OVER THE FALLS AND OUT ON THE OCEAN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 3, 3 January 1872, Page 2

OVER THE FALLS AND OUT ON THE OCEAN.

Br F. R. G. S. To he continued in our next. Wiping the salt water from my face and eyes, I now looked seaward to see how my friend who liked seeing " what getting drowned looked like," fared. He was still where I had left him, apparently uncertain whether 1 had been fished out alive or not, so I separated myself from the rest, aud getting on a higher bank, waved the canoe sail and must for him to see. Directly he hoav it, I marked by the regular alternate flash, in the now fitful sunlight, of the broad blades of his paddle, that he had started, and was coming slowly towards the breakers, looking where to come through. It had not appeared to me, comiug in, as having anything particularly dangerous about it, but it looked rather ticklish when you watched another. As each heavy undulation tossed him up on it?, as yet, smooth surface, up rose his arms, holding the paddle aloft, as I had done, to prevent its beiug twisted from bis bauds, and looking for all the world as if he were sitting on nothing, for tbe canoe being end-OD, was scarcely to be seen at all. Now he has reached the outer surf line, and we all run in up to our knees to catch hold of him and the canoe, for we know that he will be here directly. Swiftly the rollers bears him bravely along. His paddle flashes like lightning, and he comes in almost to our feet, leaps out, falls down on the quicksand, is up, paddle in fist, and rushes past up, while we run the canoe well up, and out of reach, just as one thundering roller comes roaring in, which, had it caught him, would undoubtedly have overwhelmed him, and sucked him back. " I heard that ' boomer ' coming ! " coolly remarked Tom, as as he sat on a log half imbedded in the sand, and mopped his perspiring forehead ; "so I thought it might be as as well to make haste !" Then we turned round, and had time to notice the addition to our parly. This was caused by two great black-bearded, rough-handed, digger-looking customers, attended by two beautiful, large brindled mastiffs, whose scored coats were marked by many a savage rip and bite, which showed their prowess in not a few wellcontested and glorious pig-hunts. As their masters were busy just now inspecting the cauoes, and handling them wonderiugly and tenderly, we learned that they were two neighbors (only twelve miies off) who had a small statiou between them, aud occasionally rode over for a change. Finding that they were both bachelors, and that one was the younger brother of an earl, and the other a man who had •' taken honors " at, Cambridge, I fancied I saw the change that one, or perhaps botb, came over for. They were flue handsome fellows, but it was not until they dropped their rough exteriors, in the presence of the ladies, that they appeared ia their true colors, as polished gentlemen and men of tbe world. But we had to change our wet garments, and we were now, owing to the squall, both cold and hungry, and I think all four of our hostess's guests did justice to her hospitable board on that occasion. I know 1 did for one. There were of course, lots of comments on our little escapade, and perhaps (as it happened) rather narrow escape, for it seems thafc the ladies had watched us from the house, but

we turned the conversation into a new channel by praising the beautiful hounds of the strangers. That led ou to pighunts, and various bush topics of danger and adventure. After dinner we retired to the ample verandah to watch the magnificent sight now afforded by the whole bay being lashed into fury by the fierce wind that had so quickly sprung up. No canoe could live out there now, and we were thankful we had got in when we did. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed, and several small craft came hurrying round the point like sea birds, glad to get out ofc the violence of the storm, and letting go both their anchor., folded their wings. (N,B. Furled their sails.) But quick and sharp as it came upon us, the wind chopped round in less than an hour to the opposite quarter, and as it took the dark clouds away with it, at sundown Iho sky was clear, and the air quiet once more. Several of the little craft had already got up their anchors, and had beaten out again; and though heavy rollers still came following one another inshore, they v.- ere hourly decreasing in size and strength. This sort of weather is very prevalent on the New Zealand coast, but any one who possesses a good barometer cau always take precautions. Meauwhile, we four strangers and two gentlemen hosts smoked our pipes, and discussed of things in general aud pisrhuntiug in particular. It was on this occasion that I first, heard the since celebrated (at least, iv Neison and Marlborough provinces) of " Tiie White Pig." We were sitting lazily puffing out the smoke, which hung in blue wreaths till it got clear of the shelter of tbe verandah, when ifc whirled away in a sudden eddy as the outside wind caught it, and were watching the remaining schooners slowly hoisting up sail after sail, while the clink, clink of their weighing their anchors came faintly up from die sea. I had just ken telling them how. three years previously, I had heen treed on my own run by a boar, when I had neither gun nor knife with me, and only an old sheepdog, and how at last, after getting tired of waiting for roe to coma down from the fuschia tree in -which I had taken refuge, he at last trotted off, to my great relief aud comfort, when one of our entertainers asked the hoc. squatter on his left baud, ' What's this yarn the Germans over Riwaka way have got hold of, about a white pig that isn't a pig afc all ? " " Well," replied his neighbor, "* I can only tell it as I heard it from old Schenck himself a few days ago. It seems that it was the regular thing for certain parties of young men to assemble every fine Sunday morning to go pig-hunting instead of going to church. It was in vain old Schneider, their pastor, lectured them about it ; it was ' no go ;'* and to make matters worse, they always seemed to have better luck than anyone olse who went out on a weekday, so there was a good chance of half the congregation soon becoming demoralised. So what does Schneider do, but two Sundays since, when he got up iuto the pulpit, he gave his flock a regular brimstone sermon, particularly alluding to the sin of pig-hunting on the Sunday, and declaring that if persisted in some dreadful judgment, would surely fall upon the offenders. Of course, our friends, being duly informed of the old gentleman's discourse, and being urgently pressed by all the old women (male and female) in the village not to tempt Providence again, went off early last Sunday as usual, a party of five, with the dogs they always took with them, and were away until about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when they returned, not only minus their usual sport, but with scared white faces, and minus their hats, coats, and guns. Moreover, their four dogs had come whimpering home half an hour before them. It was some time before their story could be got out of them, and then it came out in nervous, disjointed sentences, which, when put together, seems to be as follows : — They had left iv high spirits, saying that the old man's sermon had beeu caused by his never having received a pig from them as a present, and promising themselves that he should have the youngest and best

of that day's sport. Well, tho day was unusually hot .'md oppressive, and they (coutrary to their usual luck) had no sport at all. The very dogs follower! lazily at their heels, with their tongues lolling out of tbeir raoutbp, and net tbo ghost of a pig did they see. Stop ! I was .almost too fast there. Not a pig-, we'll say, did they set their eyes on until, having walked far, about midday, they took their sausages oui of theit- pockets, nnd lay down in the shade of the bush by a little stream

for dLmier, haDging up their coats (you observe) over the bough of a tree, with their powder-horns, and throwing their hats on the grass. Their guus.i'rora habit, were close beside each of them. They had nearly finished their short meal, and were thinking about making a start again, in hopes of sport, when their four dogs ran shivering, yelping, and cowering into a corner toge'her, all looking iv one direction ; and upon our friends turning suddenly around, they saw lo their amazement, standing right in the open, as if he had suddenly sprung from the ground, and within 10 yards of them, a huge milkwhite pig. Now, we all know that they are exceedingly rare among tbe wild ones, and a Maori would sooner chop off his hand than fire at one. They look upon it as tajm [sacred J, and reckon ifc would bring a heavy curse, not only on the man who shot one, but; upon his whole family, and even their descendants. Shouting to tbeir dogs, each man seized his gun, but the dogs, though staunch, well-practised hounds, seized this opportunity to bolt in concert with one combined yell, and were seen no more till they found them afterwards, seven miles off, at home. One of the men, named Fritz, reckoned to bo the crack shot of the district, fired, and missed. No. 2 took a steady aim and missed too. No. 3 ditto. No. 4's shot seemed to go right through the pig without effect ; and No. 5 was just on the point of letting fly, when his pigship (who all this time had remained like a statue, just as they had first set eyes on him), evidently perceiving that his mission did not appear to be understood, began to prepare to make his opponents satisfied of his 'spiritual' capacity, by suddenly growing larger and larger, until he appeared to have reached tbe size of a bullock. He would doubtless, in time have attained to that of an elephant, had they waited to see — but they didn't. With hair erect, and eyes starting out of their heads, they ran as they never had run before, nor did one of them dare to look behind him till be was several miles from the awful sight. There, you have the yarn as it was told me, and I daresay, if the truth is known, they are now making up their minds to go religiously to church next Sunday. " Bah ! " said one of our entertainers, -' who ever heard of the ghost of a pig ? Their pork sausages must have affected their German consciences." " Still," continued our informer, "how do you account for the dogs ? Now, to finish the yarn. The whole village, headed by old Schneider on horseback, turned out next day in fear and trembling, and made a pilgrimage to the spot. Our conscience-stricken friends followed in the rear, quite prepared for another holt, and all the curs aud dogs belonging to all of them came too, including the aforesaid dogs of Sunday. All the other dogs went right to tho spot; not so our four original four-footed friends; they stopped of their own account some distance off, and seeing that no amount of coaxing could get them an inch further, our five bipeds concluded to stay with them. The rest, headed by the pastor, went on, and found all as had been represented, except the pig: he or she was nowhere to be found. There were the four discharged guns and the loaded one lying, all pointed in one direction, on the sward; there the remains of their sausage skins, showing where each had sat; there were tbeir coats and their powder horns huug up just as they bad described; and there were their hats, apparently thrown down quite carelessly. But tbat "rara avis in terra," that is commonly reputed to be such an unlikely bird for flying, the celebrated white pig was a vision of the past. Nay, although old Schneider (the pluckiest of the whole Jot) looked everywhere for the tracks of so colossal an animal, none could be found. Seeing this our five friends came down (uot so the dogs) and showed the exact spot where the awful apparition had appeared, but even they could find no tracks on the rivulet-eand. However, they have all sworn on the Bible to the truth of their history, and it is strange how five men could be all convinced so thoroughly about what they saw, if it were all fancy; and stranger still was the conduct of their dogs, even on the second day." Here the cry of "Tea!" put a temporary end to our wonders and surmises, aud in we all trooped. Many and grievous were the ghost stories that that unlucky pig gave rise to that evening when, as it was chilly after the squall, we all sat round the blazing logs. Haunted houses, murders, appearauces, spirit-rapping and tableturning ail had their share in Ibe conversation; and when at last one of the young ladies pluckiiy proposed we should try the latter, our feelings were strung up to* such a pitch that we felt that if necessary, we could turn a house. So behold us sitting solemnly round the massive table, with hands touching in the fitful glimmering of tbe logs, and in silence. We must have made a

picturesque group, with the handsome old hostess at the foot of the table surrounded by her daughters and sons and flanked by us with the light sometimes spurting up in the weird and ghost-like manner, aud afc others siokiup; back into semi-twilight. However, whether the spirits present were not sufficiently over proof to lift the hugh bush-made old table or not, Ido not know. AU I know is that it steadily refused to budge an inch, so we all, after a time, voted it a " bore," and preferred music. Then we had "An Norrible Tale " and " The Sands o' Dee " — still harping, you see, upon violent deaths and drowned people — till we retired to rest, when I dreamt that I was washed back into the sea by the back-water of a roller, and hotly pursued by a shark, which quickly turned to a ghostly pif*;, with eyes as big'as sauoers, and which finally ran me under the old kitchen table. To be continued in our next.