THE FATAL DEER HUNT.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 4, Issue 61, 24 April 1851, Page 3

THE FATAL DEER HUNT.

We intended to cut straight across the island ; but few eyes or feet save an Indian's ever carried their owner in a direct line through the untrodden wilderness, and we were beginning to ihiiik the island a vast deal broader than we had supposed, when we came suddenly on a sunny glade, where the thousand floivrets which decked the green sward were free to gaze upon the blue sky the whole summer through. A graceful deer, with limbs so slcud.r and tapering it scarcely seemed to touch the earth, stood at the f irthesl end of the glide, snuffing the air as tliough it smelt danger in the wind. '' Now for another chance," whispered Wells. . But ere he could aim, the agile creature camo hounding lightly along the glittering turf, little dreaming that deadly fo.-s were hidden behind the leafy screen of the dense fohoge which hung even to the ground. As the deer was passing us, Wells fired, and instantly it dropped. There was a slight convulsion of the delicale limbs, and by the time we reached it, no knife was needed to give the finishing stroke to ils career. The bulltt had pissed through the spine « little below where ii joins the head, nnd death had followed fast upon it. " Wh.it was thatr" exclaimed Wells, pausing in ilie act of nieasuiing ihe d'er, which was full nine inches idiuiter than my own trophy of dctr-stalking. Well might he osk ; for s<>

horiiblc, nay terrible a sound, I never before had heard, though my ears had greatly enlarged llnir experience in that respect on the prairies of the West. Avail), and again, that fearful yell lang through the woods, filling the air with the most extraoidiniiy compound ol wild triefand furious rage th.it can possibly b? imagined. " What can it lie !" said Wells again, but in a low anxious whisper. An undefiunble feeling at my heart forbade my answering. A torrent of wild, dreadful thoughts rushed on me in an instant, for hut nn instant's longer d»uht was left us, before half-a-dozen Indians sprung out of the woods close at hand, and springing »n us, ere there was time to think of resistance, dragged ns n few yards amid the tall dark trees. And there, beneath their wide dense branches, la\ on the unsunned '.urf an Indian, by whom knelt two others, endeavouring to staunch the blood which was welling from his side. I glanced at Leonard. He was deadly pale, and an expression of intense anguish was in his countenance. Then immediately one of our captors demanded, in the disfigured and mutilated French, mingled .villi Indian, which forms the usual medium of communication between the white nnd red men—" Which of the palefaces did that ?" poiuting, ns he spoke to the wounded man. " It was I!" exclaimed Leonard. " I did it unintentionally, unconciously ! —I fired at the deer, and knew not any but ourselves were on the island." " The paleface is a skilful hunter,"' said the Indian bitterly, "he shoots more than he aims ai. But the red blood sinks into the earth, it can drink white blood as easily." " You would not surely kill my friend, because of this unfortunate accident ?" I said anxiously ; while Leonard, unheeding the threat, was bending over the wounded Indian, a prey to all the wild regrets which ever seize on the author of so painful an occurence. " Hearken l\ said the Indian, who had already spoken, and one of his companions touched Leonard's arm, and made him rise, to listen. " Hearken !" is the paleface a medicine ?" i. e., duclur. "Would to God I were!" cried Wells; how gladly would I give my life, far leas my utmost care and skill, to save vour friend !—Uul I am ignorant—useless as a child, except for evil I" The Indian stepped nearer the sufferer ; and for a few seconds he and his companions conversed in their own tongue around the wounded man, who appeared sinking into total insensibility. But a powerful hunter kept his strong grasp on Leonard's arm, and his escape was impossible; though lie seemed so overwhelmed by the shuck if seeing a fellow-creature strurk down by his hand, that :t might under other circumstances have been a difficult matter to excite him to the attempt. " Before the rifle of the paleface spoke through the woods," said the same Indian, turning ngain to Wells, " the red hunter was strong as the mouse deer, and fleet as the wild horse of the prairies. Now he is fallen to the earth, a leaf lorn from the tree before summer is half over, and left to wither and to die. But the wind scatters nbroad the leaves of the white rose us easil) os of ihe red, and the Indians have said an Indian shall not die alone." Duiing the last few words, the glowing eyes of the assembled hunters had been turned to the right j .but the atep which drew them was too light to attract my attention, absorbed as it was by_ the fearful intimation to which 1 was listening. But the speaker had scarcely concluded, when Nerriton, to whom it seemed the Indian was known, stepped between him and Leonard, and replied earnestly—"Grief burns too fiercely in the heart of Chechegna, and his made him mad. Can the blood of my friend fill the veins of Zaingaroa, nnd make hint slr»nj! again? or can the tears shed by the paleface M>omen dry the eyes and comfort the hear.s of his mother and his squaw ? My young friend is no magician to 6«e what is hidden from h's eyes—how should he know that my brothers were iu the wood ? Chechegwa has a heart; let him listen to it, and not to the bad spirit which is whispering in his ears!"J " Yes, Chechegwa has a heart I" exclaimed' the Indian. "And it tells him thai the came blood flows in his veins and those of Zain garoa, and that the same mother loved and nurstd them both. Shall he go back and say to his mother, that her sou fell by the bullet of the paleface, ond that Rattlesnake stood by and smiled and said that it was well ? Go to; my brother's heart is more white than red, his veins are full of snow, and his fathers forcot how to teach liini to talk to an Indian." * * * The Indians, meanwhile, had done all thtir forest skill suggested to aid their wounded compinion. But that was little, and the latal bullet still remained, and was likely to remain, to insure his death and that of Leonard. Now came symptoms of a move—the dying liuuler was carried ollj and J eonard led "away, nnd I followed 'o the beach not n dozen yards distant, where two canoes where produced from beneath tin hemlutk boughs, which had sheltered them from the sun, and quickly lauuclud, to be loaded by a lew bundles <-f fresh lum, and a quailcreu deir, drawu from similar rctrentf.

Then the wounded man was placed i» one «il tlie little birchen bork shallops, and Wells directed to step in. " I would go with rny friend," I siiii to Chechegwa, who answering, siirned to ma to enter the other canoe. On taking iny|place, I looked round for Nerriton, but he was not to be seen ; and with many a hitler malediction in my thought on the heartlessness which could allow him to desert poor Leonard at such a moment, and that too when he was the only one whose voice might have some weight with our dark-minned companions, I watched ihe bright sands and nil trees of the fatal island disappear across the glancing waves. • * * * The dead man's brother came forward with a deliberate step until he stood confronting Wells. His face was grave and stern, hut calm, ns he said in a low deep voice—" Z dngaroa has gone to the land of spirits, to join the gre.il warriors of his tribe. Isut his step 19 sluw, and his brow is dark, for liis people and his brother have not avenged him. L.et the pilefflco listen. It is night, let him sleep in safety •, uu Indian will not strike till there is light to see. When the morning come*, Cliechegwa's arm will be ready—the sun will rise, bill the eycß of the paleface shall not heboid him." Leonard bent his head without replying. Chechegwa turned away loftily, as beseemed a man who held another's life at his disposal. I sprang after, eager to detain him, and plead once more in my friend's behnlf. Hut an Indian stepped between us, and haughlily desired me lo keep back. "Itisof no use Gerald/' said Leonard quielly, " they are resoWed 10 have my life; then let them take it. Ido not value it as I might yesterday have done." * * * * In a few seconds he was bound to one of the tall beeches that hordeicd the forest, while Chechegwa stood some twenty pai e.s distant, eooly examining the Hint (lor he did not bonst a detonater) of the ride with which he chose to inflict deith with his own hand, while the other red men looked contentedly on. " Oh, Nerrimn, Nerriton !'' I thought. " Had you been but true, we might have rescued him !" '\t this very moment a form darted to Leonard's side, and with u rapid stroke of a knife set him at liberty. Chechigwß fired, but Ihe bullet only cut deep into the grey bark. The spectators sprung to « here their rifles were left, but ere they could reach the spot, three Cbippeway Indians were there, and seized upon their weapons. A Bitch yell arose from the bnfflcd savages, and as wild a one followed from our red I'rii'iids, while the women rushing to the doors oi the wigwams', shrieked forth a third discordance on the air. Tomahawks and knives were brandished in a minute on ilia onposiie, but ou ours were levelled five loaded rifles, which s'-cured a parley, and Nerriton—lor it was" he ibat freed Leonard—stopped forward. " Let us not shed each other's blood," he said. " Vour tomahawks are keen but they can he thrown but once ; and our rifles Hre good, and in hands that can use them well. Chechegwa sees that bis arm is too short to reach my young friend—the Manito has said he shall not fad powerless like a bird charmed by the eye of Ihe Rattlesnake, Hut why should there be a war between us? We should go in peace." Chechegwa scowled daiklv, but be was at our mercy; for his powder flask and pouch had fallen into our hands with his comrade'* rifles. He pointed haughtily towards the water, as though giving us notice to quit; then folding his arms with the air of u man who is foiled, not vanquished, be watched our departure in deep silence; as did his friends. Canoes were wailing for us in charge of Antoine, and as Nerriton stepped in Inst, he hid the captured rifles and atumu- j nition nu the shore.