ON the 7th of February, at six o’clock in the morning, the signal for departure was given by Glenarvan. During the night the rain had ceased. The sky was veiled with light gray clouds, which moderated the heat of the sun, and allowed the travelers to venture on a journey by day.
Paganel had measured on the map a distance of eighty miles between Point Kawhia and Auckland; it was an eight days’ journey if they made ten miles a day. But instead of following the windings1 of the coast, he thought it better to make for a point thirty miles off, at the confluence2 of the Waikato and the Waipa, at the village of Ngarnavahia. The “overland track” passes that point, and is rather a path than a road, practicable for the vehicles which go almost across the island, from Napier, in Hawke’s Bay, to Auckland. From this village it would be easy to reach Drury, and there they could rest in an excellent hotel, highly recommended by Dr. Hochstetter.
The travelers, each carrying a share of the provisions, commenced to follow the shore of Aotea Bay. From prudential motives4 they did not allow themselves to straggle, and by instinct they kept a look-out over the undulating plains to the eastward5, ready with their loaded carbines. Paganel, map in hand, took a professional pleasure in verifying the minutest details.
The country looked like an immense prairie which faded into distance, and promised an easy walk. But the travelers were undeceived when they came to the edge of this verdant6 plain. The grass gave way to a low scrub of small bushes bearing little white flowers, mixed with those innumerable tall ferns with which the lands of New Zealand abound7. They had to cut a path across the plain, through these woody stems, and this was a matter of some difficulty, but at eight o’clock in the evening the first slopes of the Hakarihoata Ranges were turned, and the party camped immediately. After a fourteen miles’ march, they might well think of resting.
Neither wagon8 or tent being available, they sought repose9 beneath some magnificent Norfolk Island pines. They had plenty of rugs which make good beds. Glenarvan took every possible precaution for the night. His companions and he, well armed, were to watch in turns, two and two, till daybreak. No fires were lighted. Barriers of fire are a potent10 preservation11 from wild beasts, but New Zealand has neither tiger, nor lion, nor bear, nor any wild animal, but the Maori adequately fills their place, and a fire would only have served to attract this two-footed jaguar12.
The night passed pleasantly with the exception of the attack of the sand-flies, called by the natives, “ngamu,” and the visit of the audacious family of rats, who exercised their teeth on the provisions.
Next day, on the 8th of February, Paganel rose more sanguine13, and almost reconciled to the country. The Maories, whom he particularly dreaded14, had not yet appeared, and these ferocious15 cannibals had not molested16 him even in his dreams. “I begin to think that our little journey will end favorably. This evening we shall reach the confluence of the Waipa and Waikato, and after that there is not much chance of meeting natives on the way to Auckland.”
“How far is it now,” said Glenarvan, “to the confluence of the Waipa and Waikato?”
“Fifteen miles; just about what we did yesterday.”
“But we shall be terribly delayed if this interminable scrub continues to obstruct17 our path.”
“No,” said Paganel, “we shall follow the banks of the Waipa, and then we shall have no obstacle, but on the contrary, a very easy road.”
“Well, then,” said Glenarvan, seeing the ladies ready, “let us make a start.”
During the early part of the day, the thick brushwood seriously impeded18 their progress. Neither wagon nor horses could have passed where travelers passed, so that their Australian vehicle was but slightly regretted. Until practicable wagon roads are cut through these forests of scrub, New Zealand will only be accessible to foot passengers. The ferns, whose name is legion, concur19 with the Maories in keeping strangers off the lands.
The little party overcame many obstacles in crossing the plains in which the Hakarihoata Ranges rise. But before noon they reached the banks of the Waipa, and followed the northward20 course of the river.
The Major and Robert, without leaving their companions, shot some snipe and partridge under the low shrubs21 of the plain. Olbinett, to save time, plucked the birds as he went along.
Paganel was less absorbed by the culinary importance of the game than by the desire of obtaining some bird peculiar22 to New Zealand. His curiosity as a naturalist23 overcame his hunger as a traveler. He called to mind the peculiarities24 of the “tui” of the natives, sometimes called the mocking-bird from its incessant25 chuckle26, and sometimes “the parson,” in allusion27 to the white cravat28 it wears over its black, cassock-like plumage.
“The tui,” said Paganel to the Major, “grows so fat during the Winter that it makes him ill, and prevents him from flying. Then he tears his breast with his beak29, to relieve himself of his fat, and so becomes lighter30. Does not that seem to you singular, McNabbs?”
“So singular that I don’t believe a word of it,” replied the Major.
Paganel, to his great regret, could not find a single specimen31, or he might have shown the incredulous Major the bloody32 scars on the breast. But he was more fortunate with a strange animal which, hunted by men, cats and dogs, has fled toward the unoccupied country, and is fast disappearing from the fauna33 of New Zealand. Robert, searching like a ferret, came upon a nest made of interwoven roots, and in it a pair of birds destitute34 of wings and tail, with four toes, a long snipe-like beak, and a covering of white feathers over the whole body, singular creatures, which seemed to connect the oviparous tribes with the mam-mifers.
It was the New Zealand “kiwi,” the Apteryx australis of naturalists35, which lives with equal satisfaction on larvae36, insects, worms or seeds. This bird is peculiar to the country. It has been introduced into very few of the zoological collections of Europe. Its graceless shape and comical motions have always attracted the notice of travelers, and during the great exploration of the Astrolabe and the Zelee, Dumont d’Urville was principally charged by the Academy of Sciences to bring back a specimen of these singular birds. But in spite of rewards offered to the natives, he could not obtain a single specimen.
Paganel, who was elated at such a piece of luck, tied the two birds together, and carried them along with the intention of presenting them to the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris. “Presented by M. Jacques Paganel.” He mentally saw the flattering inscription37 on the handsomest cage in the gardens. Sanguine geographer38!
The party pursued their way without fatigue39 along the banks of the Waipa. The country was quite deserted40; not a trace of natives, nor any track that could betray the existence of man. The stream was fringed with tall bushes, or glided41 along sloping banks, so that nothing obstructed42 the view of the low range of hills which closed the eastern end of the valley. With their grotesque43 shapes, and their outlines lost in a deceptive44 haze45, they brought to mind giant animals, worthy46 of antediluvian47 times. They might have been a herd48 of enormous whales, suddenly turned to stone. These disrupted masses proclaimed their essentially49 volcanic50 character. New Zealand is, in fact, a formation of recent plutonic origin. Its emergence51 from the sea is constantly increasing. Some points are known to have risen six feet in twenty years. Fire still runs across its center, shakes it, convulses it, and finds an outlet52 in many places by the mouths of geysers and the craters53 of volcanoes.
At four in the afternoon, nine miles had been easily accomplished54. According to the map which Paganel constantly referred to, the confluence of the Waipa and Waikato ought to be reached about five miles further on, and there the night halt could be made. Two or three days would then suffice for the fifty miles which lay between them and the capital; and if Glenarvan happened to fall in with the mail coach that plies55 between Hawkes’ Bay and Auckland twice a month, eight hours would be sufficient.
“Therefore,” said Glenarvan, “we shall be obliged to camp during the night once more.”
“Yes,” said Paganel, “but I hope for the last time.”
“I am very glad to think so, for it is very trying for Lady Helena and Mary Grant.”
“And they never utter a murmur,” added John Mangles56. “But I think I heard you mention a village at the confluence of these rivers.”
“Yes,” said the geographer, “here it is, marked on Johnston’s map. It is Ngarnavahia, two miles below the junction57.”
“Well, could we not stay there for the night? Lady Helena and Miss Grant would not grudge58 two miles more to find a hotel even of a humble59 character.”
“A hotel!” cried Paganel, “a hotel in a Maori village! you would not find an inn, not a tavern60! This village will be a mere61 cluster of huts, and so far from seeking rest there, my advice is that you give it a wide berth62.”
“Your old fears, Paganel!” retorted Glenarvan.
“My dear Lord, where Maories are concerned, distrust is safer than confidence. I do not know on what terms they are with the English, whether the insurrection is suppressed or successful, or whether indeed the war may not be going on with full vigor63. Modesty64 apart, people like us would be a prize, and I must say, I would rather forego a taste of Maori hospitality. I think it certainly more prudent3 to avoid this village of Ngarnavahia, to skirt it at a distance, so as to avoid all encounters with the natives. When we reach Drury it will be another thing, and there our brave ladies will be able to recruit their strength at their leisure.”
This advice prevailed. Lady Helena preferred to pass another night in the open air, and not to expose her companions to danger. Neither Mary Grant or she wished to halt, and they continued their march along the river.
Two hours later, the first shades of evening began to fall. The sun, before disappearing below the western horizon, darted65 some bright rays through an opening in the clouds. The distant eastern summits were empurpled with the parting glories of the day. It was like a flying salute66 addressed to the way-worn travelers.
Glenarvan and his friends hastened their steps, they knew how short the twilight67 is in this high latitude68, and how quickly the night follows it. They were very anxious to reach the confluence of the two rivers before the darkness overtook them. But a thick fog rose from the ground, and made it very difficult to see the way.
Fortunately hearing stood them in the stead of sight; shortly a nearer sound of water indicated that the confluence was at hand. At eight o’clock the little troop arrived at the point where the Waipa loses itself in the Waikato, with a moaning sound of meeting waves.
“There is the Waikato!” cried Paganel, “and the road to Auckland is along its right bank.”
“We shall see that to-morrow,” said the Major, “Let us camp here. It seems to me that that dark shadow is that of a little clump69 of trees grown expressly to shelter us. Let us have supper and then get some sleep.”
“Supper by all means,” said Paganel, “but no fire; nothing but biscuit and dried meat. We have reached this spot incognito70, let us try and get away in the same manner. By good luck, the fog is in our favor.”
The clump of trees was reached and all concurred71 in the wish of the geographer. The cold supper was eaten without a sound, and presently a profound sleep overcame the travelers, who were tolerably fatigued72 with their fifteen miles’ march.
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1
windings
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| （道路、河流等）蜿蜒的，弯曲的( winding的名词复数 )； 缠绕( wind的现在分词 )； 卷绕； 转动（把手） | |
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confluence
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| n.汇合，聚集 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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jaguar
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| n.美洲虎 | |
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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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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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molested
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| v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵 | |
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obstruct
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| v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物 | |
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impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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concur
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| v.同意，意见一致，互助，同时发生 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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cravat
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| n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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fauna
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| n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系 | |
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destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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naturalists
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| n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 )；（文学艺术的）自然主义者 | |
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larvae
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| n.幼虫 | |
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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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geographer
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| n.地理学者 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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obstructed
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| 阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止 | |
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grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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deceptive
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| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
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45
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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antediluvian
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| adj.史前的，陈旧的 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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51
emergence
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| n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体 | |
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52
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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craters
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| n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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plies
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的第三人称单数 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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mangles
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| n.轧布机，轧板机，碾压机（mangle的复数形式）vt.乱砍（mangle的第三人称单数形式） | |
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junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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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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tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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incognito
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| adv.匿名地；n.隐姓埋名；adj.化装的，用假名的，隐匿姓名身份的 | |
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concurred
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| 同意（concur的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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fatigued
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| adj. 疲乏的 | |
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