A GHOSTLY DRIVER.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13337, 1 February 1909, Page 8

A GHOSTLY DRIVER.

» STRANGE STORY OF THE EARLY DAYS.

At a gathering of surveyors in Wellington last week (says tho "Xew Zealand Times"), the Hon. G. F. Richardson told the following story:—He was once out with a small surveying part} - in tho wilds of the Xgawaka-a--kupo Block, near. Martinborough, which was a very lonely and heavily timbered! place in those days. One night he andi his party- .had camped on the banks of a stream in the depth of the bush. Ho was in a tent by himself, andl just as ho got into beti ho was startled' by n noise like that of falling timber. From tho sound of it he had, no doubt that it was totara. His mind instantly flashexl back to the table, which had been left several yards away, where 'the week's bread, cooked that night, was piled up. Acting under the impression that some pigs had invaded) the camp from c. Maori pa some distance away he rushed' out in his shirt to save tho ruin. It was very much to his surprise he found the table and its load inlact, whilst there was not a sign of life or movement β-uywhero. Thefiro adjoining had not .been, disturbed. In fact, a great silence reigned, over the bush. The peculiar thing was that his dog, which slept outside the tent, refused to accompany him down to the table, but remained crouching outside tho tent wth bristles erect and growliug ;

INoxt morning several of his mates asked liim if he hadi heard a noise of falling timber in the night. Two or three, evenings after, when the incident was almost forgotten, the same sound was heard ot identically- tho same time. Thero was a- certain resonance in the sound that made liim positive that it was totara that fell. Hβ immediately rushed out to the edgo of the creek, in the direction which tho sound appeared to emanate from, and- called out, "Who is there?" There was no answer. Tho bush was as silent as the grave. "Do you want ajry help?" ho called again. Not a sound came back. After some hesitation he went to bed. Next morning ho put a bridge across the creek with his party, and they scoured the neighbourhood for nearly a day to see if anything could be located. But apparently there was no cause for the mysterious noise. Several nights after, the number of the party in camp was swelled by the arrival of several surveyors. On tho Sunday evening ho and one of the sul veyors, who had been making some calculations in his tent, went outside for a smoke in the dusk. Mr Itichan.ison had said nothing to his companion ebout the disturbance that had taken place. _ They were chatting softly in the stillness when in tho bush across tho creek once again the crash of falling timber was heard. Ho started to his feet in time to see through the trees tho loiiw. OS a pair of bullocks, followed by the figure of a man faintly outlined in tho gloom, disappearing among the trees. His ooniponion, who did not come to his feet so quickly, only saw the figure of the man and the wheels of a timber-dray. Then the deep silence of the bush settled down upon them again. Several nigvts after the same thing was repeated.. and, although he called 1 out to tho driver, there was no answer. The wholo thing wee so uncanny that they were glad to make a move. Shortly I after they dropped across some Maoris, who, after being questioned by the speaker, told him that none of them dared to visit the place after dark. Some weeks previous, a young Maori had been driving a bulloek-drav through there with a load of totara posts, when the vehicle capsized and fell on him, crushing him to death. Not one of the party had known of this.