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MAORI and
SETTLER
A STORY OF THE NEW ZEALAND WAR
BY G. A. HENTY
Maori and Settler
G.A. HENTY'S BOOKS
Illustrated by Eminent Artists
_Uniform with this Edition_
Beric the Briton: A Story of the Roman Invasion of Britain.
Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Tale of Fontenoy and Culloden.
Both Sides the Border: A Tale of Hotspur and Glendower.
By Conduct and Courage: A Story of the Days of Nelson.
By England's Aid: The Freeing of the Netherlands.
By Pike and Dyke: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic.
Facing Death: A Tale of the Coal-mines.
In the Heart of the Rockies: A Story of Adventure in Colorado.
Maori and Settler: A Story of the New Zealand War.
St. Bartholomew's Eve: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars.
St. George for England: A Tale of Cressy and Poitiers.
The Cat of Bubastes: A Story of Ancient Egypt.
The Dragon and the Raven: The Days of King Alfred.
The Treasure of the Incas: A Tale of Adventure in Peru.
Under Wellington's Command: A Tale of the Peninsular War.
With Lee in Virginia: A Story of the American Civil War.
With Wolfe in Canada; or, The Winning of a Continent.
Wulf the Saxon: A Story of the Norman Conquest.
LONDON: BLACKIE AND SON, LTD., 50 OLD BAILY, E.C.
[Illustration: "DROP THAT OR I FIRE!"
_Page 227_]
Maori and Settler
A STORY OF
THE NEW ZEALAND WAR
BY
G.A. HENTY
Author of "Redskin and Cowboy" "In Freedom's Cause"
"Bonnie Prince Charlie" &c.
_ILLUSTRATED_
BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED
LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY
_Printed in Great Britain_
PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION
In the following story I have made no attempt to give anything like a
general history of the long struggle between the brave tribes of New
Zealand and the forces of England and the colony. That struggle lasted
over a period of some years, and to do justice to its numerous incidents
in the course of a single volume would have left no space whatever
available for the telling of a story. It was divided into two distinct
epochs. In the first the natives of the north of the islands fought for
their independence and their right to have a king, and be governed by
their own laws. Nothing could exceed the courage with which they
struggled for these ends, and it needed a very strong force of British
troops to storm their pahs or fortified camps, and overcome their
resistance. The second epoch embraces the struggle brought about by the
conversion of a portion of the tribes to the fanatical belief called the
Pai Marire (literally "good and peaceful"), whose votaries were
generally known as the Hau-Haus. During the earlier war the natives
behaved with great moderation, and there were but few cases of the
murder of outlying settlers. The slaying of all whites was, however, the
leading feature of the Hau-Hau religion, and many cold-blooded
massacres occurred during the struggle. The British troops had been for
the most part withdrawn before the commencement of the Hau-Hau troubles,
and the war was carried on by bodies of constabulary raised by the
colonists, and with the aid of tribes that remained friendly to us. The
massacre of Poverty Bay, which forms the leading feature of my story,
and the events that followed it, are all strictly in accordance with
facts.
G.A. HENTY
CONTENTS.
CHAP. Page
I. A HOME BROKEN UP, 11
II. THE EMBARKATION, 30
III. THE VOYAGE, 49
IV. A ROW ON SHORE, 64
V. A BOAT EXPEDITION, 81
VI. PUTTING IN THE REFIT, 104
VII. A SAVAGE SURPRISE, 126
VIII. THE END OF THE VOYAGE, 144
IX. THE NEW ZEALAND WAR, 165
X. THE GLADE, 184
XI. THE HAU-HAUS, 205
XII. THE FIRST ALARM, 224
XIII. THE ATTACK ON THE GLADE, 244
XIV. FRESH TROUBLES, 263
XV. THE MASSACRE AT POVERTY BAY, 282
XVI. THE PURSUIT OF TE KOOTI, 302
XVII. BACK AT THE FARM, 321
XVIII. IN ENGLAND, 340
ILLUSTRATIONS
Facing
Page
"DROP THAT OR I FIRE!" _Frontispiece_
A DOZEN SPEARS STRUCK THE WATER ROUND HER 104
WILFRID AND THE GRIMSTONES FIND IT HARD WORK 192
MR. ATHERTON KEEPS THE MOUTH OF THE DEFILE 296
"I AM AFRAID I AM HEAVY ON A HORSE STILL, WILFRID" 328
* * * * *
Map of Hawke Bay, Poverty Bay, and surrounding Country 16
MAORI AND SETTLER.
CHAPTER I.
A HOME BROKEN UP.
"Well, mother, one thing is certain--something has got to be done. It is
no use crying over spilt milk, that I can see. It is a horribly bad
business, but grieving over it won't make it any better. What one has
got to do is to decide on some plan or other, and then set to work to
carry it out."
The speaker, Wilfrid Renshaw, was a boy between fifteen and sixteen
years old. He was standing with his back to an empty fireplace, his feet
well apart, his hands deep in his pockets. He was rather short for his
age, but very squarely built. His hair was dark, cut rather short, and
so ruffled over his head that there were no signs of a parting; his
eyebrows were heavy, his eyes bright but rather deeply set; his chin was
square and his jaw heavy; his nose was a little upturned, and this
together with his eyes gave a merry expression to a face that would
otherwise have been heavy and stern.
At school Wilfrid Renshaw had been regarded as rather a queer fellow.
He was full of quiet fun, and saw a humorous side in everything. He did
not take a very leading part in the various school sports, though there
was a general idea that if Renshaw only chose to exert himself he could
excel in any of them. In point of actual strength, although there were
several boys in the school older than himself, it was generally admitted
that he was by far the strongest there. But he always went his own way
and always knew his own mind, and when he had once given his decision
every one knew that it was of no use attempting to alter it; indeed, his
reputation for obstinacy was so great that when he had once said "I
won't" or "I will," no one ever attempted to argue with him.
He was given to long walks and to collecting insects or flowers. He
could never be persuaded to make one of the cricket eleven; but in
winter, when there was little scope for his favourite pursuit, he threw
himself into football; and although he absolutely refused to accept the
captaincy when unanimously elected to that honour, he was considered by
far the most valuable member of the team. He was scarcely popular among
the boys of his own age; for although his fun and general good temper
were appreciated by them, his determination to go his own way, and his
entire disregard for the opinion of others, caused him to be considered
an unsociable sort of fellow, an impression increased by the fact that
he had no particular chums.
Among the smaller boys he was greatly liked. He would never allow any
bullying when he was present; and although his interference was often
resented by some of the elders, his reputation for strength and
obstinacy was so great that he had never been called upon to take active
measures to support his decisively expressed opinions. His father lived
in a pretty house a quarter of a mile outside Reading; and as Wilfrid
attended the grammar-school there, he was much more free to indulge his
own tastes and go his own way than if he had been in a boarding-school.
His chief companion in his rambles was his only sister Marion, who was a
year his senior, although strangers would not have taken her to be so,
either from her appearance or manner. She had an active lithe figure,
and was able to keep up with him even during his longest excursions.
They were in fact great chums and allies, and Marion would have
indignantly scouted the idea had anyone suggested to her that her
brother was either obstinate or unsociable.
Mr. Renshaw had been intended for the bar, and had indeed been called to
that profession; but shortly afterwards he came into a fortune at the
death of his father, and at once abandoned all idea of practising. After
travelling for a few years on the Continent and in the East, he married
and settled down near Reading. His time was for the most part devoted to
archæology. He had a rare collection of ancient British, Saxon, and
Norman arms, ornaments, and remains of all sorts; had written several
books on the antiquities of Berkshire and Oxfordshire; was an authority
upon tumuli and stone weapons; and was regarded by his acquaintances as
a man of much learning.
The management of the house and children, and indeed of all affairs
unconnected with his favourite hobby, he left to his wife, who was,
fortunately for him, a clear-headed and sensible woman. Mr. Renshaw was,
in fact, an eminently impractical man, weak and easy in disposition,
averse to exertion of any kind, and without a shadow of the decision of
character that distinguished his son. Except when away upon antiquarian
excursions he passed his time entirely in his own study, engaged upon a
work which, he anticipated, would gain for him a very high position
among the antiquarians of the country, the subject being the exact spot
at which Julius Cæsar landed in Britain.
He made his appearance only at meal-times, and then paid but little
attention to what was going on around him, although he was kind to his
children in a gentle indifferent sort of way. For many years he had been
engaged in making up his mind as to the school to which Wilfrid should
be sent; and the boy had at first only been sent to the grammar-school
at the suggestion of his mother as a temporary measure until the
important decision should be arrived at. This had been six years before,
and Mr. Renshaw had postponed his decision until it was too late for
Wilfrid to enter at any of the great public schools.
Knowing from long experience what would be the result were he consulted
as to Marion's education, Mrs. Renshaw had, when the girl was nine years
old, engaged a governess for her without any previous consultation with
her husband, simply telling him of the arrangement after it was
concluded, saying: "I know, Alfred, that you have not yet decided
whether an education at home or at school is best for a girl, and I have
consequently arranged with a young lady to come as governess until you
can come to a conclusion upon the point."
Wilfrid Renshaw was extremely fond of his mother. His father he regarded
with a somewhat contemptuous kind of affection. He did not doubt that he
was a very learned man, but he had small patience with his inability to
make up his mind, his total want of energy, and his habit of leaving
everything for his wife to decide upon and carry out.
"It would do father an immense deal of good if something were to happen
that would wake him up a bit and get him to take an interest in things,"
he had said over and over again to Marion. "I cannot understand a man
having no opinion of his own about anything."
"I do not think you ought to speak in that sort of way, Wil, about
father."
"Oh, that is all nonsense, Marion. One cannot be blind about a person
even if he is one's own father. Of course he is very kind and very
indulgent, but it would be very much pleasanter if he were so because he
wished to give us pleasure, instead of because it is the easiest thing
to do. I should be downright pleased if sometimes when I ask him for
anything he would say positively I could not have it."
Now the something that Wilfrid had hoped might occur to rouse his father
had taken place, and had come in a form very unpleasantly violent and
unexpected. The papers a week before had brought the news of the failure
of the bank in which the greater portion of Mr. Renshaw's property was
invested, and a letter had the following morning been received from a
brother of Mrs. Renshaw, who was also a shareholder in the bank, saying
that the liabilities were very large, and that the shareholders would
undoubtedly be called upon to pay even their last penny to make up the
deficiency. This news had been confirmed, and there could be no doubt
absolute ruin had fallen upon them.
Mr. Renshaw had been completely overwhelmed by the tidings, and had
taken to his bed. Wilfrid's holidays had begun a few days before, and
his mother at once acquainted him with the misfortune that had befallen
them, and she now told him that the calls that would be made upon the
shares would more than swallow up the rest of their fortune.
"There will be absolutely nothing remaining, Wilfrid, except a thousand
pounds that I had at my marriage, and which were fortunately settled
upon me. This cannot be touched. Everything else will have to go."
"Well, it's a bad business, mother. I will go for a walk and think it
over. Marion, put on your hat and come out with me."
They had been for their walk--a long one, and he was now expressing the
result at which they had arrived.
"One thing is certain--something has got to be done."
"Yes," Mrs. Renshaw replied with a faint smile. "The question is, What
is it?"
"Well, mother, it is quite certain that we four cannot live on the
interest of a thousand pounds unless we go into a hovel and live on
bread and water."
"I quite see that, Wilfrid; but I am sure I do not see how we are to
earn money. It is far too late for your father to go back to the bar
now, and it might be years before he got a brief. At any rate, we could
not afford to live in London till he does so. I have been thinking I
might open a little school somewhere."
[Illustration: Sketch Map of WAIROA AND POVERTY BAY DISTRICTS NORTH
ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND]
The boy waved his hand.
"No, mother, you are not going to take us all on to your shoulders. You
have got to look after father; that will be a full share of the work, I
am sure. Marion and I have been talking it over, and the only possible
thing we can see is for us to emigrate."
"To emigrate!" Mrs. Renshaw repeated in astonishment. "Why, my dear boy,
what should we be fit for in the colonies more than here?"
"A good deal, mother. A thousand pounds is nothing here, and it would be
a good deal out there. It would be horrible to come down to live in a
little cottage like working people here, after living like this; but it
would be nothing out there. We could buy land for next to nothing in New
Zealand, and could employ a couple of men to work with me to clear it
and cultivate it; and get a few cows and sheep to start with, and still
have a little money in hand. You and Marion could look after things
indoors; I should look after things out of doors."
"You don't seem to count your father at all," Mrs. Renshaw said a little
reproachfully.
"No, mother, I don't," Wilfrid said bluntly. "You know as well as I do
that father would be of no use to speak of in a life like that. Still, I
think he could make himself happy out there as well as here. He could
take all his books with him, and could inquire into the manners and
customs of the natives, who are every bit as good as the ancient
Britons; better, I should say. But whatever we do, mother, whether it is
here or anywhere else, we must settle upon it and do it. Of course we
must consult him; but we must quite make up our minds before we do so.
If you wait a few weeks for father to make up his mind what we had
better do, we shall wait till this thousand pounds is spent and there is
nothing to do but to go into the workhouse.
"I am sure that my plan is the best for us. I am as strong as a great
many men; and anyhow, out there, there ought to be no fear about our
keeping ourselves. I have no doubt that when we get out there father
will be able to help in many ways, though I do not know at present what
they are. Anyhow, we shall have a house to live in, even if it is only a
log hut, and I have no doubt have plenty to eat and drink; and that is
more than we shall do if we stay here. I could not earn anything to
speak of here: the most I could expect to get would be ten shillings a
week as an office-boy. And as to your idea of a school, you might be
years before you got pupils; and, besides, when there are two men in a
family it would be shameful to depend upon a woman to keep them."
"Why do you think of New Zealand more than Canada, Wil?"
"Because, in the first place, the climate is a great deal pleasanter,
and, in the second place, I believe that as the passage-money is higher
the emigrants are of a better class, and we are likely to have more
pleasant neighbours--people that you and father can associate with--than
we should have if we went to a backwood clearing in Canada. Tom Fairfax
has an uncle in New Zealand, and I have heard him say there are lots of
officers in the army and people of that sort who have settled there. Of
course I know it is going to be hard work, and that it will be very
rough for you and father when we land at first, but I expect it will be
better after a time; and anyhow, mother, I do not think we can starve
there, and I feel sure that it will come to that if we stop here. At any
rate, you had better think it over.
"Of course if you hit on anything better I shall be ready to agree at
once; but whatever it is we must quite make up our minds together and
then tell father. But when we do tell him we shall have to say that we
are quite convinced that the plan we have fixed on is the only one that
offers a hope of success. Of course I do not expect that he will see it
as we do, but if we put it that if he can suggest anything better to be
done we will set about it at once, I think he's pretty certain to let
things go on as we arrange. I do not mean to speak disrespectfully of
father," he went on seeing that his mother's face was a little clouded
"but you know, mother, that people who are learned, scientific, and all
that sort of thing are very often bad hands at everyday matters. Sir
Isaac Newton, and lots of other fellows I have read about, were like
that; and though father is a splendid hand at anything to do with the
Britons or Danes, and can tell you the story of every old ruin in the
kingdom, he is no good about practical matters. So that we take all the
trouble off his hands, I think he will be quite ready to agree to do
whatever you think is the best. At any rate, mother, I think my plan is
well worth thinking over, and the sooner we make up our minds the
better; after all it is a great thing having something to look forward
to and plan about."
Three or four days later Mrs. Renshaw told Wilfrid that think as she
would she could see no better plan for utilizing her little capital than
for them to emigrate.
"It is putting great responsibility on your shoulders, my boy," she
said; "for I do not disguise from myself that it is upon you that we
must principally depend. Still you will be sixteen by the time we can
arrive there, and I think we should be able to manage. Besides, as you
say, we can hire a man or two to help, and shall have some money to fall
back upon until things begin to pay. There are plenty of women who
manage even without the assistance of a son, and I do not know why I
should not be able to get on with you and Marion to help me, especially
as farming is a comparatively simple business, in a new country. At any
rate, as you say, with two or three cows and plenty of ducks and hens,
and what we can grow on the ground, there will be no fear of our
starving."
The next day Mr. Renshaw came downstairs for the first time since he had
heard of the misfortune. He had received a letter that morning saying
that a call was at once to be made on each shareholder for the amount
still standing on each share, and this sum was in itself more than he
could meet even after the sale of his house and its contents. He was in
a state of profound depression. He had, while upstairs, been
endeavouring to think of some means of supporting his family, but had
been wholly unable to think of any plan whatever. He knew that at his
age he should find it next to impossible to obtain employment, even as
a clerk at the lowest salary; his knowledge of archæology would be
absolutely useless to him, for the books he had already published had
not even paid the expenses of printing.
Few words were spoken at breakfast, but when the meal was finished Mrs.
Renshaw began: "My dear Alfred, Wilfrid and I have been talking over
what we had better do under the circumstances. I have told him that the
failure of the bank involves the loss of all our property, that the
house will have to be sold, and that, in fact, there remains nothing but
the thousand pounds of my settlement. We have talked it over in every
light, and have quite arrived at the conclusion as to what we think the
best thing to be done if you see matters in the same light and will
consent to our plan. I had at first thought of starting a little
school."
"I would never agree to that," Mr. Renshaw said; "never. I must do
something, my dear, though I have not made up my mind in what direction.
But whatever it is, it is for me to work, and not for you."
"Well, we have already given up the idea," Mrs. Renshaw went on.
"Wilfrid was sure that you would not like it, and, as he pointed out,
the money might be spent before I could obtain sufficient pupils to pay.
Besides, he is anxious to be of use; but the difficulty struck us of
obtaining any kind of remunerative work here."
"That is what I have been thinking," Mr. Renshaw said. "I shall be
willing to work at anything in my power, but I don't see what possible
work I can get."
"Quite so, my dear. In this country it is of course terribly difficult
for anyone to get employment unless he has been trained in some
particular line, therefore Wil and I are agreed that the very best plan,
indeed the only plan we can think of, is for us to go out to a new
country. My little money will take us to New Zealand, buy a good-sized
piece of land there, and suffice to enable us to clear it and stock it
to some extent. The life will no doubt be rough for us all for a time;
but none of us will care for that, and at any rate we are sure to be
able to keep the wolf from the door."
"To New Zealand!" Mr. Renshaw repeated aghast. "That is a terrible
undertaking. Besides, I know nothing whatever about farming, and I fear
that I am quite unfit for hard work."
"I do not think it will be at all necessary for you to work yourself,
Alfred. Of course we can hire men there just as we can in England. I
believe the natives are willing to work at very low rates of pay, so we
need have no difficulty on that score. Wilfrid is growing up now, and
will soon be able to relieve you of all responsibility, and then you
will be able to devote yourself to your favourite studies; and I should
think that a book from your hand upon native manners and customs would
be sure to be a great success. Accustomed as you are to tracing things
up from small remains, and with your knowledge of primitive peoples,
your work would be very different from those written by men without any
previous acquaintance with such matters."
"The idea certainly pleases me," Mr. Renshaw said; "but, of course, I
shall want time to think over your startling proposal, Helen."
"Of course, my dear. In the meantime we will go on packing up and
preparing to move at once from here, as you say that there must be a
sale of everything; then you can think the matter over, and if you
decide upon any better scheme than ours we can carry that out. If not,
we shall be ready to put ours into execution."
The next month was a busy one. There was great sympathy evinced by all
the Renshaw's neighbours and acquaintances when it was heard that their
whole fortune was swept away by the failure of the bank. There were
farewell visits to be paid, not only to these, but to their poorer
neighbours. In answer to inquiries as to their plans, Mr. Renshaw always
replied that at present nothing whatever was settled. Mrs. Renshaw
hinted that, although their plans were not definitely fixed, she thought
it probable that they would go abroad; while Wilfrid and Marion both
informed their friends confidently that they were going to New Zealand.
The work of packing went on. A few articles of furniture that were
special favourites with them all were packed up and sent to be
warehoused in London, in order that they might some day be forwarded to
them when they had made themselves a home; but nothing else was taken
beyond their clothes, a good selection of books for their general
reading, a large box of those which Mr. Renshaw declared absolutely
indispensable to himself, and a few nick-nacks specially prized.
Everything else was handed over for sale for the benefit of the
creditors of the bank. During these weeks Mr. Renshaw continued to speak
as if he regarded the New Zealand project as wholly impracticable, and
on each occasion when he did so his wife replied cheerfully: "Well, my
dear, we are in no way wedded to it, and are quite ready to give it up
and adopt any plan you may decide upon. The matter is entirely in your
hands."
But Mr. Renshaw could hit upon no other scheme; and, indeed, his wife's
suggestion as to a book on the natives of New Zealand had much taken his
fancy. Certainly he, a trained antiquarian, should be able to produce a
book upon such a subject that would be of vastly greater value than
those written by settlers and others having no training whatever that
would qualify them for such work. It was probable that he should be able
to throw some entirely new light upon the origin and history of the
Maoris or natives of New Zealand, and that his book would greatly add to
his reputation, and would sell well. Really the idea was not such a very
bad one, and, for himself, he should certainly prefer a life in a new
country to shabby lodgings in some out-of-the-way place, after having
for so many years been a personage of importance in his own
neighbourhood.
"I see one great objection to your scheme, Helen, and that is that there
is a war going on with the Maoris."
"I know there is," Mrs. Renshaw, who had talked the matter over with
Wilfrid, replied; "but it is confined to two or three of the tribes, and
the settlers in other parts have been in no way disturbed. The troops
have taken most of their strongholds, and the troubles are considered to
be approaching an end; therefore I do not think there is any occasion
to be uneasy on that score. Besides, in some respects the trouble will
be advantageous, as we should probably be able to buy land cheaper than
we otherwise should have done, and the land will rapidly rise in value
again when the disturbances are over. But, of course, we should not go
to the disturbed districts. These are round Auckland and New Plymouth,
and the troubles are confined to the tribes there. Everything is
perfectly peaceable along the other parts of the coast."
It was not until two or three days before the move was to be made from
the house that Mrs. Renshaw recurred to the subject.
"You have not said yet, Alfred, what plans you have decided upon. As we
shall leave here in three days it is quite time that we made up our
minds about it, as, of course, our movements must depend on your
decision. If you have fixed upon any place for us to settle down in, it
would be cheaper for us to move there at once instead of wasting money
by going up to London first. Another reason I have for asking is, that
Robert and William Grimstone, the gardener's sons, who have got an idea
from something Wilfrid said to them that we might be going abroad, have
asked him to ask you if you would take them with you. They have been
working in the garden under their father for the last two or three
years, and are strong active young fellows of nineteen and twenty. As
their father has worked here ever since we came, and we have known the
young fellows since they were children, such an arrangement would have
been a very pleasant one had you liked my plan of emigrating, as it
would have been much more agreeable having two young fellows we knew
with us instead of strangers. Of course I told Wilfrid to tell them that
nothing whatever was settled, and that our plans were not in any way
formed, and that they had better, therefore, look out for situations
about here, and that I was sure you would give them good letters of
recommendation."
Mr. Renshaw was silent. "I really do not see that there is any occasion
to come to a decision in a hurry," he said irritably.
"Not in a hurry, Alfred," his wife said quietly. "You see, we have had a
month to think it over, and I do not see that we shall be more likely to
settle upon an advantageous scheme at the end of six months than we are
now. From the day we leave here and hand over everything to the receiver
of the bank we shall be drawing on our little capital, and every pound
is of importance. I think, therefore, Alfred, that you and I should make
up our minds before we leave here as to what course we are going to
adopt. As I have said, I myself see no scheme by which we are likely to
be able to maintain ourselves in England, even in a very humble way. A
life in the colonies would, to me, be very much more pleasant than the
struggle to make ends meet here.
"It would afford an opening for Wilfrid, and be vastly more advantageous
for him than anything we should hope to get for him here; and I think it
will be far better for Marion too. Of course, if we decided to emigrate,
we could, should you prefer it, go to Canada, Australia, or the United
States in preference to New Zealand. I only incline to New Zealand
because I have heard that there is a larger proportion of officers and
gentlemen there than in other colonies, and because I believe that the
climate is a particularly pleasant one. But, of course, this is merely a
suggestion at present, and it is for you to decide."
"If we are to emigrate at all," Mr. Renshaw replied, "I should certainly
prefer New Zealand myself. The Maoris are a most interesting people.
Their origin is a matter of doubt, their customs and religion are
peculiar, and I have no doubt that I should, after studying them, be
able to throw much new and valuable light upon the subject. Personally,
I am sure that I am in no way fitted for the life of a settler. I know
nothing of farming, and could neither drive a plough nor wield an axe;
but if I could make the native subject my own, I might probably be able
to do my share towards our expenses by my books, while Wilfrid could
look after the men. The offer of these two young fellows to go with us
has removed several of my objections to the plan, and I agree with you
that it would be more advantageous for Wilfrid and Marion than to be
living in wretched lodgings. Therefore, my dear, I have decided to fall
in with your plan, and only hope that it will turn out as well as you
seem to expect. It will be a great change and a great trial; but since
you seem to have set your heart upon it, I am willing to adopt your
plans instead of my own, and we will therefore consider it settled that
we will go to New Zealand."
Mrs. Renshaw was too wise a woman to point out that her husband had not,
so far as she was aware, any plans whatever of his own, and she
contented herself by saying quietly: "I am glad you have decided so, my
dear. I do think it is the best thing for us all, and I am quite sure it
is the best for Wilfrid and Marion. If it had not been for them I should
have said let us take a tiny cottage near some town where I might add to
our income by giving lessons in music or other things, and you might
have the companionship of people of your own tastes; but, being as it
is, I think it far better to give them a start in a new country,
although I know that such a life as we shall lead there must entail, at
any rate at first, some hardships, and the loss of much to which we have
been accustomed."
Wilfrid and Marion were delighted when they heard from their mother that
the matter was settled. Both had had great hopes that Wilfrid's scheme
would be finally accepted, as there did not seem any other plan that was
possible. Still Wilfrid knew the difficulty that his father would have
in making up his mind, and feared there might be a long delay before he
could bring himself to accept the plan proposed to him. Mrs. Renshaw,
who was a good business woman, lost no time in arranging with Robert and
William Grimstone as to their accompanying them. Their passage-money was
to be paid, and they were to bind themselves to remain for three years
in Mr. Renshaw's service on wages similar to those they would have
obtained at home; after that, they were to be paid whatever might be the
colonial rate of wages.
The excitement that the prospect of emigration caused to the young
people lessened their pain at leaving the house where they had been born
and brought up, with all its pleasant associations and material
comforts. It was, however, very trying to them when they bade good-bye
for the last time to their surroundings and shook hands with their old
servants.
"If ever we get rich in New Zealand, father," Wilfrid said, "we will
come back and buy the house again."
Mr. Renshaw shook his head. Just at present he was disposed to regard
himself as a martyr, and considered that he had made an unprecedented
sacrifice of his own wishes and comforts for the sake of his children,
and that no good could be expected to arise from the plan to which he
had consented. A good many friends had gathered at the station to say
good-bye, and it was some time after the train had started on its way to
London before any of the party felt themselves inclined to speak.
On arriving in town they went at once to lodgings they had engaged in
Eastbourne Terrace, facing the station. Once settled there, no time was
lost in making preparations for their voyage. The files of the
advertisements had already been searched and the names of the vessels
sailing for New Zealand and the addresses of their owners noted, and
after paying a visit to several shipping offices the choice of vessels
remained at last between the _Flying Scud_ and the _Mayflower_. They
were vessels of about the same size, both bore a good reputation as
sailers, and they heard excellent accounts of the captains who commanded
them.
The _Mayflower_ was to sail direct to Wellington round the Cape. The
_Flying Scud_ was taking in cargo for Rio and Buenos-Ayres, and would
proceed thence via Cape Horn. Her rates of passage were somewhat lower
than those of the _Mayflower_, as the route via the Cape of Good Hope
was that more generally used, and the number of passengers who had
secured berths by her were very much smaller than those who intended to
travel by the _Mayflower_. It was this that principally decided them in
choosing the western route; Mr. Renshaw was in a depressed and nervous
state, and his wife considered that he would be far more comfortable
with a comparatively small number of fellow-passengers than in a crowded
ship.
Marion quite agreed with her mother; and Wilfrid was also in favour of
the _Flying Scud_, as he thought it would be pleasant to break the
passage by putting into the great South American ports and getting a
glimpse of their inhabitants. Mr. Renshaw himself was quite satisfied to
accept his wife's decision, whatever it might be. The _Flying Scud_ was
therefore selected, and passages for the party secured in her.