OF PERSONAL ADVENTURE.

Grey River Argus, Issue 60, 31 May 1866, Page 3

OF PERSONAL ADVENTURE.

Rambling Colonist. W^ No, L— tJPA TREE. Her Majesty's, ship -= had not boen long in harbor before all the officers, from the captain clown to the youngest and, most impudent middy, had become immensely popular. The captain was a kind hearted genial man, beloved by the whole ship's company, an}l when the' sliip had been put a little bit in order after her somewhat stormy voyage, he freely allowed his officers and men as' mudf liberty as was consistent with discipline. Nor > were they slow to take advantage of the privilege, and for several days the little quiet settlement was turned upside down by the riotous mirth of the blue jackets. I soon became acquainted with the officers, .with some of ' whom I contracted a sincere friendship, and I gladly became their ;guide. to the various sqenes of interest in th.Q neighborhood. Their great wish was to see the " bush," which their fancied had peopled with wild boars, wild .cattle, and "a variety of other game common to tropical regions or the wilds of America, but not 'yet -acclimatised in New Zealand. Little Charley, a most precocious middy of sixteen, had been plying an old bush sawyer with inquiries, and the hoary wretch had crammed hia questioner with apocryphal statements as to the glorious nature of life in the bush. Charley was therefore anxious to visit the sylvan shades of the Manukau ranges, and after teasing the others it was at length decided that on the following day we shoul.l take a boat and. visit some of the creeks and inlets of the harbor, and make a short exclusion into the bush. I promised to find a boat, and they were to supply the .commissariat. Having thrown but some hints as to the advisability of their putting on the oldest suit ; of clothes they had got, a,nd givgn some advice as to guns and ammunition, «fee, I parted from my naval friends, and set about getting my whalebjat ready for the trip. The tide served soon after daylight, and I dropped clown the sticim alongside the ship. Hampers of-prcg and grog were stowed away, blankets wure rolled up, Little, Charley had sat himself in the in (Hi; 'dangerous part of the boat lie could find, my Mend Bob was looking after the sail, and we only waited for our other companion, whom I shall call Eriggs. " He'll be h ilf an hour yet," sa.d Bob, <( - he ha^ been two hour.s getting on his infernal sporting' costun c already, ar.d when I Qime out he had two men and a boy tugging away trying to button his leather -legginjs, which being a siz3 too small for him, and the buttons a size too big for the holes, Avas no easy task," ■ •' Ye 5.," cried out Charity, "I tried the bottom button and I nearly tore oli" all my nails and burst every blood vessel in my body — but here he comei." And surely enough there 0:1 the gangway was Lieutenant Briggs, of H.M. corvetto , looking more like a picture of Robin Hood than a naval ..officer. He was the exact facsimile of those figures of sportsmen they put into cased in buff, leather. He had self-colorecl balmoral botHis, with soles an inch thick j j and studded with heavy nails. His legs were encased in leather leggings, which from the very evident strain on the buttons would impede his locomotion. His coa^ was a . very fashionable sporting cut, also of leather, with buttons bearing appropriate device.*. Oh h!s head was a ! "deer-stalker." Round his waist hung in charming order powder flask, shot ; pouch, and a spirit flask, whilst from Ms .shoulder a game bag of considerable dimensions was suspended. His gun, a double-barrel, was shing by a strap across his shoulders— altogether he presented a picture to the. astonished sailors which for some time they could not make out. "Rather the correct thing, I fancy," said Briggs, as he noticed my scrutiny of his costume. ; " Why, as for that, old fellow, it might do very well for the moors, but I rather fancy you will wish you had left it at home before we return. You'll find all thes.e ' impedimenta ' a frightful nuisance . in, the bush." Briggs, however, was too much in love with his rig to disturb any of its arrangemeis, so I forbore any further comment. • It was a lovely summer's day. The sun shone down from a sky of the deepest blue, dotted here and there with fleecy clouds. There was just sufficient wind to give life to the water, and we sped along at a pleasant rate. Past snug little Maori settlements, with their patches of maize, pumpkins, and potatoes ; past the stump-covered clearings of sturdy settlers ; past Maori fisher- • men, in their canoes, grinning and chattering wfth astonishment * as we sail by them — Briggs 3 costume being a source of great interest ; past heavily laden timber boats, with a civil speech from their masters ; over shelly sandbanks, and muddy flats, until we reach the mouth of an inlet, up which we run as far as we can get. The tide is out, and there is a wide expanse of mud on either side between us and the shore, across which we must wade, t unless .we wait until high water, which we; are not inclined to do. A loud coo— oo— e brings out the owner of one of the" two or three little tenements near the water's^ edge, and he, directs us to the most forcv able spot. Bob, Charley, and I doffoffv our tro.wsers, tie our shirts round our waists, and drop over the Bide, sinking in njud and water up to' our thighs. Poor Briggs looks^aghast at these operations, and mildly protests against the indelicacy of our appearance, and pokes down Ms stick to see the depth and consistency of the mud. ''• Come, old fellow, look sharp and take off your unmentionables, and. follow us," sung out little Charley, shouldering one of the hamper^, and floundering his way ashore. <' I can't do. it Bob, and if I do I shall never get them on again. I say, old chap, I'm not very heavy you know, and a— as you've got off yours, why, you see, you might a — "■ Carry you,;! suppose you mean ; but I'll see you and your ridiculous leathers blanked first, so strip or not strip, as you like, and gome, along .with those blankets," I was soon safe on the bank, and speedily joined by Bob and Charley ;- but no sign of Briggs leaving the boat ; and-on matters being explained, the man who had answered our signal volunteered to carry pur friend ashore.. . .-('.'.

Now Briggs weighed over ten stone, and he. was so bestiffened and bound" in his leathern suit as to be a very dead weight to carry." There he sat .like Sinbad's old man of the sea, causing his guide to totter about like a drunken man. "By Jove l\e'li be on his, beam ends directly ; he pitches and rolls like an old eighty gun frigate.- Hold hard," cried Charley, getting quite excited. I looked round and saw l3riggs vainly endeavoring to keep his hold ; another minute, and both were floundering in the mud. Poor Briggs did'nt relish our chaff when he got ashore, but we were soon gathered round the great log fire in the wood cutter's hut, and unpacking the soon made ourselves conf ortable. Charley soon got our host into conversation, and asked him what there was to shoot in the neighborhood. ■ " There was a good lot of pigeons about, up at Ned Jackson's sawpit, last week, but I've' not seen many since. You might got a wild duck oi 1 two at the head of the creek at dusk ; and there's any quantity of kakas and tuis." So we decided to start at daybreak the following morning i for Ned Jackson's in search of pigeons, taking a shot at any small game as we went along. Wo accepted the invitation of our host to have, a shakedown, and an hour after. | sunset we were all sound asleep before the fire, coiled up in our blankets, and snoring loud enough to frighten away all the rats in the neighborhood^ Y/e were up with the. dawn, and after a hearty breakfast we set off. [ Briggs's sporting costume had become so much shrunk and otherwise disturbed by the combined influences of water, mud, and the heat of the- fire, that I had no difficulty in persuading him to exchange his leather leggings for an old -i>air of moleskin trousers which our host offered to Iqikl, He however persisted in retaining the coat, game bag, &c, and in slinging his gun over Ms shoulder. A narrow sledgo track along which the timber is brought down to the creek led us through the bush for some, djstaiiQe. The morning sun glinted brightly along the path, and the bush on each side was alive with birds. Bright green parroquets flitted across in every direction, chattering away in highest glee. The kakas were busy, and their harsh screams mingled with the sweet melodious voice of the bell-bird, and the peculiar notes of the Tui. Ono was reminded of the words of old Michael Drayton — . . . In the lower grove as on the rising knowl, Upon the highest spray of every mounting polo Then quiristers are perched, with many a speckled breast : There from the burnished gate the goodly •glittering East Gilds every mountain- top, which late the humorous night Bespangled had with pearl, to please the morning's sight ; On which the mirthful quires, with theiy clecir open throats, Unto tha joyful morn so strain their warbling notes That hills and valleys ring, and even the echoing air " Seems all composed of sounds about them everywhere. Presently we left the road and struck a I scarcely perceptible track through the jlmiJi I.'1 .' Stumbling over meshes of jv^** shrubs wo re;\fcff&fa giilly, on the-, othef side of which the path was steep, and difficult. Poor Briggs was continually being caught by the supplejacks ; his gun being almost at a right angle to his back affording an admirable trap. Little Charley would rush into the bush to get a shot at a parroquet or tui, invariably losing.Jiiinself and necessitating* a good deal of lung exercise before we. could .find him. Bob, who was a bit of ' a botanist, was collecting ferns, and I trudged along looking out and listening for pigeons, of which avc had as yet seen none. After half an hour's tolling, we suddenly came upon an open clearing, and the measured sound of the saw, told xis we had arrived at Jackson's. We. soon made ourselves knoAvn, and after a refreshing cup of tea Jackson himself volunteered to go with us and point out a likely spot for pigeons, which however ho said had been scarce for some weeks. As I knew the locality pretty -well I suggested that we should divide ourselves^ Charley going with mo, a.nd Bob, and Briggs with Jackson. By this course wo should have better chance of sport, and so it was agreed, and Charley and I striking a track were sopn in the thick of the bush intently looking out for sport. We shot lots of kakas and tuis, and tried several times to get within range of some pigeons but unsuccessfully. We wore getting tired and had just made up our minds to return . home, when whirrh . went the whistling pinions of a pigeon over-head. Looking up I saw the bird perched on one of the topmost branches of a rata, almost shielded by the parasitical plants and creepers which hung in festoons from the branches. I took good aim, fire.d and down toppled the pigeon, striking the branches as it fell, and at last alighting on, a tuft of parasitical grass some 50 feet from the ground. It was j very annoying-' thus to lose the only pigeon we had shot', and Little Charley volunteered to climb, up for it. I refused to allow him to do, so, and as the task' did not appear very difficult, I swung hold of on.e,of th.c pen-, dant steins of a creeper., and after a gopd deal of exertion, readied the first ljranch. -I had still some distance to cliinb^ but as trunk was narrower and I could reach r;#3 branch from another- it was not very hard work, At last I came to the branch underneath that on which my prize rested. Taking hold of the trunk I "extended myself on to. my feet, and stretching up my arm I found I was an inch or two too short. I gave a sort of spring on my toes, snatched at the bird, and — slipped my footing, falling with violence into the fork of the lower branch, winch luckily stopped my descent, 1 was some time before I recovered, from the shock, and looked round for the best way of reaching the bottom. A number of the thick rope-like creepers hung down from the trunk, which would bear me well -enough, so grasping one of them I tried to swing myself off the branch. But to my dismay! I found my right leg immoveably jammed in the fork of the branch. Ilerp I was. literally in the stocks, at some sixty feet from the ground, and no one ; to help me free.. 1 did not for several minutes fully realise, my position, but a little reflection convinced me it was a very serious one. I tugged and tugged, as if to wrench my leg from its socket, but there J was as firmly fixed as if in a vice. Shouting, out to /Charley, I briefly explained the fix I-^vag in, and asked him if.

he thougiWae could find lu_3 way back to the. saw£)it for assistance. He was. quite sure he could.; and so, after I had given him some necessary caution and directions, off he set, leaving me. anxiously to wait I his return. My leg began to get very painful with the pressure and the twisting I had given it, whilst every fresh attempt I made convinced me of the usele3sness of my unaided efforts to get free ; so with as much philosophy as I could summon to my aid, I pulled out my pipe and had a smoke, amusing myself by watching the birds that gathered around me as if to enjoy my misfortune. I listened eagerly in the direction of Jackson's, and now and then fancied I could hear a. faint coo'ee, which I answered with all the strength of my lungs. Hour after hour passed, and no sign of succour. Surely that was the crack of a gun I and again I shouted with all my might. "What if Charley has got lost," I muttered aloud, and as the possibility, nay, probability, of such a circumstance flashed across my mind, a cold thrill of horror ran through my veins. I knew how easily persons unaccustomed to the bush may- lose themselves in its intricacies, and I cursed my imprudence in sending an inexperienced lad like him to find his way through a thick trackless forest. I turned over the probabilities in my mind. If, thought' 1/ Charley does not reacli Jackson's before dark, they will not be uneasy about 'us, as they know I ?,m acquainted with the country, and. may have gone on to some other sawyer's place for the night. Even if Charley does reach there, if they don't come quickly I must inevitably remain as I am all night, as it is getting dark. But what if ho cannot guide them back again ? And. so on. I tortured my imagination with all sorts of speculations until I was almost mad with anxiety. I drew out my pocket' knife, and began to pick away the bark on either side of my leg, thinking that by perseverance I might be able to. lessen. 'the. pressure. But the blade snapped off, and all hopo in this direction failed me. I was getting hungry, and my throat was hoarse and parched with incessant shouting, but I had nothing about me but tobacco. Evening was closing in. The sun had disappeared bolow the tops of the great kauri pines on the crest of the ridge, although his rays, still. shed a. stream of liquid fire over- the heavens.. The birds ' gradually ceased their .concert, and a haze began ta gather over the forest. The clouds, which a moment ago were bathed in rosy light, had ' assumed a dusky hue, and a cold gust hv, e^t over the. branches. The. sky is no longer gilded, and distant objects are no longsr distinguishable. Hark ! there is tho cry? of the more-pork, and the tinkle of distant pattle bells opmes floating \ip with the breeze. At last.it is dark, and Charlie has not come ! I soon got terribly cold and cramped. I smoked-my last pipe of tobacco, and waited shivevingly for the dawn. Eagerly did I watch for the first cold streaks in the east ; 'and aa soon as it was daylight, cast my eyes i» the. direction of the hoped.. for help. I hoar the echo of the bushman's axe, and the crashing roar of some fallen forest, giant, but no welcome shout JjaJsj^Sfmy ears. I coo'eo at «}O^ofi^jf^my\^olce ; )ut -3° JJljpwailrtS^ with all; the •3 itWlftifltißigsperatJpn, until. I become exhausted—all is iii. vain, "I am left to die a lingering death of starvation. Hunger lias, left me ; I am only thirsty, but I chew a few leaves, and feel better and more hopeful as the day advances. I feel cer-. tain that before the day- is over help will . come. The midday sun shines hotly overhead ; but the warmth i 3 pleasant, and I feel inclined to sleep, when a. faint coo'ee in the distance falls upon my ears. Yes, thcro it is again distinct enough- I shout as if i to crack my lungs, and my- shout is heard jind returned. Nearer and nearer comes the voices, for there, are. two, until they appear to be within a. hundred yards of me. I cannot see my deliverers on account of the thick foliage, but 1 keep up responsive shouts to guide them towards me. Ah. L another searcher has., joined them, for I hear his voice in the distance. They- go to meet him, no doubt to tell Mm they- they have found my whereabouts, for Ino longer- hear their voices. Dear me, Jiqw long they are. I shout again, but no answer.. Louder, but my A T oice dies away and no response. Oh, my God, they have surely not left me to die ! And in my very bitterness of disappointment I cried like a child, until thoroughly worn out, ' and weary I fell asleep. When I awake- .the sun. is far in the we.3t, and will soon dip behind the kauris, again,. All is as. before, save that I feel a sickly gnawing sensation in my stomach, and that my voice is almost gone ; my legs are excessively painful, and below the knees numb and insensible. I have no strength to shout, and a curious sensation creeps over me, and I detect myself talking aloud of home and kindred. My brain seems to boil, and at last after anotherfruitless struggle to got fre^e, I lose consciousness. . The heavens are glittering with stars, and the moon is jxxst stealing from behind a cloud, when I' awake, chattering with the cold, but with my head clear and my despair gone.. As I gaze on 'the deep, vaiut of heaven, thoughts of the endless journey of eternity flash through my mind* Then I think of home and tho loved ones, and seem to cram into a few seconds every event in my life. 1 shift my position a little, when to my amazement 1 fancy my leg is not so firmly fixed as before. lam so nervously excited that I dread to make the attempt to move it, lest I should be disappointed. But again I exert my muscle, and my leg moves ; another attempt, and I am free. I did not wait for daylight to make my descent. Although my limbs were terribly stiff, I managed to slip down, when the first tiling 1 did Was to kindle a fire. Charley had luckly left some biscuits behind him, and after I had warmed my cramped joints and eaten a biscuit I set off, and soon after sunrise startled the people at Jackson's with my appearance. My first enquiries were for Charley. He was all right ; had found his way without much difficulty, but did not arrive till near dark, ond on the following day could not guide them back to me. The voices I had heard were those of some men looking for cattle, and who never dreamt of anyone being in the fix I was. But Char-' ley. and Briggs had gone back to the boat, intending to get more help to beat the bush for me. Of course jjyeryoi^e was glad at my escape, and after a hearty meal, and the application" of a cunning embrocation, used by bush sawyers!" to my. still painful leg, "l- started off, and r luckly reached the

creek; before .my companions started. Mutual congratulations followed, and we soon embarked, up sail, and sped home, where a little care and nursing put me all right again. How my leg became loosened I cannot tell. I supposo the relaxation of the nrasclo3 had something to do with it ; but certain it is that I don't' intend to try the experiment a second time, nor ever, if I can help it, go Up a Tree.