PAEROA'S VENGEANCE
So utterly unexpected was the attack, that Sounding Sea went down
with a yell of terror; but, quickly recognising his adversary, he
began to wriggle and twist, clawing and spitting like an angry cat.
But he could do nothing against such a stalwart as George, and
Terence, confident of this, busied himself in cutting the bonds of
the captives and gently chafing their swollen joints, while he smiled
into their wan faces, and spoke hopefully in a language they did not
understand of the good time coming for them.
But hope is translatable into any tongue, and, as Terence chatted on,
the dull eyes brightened and a responsive grin overspread Paeroa's
drawn face, while Kawainga's lips quivered, and she burst into happy,
soothing tears.
This was too much for Terence. His alluring smile vanished, and he
rose and solemnly punched the head of Sounding Sea. 'I don't often
hit a man when he is down,' he remarked, returning to his patients;
'but you deserve a taste of your own sauce.'
'Quite right,' agreed George. 'Wait here, Terence, while I get my
flask. When I return, we can settle what to do.'
He was back in a very short time, and the flask, which he had not
opened since he left Sydney, came in usefully now; for the strong
spirit, dashed with water, soon restored Paeroa and Kawainga, who sat
up and began to talk.
'I did what I could, Hortoni,' Paeroa said sadly. 'Had you met me by
the fork that day all would have been well. As it is, I have still
one word of the white-haired chief to you. Te Karearea took the
other. Here it is.'
Like all the Hau-haus, he wore his hair long, and now he pulled from
the tangled locks a soiled piece of paper, which he held out to
George, who took it and read aloud:
'We ar~ on your t~ack. Try ~~~~~~scape ~nd meet us. Y~~rs--M.
Cra~sto~n.'
Here and there the pencilled letters were obliterated; but the
meaning was clear enough. The question was--had Te Karearea driven
back, or annihilated the relief force? And this, of course, Paeroa
could not tell.
'I wonder what was in the note which Te Karearea took,' said George.
'Paeroa has made a mistake,' commented Terence. 'Colonel Cranstoun
is not white-haired, unless he has changed since I saw him.'
'Well, there is no use worrying over a mistake,' said George.
'Oh, of course not,' agreed Terence, looking curiously at his friend.
He had his own idea as to the identity of the writer of the missing
note, and thought that George's ignorance was bliss, in so far as it
saved him from much anxiety.
Briefly, Paeroa's story was that, on the march to rejoin the main
body, he had stolen away at the risk of his life, worked round to the
rear of the Arawa contingent, and presented himself at the British
camp, where he found Colonel Cranstoun and others, to whom he told
the story of George's adventures as far as he knew them. He was
ignorant of the capture of Terence, so he could not remove the
impression which existed that the Irishman had been killed while
endeavouring to deliver Captain Westrupp's note. Promising to do all
he could for George, Paeroa departed with two short letters in his
care. He failed, as we know, to communicate with George on the day
of the fight with the Arawas; but, just before the skirmish, while
plotting with Kawainga to deliver the letters unobserved, the two
were suddenly overpowered by a strong guard of Hau-haus, and conveyed
to the _pah_. There they were kept in close confinement, and
eventually transferred to the cave under the waterfall, Sounding Sea
being appointed their gaoler. The mean and vicious Hau-hau had
amplified the chief's instructions, and gratified his own malevolent
nature by inflicting upon the prisoners as many hardships as he
dared, short of actually murdering them, so that their existence
since the departure of Te Karearea had been wretched indeed.
'What is to be done now?' queried George, when Paeroa's story had
come to an end.
Terence drew his revolver and turned to face Sounding Sea. 'Let him
know, George,' he said grimly, 'that, unless he tells the whole
truth, there will be a new arrival in Reinga within a minute.'
'Stop!' shrieked Sounding Sea in English. 'I will tell all. I was
to keep these two here until Te Karearea's return. I have cared for
them and fed them. Mercy, great lords!'
'We shall soon find out whether he has told the truth,' said George
gravely. 'We must leave him here, of course--and you two must also
be content to wait here a little longer.'
Paeroa stood up shakily, endeavouring to throw out his chest. 'Hope
is a good medicine,' he said bravely. 'By the time Hortoni needs my
arm it will be strong enough to strike a blow for him.'
As he spoke, Kawainga uttered a weak, wailing cry. George and
Terence wheeled, but Paeroa, his hollow eyes gleaming, staggered past
them, and hurled his wasted body full atop of Sounding Sea.
Unperceived by the men, the villain had wormed his way close to
Kawainga, intending to finish her with one stroke of his club; but
the girl's scream spoiled the murderous ruffian's scheme.
Sounding Sea, never a strong man, had grown weak and flabby in
consequence of his idle, dissolute life; but, nevertheless, Paeroa
had his work cut out for him, and the Englishmen, though anxious to
let him have the credit of saving his sweetheart's life, were
prepared to interfere should the contest go against him. They
thought, of course, that Paeroa meant simply to secure the fellow,
and hold him while they adjusted the slipped ropes.
But Paeroa had no such intention. Wrought up to a pitch of fury at
the recollection of his wrongs at this coward's hands, and mad with
rage at the attempt upon the life of his betrothed, his strength was
unnatural. For one instant he came uppermost in the struggle; but it
was enough. Glaring wildly about him, he saw and scooped the wooden
club from the ground, and, without waiting to fasten his grip upon
the handle, brought the triangular edge smashing down upon the
upturned face of Sounding Sea. The force of the blow spent itself
upon the temple, and with a deep groan the Hau-hau fell back, killed
outright by that terrible stroke.
'Ha!' Paeroa gasped, floundering to his feet and shaking the
bloodstained club. 'Ha! I have slain a _taipo_. The strength of
ATUA was in me.' Then he lurched forward like a drunken man, and
crashed down at Kawainga's feet.
Horrified, George and Terence gazed at the swift, awful scene. It is
no light matter to see a man slain before your eyes. Moved by a
common impulse, they reverently lifted the dead man and carried him
to one side, while Kawainga fussed and crooned over Paeroa.
'If any one is aware of his visits here, and knows that he was
employed to watch us----' began George; but Terence struck in:
'We are armed now, and with revolvers, not to speak of your
greenstone club. By the way, why didn't you bring it with you?'
'I did,' answered George, clapping his hand to his side. But the
loop in his belt was empty. The _mere_ was gone.
Startled, George looked about the cave; but nowhere could he find the
club.
'I fear it has dropped into the river as I came down the ladder,' he
said. 'Wait here, if you don't mind, Terence, and I will go and see
if I have left it in our hut. No; let me go, for if I meet any one,
my knowledge of the language will get me past him, whereas you might
be stopped.'
'Bring back the basket of food with you,' Terence called after him as
he hurried away.
As he rapidly ascended the ladder, George became conscious of an
extraordinary commotion in the _pah_. Shouts and cries, wailing of
_teteres_, even gun-shots, disturbed the quiet night, and, wondering
what had happened, he scaled the palisades and sped to his _whare_.
A glance all round told him that the club was not there, so,
snatching up the basket of food, he was about to set off again, when
from the confusion of sounds in the direction of the _marae_, one
detached itself, clear and high:
'_Rongo pai! Rongo pai!_' (Good tidings! Good tidings!)
'Salutations, O Hawk of the Mountain! O Slayer of the Pakeha, hail!'
Without an instant's pause George turned and ran, scaling the
stockade, and dashing down the flax-ladder at perilous speed.
'Come!' he shouted, when he had gained the entrance to the cave.
'Out of this for your lives. Te Karearea has returned!'