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Vicissitudes of Bush Life in Australia and New Zealand

Chapter XXXII

Chapter XXXII.

Dinner being over, we spent the whole afternoon until tea-time in wandering about the bush, where that was practicable, for the bush of New Zealand, with its thick damp undergrowth, and jungle creepers, parasites, and lawyer bushes, significantly so termed, from the clinging pertinacity of their nature, when once in contact with either clothes or skin—is not favourable to walking parties. However, some open glades, formed by the clearing of timber for our buildings, admitted of our thus enjoying ourselves with some freedom; so, yielding ourselves wholly up to the influences of the scene—the melody of the birds, or the view of the bright gleams from the broad waters of the lake, as they flashed in the sunshine through the forest openings—our sense of calm enjoyment was perfect.

Tea being over, and the candles lighted, the next source of enjoyment we proposed to ourselves was Munroe's bagpipes.

Munroe was summoned accordingly; and forthwith made his appearance in full national costume, by which he appeared suddenly transformed from an ordinary loutish looking working man to one of nature's noblemen; so well did his brawny limbs accord with his picturesque dress, while his Celtic blood seemed to become instinct with fire and martial ardour in the ancient habiliments of his race.

What man with an ear for strathspey music can listen to it, with all the thrilling ecstacy that the bagpipes in the hands of a skilful piper can give, and keep for long inactive on his seat? With the present party, all Celts, as far as the men were concerned, such a thing was not to be thought of. The tables were instantly cleared, and all the party, including the inmates of the kitchen, were on the floor for a dance. Lilly was among them, and with Tiny for his partner, wheeled with great zest and some skill through the mazes of a country dance. Not all, however, joined in, for Mrs. Campbell refused to take part in page 224 such active exercise, and I, too, managed to keep out of it for a while at least, as, never having learned to “trip the light fantastic toe,” I was unwilling to make myself ridiculous by taking part in an exercise for which I had no aptitude.

But when at length the simple Scotch reels were proposed I was fairly forced upon my feet by Mr. Campbell, who also up to this point had kept in his seat.

For the first reel I chose Mary for my partner, and Mrs. Ayson for the next, purposely leaving Jessie to Mr. M‘Gilvray, with whose devotion I began now to imagine that she seemed quite satisfied. In the evolutions of the reel poor Mrs. Ayson seemed quite bewildered, and had to be piloted in her utter helplessness through the figure eight, when in obedience to a hint, she went through some very demure and staid shuffling with her feet, supposed to be expressive of her exhilarating sympathy with the notes of the music.

But of all the dancers, there was not one who appeared to more thoroughly enjoy himself than Mr. Campbell. The music appeared literally to have put life and mettle into his heels, usually so grave and deliberate in their motions; whilst he whooped and snapped with his fingers, and cut the capers of the steps of the Highland fling with the most marvellous agility, his quiet, orderly wife, smiling meanwhile at the enthusiastic absurdity of his manner.

Among the shearers was a smart young fellow named Turner, who was an accomplished step dancer. He was soon sent for, and he greatly contributed to the amusement of the evening, by his artistic performance of sailors' hornpipes and Irish jigs, rendering the latter with great humour and native character.

Meanwhile my heart began to sink heavily within me. Peculiarly sensitive to the influence of music, my morbid feelings were now vividly impressed by the wild strains of the bagpipes until, steeped in feelings of sentiment, I seemed to endow the object of my affections with all the attributes of a heroine of romance.

The animated expression of her mobile features, her pallor, now brightened with the flush of exercise and excitement, together with the charm of her slight, yet rounded figure, only added to the ardour of my feelings, and moved me the more to covet so much beauty, and to bitterly regret the improbability of my ever winning it. For, as I watched her as she waltzed, her waist partly encircled by the arm of her smart, intelligent-looking partner, I could not help feeling—while thus forced to acknowledge their fitness for each other—how utter was the vanity of my hopes in this second love passage of my life.

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And yet, when the dancers returned to their seats, I could not help noticing how Jessie seemed by design to seat herself by me, as if by that to compensate me for the anguish to my feelings that she was conscious of having caused me by her acceptance of the attentions of my rival.

With my feelings in this state I was not sorry when I was suddenly called out by one of the men, who told me that the sheep that had been penned for the morrow's operations were breaking out of the wool shed, one of the gates having been insecurely fastened.

Bidding Munro to keep on playing, as we should, with the assistance of the other shepherd, who had been taken on for the extra work of the shearing, be able to bring back the sheep without his help, I hastily went to the shed.

On reaching there I found that all the sheep, save those in the pens, had managed to escape, as the mischief had not been discovered by the men until they were nearly all out. They were now, however, stopped by the new shepherd's dog, who had them all gathered up in a heap on the hill side, beyond a small arm of the bush, this being the way to their former feeding ground on the hills.

It was now about dusk, and, seeing that the sheep were safely in hand, but that it would take some time yet ere they were housed, although several of the shearers had come to help the shepherd, and knowing that they would all be secured without the necessity of my presence, I turned aside and walked down to the lake.

I did this as an excuse for prolonging my absence from the party indoors, for which, in the depressed condition of my mind, I felt little inclination.

Thus I went along quietly musing until I came to where the boat that I reserved for my own private use was fastened. Mechanically unlocking the padlock, I got into it, and, pushing off, seated myself and plied the oars listlessly for a second or two, when the thought suddenly entered my mind of rousing myself from the state of depression I had fallen into by a little lusty exercise.

The lake at this point was not more than two miles in breadth, and half-an-hour's vigorous bending at the oars would send my light skiff across, whilst the excuse of the trouble with the sheep would be ample excuse for detaining me for another hour at least, when, with spirits refreshed by the healthy stimulus of muscular exercise, I could return to the company in a state of mind more fitted to enjoy it.

Moved by these thoughts I rowed on until the waves curled half way up my bows. I never once rested until I was fairly page 226 within a few yards of the opposite shore, where, backing water with one oar, I brought my skiff up parallel with the land that there rose up steeply, allowing the boat to float in deep water at its very edge.

Resting on my oars now, I paused awhile to take breath and wipe my brow, for I was heated with my rapid exercise. After having breathed and allowed myself to cool a little, I again took the oars and gently pushed my boat along the coast, heading down the lake. This I did, I believe, more from an instinctive desire than from a deliberately conscious motive. I ascertained this of myself afterwards, when I found leisure to analyse the thoughts that moved me to take this course rather than to head straight back on my return voyage across the lake.

In the course I had taken, from the situation of the mountains that here approached the side of the lake, their dark shadows were thrown a long way out upon the waters. But a little farther down in the direction that I had now unthinkingly chosen, the land made a sudden bend, and the mountain range was also thrown back further inland, so that the rays of the moon (for it was a lovely moonlight night) fell upon the water almost at its point of contact with the land.

Thus the feeling that constrained me to head my boat towards this point ere shooting out again in a direct line across the lake, I subsequently thought must have been my instinctive sympathy with the moonlight. Man, unless depraved, naturally abhors darkness, and it was probably the darkness of these mountain shadows on the lake that I instinctively desired to shun.

With this object I had been moving my boat towards this point with almost noiseless strokes, as I was keeping my powers in reserve until the moment when I should head my boat for the other side of the lake, intending then to row at the same tremendous rate I had kept up on my outward passage, when, just as I approached the point that I intended to double, and being still in deep shadow, I was suddenly made aware of the sound of approaching oars. On this I ceased pulling, and looking round, saw a boat pulled by two men rapidly approaching, and then disappearing on the other side of this point. “Some of the men bringing over a taste of their Christmas cheer to Howden,” I thought, remembering the few bottles of spirits that, by way of making the men share in our own conviviality, I had towards evening sent to their hut.

Howden's hut was over against where I was then resting on my oars, some twenty yards or so inland.

I thought first to hail the men as to their business there at that time of night, but thinking it must be, as I first thought, a page 227 visit of pleasure, I had just resumed my oars when the voices of the two boatmen suddenly falling upon my ear involuntarily inspired me with a desire to listen to what they said. Though their words were but few and brief, they almost caused the blood to freeze in my veins with apprehensive horror.

“But are you sure,” I heard one of the men ask, “that you are right? it will be a caution if you are all wrong after all!”

“I tell you that it is all right, you —— —— fool. I knowed he was here, his brother told me ——” the rest of the sentence was lost in the distance, but I caught enough of it to at once identify in the speakers the hang-dog looking ruffian Hennesy and his well matched, though less villainous-looking, companion, Jones. And with my recognition of their voices there flashed across my mind Hennesy's lowering and prying glance into Howden's face on the evening before, and the loneliness of the situation that seemed to favour with impunity a scene of violence, perhaps murder, upon an unprotected and unsuspicious man.

“Gracious Heaven!” I ejaculated, “it must be this that they are after. Grant me strength, Lord, to be still in time to frustrate their fiendish purposes!” And with this exclamation, I bent to the oars and caused my boat to dash through the water towards the point now about ten yards ahead of me, where only I could get a landing. To reach it and to spring on shore and to hurriedly twine the painter round a bush at the water's edge, was but the work of a few seconds. Then, seizing an oar, I rushed up the little spur and ran with all my speed towards Howden's hut, whose light I could now see burning but a few yards ahead. A dog, not a very formidable one, kept by Howden, was barking furiously, as if at the sight of strangers whose presence he both resented and feared. I had got within ten yards of the hut when suddenly my blood curdled at the sound of a wild prolonged cry, as of mortal fear, but which seemed to be suddenly stopped as if by violence, for I could still hear a kind of gurgling sob.

Bounding wildly forward (I never thought of calling out and so alarming the murderers), on reaching the hut I dropped the oar and caught up an American axe that was lying gleaming in the moonlight on the wood heap, past which I was in the act of dashing. “Villains and murderers, let go!” I yelled, as I dashed through the door, and beheld the two wretches kneeling over the prostrate form of Howden, whose throat was held in Hennesy's deadly grip, striking wildly at his head with the axe as I spoke.

In my haste, not calculating the direction of the blow, in swing the head of the axe came in contact with the door lintel, page 228 and turning in my hand, fell violently on the head of the intending murderer, but with its flat instead of its edge, thus without effecting any serious injury.

Both villains instantly bounded to their feet, and terror-stricken at my sudden attack, sprang out through the door, and instantly fled towards the bush, without attempting to defend themselves against me, whom they could easily have overpowered, had they been sustained by the manly courage that in such emergencies is often found lacking in spirits of mere ruffianism. They both dashed out of the hut, dodging on either side of me as they went, ere I could recover my weapon to deal a second blow.

I made no attempt to follow them, but turning my attention to Howden, who was black in the face, although still breathing, I took him up in my arms, first fastening around me a sheath knife that I saw attached to a belt beside me on the table, and, though the burden of his limp body was great. I went out of the hut determined to carry him down to the beach, where the two villains had left their boat, that was then closer to me than my own.

As I staggered along under the weight of my burden, Howden suddenly revived, and desired to be let down on his feet, and in a few minutes later he was able to walk without any assistance.

Scarcely waiting to exchange a word, we entered the boat, the little dog, which had followed, joyously springing in with us, and, each seizing an oar, we pulled hurriedly across the lake.