious. More murders. Waikato said to be joining. Taranaki settlers afraid of sack and pillage192. Troops and men-of-war sent for. In the mean time, the devil to pay. What shall you do? Go back to England? I would, if I wasn't a poor devil of a Company's clerk and what you call it."
Massinger stood up, and looked at the lounging figure fixedly193 for a moment, until he saw a smile gradually making its way over the calm features of his companion.
"No, of course not," he said, as if answering an apparent protest. "Only my chaff194. What will you join? Town volunteers? militia195? Ours rather more aristocratic; trifle more danger, perhaps. Corps196 of the Guides, and so on. Von Tempsky's Forest Rangers! Splendid fellow, Von—Paladin of the Middle Ages. Seen service, too. Son of a Prussian general, I believe. Commission in 3rd Fusiliers in '44. Cut that, and travelled through Central America. Commanded irregular Indian regiment197. Piloted officers of Alarm and Vixen in affair of the Spanish stockades198 at Castilla Viojo. Been in front everywhere, from Bluefields Bay to Bourke and Wills' Expedition in Australia, when he refused to be second in command. Man and regiment suit you all to pieces."
[Pg 235]
"Just the man I should choose to serve under. Where can I be sworn in, and when?"
"All right; I'll show you. Leave for the front, day after tomorrow. Jolly glad to have you, believe me."
This important ceremony being performed in due course, Massinger betook himself to the office of Mr. Lochiel, where he expected to receive fuller information as to the state of the country, and the prospects199 of a general rising. He was received by that gentleman with warmth and sincerity200 of welcome.
"My dear fellow," said he, "I am delighted to see you safe back. Macdonald and I were most anxious about you. We knew that you must pass through Maori country, and in the present disturbed state of the island there was no saying what might have happened to you, or indeed to any solitary201 Englishman. I hear that you returned by sea."
"I was advised to do so by Mr. Mannering at Hokianga, with whom I stayed for a few days."
"Best thing you could have done, and no one was more capable of giving you advice. He is judge and law-giver among the Ngapuhi, and a war chief besides. A truly remarkable202 man. I suppose you saw his handsome daughter? Wonderful girl, isn't she?"
"She certainly did surprise me. It seems strange that she can consent to lead a life so lonely, so removed from the civilization which she is so fitted to appreciate."
"And adorn203 likewise. We are all very fond of her here. But she is passionately204 attached to her father, and nothing would induce her to leave him. Have you heard the latest war news? Came in by special messenger this afternoon."
[Pg 236]
"No, indeed. I am only generally aware that matters are going from bad to worse; that the militia and volunteers are called out; also the Forest Rangers, in which band of heroes I have just enrolled205 myself. Dudley Slyde and I will be companions in arms."
"Slyde! Dudley Slyde? Very cool hand; rather a dandy, people say. All the more likely to fight when he's put to it. He knows the country well, too. There is no doubt in my mind that every white man in the North Island who can carry arms will have to turn out."
"And how long do you think the war will last? Six months?"
"I should not like to say six years, but it will be nearer that than the time you mention. Maclean thinks five thousand troops will be required if the neighbouring tribes join Te Rangitake. Richmond is of the same opinion. Three Europeans have been shot on the Omata block. It was to avenge206 these that the volunteers and militia turned out, when the men of H.M.S. Niger behaved so splendidly; the volunteers also held their own."
"Is there any further demonstration207?"
"Yes; a great hui, or meeting, has been held at Ngarua-wahia, on the Waikato. They say that three thousand Maoris were present, who were all on the side of Te Rangitake. Fifty of his tribe were there, asking for help."
"And what was the outcome of it all?"
"They were agreed in one thing—that the Governor was too hasty in fighting before it was proved to whom the land really belonged. The killing208 of men at the Omata block naturally followed when [Pg 237] once—as by destroying the pah at Waitara—war had begun."
"What became of Te Rangitake's fifty men?"
"Well, a body of the Nga-ti-mania-poto went back to Taranaki with them under Epiha, the chief. On the way they met Mr. Parris, the Taranaki land commissioner209, whom the Maoris blamed for the Waitara affair. Te Rangitake's people wanted to kill him at once, but Epiha drew up his men, took him under his protection, and escorted him to a place of safety. Parris began to thank him, but was stopped at once.
'Friend,' said the chief, 'do not attribute your deliverance to me, but to God. I shall meet you as an enemy in the daylight. Now you have seen that I would not consent to you being murdered.'"
"What a fine trait in a man's character!" said Massinger. "And what discipline his men were in to withstand the other fellows, and save the man's life who was responsible, they believed, for all the mischief210!"
"Yes, that's the Maori chief all over. He has the most romantic ideas on certain points, and acts up to them, which is more than our people always do. But I hear that the Governor is going to stop the Waitara business for the present—very sensibly—and give the natives south of New Plymouth a lesson."
"And what about the settlers around Taranaki?"
"They have been forced to abandon their farms. The women and children have taken refuge in the town, while Colonel Gold has destroyed the mills, crops, and houses of the natives on the Tataraimaka block. So the war may be regarded as being fairly, or rather unfairly, begun; God alone knows when it may end."
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1
casement
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| n.竖铰链窗；窗扉 | |
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2
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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3
secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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4
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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5
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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6
suffused
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| v.（指颜色、水气等）弥漫于，布满( suffuse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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paraphrase
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| vt.将…释义，改写；n.释义，意义 | |
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11
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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12
marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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13
civilizing
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| v.使文明，使开化( civilize的现在分词 ) | |
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14
gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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16
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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17
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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18
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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19
deported
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| v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止 | |
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languishing
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| a. 衰弱下去的 | |
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21
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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22
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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23
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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25
plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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alluvial
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| adj.冲积的；淤积的 | |
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27
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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28
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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29
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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30
vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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31
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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32
extemporized
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| v.即兴创作，即席演奏( extemporize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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34
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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35
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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36
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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37
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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38
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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39
prerogative
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| n.特权 | |
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40
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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41
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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42
tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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43
pedestrians
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| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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44
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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45
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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46
crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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47
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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48
dismantled
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| 拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消 | |
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besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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51
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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52
estuary
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| n.河口，江口 | |
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53
warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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54
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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55
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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56
musingly
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| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
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57
contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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58
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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59
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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60
provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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61
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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62
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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63
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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64
strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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65
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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66
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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67
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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68
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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69
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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70
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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71
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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72
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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73
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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75
sensuous
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| adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的 | |
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76
contractor
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| n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌 | |
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77
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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78
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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79
boding
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| adj.凶兆的，先兆的n.凶兆，前兆，预感v.预示，预告，预言( bode的现在分词 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待 | |
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80
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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81
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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82
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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83
schooner
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| n.纵帆船 | |
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84
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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85
refinements
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| n.（生活）风雅；精炼( refinement的名词复数 )；改良品；细微的改良；优雅或高贵的动作 | |
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86
ratification
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| n.批准，认可 | |
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87
wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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88
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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89
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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gratuities
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| n.报酬( gratuity的名词复数 )；小账；小费；养老金 | |
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91
counteract
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| vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消 | |
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92
outlaws
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| 歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯 | |
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93
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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94
incongruity
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| n.不协调，不一致 | |
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95
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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swells
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| 增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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98
pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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99
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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101
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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102
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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103
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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104
encroachment
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| n.侵入，蚕食 | |
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105
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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106
consignment
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| n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物 | |
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107
dispensed
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| v.分配( dispense的过去式和过去分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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108
rigidly
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| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
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109
detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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110
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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111
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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112
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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113
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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114
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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115
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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116
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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117
abeyance
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| n.搁置，缓办，中止，产权未定 | |
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118
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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119
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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120
lulled
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| vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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121
rhythmic
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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122
resonance
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| n.洪亮；共鸣；共振 | |
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123
compendious
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| adj.简要的，精简的 | |
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124
pars
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| n.部，部分；平均( par的名词复数 )；平价；同等；（高尔夫球中的）标准杆数 | |
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125
revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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126
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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127
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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128
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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129
portended
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| v.预示( portend的过去式和过去分词 )；预兆；给…以警告；预告 | |
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130
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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131
gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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132
turnips
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| 芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表 | |
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133
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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134
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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135
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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136
candid
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| adj.公正的，正直的；坦率的 | |
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137
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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138
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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139
habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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140
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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141
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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142
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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143
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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144
tact
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| n.机敏，圆滑，得体 | |
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145
expend
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| vt.花费，消费，消耗 | |
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146
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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147
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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148
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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149
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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150
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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151
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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152
fanatic
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| n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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153
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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154
parasite
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| n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客 | |
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155
preys
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| v.掠食( prey的第三人称单数 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生 | |
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156
loathes
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| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的第三人称单数 )；极不喜欢 | |
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157
assassinate
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| vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤 | |
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158
contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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159
chaste
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| adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的 | |
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160
malady
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| n.病，疾病(通常做比喻) | |
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161
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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162
nil
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| n.无，全无，零 | |
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163
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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164
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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165
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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166
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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167
resonant
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| adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的 | |
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168
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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169
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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170
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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171
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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172
chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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173
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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174
mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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175
presage
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| n.预感，不祥感；v.预示 | |
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176
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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177
recurrence
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| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
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178
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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179
wastefully
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| 浪费地，挥霍地，耗费地 | |
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180
adventitious
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| adj.偶然的 | |
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181
predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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182
portfolio
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| n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位 | |
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183
arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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184
attainable
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| a.可达到的，可获得的 | |
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185
modicum
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| n.少量，一小份 | |
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186
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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187
compendium
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| n.简要，概略 | |
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188
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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189
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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190
dearth
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| n.缺乏，粮食不足，饥谨 | |
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191
rangers
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| 护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员 | |
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192
pillage
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| v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物 | |
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193
fixedly
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| adv.固定地；不屈地，坚定不移地 | |
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194
chaff
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| v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳 | |
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195
militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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196
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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197
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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198
stockades
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| n.（防御用的）栅栏，围桩( stockade的名词复数 ) | |
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199
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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200
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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201
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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202
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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203
adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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204
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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205
enrolled
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| adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起 | |
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206
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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207
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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208
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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209
commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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210
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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