OUR STO LEN
SUMMER
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u
"I give thefe Books
for the founding of a College in this Colony'
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.^^^^B^^^^^Sg^^B^^^ES^^^^^^^^UrL^:
Deposited by the
Linonian and Brothers Library
OUR STOLEN SUMMER
OUR STOLEN SUMMER
THE RECORD OF A ROUNDABOUT TOUR
BY
MARY STUART BOYD
WITH
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY SKETCHES
BY
A. S. BOYD
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
MDCCCC
All Rights reserved
NOTE.
Certain portions of the following chapters
were contributed to ' Blackwood's Magazine,' the
' Morning Post,' and the ' Graphic' Many of
the drawings also have appeared in the ' Graphic,'
and a few of those relating to the Samoan war
were published in the ' Daily Graphic.'
CONTENTS.
I. LEAVING HOME
II. A GLIMPSE OF MARSEILLES
III. A DAY AT NAPLES
IV. THE GATE OF THE EAST
V. IN EASTERN SEAS
VI. A VISION OF COLOMBO
VII. SKIRTING AUSTRALIA .
VIII. SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES
IX. MAORIS IN TOWN
X. GOLD-MINING ....
XI. TAURANGA ....
XII. A BUSH PICNIC
XIII. A DRIVE IN THE RAIN
XIV. THE WONDERLAND OF NEW ZEALAND .
XV. IN MAORILAND
XVI. TAUPO .....
XVII. THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY
XVIII. DOWN THE WANGANUI RIVER .
XIX. WELLINGTON, NELSON, AND NEW PLYMOUTH
XX. AN OSTRICH FARM
XXI. IN NORTHERN WAIR0A
XXIL GUM-FIELDS AND A KAURI FOREST
XXIII. IN SOUTHERN SEAS
PAGE I
IO14
2229
3549 63So8695
105
in 118 137148154169176187 194
201 211
Vill
CONTENTS.
XXIV. A RAMBLE ON A CORAL ISLAND
XXV. ASHORE AT HAPAAI
XXVI. AMONG THE TONGANS
XXVII. A WEDDING FEAST ....
XXVIII. SHOT AND SHELL ....
XXIX. RED CAPS AND REFUGEES .
XXX. ON A UNITED STATES CRUISER
XXXI. IN THE NATIVE VILLAGE
XXXII. THE ENTHRONEMENT OF THE SAMOAN KING
XXXIII. A 'FRISCO MAIL-BOAT
XXXIV. HONOLULU .....
XXXV. WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE
XXXVI. DUE EAST .....
XXXVII. CHICAGO TO NEW YORK
XXXVIII. ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
L'ENVOI ....
"5
228235 245
262274
283294
305315
322
333352
37i382
SKETCHES.
EASTERLY WIND
BALANCING FEATS BY THE DECK STEWARD .
CAPE ST VINCENT ....
WATER SUPPLY AT GIBRALTAR
MERCHANDISE ....
A SPANISH SENTRY ....
f ON THE NEUTRAL GROUND, A DOG SMUGGLER
THE MARSEILLES PILOT
NOTRE DAME DE LA GARDE .
FLOATING SALESMEN ....
BONIFACIO .....
CAPRI .....
SUNDAY IN NAPLES ....
VIEWING THE DEAD CITY
ANCIENT RECEPTACLE FOR COIN NEAR POMPEII
WORKING THEIR PASSAGE
COAL DUST .....
MEN ABOUT TOWN, PORT SAID
BEFORE AND AFTER COALING
ON THE CANAL BANK
THE CANAL PILOT ....
A BIT OF ARABIA ....
MUSTAPHA ....
PAGE I
4 5
7
9
io
1 1
12 14
15l6
1819
22
2426
28
282929
3°
SKETCHES.
AND PRACTICE
IN THE GULF OF SUEZ
IN THE RED SEA
FLYING-FISH .
ON DECK AFTER DINNER
SERVICE ON DECK
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS
SUNDAY INSPECTION .
FIVE A.M.
RAIN AND RICKSHAWS
THE MAGIC MANGO .
IN QUEST OF COIN .
CEYLONDECK QUOITS, THEIR MANUFACTURE
" NOW THEN, BOYS, ONCE MORE ''
ON THE LOOK-OUT
ALBANY PORT ADELAIDE
ON THE WHARF, PORT MELBOURNE
A STREET-CORNER IN MELBOURNE
COAST OF NEW SOUTH WALES
NEARING SYDNEY " OUR HARBOUR,
A SYDNEY STREET-CORNER
OFF THE NEW ZEALAND COAST
APPROACHING AUCKLAND
RANGITOTO STOCK-DRIVING
ON AN AUCKLAND TRAM
PACK AND POST MOUNTED FORCES
OUR AUCKLAND HOME
THE MALE HELP AND HIS CHANGE OF LINEN
A SUBURBAN RESIDENCE
A CHRISTMAS PICNIC .
MAORIS VISITING H.M.S. ROYALIST
COUNTRY COUSINS
THE NASAL SALUTE .
SIR !
3'
3133343536
374043474»49 50
5i 5254555657
57 58
59
61 62 63
6466 6869 7i74 77
80 82
83
SKETCHES.
, j,
A "WAHINE CANOE-RACE
ENTRANCE TO THE MINE
A MARINE VILLA
A MINER'S HUT
AT THE TOP OF THE WINZE
TAURANGAA LADY OF QUALITY .
DESERTED CAPE COLVILLE
IN THE BUSH
SOME OF OUR DRIVERS
A BUSH EQUESTRIENNE
WHAKAREWAREWA WAIROA PLAYING UP .
AMONG THE HOT LAKES
OUR WASHING
MAORIS AT PLAY
A CARVER OF WOOD .
THE HAKA
THE POI DANCE
HAMARANA RIVER
CHERRIES PREPARING TO CROSS THE WAIKATO
APORA AT WAIRAKEI
THE WAIKATO AT TAUPO
THE COURT-HOUSE AT TAUPO
COACH-HORSES AND MAORIS AT TOKAANU
THE PEAK OF NGAURUHOE .
IN RAETIHI ....
THE KAI HOUSE
POSTAL FACILITIES ON THE WANGANUI RIVER
THE FAMILY FROM ENGLAND
THE AUSTRALIAN FAMILY
WATERPROOFS IN WANGANUI .
XI84868790 929596
103 105109111 n5118120124125127 127
128 129
i33 [34
i37
140144 148151154i57 162 167
169 i73174 176
XI)
SKETCHES.
AN ARBOUR IN NELSON
A CORNER NEAR NELSON
TARANAKI (MOUNT EGMONT) .
A ROCKY PROFILE
YOUNGSTERS .
OLD BIRDS
TOKOTOKO, WAIROA RIVER .
THE WAIROA RIVER AT DARGAVILLE
THE GUM-DIGGER'S HOME
TRAVELLING COMPANIONS
THE FALL OF A GIANT
MID-DAY MEAL ON THE Fo'c's'le
ATA .....
A PRINCESS, A PHYSICIAN, A POLITICIAN, AND A POLICEMAN
HIS NATIVE WIFE
KINDNESS TO THE STRANGER
A PLACE OF GRAVES .
THE CAPTAIN
THE MAKING OF TAPA
THE INDUSTRIOUS PRINCESS .
DECK-PASSENGERSTHE CAVE AT VAVAU .
CUTTY-SARKTAIMI ....
GETTING DOWN
MUSIC AND CRICKET
A WEDDING MARCH .
ADORNING THE BRIDE
THE BRIDE AND HER MOTHER
A VARIETY ARTISTE .
BOMBARDMENT OF APIA
LABOUR BOYS FROM THE SOLOMON ISLES
STORES FOR THE WOUNDED .
THE TIVOLI,. APIA
THE BRITISH CONSUL
182183
184186
l87 190
194 198
201
2062092 [I
214215219
223 225
228231235238240
24324524825I254256
258 261
262 265
267274278
ROYALISTS BOAT WITH WOUNDED 280
ADMIRAL KAUTZ 283
THE PILOT AT APIA 286
REFUGEES 290
AN AMERICAN CITIZEN 291
CAPTAIN STURDEE VISITS THE PHILADELPHIA 292
THE BELLE AND THE BELLIGERENT 294
A FIRE-BRINGER AND A FISHING PARTY 299
THE CHIEF-JUSTICE 3° I
MALIETOA ON THE THRONE 305
HOISTING MALIETOA'S FLAG 312
LEAVING SAMOA 3T5
BERTHA FROM SAMOA 317
NEAR HONOLULU 322
IN A TRAM-CAR A HONOLULU LADY 325
THE UNWILLING SUBJECT 326
A HAWAIIAN FUNERAL 327
FLORAL FAREWELLS AT HONOLULU 331
A SIGHT OF SEALS 333
IN GOLDEN GATE PARK 335
JUVENILE SAN FRANCISCO 337
FUTURITY 34O
A GAME THEY CAN ALL UNDERSTAND 344
A LADIES' MAN 352
GOING TO ROOST 355
BOOKS BY THE WAY 358
INDIANS ON OUR TRACK 358
A DESERT SETTLEMENT 359
A HOME OF THE LATE BRIGHAM YOUNG 36 1
IN COLORADO SPRINGS 365
STRAWBERRIES AT DODGE CITY 368
FISHING IN MICHIGAN 37 *
A JUSTICE OF THE PEACE 37 2
THE WHEAT RING 373
A SNAKE FENCE 37^
XIV
SKETCHES.
A STUMP FENCE
WHITES BLACKING
SUNDAY IN CENTRAL PARK
MIRAGE PARTING TOKENS
RELIEVING WATCH
A BRITISH ISLET
MEMENTOES .
376380
38l 382383
384387392
£ast£iuY Wind
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
LEAVING HOME.
The steady pursuit of even the most pleasant occupations after
a space becomes monotonous. Probably something of this ennui
incited us to take so long a holiday, though at the time we per
suaded each other that our reason for leaving home was the desire
to escape a London winter, coupled with a craving to see some
thing of the world.
2 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
Whatever may have been our incentive thus to steal a summer,
it was the Boy's age which fixed the date of our departure. He
had already entered his eleventh year; in nine more months he
would be twelve, and consequently unable to rank as a child.
The time of our going thus definitely settled, we called at the
Orient Line office and procured "round the world" tickets for
ourselves, and a half- ticket— the first they had issued — for the
Boy. A month whereinto was crowded the work and bustle of six
flew past, and on a chill October morning we found ourselves on
board the Orient, starting on the initial stage of our journey.
The strong easterly wind and the threatening aspect of the
barometer did not dismay us. Had not our doctor insisted upon
the trial of a specific against sea-sickness? — a tonic which, he
averred, made capital sailors even of the ladies who, without it,
were wont to succumb before leaving harbour.
There was the customary scene at Tilbury. All the hysterical
maidens were in rivers of tears, and even the most composed of
voyagers felt a trifle emotional. Later, it was amusing to note
that these apparently quite inconsolable damsels were those soonest
comforted, and that before we had quitted the Channel some of
them were preparing to flirt their way equator-wards.
The Orient is now by no means the finest specimen of her
company's fleet. The first sight of our cabin — which the three
berths, the huge pillar of a coal-shoot, a washstand, and our
luggage, seemed completely to fill, leaving no space for us to
move in — was certainly appalling. But, the first shock over and
the trunks stowed away beneath the berths, we soon became re
conciled to the limited dimensions of the corner which for six
weeks was to contain a family of three.
The shores were veiled in mist, and sea and sky wore a
uniform grey as we steamed down the river. Up and down the
clammy deck the passengers were promenading briskly, actuated
by the desire to keep warm : the feminine portion attired in Tam-
LEAVING HOME. 3
o'-Shanters and tartan-lined cloaks, the masculine muffled in thick
ulsters and close -drawn tweed caps. Their gloomy expressions
betrayed anxious forebodings for the morrow, and its chances of
sea-sickness. " I never dress for dinner till we reach Gibraltar," remarked
an experienced dame, and almost every one seemed to be of her
opinion ; for, although one or two over -punctilious men proved
exceptions to the rule, our saloon table on that and several
succeeding nights presented a sober aspect, very unlike the gay
appearance it speedily assumed on nearing warmer latitudes.
Plymouth, where we paused next morning, was shrouded in
rain. The tender which conveyed our tardier passengers to the
ship brought also a flock of enterprising newspaper boys, round
whom everybody clustered eagerly purchasing magazines, journals,
and newspapers at 100 per cent premium.
The terrors of the Bay of Biscay have been so often exploited,
and its miseries so graphically described, that it did not alarm
us when at midnight we were roused by the wholesale crashing
of dishes and cookery utensils in the pantry, near which our cabin
was situated, and by the starting of our hitherto unadventurous
steamer - trunks on independent voyages of discovery over the
narrow confines of the floor. "We must be in the Bay now,"
we commented placidly, and, turning on our pillows, fell asleep
again. The ultra -tumultuous motion of the next morning we
also accepted as a matter of course. The Boy dressed perfunc
torily and went on deck, but he found no rest for the sole of
his foot and soon returned below, where we all passed a lazy day
in our berths, reading in the intervals of holding on. Thanks to
our prescription, we suffered no qualms, and were able to eat,
and to enjoy the grapes wherewith thoughtful friends had stocked
our cabin.
When, on the morrow, we reeled on deck, it was to find that
we had actually encountered what even the officers — usually
difficult to suit in the matter of weather — had agreed to term
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
a gale, and that the Orient, with a list to port caused by some
shifting of cargo, was ploughing her way through splendid seas.
Many of the passengers were still invisible. The hardier
voyagers, in attitudes expressive of silent endurance, lay in
their deck - chairs — which were securely lashed to a rail —
swathed in rugs ; while nimble stewards vied with each other
BAlAnCin^ feats
Bf thsl DECK
in performing feats of balancing in conveying sustenance to the
invalids, whose expression of fixed melancholy lightened slightly
at the sight of food.
The first few days of a voyage, especially one taken in cold,
stormy weather, are not the pleasantest. People do not feel
sure enough of their staying capacity to risk being on more than
LEAVING HOME.
5
the most formal terms with their neighbours. And even the most
skittishly-inclined maidens, conscious that pale faces and uncurled
locks are unattractive, prefer to keep in the background. But
although most folks were content with unaffected dishabille, one
matron set an example in propriety by never appearing on deck
save in correct visiting toilet, though a strong wind might be
blowing and great waves altering the horizon every moment.
For sitting on the not infrequently spray-swept deck, she donned
a bonnet of jet and ostrich-tips; a handsome mantle of plush and
fur draped her shoulders, while massive gold bracelets clasped
the wrists of the neatly kid-gloved hands that held the ' Church
Times.' As she sat upright on her deck-chair — a solid article
of wood and canvas, not one of those frivolous bamboo lounges
which conduce to laziness — she presented a dignified figure,
certainly, but one that seemed out of its proper sphere on the
deck of an ocean liner.
Two elderly men of science were remarkable from the first
as being engrossed in chess to the exclusion of aught else. No
motion was too high, no gastronomic temptation great enough,
to quell their interest. Often in the midst of a meal would we
look up to see them, a scant refection quickly disposed of,
leaving the saloon, chess-board in hand, eager to begin a new
game.
It was a relief, one sunny morning, to find ourselves anchored
6 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
off Gibraltar, with an hour or two to spare for a run ashore. On
the quay we were instantly surrounded by swarthy men and lads
offering us good-sized paper fans adorned with vivid reproductions
of bull-fights at "Sixpence each, or a shillin' a pair." Success
fully resisting their blandishments, we chartered one of the un-
classable carriages peculiar to Southern Europe, a conveyance
resembling somewhat a sportive hearse, and set off through the
Moorish gateway, which was guarded on both sides by important-
looking officials. As we could without perjury answer in the
affirmative to their inquiry, " You all Britishers ? " we were allowed
to proceed without further challenge.
The road to the world-famed Europa Point lies through the
shady Alameda Gardens, a portion whereof is sacred as the burial-
place of the soldiers killed in the great siege. Beyond, the way
curves between the antique, cactus -crowned walls that at one
time formed so important a part of the Moorish defences. During
the tortuous climb we were met by a procession of men and boys,
leading donkeys laden with little barrels filled — at a spring situated
far up the long path — with water, which by the time it reached
the thirsty town beneath would retail at 2d. a keg, or id. a
gallon. After a peep at the extensive view from Europa Point, during
which a desire on the Boy's part for a nearer examination of the
great cannon commanding the coast was frustrated by a polite
hint from an officer, drilling a company of men hard by, that
closer proximity was forbidden, we remounted our rattle-trap
conveyance and sped townwards. Frequent sections of the ist
York Regiment, then stationed in Gibraltar, passed us; and we
noted the cable suspended from a height, which is of service
in the speedy conveyance of men or goods from the shore to
the rock.
Arrived at the foot, we found ourselves among the life and
bustle of the native market. There seemed to be a corner in
live turkeys that morning; in every angle of the wall a group
LEAVING HOME. 7
was penned, while dark-skinned Spanish urchins, with a view to
the better tackling of customers, held the likelier birds in their
arms. Great rush baskets of charcoal, their contents covered
with green leaves ingeniously strapped on with ropes of grass,
-¦/%,;
i. \,i.J/i. ZJ A \'; -
WATfR SUPPLY
*I 1lBRM.T/\IV
seemed, from the immense number in evidence, to be articles
greatly in demand.
In the contents of the baskets or trays carried by the Moorish
or Spanish vendors there was little or nothing to tempt. The
stock of edibles resolved itself mainly into little heaps of green
lemons, ' half-ripe chillies, chunks of melon, and bunches of a
vegetable resembling a combination of beetroot and turnip.
Turbaned Moors, looking much too dignified, in their grace of
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
^\5JXCriANt>IS£_
flowing draperies, to descend to commerce, lounged about awaiting
customers. The men were comely to look upon, but the women
were undeniably ugly. Their pictur
esque garb gave them every advantage
that form and colour could bestow;
yet to British eyes they were un
attractive. Only two did we discover
with any pretensions to beauty. One
of these was a Spanish maid who
accompanied her English mistress to
market. She was dressed entirely in
black, the lace mantilla which coquet -
tishly draped her pale face serving to
deepen the expression of her languish
ing Southern eyes. The other was a
slender girl of a poorer class. Her
head-wrap was a lovely faded orange. Sun and rain had bleached
her once brilliant plaid to a delicious non
descript tint ; and her attitude, perched
between two huge bundles on top of her
old donkey, her feet in scarlet slippers
resting on his neck, as she slowly jogged
into market, struck us as delightfully
quaint. Our hurried journey left us scant time
for a visit to the neutral ground — the
strip of land dividing the British from
the Spanish lines. The Gibraltar side of
the space was guarded by a spick-and-
span little toy English soldier ; while
at the farther frontier was stationed a
Spanish warrior, whose flowing cloak and
weather-beaten habiliments, although suggestive of melodrama,
gave him an admirably picturesque appearance.
A Spanish StNj-pi^'j'
LEAVING HOME. 9
At this point we chanced upon a favourite and amazingly
open species of tobacco smuggling, peculiar, I believe, to the
locality. The method is an easy and frequently successful one.
Tobacco, securely fastened in handkerchiefs, is fastened like a ruff
round the neck of a dog, who, at the moment when the sentry's
attention is diverted in some other direction, is let loose to make
the best speed he can across the border-land. The animals chosen
play their part in the unlawful game with alacrity and zest,
which almost implies their willing participation in the crime.
Seeing the sharp, intelligent faces of the dogs, one cannot but
regret that a shot from the sentinel's rifle must often end their
adventurous lives.
On THE N£uTft/\L qt^OUND
10
II.
A GLIMPSE OF MARSEILLES.
P\l\t\SZ\ (J-CS-
pi lot-
It was early morning when we
came within sight of Marseilles,
but so difficult of access is the
cliff - surrounded harbour that
noon was reached ere we were
free to disembark. As we neared
the entrance to the bay, a boat
was seen approaching. A rope
ladder was thrown over the side
of the Orient, and, as the skiff
was borne past on the swell, the
pilot, with a dexterity of motion alien to his girth, caught at
the swinging ladder, and a second later showed his beaming
face on deck : another moment and he had taken up his place
beside the captain on the bridge.
While mooring in Marseilles harbour we witnessed a sight
which, coming as we did from a land where coal was cheap,
struck us as strange. A small craft was stationed near by, busy
with sundry chains, tubes, and ropes. We could see the trans
lucent light radiating from a diver's armour, with the tiny
bubbles of air ascending. As we watched, the men began rapidly
hauling up a receptacle laden with small pieces of coal. Then
only did we discover that coal is so valuable in Marseilles as
A GLIMPSE OF MARSEILLES.
II
r
(
: U
Cs --=&
*7"JjfiA¥
to repay the em
ployment of a
diver, four men,
and a boat, to
recover the pieces
which may be
found at the bot
tom of the har
bour. Undoubtedly
the most striking object in Marseilles
is the church of Notre Dame de la
Garde, which crowns the steep hill
above the town. It is reached by a
drive, through clean but rough streets,
to the little funicular railway which
cuts its almost perpendicular way up
the side of the cliff.
Before starting, one is apt to shud
der at the prospect of standing within
the glass - sided box, and, without
visible means of support, creeping to
the giddy height above. Once on the way, however, every
apprehension vanishes at the sight of the marvellous panorama
unfolded — the multitudinous red roofs of the town intersected
with foliage of vivid green, the encircling mountains, the spacious
harbour crowded with shipping, and the blue sea stretching away
towards the African coast.
Released from our crystal cage, we ascended a winding path
leading to the church, which is open to all comers without fee
or enforced guidance. Notre Dame de la Garde is sacred to the
welfare of mariners ; and hanging from its roof, side by side with
the gilt candelabra, are suspended many models of ships wrought
in gratitude for rescue from peril at sea. The models are most
r>£ la qAUDE-
12
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
frequently those of barques, brigantines, and other sailing craft,
a fact which fosters the inference that sailors in steamships have
either less hazardous lives or more sceptical hearts.
The inner walls of the church are covered with votive offerings,
chiefly inscriptions carved upon thin marble slabs — inscriptions
which range from the simple " In remembrance of Marie " to
^ the detailed legend, " In remembrance of a pil-
N grimage to Jerusalem, whence all returned safe,
not one pilgrim missing."
We would fain have tarried, but our giddy
train awaited us. The limits of our stay in Mar
seilles only allowed of a drive through the town
and back to the harbour, punctuated by an in
terview with a delightful old confiseur .and his wife,
which resulted in the exchange of an inadequately
small number of our coins for an exorbitantly
plentiful supply of their cakes.
On re -embarking we found objects of interest
in the floating
SAi-ESNl£r4
— ^"-— CrTjBT«tV>
'=>&&*
vendors of field-
glasses and
other articles,
who, not being
permitted to
come on board,
had adopted, as
a means of bring
ing their wares
within tempt-
able distance of
customers, a
small pail hook
ed to the end of
a long pole.
A GLIMPSE OF MARSEILLES. 13
Leaving Marseilles as the setting sun enveloped in a haze of
warm heliotrope the red-roofed town, the cliffs, the islands, and
the Chateau d'Ifs, we looked back to where the great gilded statue
of the Virgin towers over the church raised to her glory, and
envied the simple faith of the rough fishermen, who as they sail
from the bay glance back to receive her benediction, and who,
returning home, find her blessing their first welcome.
BoNlfAClO
III.
A DAY AT NAPLES.
While it is easy to write of peeps at places such as Gibraltar and
Marseilles, to record within a limited space one's impressions of
Naples and Pompeii is wellnigh impossible.
The gay strains of " Finiculi Finicula," sung by a company of
musicians stationed just outside our porthole, awoke us to the
fact that we were anchoring in Naples Bay, and that the sun
was rising gloriously behind Vesuvius. Hastily dressing, we
went on deck, engaged one of the many boats alongside, and
were speedily on our way shorewards, our oarsman standing up
right and facing the bow.
Driving to the Hotel Royal des Etrangers, we breakfasted
in a first-floor sitting-room, from whose windows, as we trifled
with the nectarines and yellow plums — the fresh leaves still cling
ing to their stems — which closed our repast, we could gaze at
lovely Capri bathed in the glamour of morning, and watch the
nine o'clock boat leave for the Blue Grotto. Then, with the
aid of a comfortable three-horse carriage and the best guide in
Naples, we set off to see all that could be seen in a day. The
railway up Vesuvius was not in operation, so we had to content
ourselves with driving a goodly distance up the ascent.
A DAY AT NAPLES.
15
By daylight the mountain, although then in active eruption,
did not present any heroic or terrible appearance. The smoke
was not rising from its summit in a pillar, as we had been pre
pared to witness, but lay in a great white cloud on the crest and
down one side of the mountain. It required the gloom of night
to reveal the lurid grandeur of Vesuvius : then, indeed, its aspect
was awe-inspiring.
The lower slopes were clothed with vineyards, their foliage
still green, though the vintage was long over; and in the sides
of the bare grey lava walls it was curious to see the common
fern of our hedgerows — Polypodium vulgare — firmly established.
CAP\i
It was Sunday, and a fete — owing its dual origin to the birth
of a son to the royal house, and to the installation of a new car
dinal — was in progress. The narrow streets were crowded with
motley equipages, their occupants in gala dress ; the women,
almost without exception, having their buxom forms tightly laced
into handsome bodices of brocaded silk, while their hair was
elaborately dressed but totally uncovered. If the ladies' heads
were bare, the horses made amends by being decorated somewhat
after the manner of Red Indians on the war-path. Feathers, gaily
tinted, flaunted on their heads, fly-switches depended from their
ears, and saddle-cloths glittering with sequins decked their backs.
Many visitors take rail to Pompeii to avoid the long drive,
which lies through fifteen miles of the poorer quarters of far-
reaching Naples. This is a mistake, for, the typical Neapolitan
i6
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
almost dwelling in the street, the way resolves itself into a won
derful series of animated pictures of Italian life.
The lower floors of the little houses opened right on the street,
their one apartment serving both as shop and dwelling-house ; for
in wellnigh every instance was the background occupied by a bed
covered with white. The stock of nine out of every ten of the
SUNDAY IN N^PLSIS
shops consisted of half-a-dozen loaves of bread, sundry bottle-
shaped skins of lard, and many bunches of garlic and tiny toma
toes. At rare intervals one chanced upon a butcher's establish
ment, looking cool and fresh under the green boughs which over
hung the door and walls. The whitewashed walls and dilapidated
balconies of the upper portions of the houses were hung with
A DAY AT NAPLES. I J
autumn frescoes of decorative gourds, and lovely clusters of red
dening tomatoes.
By the roadside a woman was roasting artichokes, two plump
babes in rudimentary garments interestedly watching the process.
At a shop-door a man reined up his mule, and, still remaining in
the saddle, put his head over the threshold and held friendly
converse with the inmates. A dark-eyed damsel leant from a vine-
encircled casement, beneath which some more native folks were
squatted in the sun, eating their noonday meal of dried fish and
bread; while, a few steps away, a sable-robed priest paused to
receive the reverence of a youthful member of his flock.
Nearing Pompeii, the way became more rural and less crowded,
and we encountered parties of peasants seated in clumsy wooden
carts drawn by bullocks, moving ponderously into town to join
in the merry-making.
It occurred to us afterwards, by the way, that although the
Italians are popularly supposed to be a laughter-loving people,
we saw few signs of personal gaiety. The town was decorated,
and gay in appearance ; but there was no music, little or no
sign of spontaneous fun. We drove for miles through thronged
streets without seeing a single musical instrument used, or hearing
a voice raised in melody. The people seemed chary of laughter :
as for the dames, seated erect in the ornate carriages, they neither
smiled nor spoke. Of course the serenading of the ship at -early
morning is out of count — its origin lying in the lack of, and
craving for, coin on the part of the troubadours.
It being Sunday, and consequently a free day, our guide had
prepared us to find Pompeii busy. To our gratification when
we entered the dead city after lunching at the cafe just outside
the gates, we found that the fete had attracted the customary
country visitors, leaving Pompeii nearly empty.
Exploring the numerous streets, with their narrow crossings
and huge stepping-stones, is fatiguing if you can spare but little
time, and have an overwhelming desire to see all. So I was
B
18 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
lucky in securing a chair — hung on poles and festooned with
carpet — and two sprightly carriers ; while the Artist and the
Boy, being creatures of unbounded energy, walked. Up and
down, round about we wandered, led by our guide, whose sur
prising knowledge of English was qualified by a suspicion of a
Scots accent, acquired, he told us, fifty years ago, when, as a
lad, he was in service with the then Duke of Hamilton. Once
Y'lE.vVlNq th£-
D1AD CITY"
the black coats of a group of clerical fellow-passengers crossed
a distant path and disappeared, but we traversed the beautiful
ruined temples, and visited the deserted houses, without finding
ourselves in the actual vicinity of anything more alert than a
uniformed watchman, or a basking lizard which at our appear
ance made haste to seek its cranny.
The unique sights of the long-buried city have been de-
cribed so often and so ably by those who have brought time
A DAY AT NAPLES.
19
and research to the work, that it were futile for a mere passer
by to essay a description. Besides, is it not written in a
thousand guide - books ? There is one fact, however, which I
believe is not widely known, the knowledge whereof affords dis
tinct comfort as one gazes at the remains of the exquisitely
designed buildings, and notes the brilliant tints of the paintings
adorning the chamber walls where they were first admired two
thousand years ago, — and this is that, instead of the destruction
of Pompeii causing the wholesale loss of life most of us imagine
it did, not more than a hundred people failed to escape.
A carpet of tender moss has covered the floors of the shops
and dwellings. Quantities of maidenhair fern nestle in cracks
of the walls, and wreathe the moist sides of the wonderful old
well whose water is as pure now as
it was in the days when Pompeii
was young. The fern attains its
greatest luxuriance under a tiny
carved archway behind the house
of an old-world maker of graceful
amphorae. I had plucked a spray,
but the men who carried my chair
made signs of scorning my tiny
frond, and, running back, brought
me a goodly plant with roots entire.
I valued this living plant from Pom
peii, and meant to post it home to
London, where, tenderly entreated,
it would flourish to welcome us on
our return. Alas ! for vain hopes. I carried the maidenhair about
carefully for hours, only to find that there was no means of
posting it that ;day. It survived for a night or two in a glass
in my cabin on the Orient, then was reluctantly consigned to
a grave among the stormy waters of the Mediterranean, where
scores of similar relics from Pompeii must have preceded it.
AHCIENT rtECJTpTACiS- F°fv
COIN N£TA|^por\P£.ll . "
20 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
The sober, not to say sullen, faces of the Italians had so
impressed me that, on leaving the house of Diomede, it was
a surprise to find the elder chair-bearer greet me with a smiling
" Lady, your horses are waiting." It was probably the only
English phrase he knew, but I tried to encourage the pleasantry
by always inquiring before remounting, "Are my horses ready?"
which question he ever hastened to answer with -his formula,
the repartee being greeted on our parts with that adulation cus
tomarily accorded well-tried jokes.
The evening shadows had fallen when we gained the city.
Driving down the steep street, glowing Vesuvius behind, a star
lit sky above, and the lights of Naples twinkling around us,
we encountered a Church procession led by a tiny band of
acolytes, whose ages ranged from two to five years. The huge
image of the Virgin carried on high by the older members of
the company was crude in design and colour; yet, seen in that
mysterious light, lacked neither in beauty nor in dignity. We
reached the Hotel Royal des Etrangers in time for a recherche
table-d'hote dinner — whereat the ices took the form of artisti
cally modelled roses of many hues — served in a hall whose
mosaic decorations are a sight in themselves, and where a
troupe of skilled musicians sang lively melodies while we ate.
Thence back through the busy street, and across the placid
bay to where our ship — brilliant, mysterious, and strangely im
posing — lay awaiting us.
"Well, did you think the visit to Pompeii worth all it
cost ? " asked the Artist of Father Dhudeen, as, by reason of
his humorous rendering of an Irish ditty, we had rechristened
one of the quartette of priests journeying to the antipodes.
"Worth it? Ay, worth it— double worth it, an' more than
double worth it," responded the Father, with all emphasis.
And his opinion may be taken as universal.
We lingered long on deck, influenced by the spell of Vesu
vius, gazing with fascination at the flaming wound in its side,
A DAY AT NAPLES. 21
and secretly wishing that we could watch its fuller eruption
from a safe distance.
There were yet some hours to wait for the mails, and it
was well on in the morning that sleepers in their berths were
aroused by the lighter coming alongside and could listen drowsily
to the monotonous counting of the bags that were passed on
board from hand to hand.
IV.
THE GATE OF THE EAST.
Ship life in the milder temperature of the Mediterranean was
marked by an accession of almost feverish industry amongst the
majority of the lady passengers. Had the promenade-deck of the
Orient been the scene of a "sewing-bee," hands could not have
moved more diligently. Capacious work-bags were produced, and
from morn till even heads were bent and fingers busy fashioning
marvels of silks, wools, and fine linen. Before such assiduity
even the Irish lady who had distinguished herself by beginning to
knit a stocking before we left Tilbury sank into obscurity.
This unwonted energy wrought consternation among the gayer
THE GATE OF THE EAST. 23
of our male passengers, who for a space lingered disconsolate in
the background, casting longing glances, yet lacking the courage
necessary to enable them to brave the defences of needles and
crochet-pins. Then, calling strategy to their aid, they instituted an
entertainment committee, and dances, concerts, and game tourna
ments became the order of the day ; with the pleasing effect of
speedily and permanently ousting the virulent epidemic of needle
work. Soon every secluded corner was occupied by duets or
quartettes playing off ties. Even the Fathers might have been
observed seated on four camp-stools round a fifth gravely intent on
mastering the mysteries of whist.
We passed close to smoking Stromboli, and an hour or two
later were in the Straits of Messina, where the shadow of approach
ing rain dimmed our view, and wreaths of mist veiled Mount Etna.
Yet on this account, perhaps, was the aspect of Sicily the more
impressive. Crete we should like to have seen better, but it was night when
we skirted its coast, a dim vision in the moonlight.
With wearisome reiteration Port Said is described as a hell
upon earth, or a godless, filthy oven : to us who awoke, one
exquisite October morning, to see its mosques and minarets rising
above the line of the sea, it proved a city of enchantment, the
scene of our first peep at the East whereof the vivid recollection
will never desert us.
Great flat barges laden with coal lay near where the Orient
dropped anchor. The moment she was at rest they began moving
slowly towards her, mysteriously guided by an unseen power,
almost as though drawn by some strong magnetic attraction.
Crowded on the top of the coal was perched a company of strange
beings, black by birth, but gaining an added gloom from the coal-
dust which begrimed their Ethiopian skins ; their dark robes and
darker features affording a violent contrast with the multitude of
brightly-clad, chattering boatmen who thronged round the ac
commodation-ladders clamouring for trade. As the barges moved
24
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
slowly towards us over the calm surface of the water, the occupants
sang a low, wordless chant, the sound of the crooning adding to
the weird effect. As we leant on the taffrail, watching their slow
approach, a bronzed hand clutched the outer side of the rail, a
turbaned head was upraised, and the owner — who had swum in
advance of the coal-barges, bearing a rope between his teeth —
coal ousj
dexterously climbed over the side and ran down the deck, leaving
the imprints of his wet feet on the boards. In an incredibly short
space the barges were moored alongside the Liner, long planks
were raised to the doors which mysteriously opened in her sides,
and a living train, carrying baskets heaped with the fuel that was
to speed us on our way, began to ascend.
The cheerful breakfast-horn had sounded an hour earlier than
THE GATE OF THE EAST. 25
usual, and by 8.30 all the passengers were on deck in shore-going
trim. The gay and giddy were arrayed in the frivolity of smart
raiment ; the wise, with experience of coaling - stations, soberly
attired — the women in half-soiled cotton blouses and dark skirts,
the men in old serge suits.
At Port Said one anchors within a stonecast of the street, and
countless native boats are in attendance to row across the dividing
strip of water. So varied and picturesque are the costumes of
the dwellers in Port Said, so thoroughly Eastern is its character,
that on landing it grates upon the sense of fitness to find oneself
assailed on every side with a jabber of broken English from the odd
mixture of Arabian and Egyptian loafers who infest the streets. It
was a positive relief, on greeting a group of brown-faced urchins, to
hear the bright-eyed boy whom we questioned as to his name reply,
pointing a chubby forefinger at his breast : "Me? Hassan."
"And this?"
"Him? Hassan."
" Two Hassans ? " holding up two fingers.
"Yes." " And he ? " indicating the third.
"Achmet."After the rattle of vociferating "Jimmy Thomsons," "Sandy
Fergusons," and " Paddys from Cork," the sound of these old-
world names came like an echo from the 'Arabian Nights.'
It was a hot morning, but one side of the principal street lay in
deep shadow, and we started along in comfort, intensely amused by
the jumble of races we encountered. One notable figure was that
of a tall fruit-seller. His jumble of drapery revealed a lovely
medley of faded purples, reds, and blues. On his head rested a flat
shallow basket piled high with grapes ; over his arm was suspended
a primitive pair of scales.
Sometimes our path was crossed by an Egyptian woman
shrouded in the customary sable raiment, her forehead covered with
heavy brass ornaments, her eyes gleaming darkly over the closely
26
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
/^tN ABOUT I OWN
Port said
disguising veil. But sombre, even depressing, though the general
effect might be, the wearer of the lugubrious garb rarely failed to
hint at the possibility of levity, by affording the passer-by a glimpse
of a gaily-striped ankle. Even the tiny girls we met showed them
selves early adepts at coquetry, by pretending to veil their faces.
Everywhere was colour and movement. Carriers, their
shoulders bending under strange loads, passed by, one stooping
under a jar that seemed formed to conceal one of the Forty
Thieves. And a tall Soudanese soldier stood in the sun while a
youthful shoeblack
polished his regi
mental boots.
Money-changers
sat by the wayside,
their small store of
coin of all national
ities in a little glass-
cased table before
them. From one
we received eleven
pence-halfpenny in
English coppers in
exchange for a shil
ling. At all the
corners stood rough barrows laden with gorgeous melons or
luscious brown dates, the heaps plentifully interspersed with the
brilliant scarlet of those less ripe dates which look so foreign to
British eyes. I bought a dozen tiny green limes from a boy who
first asked a shilling, then, finding me an unlikely customer,
promptly ran his price down by leaps to twopence, at which sum I
secured him. This little transaction fully illustrates the approved
system of trading in the East.
Yet, full of the charm of novelty as Port Said was to us, it was
impossible to avoid an indefinable impression of something sinister
THE GATE OF THE EAST. 27
which, aided by the strange odours, pervaded the atmosphere.
To leave the main streets was to find oneself in foul-smelling alleys
where hordes of unsavoury beggars surrounded one, and where
pale, evil faces peered from behind closely shuttered casements.
They say there is a current which drifts all the scum of the earth
to this gateway of the East, and strands it there ; and no one who
has explored — even casually and in broad daylight — the back
streets of Port Said will be prepared to confute the statement.
Successfully parrying the blandishments of the itinerant vendors
of ostrich feathers, of fans, and of Turkish delight, we regained the
ship, to witness the close succession of swart figures still ascending
and descending ; now bathed in a glorified haze of the coal-dust
which hung in the hot still air and sparkled in the sunshine.
The second-saloon passengers were returning in festive boat
loads, bearing many trophies, — chiefly in the form of muslin
garments, or strange hats for wear at a fancy-dress ball which they
contemplated holding during the following week. While on the
steerage-deck a fat, red-fezed native sat astride the rail, receiving
money from intending purchasers and lowering it, in a basket sus
pended by a cord, to the fruit-boat beneath, wherein sat an old
Ethiopian who passed up to the buyer above what he adjudged its
equivalent value in fruit. To be strictly truthful, it must be ad
mitted that the old gentleman's sense of equity was stunted. One
law only ruled his calling ; that was, to give as little in return for the
coin as the buyer could be induced to accept. Did the buyer reject
the quantity of oranges, dates, or grapes accorded him, and hold out
indignant fingers signifying his demand for more, more was promptly
sent up ; and, did he still remain dissatisfied, yet again more.
On the promenade-deck a native juggler, with a gift for palming
and patter, and a perfect genius for making collections, was busy.
Over all was spread a thick layer of coal-dust, which had penetrated
into even the most carefully locked and dust-sheeted state-rooms,
— a powdery essence whereof days of scrubbing and paint-washing
failed to rid the ship.
28
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
It was a pretty sight to witness the unholy joy of the wary ones
who had worn old clothes, over the ultimate condition of those men
and maidens who had gone forth as the lily, to return to locked
cabins and decks an inch thick in grime. To remain clean was
impossible : hair became darker, complexions sooty ; one fellow-
traveller, whose distinguishing feat
ure was a splendid auburn mous
tache, becoming absolutely unre
cognisable when his hair assumed
the ebon hue.
In the course of another decade
or two a speculator may do well
who prospects for copper along the
banks of the Suez Canal. Every day, all the year round, tourists
throw pence to the Arabs, who, girding their loins, run swiftly
along the Canal in quest of pelf; and as apparently not one in
a thousand of these coins is picked up, the lower sides of the
banks must ultimately be wellnigh paved with valuable metal.
But perhaps the natives grub secretly for the coppers when the
eye of the tourist is not on them ; then will my speculator be
disappointed.
v^
on >nt. canal ban\
29
V.
IN EASTERN SEAS.
1"ML CANAL PIL9T
of a few flat-
roofed houses, a
palm-tree, and a
barking dog.
A cessation of
our slow, gliding
motion at mid
night, and the
splash of oars,
told that we had
We had the good fortune to pass through
the Canal on a night when the moon was
at its full, glorifying with silver radiance
all sublunary objects, and combining with
the powerful searchlight to give the effect
of snow to the white sands of the eternal
desert ; illumining also the tiny villages
edging the water, villages which consisted
J?4
A (UT OF ARW3I*
stopped at Ismailia to take up passengers.
In the night we had to "tie-up" several
times to let north - bound vessels pass,
and morning found us still in the Canal.
3o
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
"Vjstvh*.
In front of a tiny desert village squatted a group of camels,
looking like gigantic swans, as, with their long necks protruding,
they crouched on the hot sand.
Suez proper is a sun-baked, neglected-looking place ; but I can
picture no mirage more beautiful than appeared its roadstead,
Port Tewfik, as we saw it, with its brightly tinted houses em
bowered in verdant foliage, basking in the glorious sunshine.
Many vessels, including an
Italian warship, lay in the
harbour. Our stay at Port
Tewfik, being solely for the
purpose of embarking a supply
of fruit, eggs, and vegetables
for the ship consumption be
tween Suez and Colombo, was
a matter of minutes.
Close to the side a native
scow was moored, and a suc
cession of stalwart negroes,
bearing lightly the heavy
burdens, sped up and down
the accommodation - ladder;
while in the boat, among
crates of salad and huge open
baskets of gourds, stood the
overseers, keeping up a con
tinuous flow of vocal en
couragement to the porters, who, as they ran, responded with
odd, reiterated cries. Although belonging to the lowest class of
labourers, and clad as were these in the most fugitive of raiment,
it must be conceded that, compared with these muscular heathen,
our pallid stewards seemed puny weaklings. Most of these
animated bronzes wore flowing garb of many hues, though one,
who answered to the name of Mustapha, had fashioned the chief
IN EASTERN SEAS.
31
part of his vesture from a large sack which still bore legibly
the imprint of some Westminster flour-mills.
The atmosphere of dignity which I for one find it impossible
to dissociate from the turbaned, flowing - robed Eastern, en
circled them ; and it seemed almost a degradation for one of the
porters, Mahomet by name, to appear from the pantry with the
corner of his saffron-hued robe holding a quantity of cold meats
and broken bread which he had begged from the cook; and we
grieved to observe, as the picturesque sloop cast off, that under
her seats several crates of the Orient's provender were cunningly
concealed so as to escape delivery.
Leaving Port
Tewfik, we en
tered the narrow
upper portion _of
the Red Sea, and
viewed the moun
tains of Arabia, warm drab in tint with shadows of heliotrope;
and for a brief moment saw Mount Sinai pinnacled in serene
grandeur against the blue, cloudless sky.
At that point where tradition avers the Israelitish host to have
crossed the Red Sea, and where can be seen a little group of
houses clustered round a well still known as "Moses' Well," a
locust flew on the bridge, where it was promptly captured by the
captain. It was a huge insect of a vivid scarlet hue, and its
vigorous and voracious aspect led one to suppose that it might be
32 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
a direct descendant of those valiant insects who conspired with
the worthy prophet in making Pharaoh's life a burden.
The weather was warmer now, though it did not strike as
unendurable those who had experienced the enervation of a
London August. On deck, with the ship in motion, the air was
pleasant. In the cabins by night it was hot, by day impossible.
We are generally a sweet-tempered family, but I think we reached
our nearest approach to crossness when dressing for dinner in
our small cabin, whose large windshoot sometimes failed to wrest
a cool breath from the outer air.
It was not until we had entered the Indian Ocean that food
became distasteful and the robust appetites of certain table-
neighbours an offence, reaching to the height of an insult on the
occasion when the portly matron finished a hearty lunch by con
suming a combination of cheese and pickled onions, and loudly
pronouncing the compound " delicious."
We were still in the Red Sea when a genuine little sensation
was caused by the sudden stoppage of the engines. Alarm and
conjecture were rife among the passengers, who, rousing from
their languor, and forgetting even to complain of the heat, began
to speculate as to the probable cause. Gloomy prognostications
were mooted regarding the hostile spirit of the coast tribes in
habiting the dimly seen land on either side, in the event of our
having to take to the boats. Any officers who appeared on deck
walked hurriedly by, wearing a studiously preoccupied air, and
carefully avoided meeting the inquiring glances of the passengers,
who delicately refrained from questioning. It was with unfeigned
relief that we once more felt the vibration of the screw, and saw
the white foam fly from our bows as we sped onwards. The
reason of the stoppage was afterwards laid to the account of a
choking in certain pipes, from the use of a bad quality of coal ;
and further experience quite accustomed us to the occasional
temporary suspension of motion.
One oppressively hot day, when two sea-hawks took refuge in
IN EASTERN SEAS.
33
the rigging, closed with a sunset of wonderful beauty : a sunset
which, beginning with the hasty dip of the sun into the sea, con
tinued flooding the waves with endless varieties of iridescent
hues, — blue, green, gold, purple, and crimson; while the sky
above kept up an ever - changing series of firework effects un
dreamt of the pyrotechnist. A tragic, blood- red flush was still
lingering, when a dense black
cloud — sure precursor of a storm
— drew a pall over its glory.
During the night all were
awakened by a violent tossing
and pitching, and that frenzied
ringing of bells for the stewards
which proclaims the sudden inrush
of water through the open port
holes of the unwary. To many
the motion, which resembled the
familiar jumble of the Channel,
proved more internally disturbing
than the giant roll of the Bay of
Biscay. There were many blanks
at table next day, and in the even
ing none lingered late on deck;
yet on the following morning we
were traversing a glassy ocean of
blue and silver, among shoals of
tiny flying -fish, their reflection
mirrored in the smooth surface, over which they skimmed like
butterflies. Only a long, low swell remained to remind us of the
monsoon which had so rudely interrupted our interim life of
sunshine and games.
The lower end of the Red Sea — where we caught a passing
glimpse of the mosques of Mocha — is a network of islands,
fraught with danger to the navigator. Late in the evening we
c
34
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
passed close to Perim, watching its light and speculating on the
causes which ran the P. and O. China on its rocks.
Another night of toss and trouble, and we had weathered
Cape Guardafui and were in the Indian Ocean. There the
atmosphere was oppressively hot, with heavily clouded skies,
Dutch in tone, and a restless grey sea. But though the days in
that latitude were enervating, the nights were full of exquisite
beauty, — moonless nights when one could linger late on deck in
thin evening-dress with no fear of chill, and look at the long,
golden reflections of the planets in the water.
We were leaning over the side watching the rushing foam, tin
selled with gold sparks, and the broader flashes of phosphorescent
light which trembled in the wash of the ship, when suddenly, a
stonecast away, there burst into life a pool of vivid green flame, —
a pool that, widening into a lake, spread, seething and simmering,
far out into the darkness beyond. Nothing could surpass the weird
beauty of that ever-increasing coruscation of translucent splendour.
It paled, then, flickering, vanished and we saw it no more ; nor saw
we ever its like again.
ON DECK
AFt£|\DI-HHc
VI.
A VISION OF COLOMBO.
For two days we had all been anxiously calculating when we
would reach Ceylon. Rumours were afloat that the Orient, which
was under orders to proceed quickly to Melbourne to take up the
return trip of the slightly crippled Austral, would arrive at Colombo
at midnight on Sunday, thereafter would coal immediately, dis
charge and take in cargo, and leave at daybreak to make all speed
for Australia. Now, we did not want to arrive at midnight, so
grumbles were the order of the day. Sometimes a heavy head
wind roused a vague hope that cross-currents might delay our
36
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
arrival until early morning. Thirteen passengers, some of them
exceedingly popular, were leaving the ship at Colombo, and
regret at parting with them, combined with the fear of losing
our peep at the home of " spicy breezes," cast a gloom over us.
As usual when nearing a port much correspondence was overtaken,
not only in the saloon writing-rooms, but also on the steerage
deck, where the Austrian emigrants, who had joined the ship at
Naples, were especially busy with their pens.
FoR£iqN
COR^£SPOHD£NTs;
Here a word may be said regarding the fashion of Sunday
life on board ship. On that day we found our appetite for
breakfast as vigorous or as enfeebled as the temperature, acting
upon different constitutions, willed. Case-hardened Colonials
opened action by emptying tall glasses of light wines, against
whose sides the ice clinked pleasantly; continued the campaign
by annihilating huge slices of melon, whose roseate flesh was
A VISION OF COLOMBO.
37
decorated by rows of shining black seeds ; and completed the
glorious victory of man over matter by triumphantly running the
gamut of a menu that comprised over a dozen items. Those of
us who were yet unacclimatised, after essaying a doubtful skirmish
with iced fruit, were utterly routed in a desperate attempt to
vanquish a small detachment of toast and bacon, and withdrew
ignominiously to our stronghold of deck chairs until the lunch-
horn sounded the signal for the renewal of the unequal conflict.
-Sunday iNspccjioN
In the early morning the Romanist fathers officiated at mass,
which was attended by all classes. At eleven o'clock a piano
was wheeled on deck, benches covered with flags were arranged,
and the Anglican service was held, the second-saloon passengers
joining with the first. A clergyman on his way to an Australian
charge acted as chaplain, the captain reading the lessons, and
the music of the waves mingling impressively with the voices.
After church followed the weekly muster of the crew, an un
failing delight to the Boy. In long lines extending far down
38 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
either side of the promenade -deck, sailors, firemen, and stewards
were arranged ; while the captain, chief officer, purser, and doctor
walked down the lines, the purser calling the roll, the others
making careful inspection regarding the wellbeing of the crew.
How the stewards, in the midst of their multifarious duties, found
time to appear on deck at that hour, smartly attired, was always
a mystery. "Inspection a bother w'en we're so busy?" says our active
bedroom steward. " Well, yes, it means a bit of a rush Sunday
mornings. But it does a heap of good too. Why, Lor' love you !
if it wasn't for inspection, plenty of them firemen wouldn't wash
themselves from one week's end to another!"
No games were played on Sunday, which perhaps accounted
for the fact that the customary quantum of flirtation was doubled ;
otherwise, save for the gentle feeling of unrest, the day was like
the others.
At midnight the lights of Colombo were sighted. An hour
later the Orient anchored in the harbour; and the official an
nouncement that she was to leave at 8 a.m. was posted. All
around her clustered an incongruous assortment of boats, com
prising everything in the way of small craft between an English
steam-launch and a native catamaran. Through the darkness
twinkled the lights of distant ships ; beyond lay the unknown
world of Ceylon, for which some of the passengers had already
taken their departure by boat. A lust for new experience seized
us ; and, without pausing even to add a tooth-brush to our outfit,
we three hurried down the accommodation - ladder, found a dis
engaged boat, and were soon creeping swiftly away from the
brilliantly lit ship into the almost impenetrable gloom beyond.
The gleam of their white turbans and flowing draperies was all
we could distinguish of the two Indians who rowed us ; until the
new moon, peeping from the clouds, cast a faint radiance that
in a measure removed the awe that had crept over us. Our
oarsmen stood to their work, the one in the bow rowing back-
A VISION OF COLOMBO. 39
wards, the other facing him. The way seemed long — we were
so vague as to our whereabouts and uncertain as to our destination
— but I suppose only a few minutes had passed before we had
reached the steps of the jetty and were passing through the
custom - house, where many white-garbed Indians lay, huddled
up on shelves or stretched under counters, fast asleep. Outside
the portals of the custom-house the town was wrapped in slumber.
Experienced travellers had assured us that, as Colombo lived on
the tourist, the arrival, at any hour, of a great Liner would
ensure all the shops and hotels being open. The advice of
experienced travellers is occasionally of very great service, but in
this instance our information proved fallacious. The shops, one
and all, were hermetically sealed ; and, save for two sanguine
rickshaw -runners, who still tarried in hope of employment, the
broad principal street was empty.
At the door of the Grand Oriental Hotel a lady in evening-
dress was alighting, the lamplight gleaming on her naked shoulders
and arms ; and on the steps, smoking a disconsolate cigar, stood
a favourite ship -companion. We beamed with pleasure at the
encounter: he did not exhibit his customary geniality.
" Here's a beastly frost ! " he spoke the cultured language of
the English Public Schools. "The bar's closed; not even
lemonade to be had before to - morrow. Rotty footle, I call it !
I've ordered a bed." A moment's consideration decided us to
do likewise. After entering our names in a book we were intrusted
to the care of an Indian, who preceded us up a stair and through
a long corridor whose shining teak floor and high whitewashed
walls impressed us with a refreshing sense of space and coolness,
grateful after the straitened character of our ship accommodation.
Pausing at the door of our allotted room, our escort revealed its
white -clad custodian asleep on his mat across the threshold.
Instantly he was on his feet, wide awake; and, with his bed
rolled up under his arm, was salaaming and grinning to us.
The room was a pleasant revelation. It had a polished floor,
40
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
large white beds !. enclosed with mosquito - netting, and at the
farther end a French window opening on to a balcony.
five a-T
AU was sweet, and fresh, and quiet. So, after bidding Charlie
— the attendant slave of our enchanted chamber — bring us tea at
5 a.m., we made such preparations for sleep as were possible in
A VISION OF COLOMBO. 41
the circumscribed state of our wardrobes, and gladly slipped our
tired selves between the cool sheets. Our eyes seemed scarcely
shut before it was dawn, and Charlie, who in his white skirt and
chignon exactly resembled the bearded woman of the penny shows,
was exchanging grins with the Boy over the dainty breakfast which
he was placing on the little centre table. After the elaborate menus
of the Orient it was a relief to breakfast simply off tea — which
owned a genuine Ceylon flavour— crisp toast-and-butter, curious
fig-jam, and the little silver bananas which are so dissimilar, both
in size and flavour, to those obtainable at home.
The sounds and sights of the street beneath, even at that
early hour astir, fascinated the Boy to the interruption of his
toilet : scantily clad, he lingered on the balcony, peering between
the edges of the matting blinds at the stream of workmen moving
workwards along the road below.
Our friend was waiting when we got downstairs, and soon we
were all seated in rickshaws. " Gee up, cockies ! " he cried, and
off we sped. On either side of the road were trees still in luxuriant
foliage ; the morning air was full of fragrance. Embedded in the
moist red earth were the prints of countless naked feet ; and over
head, silhouetted against the blue sky, great crows were flying.
Installed comfortably in the little carriages, our centaurs lightly
drew us through the native quarter, down the narrow streets,
where every second house proclaimed itself a shop by standing
open-fronted to the pubhc gaze, and exhibiting a few odd articles
of merchandise spread on some rickety makeshift for a counter.
Against the ever-brightening sky the quaint red-tiled roofs glowed ;
the cactus plants which had caught root in the crevices rearing
their stately bloom-spikes heavenwards.
The men of Colombo struck us as being almost invariably
either handsome in figure or picturesque in appearance ; the
women stunted and unattractive, and the babies the loveliest
things on earth. Darling little bronze cherubs they were, their
perfectly proportioned figures unadorned save for a necklet, a
42 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
waist-girdle of interwoven silver cord and beads, and a bangle
on each tiny wrist. Unlike many of our pampered British off
spring, Indian babes appear to have no period of puffy inert
ness : they seem, indeed, scarcely to have a helpless stage at
all. We saw infants that could hardly be more than eight
or nine months old walking gravely about, alone; and I caught
a delicious glimpse of a tiny Peeping Tom, who had pulled
aside the curtain veiling the entrance of some forbidden place,
and was enjoying a secret examination. A bright - faced girl
with the flashing white teeth of her race ran beside my car
riage, a lovely imp seated astride her hip, while, in the voluble
but limited English they all speak, she craved, " Money, please,
lady ! Governor's lady, give money."
Our preconceived notions of the cocoa-nut had been gathered
largely from their appearance as the rewards of competition at
Hampstead Heath on Bank holidays. And even when our
guides pointed them out we failed to perceive any resemblance
between the long clusters of huge, orange-yellow and red globes
and the comparatively small, dark - brown nuts as previously
known to us. The bread-fruit tree was there also, spreading
its abundant branches to the enticing air, its fruit suspended
singly, as though enormous sugar-plums hung on some giant's
Christmas-tree. All along the road leading to the Cinnamon Gardens we
encountered ever - increasing crowds of natives walking with
stately tread townwards. It amused me to notice that many of
these airily clad gentlemen carried, tucked under their arms,
venerable specimens of the black cotton umbrella.
" Why do these men carry umbrellas ? " I asked of my rick-
shawman. " For the rain, lady."
" But there is no rain ! " and in truth it was like some idyllic
June morning.
" For the rain that is coming, lady," was the laconic and
A VISION OF COLOMBO.
43
conclusive reply. And I rode on, laughing a little, believing
that the men of Colombo burdened themselves with these worn
and faded umbrellas out of a desire to ape English fashions.
Alas, for consequential insularity ! The sun had scarcely
forgotten to smile when a soft warm rain encompassed us. A
moment later it had blotted out the surrounding scenery, and
RAIN AND
we, seated securely under the quickly-raised hoods of the rick
shaws, seemed to have passed into a different world. The
runners were heedless of the rain, though it poured down on
their naked shoulders and drenched their gossamer loin-cloths.
It was a relief to my motherly soul when my charioteer stopped
and, lifting a cunning lid in the seat of the carriage, produced
a mackintosh. "Now," I thought, "he is going to put on a
44 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
sou' -wester and cape like a London cabby." But, as was
quickly revealed, this extra wrapping was for me, an apron to
be tucked around my frock ; while the man, moisture streaming
in rills from his muscular limbs, ran lightly on.
As we passed through the Botanical Gardens, which even
in November showed numerous flowers strange to our know
ledge, one of the men brought a blossom with its long, curious-
shaped bud. It was the Buddha sacred flower, and had an
exquisite perfume. The fleshy texture of the petals resembled
that of the gardenia. The colour was a rich creamy white,
the inner side of the petals being shaded from primrose to
orange. It grows on a tall tree, and the blooms, because of
their short stalks, when arranged in a bouquet are valueless.
The commercial - souled Indian has a cunning way of spiking
the buds on thin pieces of cane. Thus treated, and combined
with a large admixture of scarlet hibiscus and maidenhair fern,
they make charming bouquets, which, during the brief hour
that elapses before they fade, easily find purchasers.
The shower ceased as suddenly as it began. The sun was
shining when, bearing branches of the sweet-smelling cinnamon
leaves, we left the Gardens and turned townwards, our men
first pausing beside a great tree under which was stationed a
seller of betel - nut, the one who acted as leader first buying
and distributing a number of the crisp green leaves, each hold
ing its portion of the grated nut. The consumption of the
drug had the effect on the runners of acting agreeably as a
restorative, and unpleasantly by staining their teeth and gums
blood-red. On we went, again mingling with the business-going stream,
which now, the hour being further advanced, belonged to a
superior class, and was composed principally of dignified gen
tlemen, who wore wider petticoats, more combs in their hair,
and had patches on the rents in their umbrellas. Our little
procession of rickshaws evidently was a source of entertain-
A VISION OF COLOMBO.
45
ment. From every side smiling faces turned to us, and many
strange voices wished us a gay " Good morning."
The Boy, with his rosy cheeks and blue eyes astare, at
tracted a lot of attention. Welcomes were heaped upon him,
one patriarch even insisting on stopping the rickshaw to shake
the juvenile hand.
The shops were open now, and the streets crowded to im-
passability. Many of our shipmates who had come on shore
in the morning we saw mobbed by hucksters who pressed upon
them flimsy wares. Although not yet eight o'clock, it was
becoming unpleasantly hot. We were glad to leave the jost
ling throng and regain the ship. As usual, the hour fixed for
sailing had been postponed, so there was still a little time to
spare before starting. Hurrying downstairs, we bathed, put on
cool thin clothes, and returned on deck to see the fun.
In the shadow of the deck - house several merchants had
spread out little shops of silver-ware, native stuffs, or lace. In
side the waiting - room a jeweller displayed cases of beautiful
rings, while vendors of moonstones and cat's - eyes, of carved
ivory fans and elephants, of photographs, and of white duck
garments, paraded on the clean, holystoned boards. All around
the water was alive with gesticulating natives, athirst for a
share of British coin. On a dilapidated canoe perched three
diving-boys, noisily clapping naked elbows against naked sides
as they shouted vociferously, " Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay ! " Sport
ing about like dolphins in the warm water beside them were
two other creatures, their darkness oddly relieved by streaks of
white. These the Boy's sharp eyes identified as a couple of
the Orient firemen.
As we turned away from the side, our eyes dazzled with
the glitter of the sparkling water, we were accosted by a young
man who showed us a mango-seed.
"Are you a conjuror?" the Artist asked, recalling the tales
we had heard of the Indian jugglers.
46 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
" Yas, sah."
" Can you do the mango trick ? "
"Yas. Do him now."
Seeking a deserted portion of the promenade-deck, we grouped
ourselves in readiness for the performance. Any passengers re
maining on board were at breakfast, so the audience was of
the smallest, comprising as it did only two children and a
nursemaid, in addition to our trio.
Our conjuror's appearance placed him at once above the
suspicion of concealing anything up his sleeve, for sleeve he
had none. His dress was a scant white drapery which began
at the shoulders and ended at the knees, leaving both arms
and neck uncovered. Placing himself on the deck directly in
front of us, with his boy assistants a little way off on either
side, he began operations. First he spread on the deck a small
cotton pocket - handkerchief; thereon, in the form of a small
hillock, he put two handfuls of loose friable earth, in which
he planted the mango-seed. This accomplished, he despatched
a boy with a flat tin for water, in the mean time taking a
hooded snake from a shallow basket and waving it — hissing
angrily and enlarging its neck — over the little mound of soil,
as he did so chanting on a strange pipe. The water fetched,
he sprinkled a few drops on the earth, then covered the heap
with a small square of fringed turban - cloth. After again re
peating his incantations, he lifted the top covering and revealed
a tiny green shoot, not unlike the first appearance of a bean
above the ground.
" Ah ! " he exclaimed jubilantly, " the seed do grow. He
need stick, help him grow."
Taking a thin slip of bamboo -cane, he stuck it in beside
the tiny sprout, re-covering all with the cloth, and making his
boy support the shawl from above, that the plant might have
space to expand. Again was the hissing snake whirled around;
again sounded the weird chant ; then, when we were all a-tiptoe
A VISION OF COLOMBO.
47
with expectation, the magician snatched off the concealing cloth
and revealed, growing upright from the tiny mound of earth,
a bushy little mango-tree, verdant with many leaves. In com
pletion of his marvel, the wizard lifted the plant, and showed
us the original seed with the stalk and roots protruding there
from. All this, it must be noted, was done in broad sunshine, on
the bare boards of the deck ; and we, being seated on the
T^E. A\l\£jlt /"\ANqo
bench by the saloon skylight, could not only see the conjuror's
actions perfectly, but could see over and around him. Also
the tree was a sturdy plant whose uncrushed foliage bore no
evidence of the dilapidations concealment would naturally have
entailed. Our wizard salaamed and departed. The shore-going folks
had returned, laden with more or less valueless bargains. The
quartermaster, armed with a rope, had hastened the tardy de
parture of sundry avaricious hucksters; but still clinging to the
48
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
bridge chains lingered a diver, a man of lithe body and par
tially shaven head, whose speciality it was to dive from the
side of the ship after a shilling and catch the coin as it
descended through the water. He was an artist in his pro
fession, and no lesser sum had power to tempt him. Just as
the first pulsations of the engine were felt, the coveted coin
glittered and fell. Quicker than thought the diver flashed after
it. An instant later his shaven poll shot upwards, the coin
shining between his teeth.
csyi-ON
VII.
SKIRTING AUSTRALIA.
It was with tear -dimmed eyes, on my part at least, that we
watched Ceylon fade, a vision of lavender hills and purple valleys,
into the distance. Our glimpse of Colombo had made us eager
for a longer experience of it, and many were our regrets that
we could not linger there for even a few hours more. We felt
annoyed at our ship for being in a hurry.
Even the presence of a hitherto unknown fruit — the mango
steen — at dinner did not cheer us. In both appearance and
flavour it is unique, and one of the few new fruits which we
encountered on our journeyings whose better acquaintance we
desire. Outwardly, the mangosteen resembles a large peony-
bud; inwardly, it contains a circle of crescent-shaped segments,
which is the edible portion. The mangosteen is beautifully
D
5°
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
decorative in appearance; probably its looks account for much
of its charm.
After leaving Ceylon, an atmosphere of mild boredom per
vaded the ship. In spite of the heat, all the customary deck
games were in demand. The quarterdeckman kept up the
supply of deck quoits, over which game, as well as those of
bull-board and shuffle-board, indiscreet matrons and foolish girls
became purple-complexioned and
panting ; while men sought to
work off their superfluous energy
in boisterous games of cricket,
the scores whereof, owing to the
uncertain level of the pitch, were
more remarkable for duck's eggs
becK 2doit"-S
AND PRACTICE.
than for centuries. Apart
from such spasmodic exer
tions, a general listlessness
prevailed. Even the modi
fied excitement to be gar
nered from watching the
weekly resurrection of the
trunks on baggage-day had palled, and women who formerly
had derived much pleasure from a peep at their reserve stock
of raiment became prone to depute to their husbands the task
of getting at fresh garments.
There was certainly some amusement to be gained from watch
ing the futile efforts of these clumsy men-folks, who, after rum
maging to the bottom of carefully packed Saratogas and removing
SKIRTING AUSTRALIA.
5'
certain of the articles contained therein, found to their amazement
that it was impossible to close the lid upon the lessened contents.
Flirtations flourished apace. One at least assumed a serious
aspect. Satan induced the idle hands of one man to shave off
his beard; and I believe that only the consciousness that its
removal had wrought the reverse of improvement deterred others
from following his example. At
this stage little ill-feelings born
of sheer ennui arose, and gossip
of sorts drifted about.
This was also the period
when people began to confide
in each other respecting those
of their possessions that un
accountably had gone amissing.
Mark Twain tells of his ances
tor, who, voyaging to America
with Columbus, embarked with
his worldly belongings com
prised in a pocket-handkerchief,
a night-shirt, and two odd socks,
all marked with different initials,
and wrapped in an old news
paper: and left the ship at the
close of the trip having in the
meantime mysteriously accumulated baggage which filled four
trunks, a huge crate, and a couple of champagne-baskets !
Mr Twain was not altogether peculiar in his progenitors. Some
body on board the Orient must have landed considerably richer
than he sailed. Articles, many of them of but trifling value, had
a provoking way of disappearing. To lay a book down was to
have it vanish. If one's name was inscribed thereon, and one
made a fuss over its loss, it was almost certain, after a lapse of
days, to be discovered placed casually under a cushion in the
"now THE-N BoYs , ONC£_ r\oKC !
52 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
music -room. But if the volume bore no name, it might be
accepted as gone for ever.
The miscreant's tastes were not entirely literary. Money he
esteemed a useful commodity, well worthy of annexation; and
articles of ladies' wear or use, such as a sable boa or an em
broidered work-bag, he did not despise. We congratulated our
selves on escaping with the comparatively trivial losses of a
field-glass and half-a-dozen new books.
Though the news of these peculations was widely circulated,
and exhaustively discussed, it was only when we neared land
that the passengers, feeling in that ultra- confidential mood in
cidental to coming parting, went to the extreme length of
whispering their suspicions regarding the identity of the wrong
doer. But the amusing feature of these confidences was, that
in almost every instance, distrust had fastened upon a different
person ! Petty pilferings on ship -board are of such common
occurrence that experienced travellers take special means to
guard against them. Later, on a Pacific steamer, we encountered
a man who carried a copy of ' Don Juan ' which showed his name
writ large on every page. He was an ex
perienced traveller.
The captain, besides being in appearance
and manner an ideal boy's hero, was a
diplomat. To be invited to visit the bridge
was a much-coveted honour, and one which,
during the course of the voyage, the captain
contrived to pay all the saloon passengers,
the more congenial spirits being bidden to
take tea in his snug cabin, the remainder
on thi took -out being asked to look at the view from the
bridge.
In the motley collection of dilapidated volumes that forms the
Boy's special library there is a much -thumbed item which I
daresay he has read oftener than he has any of the others. It
SKIRTING AUSTRALIA. 53
is a little, chocolate-coloured, unpretentious book entitled ' Twelve
Times Round the World,' the writing whereof, if destitute of
all attempt at literary elegance, reveals much kindly feeling.
In the account of a trip similar to this, our opening cruise, much
sympathy is expressed for a certain Mrs Bouverie, who became
seriously ill.
Before leaving London, the Boy, as I sewed, sometimes read
extracts from this favourite author, such as : —
" Oct. 1st, Monday. — Out of Bay, and nearing Gib. Weather
improving. Several invalids came on deck. Mrs Bouverie very
ill. Her husband looks quite anxious." Or —
" Oct. 2nd, Tuesday. — Mrs Bouverie very ill. Weather im
proving. After dinner had a little singing. Mr Rudd has a
fine voice. Mrs Hatham sang.
" Oct. -yd. — Nice weather. . . . Mrs Bouverie very ill indeed."
Naturally our interest became warmly excited in poor Mrs
Bouverie. Then, happily, we did not know that there was to
be a Mrs Bouverie on our ship also ; and I was fated to be that
Mrs Bouverie.
Midway between Ceylon and Australia a mysterious illness
seized me, defying diagnosis and keeping me prisoner in my berth,
a prey to pain and faintness, through what seemed an endless
succession of weary days and wearier nights. The days were
hard of endurance; immeasurably worse were the endless, half-
delirious nights, when strange fancies haunted my brain, and
the spirits of drowned folks seemed to tap with ghostly insist
ence at the open port, or to sob and moan incessantly just out
side because I did not respond to their invitations to join them,
and when the stillness was only broken by the noiseless entrance of
the ship's doctor — wearing uniform coat and cap, pyjama trousers,
and an anxious expression — to see how the invalid progressed.
I was unusually fortunate in having the advice of a skilled colonial
physician, also a passenger, and of a trained nurse; but even
under these mitigating circumstances any severe illness endured
54
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
on ship-board is a protracted nightmare, and the difficulties of
nursing and being nursed are scarcely to be exaggerated.
Albany, being the first colonial town of our experience, aroused
an interest greater, perhaps, than its importance merited. When
we reached King George's Sound I was still pent in the durance
vile of my cabin. The Artist and the Boy, who went on shore,
reported it as being a collection of tin-roofed, wooden houses,
punctuated by telegraph poles, planted on a sandy road. The
country around seems still to border on the primeval; for, in
driving, people saw specimens of the good-sized iguanas which
AU»ANy
the aborigines use as food : and one passenger brought on board
a specimen of that strange lizard known locally as the mountain
devil. A fragrant hint of the bounteous antipodean spring reached
me in the shape of a great, sweet bunch of wild-flowers, all
unfamiliar. Among other varieties were the bottle-brushes, one
species having a large, bulrush-shaped head of yellow standing
upright in a collar, or ruff, of olive-green narrow serrated leaves.
The other, of less robust form, bore its brilliant red flowers in tufts,
its top being surmounted by a crest of leaves tinged with scarlet.
SKIRTING AUSTRALIA.
55
There were some lovely sprays of a fairy-like white bloom ; and a
cluster of heath thickly studded with tiny purple and crimson pea
like blossoms ; also many kinds of strange grasses, and sundry curi
ous seed-balls looking like absurd caricatures of aged aborigines.
Our next place of call was Port Adelaide, where only a short
stay being made, few passengers were able to visit the beautiful
town, which lies several miles by rail from the seaport.
Colonial influence now began to permeate the atmosphere of
the ship, revealing its abstract diffusion in the slightly louder
voices and more pronounced manners of our new passengers ; and
its concrete presence through the medium of the tea that, in
accordance with colonial usage, was served to them at every
meal. We reached Melbourne on a bleak day, which had somehow
insinuated itself amongst a succession of glorious ones. Accord
ing to the Artist, the people waiting on the wharf, shivering in the
chill blast, looked wretched, and — probably owing to the large
proportion of loafers present — undesirable ; and he secretly sym
pathised with the necessarily disappointing first impression made
upon those of our companions who had voyaged so far in search
of health or fortune.
Melbourne women have no souls. At least that is the avowed
56
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
opinion of a man who professes to have studied them ; and as he is
likely to have gained a more correct view regarding their spiritual
condition than I had the opportunity of doing, I do not combat
the point. Whether they possess souls or not, the Artist vouches
for the fact that they own attractive bodies, to the adorning of
which they devote abundant time and money. Their city, as is
only seemly to form suitable background for these butterflies, is
bright, smart, and attractive. It is famed for street-cars, tea-
^S=«= on t^ wMarf . Port /^vclbouhns
shops, and the Melbourne Cup. Apart from these modified glories,
it has a good art gallery and an abundant variety of light enter
tainments. My chief recollection of Melbourne is of a day of lonely pain,
brightened by the present of a gilt wheelbarrow laden with a
pyramid of exquisite pale pink roses, the gift of Mr Irwin, the
purser, whose thoughtful consideration for every one had been
unfailing throughout the voyage. On the following morning I was
SKIRTING AUSTRALIA.
57
A STT*E£T CORNER.
IN /^E.LBOU^N£L»
carried across the wharf to the Austral, into which the remaining
Orient travellers were transhipped. Four other passengers had to
be carried on board : a girl who had sprained her ankle, a two-
days'-old baby and its mother from the steerage, and an old
gentleman, who died soon after he got to Sydney.
Another two nights and days of tossing passed, and we entered
Sydney harbour. That Sydney has a beautiful harbour is indis
putable, but that it is the unique creation its inhabitants profess to
believe it can scarcely be conceded. All over the world there are
others as fine, some finer. Its near neighbour, Auckland, with its
58
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
vast island-studded gulf and huge natural breakwater of Rangitoto,
runs it hard. New York harbour is grand, and as for Vavau, why
— but that is another chapter. As it is, Sydney is a bright
pleasant town, with a distinctly metropolitan flavour. There is a
good steam-car service, plenty of admirable ferry steamers, and a
superabundance of mosquitoes. Its better people are hospitable,
and, in a superficial way, cultured.
NEARING St-bn£Y.
ARBOUR, SlfO :
The one distinctive sound of Sydney seemed to be a loud
sibilant whirr, penetrating and almost deafening.
" What is that dreadful sound ? " we asked the pleasant
chambermaid — capless, and attired with that freedom as to colour
and material which, on a first visit to the Colonies, strikes an
English visitor oddly — who waited upon us at the hotel.
" That ? Oh, that's just the frogs croaking in the Domain that
you hear," her manner implying that the noise was so much a
matter of course that only new-comers noticed it. We felt a little
dubious at the idea of frogs having power to fill the air with that
SKIRTING AUSTRALIA.
59
insistent din, but were not sufficiently conversant with the ways of
the New South Wales fauna to question her assertion. It did not
take us long to discover that the cry proceeded from the female
members of the myriads of locusts which infested the Domain, as
the beautiful pubhc park is called. All the street arabs had their
pockets full, and were willing to trade. The Artist had just bought
one for twopence, when a little girl timidly tendered two more.
A SyDN^y street corner.
" Oh, them's no good ! Them's cocks, and cocks can't
squeak ! " scornfully interposed the first salesman.
We had arrived in Sydney on Friday, and our boat for New
Zealand was dated to start on the following Wednesday. The
very capable doctor we had consulted strongly advised a private
hospital and a lengthy delay in New South Wales. But hot,
mosquito-ridden Sydney held horrors for me, and, ill or well, I
determined to go on to Auckland. Thus it was that on the
66 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
appointed day an ambulance — one of those uncompromising
canvas-covered stretchers which always suggests the conveyance
of a badly mauled " drunk " — carried me on board the ss. Waihora.
It was a busy season. The Waihora was crammed, and we had
arrived in Sydney just in time to secure the last cabin, which, as
may be guessed, was situated at the extreme stern, in close
proximity to the screw. It had the double advantages of being on
deck, and of opening from the gallery over the saloon, named —
ironically, I fear — the Social Hall.
The Waihora is 2003 tons burden, and the Tasman Sea,
though not wide, is deep and turbulent. During three of the five
days spent in crossing, it blew a gale. " Too many clergymen on
board," opined the stewardess, who, in common with those who
earn their bread on deep waters, shared the superstition that the
presence of emissaries of religion conduces to storm. The demon
sea-sickness, which until now had kept afar off, seized all the
Waihora passengers, including the Artist and the Boy, who hereto
fore had been scatheless. A charming Christchurch lady, a fellow-
passenger from England, who had travelled by the Waihora with
the kindly intention of being of assistance to me, became herself
a victim, and I did not see her until land was again in sight.
From my berth, when the ship was steady, I could see the sky,
and occasionally watch the flight of the stately albatross ; but most
frequently the screw whirled violently in the air, and the vessel
heeled over so that I found myself holding on and looking down
into a seething mass of waves, and was glad to close my eyes and
shut out the giddy view. Although the Waihora danced in a most
inconsiderate way, warm hearts were plentiful on board her.
Captain Neville, in whom the Artist was gratified to find an old
schoolfellow, paid us daily visits ; and at frequent intervals bronzed
faces under gold-laced caps would look in at the open door with
sympathetic inquiry regarding my health, and condolences, which
always concluded with a reference to some, to me, unknown
quantity named " Rotorua."
SKIRTING AUSTRALIA.
61
" Never mind, you're on the way to Rotorua, and that'll cure
you fast enough."
Or another kindly voice— chief steward this time — would say :
" Feeling better to-day ! That's good ! ' Now, if there's anything
in the ship you fancy, just say the word and you'll get it. You'll
soon be yourself again. Rotorua will put you on your feet in no
time." At that period I had not the most remote idea what or where
Rotorua was; and the curiosity-conquering languor of weakness
prevented my feeling inquisitive enough to inquire. Still, if I could
have peeped into the future, it would have surprised me to know
OFF ™E ncwzcaland coast
that these prophecies were all to be fulfilled, and that two months
later would see me at Rotorua as well and lively as anybody there.
Of the little tempest-tossed Waihora I shall always cherish a
pleasant remembrance, for on board her it was that, despite the
storm, the pain vanished ; and with the sense of physical wellbeing
appetite returned, and I was able to look with interest at the menus
and try once more to eat.
The Boy found much satisfaction in having private peeps at
two baby lions in the hold, on their way to be shown at Auckland
Exhibition. He rejoiced, too, in the knowledge that a goodly
supply of toffee was distributed on Sunday, and that even on
62
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
Monday a polite personal application to the chief cook secured the
applicant a further supply.
All was fair sailing when on a Sunday afternoon we neared the
North Cape of New Zealand, and saw Cape Maria Van Diemen to
the west. A desolate, low, sandy bay near the North Cape was
pointed out to us by the captain as the Bay of Spirits, where the
wraiths of expiring Maoris are believed to assemble before taking
their final plunge into eternity. Morning found us among the Hen
and Chickens, the Poor Knights, and many other islands.
Steaming up the Hauraki Gulf, it was inexpressibly touching to
note the wistful, questioning silence of the emigrants who were
crowded in the bows, eager for a sight of their promised land. A
little later we had passed close by Rangitoto, rounded the villa-
covered North Head, and saw the widespread city of Auckland
and the thrice-welcome faces of the friends who awaited us on the
wharf.
Approach n
Aucivand
FtANQITOTP
VIII.
SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES.
At the narrowest part of the North Island of New Zealand,
girdled by a belt of extinct volcanoes, lies her most populous
city, Auckland. The natives have named the harbour Waitemata,
" Shining Water," and, viewing the situation of the town from
the summit of Mount Eden or One Tree Hill, you cannot fail
to regard it as one of the fairest spots on earth. Kipling says
of it, " Last, loneliest, loveliest, exquisite, apart," and indeed no
more fitting words could be found to describe that fair, far-
reaching expanse of land and water. One of the notable features
of the harbour is Rangitoto, a volcanic island, green to its triple
peak, and remarkable as presenting almost the same graceful and
dignified outline when viewed from any point.
The wharves and streets of Auckland bespeak industrial pros
perity, and the clear exhilarating air is redolent of health. Not
that the climate invariably strikes the visitor as perfect. During
our first few weeks in Auckland the rain rained and the wind blew
64
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
to such an extent as to keep our friends in a chronic state of
apology for their weather, and to make us think that the summer
had certainly been stolen, but not by us ! Our later experience,
however, atoned for all, and convinced us that the much-lauded
climate deserves all, or nearly all, the admiration it claims.
Though the sun's rays are stronger than in England, the sea-
breezes pleasantly temper the air ; and even in the height of
^T°c iVDfyviNC.
summer the nights are cool enough to necessitate the use of a
blanket — an article one is only too glad to dispense with during
the same season at home.
A long-continued thunder-shower in England gives a modified
idea of what tropical or semi-tropical rain can be ; but the possi
bilities of colonial dust are practically unknown to dwellers in
Britain. New Zealand rain has been known to keep a large
SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES. 65
excursion party penned up in a railway-train at a station during
many hours — a step beyond the shelter of the carriages mean
ing a complete drenching. To gain a remote conception of
antipodean dust is to picture us on Boxing Day driving through
Auckland to the wharf, our faces coated with a thick layer of
grey dust which penetrated even through double gossamer veils,
every little while being obliged to stop the horses and sit with
closed eyes and bowed heads until that particular segment of the
dense dust-cloud had blown past.
Dress is expensive in New Zealand, and, in consequence of
such weather vagaries, lasts but a short time. I reckoned that
were I resident in Auckland it would cost me four times as much
money to dress as it does in London. In the first place, the
materials and making would cost twice the sum; and in the
second, the combined influences of sun, dust, and rain are such
that the completed garments would last only half the period.
Light washing materials are cheap, and as a rule girls wear
coloured cambric frocks in the morning and white pique or muslin
later. The shortness of their skirts amused us until we reahsed
that their arrangements in that way were dominated by the depth
of the dust on the roads.
A pleasant thing among many pleasant things recordable of
this country is the interest taken by the female portion of the
community in literature. True, their reading is almost exclusively
confined to the easy paths of contemporary fiction. But in that
study they are rarely more than six weeks behind the mother
country. English magazines are sold at a premium; but the
colonial editions of the newest books are handy and cheap and
well up to date.
As hinted above, it is the women who read. The average native-
born New Zealand male cultivates his muscles. He rides, rows,
shoots, plays football, and attends races, and none can expect
a mind engrossed with like pursuits to take kindly to less robust
occupations. Also he develops late. At home we are accustomed
E
66
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
to put the dimpled limbs of our infants into trousers, and to
see their chubby faces overshadowed by preposterous chimney
pot hats. In Auckland it amazed us to find huge lads of sixteen
still wearing knickerbocker sailor -suits and enjoying schoolboy
games. Auckland street - cars are a wonderful institution. Of their
On am Auckland T^Ai^
convenience — I had occasion to use them so seldom as not to be
able to form a high opinion; while of their inconvenience even
my few trips assured me. The number of passengers is only
limited by the clinging -on space. There are no seats on the
top, so that smokers have to find accommodation on the front
and back platforms. At busy hours it is customary to see ten
people squeezed on to the place originally set apart for the
SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES. 67
driver, and a dozen or more hilarious travellers crowding the
conductor off the back step — the inside being crammed with
sitting and standing passengers. Even under these circumstances
none need hesitate to hail the car and insist upon admittance.
Coming direct from our stern workaday England, New Zealand
impressed us as a land of perpetual leisure. Workmen enjoyed
high wages and an eight hours' day ; and no event was deemed too
small to be made the occasion of a holiday.
The harbour was full of boats, from the goodly steam -yacht
to the veriest tub that ever supported sail, and each Saturday
the owners of many of these vessels embarked with companies of
high-spirited guests, to return early on Monday, having spent the
intervening hours cruising about among the islands ; camping on
shore, or sleeping on board if the accommodation admitted of it.
Parties of schoolboys spent their holidays camping out, under
canvas, in water gullies, where they could bathe, fish, shoot,
and play at wild Indians as their souls desired. The craving
for gipsying, born of the perfect climate, sometimes even infected
sedate families, and it was no uncommon thing, when having
a riding picnic, to chance upon some lovely fern -banked gulch
where — under a cluster of more or less ramshackle tents — a
staid respectable family might be found leading a nomad life.
Horses are so cheap in Auckland that pedestrianism bids fair
to become extinct. The postman does his rounds on horseback ;
the butcher, a huge basket slung over his arm, canters up with
ordered provender. Schoolboys, two frequently sharing a mount,
ride to school, where a paddock is reserved for their ponies. Even
the lamplighter performs his duties perched on an ambling nag,
while the droves of live stock passing along the roads are always
under the care of a mounted escort. When an outdoor man is
sent on an errand that would entail walking a quarter of a mile,
he invariably spends ten minutes in catching a horse that he
may ride. But more ludicrous than all else was it to see a
sweep, his attentions to the kitchen chimney completed, canter
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
off on his nag, with the bag of soot perched on the saddle
before him !
An instance of the topsy-turvy state of things antipodean lies
in the fact that it is
considered smarter to
drive in a hired
carriage than in
your own trap.
" Oh, did you
notice how stylish
the So-and-so's
were on Saturday ?
They had a hired
landau," was one of
the colonial remarks
that impressed us.
With our • usual desire for information,
we inquired, " Is hiring supposed to be
stylish ? You all had your own carriages,
which is surely much nicer."
" Oh yes ; but, you see, horses are so
cheap to buy here, and hiring is so dear,
that it is considered smarter, because it
is more expensive, to hire."
The friends to whom we paid a delightful visit lived near the
SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES.
69
base of One Tree Hill, an extinct volcano three miles from Auck
land. Their home was typically colonial, having many rooms on
one floor, and a wide verandah.
Before the verandah steps two tall cabbage - palms stood
sentinel. The sloping lawn was decorated, colonial fashion.
Olft AUCKLAND HOME-
with flowering trees, magnolia, hibiscus, lasendria, deodar, plum
bago, pepper, lemon, loquat, and orange, each set solitary in a
round bed. Roses bloomed about the verandah posts, and at
one end a great bougainvillea rioted in purple glory. In the wide
flower-borders under the verandah gorgeous Japanese lilies jostled
homely sweet - peas and mignonette ; and giant red and pink
70 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
geraniums and blue hydrangeas outgrew their bounds and strove
to block the paths.
A long row of guava-bushes, laden with embryonic fruit, edged
one side of the lawn ; over the trellis-work the smooth green eggs
of the passion fruit were suspended in thousands; and between
a double hne of fig-trees a path led to the prolific kitchen-garden.
In December, when we landed, green peas were plentiful ; and
in March, when we sailed, a third succession was in bloom.
Tomatoes fruited with little attention. Squashes, pumpkins, and
marrows only needed to have their seeds inserted in the ground
to yield a bountiful harvest. Of beans alone there were five
varieties: broad, haricot (for winter use), runner, French, and
butter-beans. The rich brown volcanic earth was clean and unpolluted —
one could sit on the dry soil in a muslin frock without getting
it soiled. Flies were plentiful, but the minor pests of a garden —
such as wasps, ants, caterpillars, and earwigs — were but scantily
represented. At the upper end of the grounds was the tiny cottage set apart
for the outdoor man, and to him, as a colonial institution, a para
graph may be devoted. He is a nondescript individual of multi
farious duties. He waters and feeds the horses, grooms them in
rough fashion, cleans the buggies — a task rendered no light one by
the dusty roads — drives in the cow, milks her, pumps the water for
the house supply, cultivates the kitchen-garden, trims the flower-
borders, mows the lawn, and sweeps the paths.
It goes without saying that this species of creature, being half
animal and half vegetable, is rarely satisfactory. If he understands
horses, and can groom tolerably, he despises gardening ; and if he
loves the gentle art of floriculture, he goes in terror of the horse.
Also his meals are served at the kitchen-table, which is a source
either of love-making or of bickering.
" John, you must dismiss Joe— he has spoken rudely to cook
again," said our hostess one morning.
SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES.
71
" Very well," acquiesced the host ; " I'll advertise for another
man to-day."
Visions of cook as a large, raw-boned female with a knowledge
of horse-flesh, and skilled in the uses of the "totaliser" to the
replenishing of her purse on race-days ; and of Joe as a meek,
broken-down-looking individual, of exceedingly limited wardrobe —
the first exhibition of his linen on a clothes-line brought him instant
and lavish contributions from the male members of the family —
flashed across my consciousness.
" But cook may be in the wrong," I hinted. " Won't you inquire
into the rights of the case ? "
" Oh, of course the quarrel is about nothing at all ! He said
his eggs at breakfast were over-boiled, or something like that ; but
he must go. I warned him
when he came that if there
were any rows in the kitchen
he would go instantly. You
see," she added explanatorily,
" I can get an outdoor man
any day, and I can't get a
tolerable cook."
So Joe — with a largely aug
mented wardrobe — fared forth ;
and his place was speedily filled
by an Italian exile answering
to the name of Gilbert. A
smart young man, with a huge
trunk, who confided to the
Boy that he occupied his spare
moments in writing a diary of
his life and adventures, which he was gradually bringing up to
date. At that time he was engaged penning the record of 1892,
only seven years behind time !
Gilbert was an admirable and tasteful gardener, so it stands to
'Hi /"|ALC HfXP AND
>lla CMJ\NCL "f L.'NE.N)
¦V$> J> jmp-
72 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
reason that during his reign the horses were but half groomed and
the buggies smeary. When, a month later, he left to wed a large,
plump country girl whose opulent charms had caught his fancy,
Sam filled his empty shoes. As Sam's upbringing had tended to
the possession of many wise saws regarding horse-feed, grooming,
and doctoring, and as he was at the same time a passable gardener,
there Sam is likely to remain.
The Maoris rarely condescend to accept a menial position ; but
when they do, they make admirable and loyal servitors. We knew
one household wherein a Maori acted as general factotum. He had
been born and reared in the family of his mistress, and was a typi
cal specimen of a fine race. So highly was his integrity esteemed
by his employers that when an ignorant white woman-servant refused
to eat with him, she was at once discharged ; and until her date of
exodus had arrived the family showed their disapproval of her action
by insisting upon Hemora taking his meals at their table — a privilege
upon which the Maori gentleman did not presume. When we left
Auckland, Hemora had just declined the tempting invitation prof
fered by his tribe, who sought to induce him to take up his rightful
position as a leading member of their community. He was devoted
to his master and mistress and to their children, and even the
added allurement of a young Maori bride could not entice him from
his allegiance.
Although in the Colonies female servants get much higher wages
than at home, it must be conceded that they do far more work for
their money. The lowest wages of an Auckland plain cook are 16s.
a-week ; a housemaid's 12s. ; their highest being whatever sum the
employer's necessity offers or their qualifications command. Still,
a colonial cook, in addition to her purely culinary duties, will
wash, iron, churn, and bake for a goodly household ; and besides
her legitimate sweeping and dusting, the housemaid will wait at
table, clean lamps and silver, cut and arrange flowers, undertake
darning also, and the care of the linen cupboard.
In her dealings with the autocrats of her kitchen, the New
SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES. 73
Zealand mistress requires to exercise especial tact. Servants must
be engaged on their own representations. A colonial maid would
deem it a dire insult were she asked for a character, or were her dress.
restricted either in colour or fabric. While we were calling for
some friends who lived in the outer suburbs of Auckland, a carriage
drawn by a pair of horses drove up to the front door, and a pres
ence gorgeous in frills and fripperies alighted. It was a domestic
condescending to apply for a vacant situation.
Among her other privileges — which she considers rights — the
colonial maid claims that of receiving her personal friends when
she chooses. One Sunday afternoon as we lounged on the verandah,
a buggy, crammed with white-robed, pink-parasoled beings, was
seen approaching. Instead of entering the drive, it branched off
towards the stable entrance. " Visitors for the kitchen," said the
hostess, in answer to an inquiring look. And one wet morning, as
we sewed indoors, the aggressive and persistent click-clack of a
sewing-machine came from the back premises. The housemaid
explained the unwonted sound by volunteering the information that
cook's aunt had come to spend the day, and that she had brought
her hand-machine, and was occupying her time in making her
niece a blouse.
" I won't take any notice," decided the astute mistress. " It's
so near Christmas that if I make any complaint cook will be glad
of the excuse to throw up her place, and have a gay time till the
holidays are over. I would find it impossible to get another cook
at this season ; but she would have no difficulty in finding a new
situation whenever her money was done and she was tired of play."
Apart from such slight domestic mischances, any family com
bining the possession of a small settled income — say £400 or £5°°
a-year — with a desire for unlimited sport, might take a worse step
than that of emigrating to New Zealand. There sports such as
polo, hunting, fishing, shooting, and boating — the indulgence in
any one of which in Britain entails considerable outlay — can all be
enjoyed for a minimum of expense. Land and house-rent near
74
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
town are comparatively expensive ; but the land once acquired, the
customary wooden house with a corrugated iron roof, and space
beneath for your hens to lay away in, is cheap to erect, and speedily
ready for occupation. And one must remember that the ground is
amazingly fertile, and that horses can feed out all the year round.
Servants' wages are high, but two will do more work than four can
undertake at home. A strip of kitchen-garden will supply a con
stant succession of fruit and vegetables ; and for a fee of ios. a-year
A SuQURBfvN l^£SID£NCi.
a cow is supplied with a zinc badge and permitted to glean a com
fortable subsistence along the waysides. Beef is absurdly cheap :
a sirloin of ii lb. in weight will cost 4s. ; a whole shin of beef may
be bought for is. in town — in country districts the price falls to 9d.
Mutton and lamb, I imagine, may almost be had for the asking !
Like that of most lately developed countries, the so-called social
life of New Zealand is devoted to the amusement of the rising
generation. Dances, balls, tennis tournaments, progressive euchre
SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES. 75
parties, and boating or riding picnics — into these and other forms
of entertainment suited for young people do the amusements resolve
themselves. From the instant when the fully-fledged New Zealand belle
bursts her pinafore-cocoon until the fatal moment when she dons
her bridal robes, her wings are kept hard at work bearing her dainty
form from one species of gaiety to another. The colonial girl has
all the American maiden's freedom from espionage, and, like her,
rejoices in giving huge lunches and afternoon teas to her girl com
panions. Her smallest doings are chronicled. The society papers lose no
time in informing their sympathising readers that Miss Tottie
Teasdale has sprained her ankle ; or in announcing to a listening
world that Miss Tilly Milliken (of Wairarapa) has arrived at Auck
land on a visit to her friend Mrs O'Brady in Ponsonby. And the
knowledge that an omnipresent press has duly proclaimed that she
appeared in yellow at the Hunt Ball compels any self-respecting
damsel all untimely to discard the yellow frock and exhibit herself
at the Yacht Club dance in blue. And thereby her expenditure for
dress is agreeably increased. Small wonder, then, that these pam
pered maidens hesitate long on the brink of matrimony before
throwing aside all these advantages and condescending to become
sober matter-of-fact wives and mothers.
For older folks there are, perhaps, more card -parties where
money stakes are played for than is quite desirable ; and sometimes
there is a garden-party to which, by favour, men are admitted ; or
an afternoon " At Home " for " ladies only."
" Men never go to these ' At Homes,' " explained our hostess,
when a card for one reached me. " It would make a sensation
if your husband or mine walked in." And in truth it was my
name only that was inscribed on the invitation.
This especial reception was given in a handsome and well-
appointed house, and the guests must have numbered nearly two
hundred. They were all women, and mostly all matrons, too. Some
76 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
vague order of precedence was in force, and for once the damsels
were in the background. The drawing-rooms, where music and
gossip were served, and the dining-room, with all manner of
delectable refreshments on tap, were crowded with the married
ladies, while the maidens, in two neglected rows, lined the halls.
Coming out from a debauch of fruit -salad, ices, and tea, I
noticed two pretty girls I knew, sitting disconsolate among the
other pariahs. They looked hungry.
" Have you had tea ? " I asked.
" No, not yet."
" Well, hurry in now. There are some vacant seats."
" But we can't, dear Mrs Boyd. We mustn't go until we are
asked," they replied dolefully.
And when we mounted our respective buggies to depart, two
tealess drooping maidens accompanied us. Need I say I wickedly
rejoiced to have discovered one instance, at least, in which the
colonial girl had failed to have an innings ?
To any one with a love of horticulture, northern New Zealand
presents boundless possibilities. One private garden which we
visited within Auckland city seemed to hold healthy specimens of
all known plants, from bananas and palms to lotus lilies — all
flourishing, be it noted, in the open air. The stone-walled ponds
held a collection of flowering aquatic plants which were far before
any display we have seen during frequent visits to the Royal Botanic
Gardens in London. In the borders, in exquisite profusion, bloomed
countless varieties of flower and shrub. The complete absence of
frost renders protection unnecessary, though in many instances
glass is used to ensure the earlier ripening of grapes.
The market-gardening of Auckland is chiefly in the hands of
Chinamen. One such garden was situated within view of the
shady verandah where I used to he during my pleasant convales
cence, and all day and every day quaint figures, topped with conical
straw hats, bent over the long rows of flourishing vegetables. When
darkness fell, the pointed hats were still busy; and dawn found
SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES.
77
them still as industriously engaged as though their work had not
ceased through the dark hours.
Unlike Australia, New Zealand has few native wild -flowers,
though imported seedlings flourish so well as to outgrow speedily
their garden bounds and overflow into the highways. During a
stroll along a suburban byway a choice bouquet may easily be
gleaned from the roadside. I have picked great bunches of damask
A CM^IST^VAS Pic MIC
roses which grew wild in the hedgerows ; and geraniums, nastur
tiums, and arum lilies were to be had for the taking. Our scent
less dog-rose is unknown ; but the sweetbrier is so plentiful as to
threaten to become a nuisance to farmers. Early in December,
when we arrived, every lane glowed pink with countless blossoms,
and the air was full of its fragrance. The Maoris christened sweet-
brier the " missionary plant," as it owed its introduction to the
home-sick wife of an early missionary, who, by carrying a plant
78 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
into her exile, sought to endow her new habitation with something
of the essence of home.
During summer picnicking is a distinctive feature of New
Zealand life. Our host had a little steam - launch called the
Kaituna, a tubby and unornamental but comfortable and roomy
craft ; and in her we had many adventurous excursions to one
or other of the islands which dot the harbour. Sometimes we
landed on islands in whose gullies the bush vegetation still pre
vailed : grand primeval tree-ferns waved overhead, and a luxuriant
growth of lesser ferns carpeted the ground.
On Boxing Day we picnicked at Quarantine Island, under
the shadow of a great pohutukawa, or " Christmas " tree, its
spreading branches laden with grey -green leaves and the large
scarlet blossoms, resembling chrysanthemums, suspended over
head like a gigantic garland. This tree is peculiar to New
Zealand, where it grows abundantly near the sea, blossoming
most profusely when swept with the salt spray. On the high
cliffs behind us grand clumps of pampas grass grew side by
side with the regal spikes of native flax. A fire was soon
kindled, and while the "billy" (a huge milk-can) boiled, lunch
was spread. The meal disposed of, the company bathed, fished,
or gathered the sweet little oysters which abound on the rocks
and can be easily collected when the tide falls.
The New Zealand shells are many and distinctive. On the
ocean beaches varieties peculiar to this latitude, and not all
beautiful, can be found; while the widespread waters of the
Pacific bring thither specimens native to far -distant countries.
The violet-hued Ianthina, or " storm-shell " as it is there named,
can be dug from the sand after a tempest, and on many beaches
the blood-red Anomia are almost plentiful.
Rabies is unknown in New Zealand, and exhaustive precautions
are taken to guard against its importation. Every dog before
setting paw on the mainland has to pass six months of isolated
probation on Quarantine Island. There was one prisoner there
SOCIAL LIFE IN THE ANTIPODES. 79
when we visited it, a fine collie, who had evidently been a
woman's pet, for he followed us about all day, and howled
disconsolately on the little wharf when the inexorable hour of
parting had come. Looking back as we steamed homewards
towards the sunset flaring and glowing behind Mount Eden,
we saw that he had scrambled out to the farthest point of rock,
and was gazing wistfully after us across the cruel waters that
lay between him and freedom.
-A~^- - /AAoRiS-.VisiTNC ri-rt-s *(\oyalist °
IX.
MAORIS IN TOWN.
We had many opportunities of studying the Maori, both on
holiday and in his workaday, or, to put it more exactly, laze-a-
day life.
During our stay in Auckland a successful and highly credit
able industrial exhibition was in progress, and the presence of
many visitors suggested to the enterprising ferry company the
chance of increasing their dividends. Their offer of large sums
of money to be awarded as prizes for Maori sports, and com
petitions of music and dancing, drew a great number of natives
to the camp prepared for them under the high cliffs at the
Calliope dock, and induced a proportionately greater number of
spectators to crow.d the spacious ferry steamers, as the only
means of reaching the competition-grounds.
The Maori is not strictly beautiful ; but he is valiant and,
MAORIS IN TOWN. 8 1
let us trust, good. As for his better-half, in her native dress,
with tattooed lips and chin, and long, single ear-drop of green
stone, seen against an appropriate background of tree-fern or
ti-tree scrub, she is savage, but not unpleasing. But in town,
when her fancy has been permitted to riot among the violent
aniline dyes of the drapers' cheap lots, and she is dressed to
the bent of her barbaric taste, she is a hideosity.
Begin at the ground and picture a pair of large, flat, brown
feet and thick ankles appearing beneath a badly cut skirt of
some howling design in checks; above hangs a short and dis
proportionately full jacket of scarlet, purple, magenta, or green
velveteen; a neckerchief of yellow, blue, or crimson encircles
the neck; and topping all is a grotesque tattooed face half con
cealed by the flapping frills of a brilliant pink sun-bonnet. No
sketch of a Maori lady of respectability is complete without a
pipe — frequently a heavy silver-mounted one — worn in the mouth,
the united effect of the pipes, the frilled bonnet, and the gorgeous
gowns being to bestow upon the worthy dames the appearance
of animated Aunt Sallies. One thing notable regarding the
Maori woman is that, though the child's sun - bonnet is her
favourite wear, she takes kindly to a man's soft felt hat, but
seldom condescends to don an ordinary trimmed "confection."
Her reason for this exclusiveness would be interesting to learn.
The aspect of the men is decidedly less remarkable. Tattoo
ing is becoming rare among them. As with other races, the
women seem to cling to the old customs long after the male
portion of their community has discarded them. Only the very
old men are tattooed, and now some married women may be
met who, on account of the extremely painful nature of the
operation, have refused to undergo an ordeal that was once
imperative. Truth to tell, a tattooed face accords but ill with
a tall hat, though one old chief whom we met contrived to
maintain a dignified demeanour while exhibiting both these
attributes to the public gaze.
82
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
During the sports their camp presented an entertaining scene.
The Maoris slept huddled together in tents ; their food, which
consisted chiefly of kumaras (sweet -potatoes) and a species of
gigantic mussel, was cooked in hot ashes at the base of the
cliffs, and served on long bare planks of wood laid flat on the
ground, the feasters squatting on the earth beside them. The
Coumtky cousins
gathering brought together so many friends who had not met
for some time, that the ceremony of nose-rubbing was in great
force. Nose-rubbing, which is still in vogue among the Maoris,
is an ugly and, when performed in the earnest native fashion,
a disgusting and lengthy performance. Two women meeting
after a lengthened period will hand their babies to their docile
MAORIS IN TOWN.
83
husbands to hold, and placing their faces together, will rub
noses and weep floods of tears, until when, at the close of
several minutes, the faces are withdrawn, they are streaming
with moisture.
One day we saw a Maori boy meeting a number of his
relatives in a street car. He gently pressed his nose against
those of his tattooed grandparents, lifting his hat the while;
then completed his salutations by kissing or shaking hands with
his younger relatives. The fact that he rubbed noses with the
older people only seemed to point to the fact that, like tattooing,
nose-rubbing may soon be a custom of the past.
The sports attracted great crowds, and went off successfully,
despite occasional hitches caused by the highly sensitive Maoris,
who were prone to demand that each competing party be assured
84
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
a prize before consenting to bring off an event. The most amusing
items on the programme were the canoe -obstacle races, some
paddled by men and others by wahine (women). The obstacle
was a mast placed across the dock, a foot or so above the
water. Over this the canoes shot, almost invariably making a
spill on the farther side : this, the competitors being half-
amphibious animals, was regarded as a trifling matter ; and they
speedily righted the canoes, bailed out the water with their
paddles, clambered in, and continued the race, doing all with
unflagging energy and spirit. The war- canoe races took place
A "WAdlNE."
CANO£-l^A.CC
in the open harbour. The canoes, each boasting a grotesque
figurehead, were manned with crews of not less than fifty warriors,
who filled the air with exciting cries as their carved paddles
drove their canoes goalwards.
We chanced to be crossing the harbour in the Kaituna on a
morning when the Maoris had received permission to visit H.M.S.
Royalist, then stationed at Auckland. The sight of the quaint
old canoes, crowded with natives alert and curious, surrounding
the British ship, seemed like a living picture taken from one
of Captain Cook's voyages.
MAORIS IN TOWN. 85
The Maoris are fond of dancing — their Hakas and Poi dances
are something to remember — and they are also reputed to be
devoted to music. Three native brass bands attended the
sports, the musicians playing with vigour; and sometimes,
though rarely, they played in tune. As a rule, their performance
was less soothing than exasperating; but they revelled in the
clamour of warring sounds, and gloried in their power to
raise it.
* ¦ " - ."7 5»1 'ill A1- ,,
' A,. I i «»'• '* SO '<»/„. i
,.¦''' I' ' ' "«lk .^ »«¦. •'* *
SMjI^ANCE. to TM£- MINE-
X.
GOLD-MINING.
I WAS at that beatific period of convalescence when my days were
passed between lounging on the flower-entwined verandah in the
pure sun-warmed air, and driving out propped up with cushions
in a low phaeton. I was perfectly happy, but still unable to
undertake a journey. The Boy was engrossed in practising the
manly sports of riding and shooting. So when the Artist made
a little expedition to see the Coromandel gold mines he was
escorted only by a delightful companion whom we had christened
GOLD-MINING.
87
the Fabulist, because, though none would look to him to point a
moral, even the slightest acquaintance speedily realised that he was
eminently fitted to adorn a tale. Their initial step was to take
steamer to Coromandel. One of the colonial things that struck
us at first as amusing was the frequent necessity of beginning even
a short journey with a sea passage of a duration that, had England
been the starting-point, would have landed us in Germany.
'-¦^A/^ARins. villa
The first appearance of Coromandel was surprisingly novel.
A whole row of houses had waded out into the bay, where they
stood knee-deep in the shallow waters, putting the inhabitants
to the necessity of crossing plank bridges, narrow and in many
cases shaky, did they desire to leave their houses. To unac
customed eyes the poorer of these dwellings resembled bathing-
88 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
machines supported on stilts instead of wheels : as places of
residence they seemed little more desirable. Several of the more
aspiring tenants had run verandahs round their tiny box-like
dwellings, tacked a glittering zinc rain-water barrel to the backs,
and added a single hand-rail to the hen-walk-like bridge that
connected their houses with the mainland. Presumably it was the
fact that the acquirement of a building site on shore meant the
expenditure of a certain sum of money, that had induced the
settlers to erect thus their houses on piles driven into the bottom
of the bay. With abundant land within a stone-cast, no other
reason seems plausible. Living on shore would have been in
finitely more convenient, while, viewed as a matter of hygiene,
there could be no comparison.
The principal street of the little mining town impressed the
Artist as being chiefly remarkable for the optimism of its citizens.
A bald wooden erection was labelled Council Chambers, while
the sign of the " Coromandel Toilet Club " seemed to occupy
more space than the establishment it represented. There was
a theatre where a strolling company, whose acting, like the
town, was wooden, gave a rendering of the classic drama " My
Sweetheart." Coromandel had also a fire brigade, that on the
evening of our travellers' arrival was called out for drill, which
was performed with much vocal accompaniment, and so liberal
an expenditure of water that it ended by leaving the city in a
state of soak.
Early next morning the Artist, mounted on a tall, bony white
horse, and the Fabulist, who rides like a centaur, -bestriding a
half-broken-down brown steed, set off for a five miles' ride to
the crest of the mountain on the farther side of whose summit
the Tokotea mine was situated. Close by Coromandel several
shafts showed signs of present activity; and for a long distance
beyond the town the slopes of the hills were riddled with ex
perimental drives, like so many gigantic rabbit-holes. The road
was cut far up the side of a deep gully. On the right it rose
GOLD-MINING. 89
abruptly ; on the left it fell precipitately. A wealth of bunga-
bungas (tree-ferns) clothed the declivity, and spread their huge
fronds like a procession of giants' umbrellas beneath. Glancing
back, there was a glorious view of the wide reaches of the
Thames, and the vast island-dotted waters of the Hauraki Gulf,
while to the north the rocky promontory of Cape Colville was
sharply defined.
For a long distance there was no sign of human habitation,
but as the crest of the hill was neared the Tokotea Hotel came in
sight. At the first look it seemed an amazingly important
structure to be perched on the crest of a bare mountain, but
closer inspection convinced that that impression was caused by
the imposing nature of the front, behind which were sheltered
the collection of large wooden sheds which constituted the main
portion of the hostelry. 0n the farther side of the summit, cosily
nestled in the crannies of the rocks like so many eagles' eyries,
were the homes of Tokotea.
Tokotea is one of the settlements which spring up mush
room - like in the gold regions. Over two hundred men are
engaged among the mines of this group. The miners command
high wages, but the necessities of life are costly, and the manner
of living inconvenient, as all supplies, even water, which is fre
quently fetched in bottles, have to be brought from farther down
the steep mountain ; and there is little in the appearance of the
ramshackle shanties to suggest that their owners earn at least
9s. a-day. Something in the adventurous nature of the life seems
conducive to gipsydom ; and the wives get into a shiftless way of
doing, living as though their existence anywhere must be but
transient. Up in these heights the summer air was brisk and exhilarating ;
but it was easy to discern that, facing as it did the full force of
the gales from the Pacific, which on that particular morning lay
sparkling guilelessly in the sunshine, the winters at Tokotea must
be bleak indeed.
90
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
As the Artist and the Fabulist paused to admire a typical
shanty, the housewife, who was adding a bit of rich colour to
an already brilliant landscape by airing the garments of the
family, eyed him silently, something of resentment in her bearing.
But the children, to whom the advent of strangers must have been
AMIR'S nil j %
a rarity, giggled in embarrassed pleasure as' the Artist produced his
sketch-book. In his private office, which had the same temporary
aspect as the miners' cabins, they found the mine manager, Mr
Shepherd, divesting himself of his riding dress and getting into
mud-stained mining clothes. Welcoming them heartily, he made
speedy preparations for lunch. By favour of the blacksmith the
GOLD-MINING. 91
"jack -pot" was boiled on the forge fire. The jack -pot, be it
explained, is a colonial institution — though made in Germany —
that bids fair to oust the "billy." It resembles an exaggerated
coffee - pot, and possesses an additional attraction in that its lid
when off duty can be used as a cup. Lunch was a pleasant meal,
whose enjoyment was not blunted by conventionality. The man
ager drank his tea out of the lid of the jack-pot, the Artist had a
cup, and the Fabulist a mug.
Before starting for the mines, the visitors were indulged with
a private peep at some of the specimen ore which was kept in
Mr Shepherd's safe. They were surprised to find that the precious
metal was packed away in a motley assortment of boxes that had
been primarily destined for a baser use. Several bore the brand of
some Jubilee candles ; and one was labelled " Pain-killer," a title
that possibly referred quite as accurately to its present as to its
original contents.
The initial process of mine inspection lies in the donning of
ancient garments. So it was in borrowed plumage — earth-stained
moulting-like feathers — that the Fabulist and the Artist reached
the timbered portal in the hillside, and, candles in hand, entered
the gloomy interior. Along a narrow road, traversed by rough
trolley lines that made walking difficult, with water dropping
from the roof and mud splashing underfoot, they came to where
men were at work. Preconceived notions of gold-getting had left
them with a vivid mental picture of miners in picturesque raiment
standing in the sunshine by some creek, washing the soil from pans
half filled with nuggets of glittering gold ; and it was almost a
shock to come upon these miners, at the end of a long dark tunnel,
crouched on damp ground, quarrying away at stone in whose
veining only experienced eyes could detect traces of the precious
metal. Their dress was necessarily the reverse of picturesque ; and
one at least wore a mackintosh as protection against the constant
drip from the roof.
A little farther on, two men were busy at a " winze " winding
92 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
up the buckets of quartz which two others at the foot of the shaft
were engaged in filling. As the weighty buckets arose in slow
succession from the dark abyss, the assistant manager, who was
stationed in readiness on the platform, carefully examined their
contents, setting apart the promising ore, and reserving the re
mainder for a further inspection before consigning it to the rubbish-
heap. The sight-seers were interestedly watching the process when
the manager electrified them by calmly saying, "Well, we had
better go down now."
" Down " meant a descent to the foot of the winze. The very
idea of probing the unseen depths of that rocky well was distinctly
GOLD-MINING. 93
uninviting to the novices. But, giving them no time to demur,
the manager stepped easily over the brink, remarking carelessly as
he dropped that they would find a ladder below. A little cautiously
the Artist followed his leader on to the rungs of the ladder, which
was fixed at an awkwardly overhanging angle, the heels of the
Fabulist, who came third, keeping in close proximity. A second
ladder, which was hooked on to the base of the first, swung
disconcertingly to and fro. The downward climb ended in a
long drop which landed them on the bed of a cavern some
twenty feet in diameter, wherein, by the dim light of candles
stuck in rude brackets fastened to the wall, two men were
busy filling the buckets for transmission to the platform above.
Passing the ray of his candle along the face of the rock they
were quarrying, the manager expressed himself pleased with the
surface investigation.
A second wrestle with the unstable ladders ended without
mishap ; and the adventurers, coming again into the invigorating
air, descended the slope of the hill, and entered the mine from a
lower level. Here their endurance was put to a fresh test. Up
ladders, down ladders, along narrow drives they went, crawling on
all fours, and worming themselves through seemingly impossible
apertures. In one dark moist cavern sparks of light on the walls
attracted the Artist's attention.
" Glowworms," said the manager. " Put out your candles and
you'll see them better."
In the pitch darkness the effect was wonderful. Myriads of
miniature fairy lights sparkled on the walls, emitting a soft efful
gence like that of countless tiny electric lamps.
" I've sometimes seen them shine so brightly that I could see
to read newspaper print by their rays alone," said Mr Shepherd.
And, in the face of things, his statement was perfectly credible.
When the candles were relit the magic lamps instantly dimmed,
and their makers became nothing more than small flabby worms
whose insignificant heads, as they clung to the dank walls of the
94 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
mine, emitted a dull radiance. Yet, as they looked back on
quitting the cavern, the effect was as lovely as before.
As the Fabulist said, when, exhausted and mud-stained, they
once more emerged on the hillside, to have found such a fine
illumination awaiting them in the last portion of the workings they
visited was like ending a fatiguing royal procession with a grand
display of fireworks.
?SggK__
TAU|\ANqA
XI.
TAURANGA.
It seems inconsistent, when writing of a country still in its first
freshness, to speak of one of its towns as obsolete, forgotten. Yet,
of a truth, Tauranga, whither we voyaged by steamer from the
vital Auckland, impressed us as the embodiment of decay.
Before the installation of the railway communication between
Auckland and Rotorua, Tauranga was the point from which
tourists took coach to the Hot Lake district; but now that the
traffic has been diverted elsewhere, Tauranga seems almost to
have lost its reason for existence.
Situated in the Bay of Plenty, the harbour5 of Tauranga is
enclosed by a flat peninsula ending abruptly in a high conical
hill — the Mount. Overlooking the bay stands the deserted fort,
96
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
which was the headquarters of our troops during the greater
part of the Maori war ; but it is now fast falling to ruin. The
enclosing trenches are overgrown with grasses, the high earthen
banks are luxuriant with sweetbrier and wreathed with convol
vulus. Near it, commanding a magnificent view, is the Soldiers'
Cemetery : its many graves recall the reality of the war, which
even now seems a thing of ancient history. Beyond that is the
beautiful old orchard -encircled mission - station, at present used
as a private residence.
That Tauranga was originally planned to fill an important
part in the fortunes of the colony may be noted from the pro
portions of its broad, boulevard - like streets, shaded on either
side with long rows of giant weeping-willows — trees whose droop
ing habit adds to the indefinable air of sadness overhanging the
town. A handsome post-office, surely designed in the days of
A LAbf °f 2UALITT
Tauranga's glory, holds a prominent position, and close circling
the curve of the water runs a short line of shops — "The
Strand " — but further sign of business there is none. A Maori
settlement being near, the Strand was rarely without native
figures, picturesque or grotesque, It was there we encountered
a Maori equestrienne whose rank must have been high, for she
owned a side-saddle, wore a creditable attempt at a riding-
TAURANGA. 97
habit, and had gaiters in addition to the quite unwonted
luxury of boots.
Living there is cheap even for New Zealand, how cheap I
can judge only by inference. The best hotel in the town boarded
each of us adults for 30s. a-week, which included the exclusive use
of a private sitting-room, three heavy meals a-day, afternoon tea,
and frequent gratuitous services of apricots and peaches. But
the profits, even in Tauranga, resulting to the daring innkeeper
who contracted to lodge and provision the Boy at 14s. a-week
must have been infinitesimal. Our first experience of a colonial
country hotel had at least the charm of novelty. There is no
class distinction there : your next neighbour at table may be a
steward from the ship that brought you, or the driver of the
coach you propose leaving with on the morrow.
Strips of muslin were laid over the long tables between meals
to frustrate the ravages of the flies ; and the same reason supplied
every sugar-basin with a lid. Tumblers were set by each cover ;
but as only tea was drunk at table, they were evidently placed
there as a matter of tradition, and, probably with a view to the
exclusion of dust, were invariably inverted. Every bedroom was
thoughtfully provided with a comb and brush — a fact which gained
our credence for the Fabulist's story of a way-back colonial girl
who, on her first visit to an Auckland hotel, was insulted to find
that her own was the only occupied room unprovided with brushes.
" But I wasn't going to let that hotel-keeper think he could take
advantage of me," she said when relating her experiences. " I just
walked into the next room when the folks were out, and used
the hair-brushes he had given them, and jolly nice silver-backed
ones they were too ! " A threaded needle was stuck in the wall
beside the mirror, while a knotted rope was suspended from the
window-sill for use in case of fire. And — to the gratification,
doubtless, of the majority of her father's guests — the one or
other of the inn -keeper's buxom daughters, who waited on us,
nightly performed at the drawing - room pianoforte, rendering
98 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
"The Lost Chord" and like ditties with all the vigour of a
fine pair of lungs.
Property was amazingly low in value in the Bay of Plenty.
During our short residence a pretty house set in an acre and a
quarter of fruitful ground, in a good position, sold for £350.
When I add that the leader of Tauranga society kept up a
carriage and a justly earned reputation for hospitality upon an
income of less than £100 a-year, I need say nothing more to
prove the economy of living there.
The tone of Tauranga is high. No shadow has ever overlain
its reputation for decorum, though within a brief day's journey
lies a district said to be mainly inhabited by " remittance " folks,
within whose precincts the arrival of periodic mails is the signal
for outbursts of feasting — the times between being marked by
shortness of commons. Vague rumours, brought by stray travellers,
whose route has led through this land, whisper that its denizens
reck not of times and seasons, and are fast losing all idea of the
fitness of things. Ladies attired in decolletie evening dress, with
unkempt hair and unshod feet, have been descried by the light
of the noonday sun scattering grain to their fowls, their silken
and broidered robes trailing in the dust : a use whereof was surely
never dreamt by those well-intentioned relatives who despatched
their discarded raiment to clothe their exiled friends.
Labour in Tauranga, as in many places where food costs little,
was proportionately dear. Wishing to visit the Mount — the hill
at the entrance to the harbour — we inquired of a boatman his
terms to convey us there and back, and were surprised to learn
that he esteemed a sovereign a righteous equivalent for the service
required. " You see," he explained, " there's so few chances of earning
money here that we have to charge high when we get the
chance." His supine method of reasoning did not take into
account the fact that probably the magnitude of his demands
limited his custom. Casually mentioning his price to our
TAURANGA. 99
landlady, we trusted that her relating the story of his greed
to the bar audience might lead some one to volunteer a less
costly convoy.
This worked admirably. Within an hour, word reached us
that a baker, possessing a good boat and having his days free
from 10 a.m., would be pleased to escort us for half the other's
exactment, and with him we engaged to start on the following
morning. Our baker-guide proved to be one of those clear-headed young
fellows, common enough in the colonies, who while working at
a trade yet contrive to take full advantage of the natural resources
of a place such as Tauranga. He owned a neat cottage and a
garden well stocked with vegetables. By the aid of a good
light boat his larder was kept supplied with fish and his oven
with drift-wood. In the season his gun secured a liberal provision
of game. It was an ideal summer day. Shoals of tiny fish, all unconscious
of the hungry kawa birds swooping menacingly overhead, leapt
joyously in the placid waters of the harbour. An old Maori
canoe drawn up on the sands prepared us to meet parties of
natives, who periodically camp at the Mount for the purpose of
securing a supply of the huge mussels and " pippies " — the New
Zealand equivalent of cockles — which bulk so largely in the
native commissariat.
The Mount is 800 feet in height, rising abruptly from the
point at the entrance to the harbour. The ground at its base
was the scene of much conflict during the war. To this day may
be seen the sandy heap which marks the last resting-place of
numerous native warriors, whose bones are at times brought to
light by the fierce gales which, blowing direct from the Pacific,
sweep the narrow neck of land connecting the fort -like Mount
with the mainland. Alighting at the pier of rough boulders, we
strolled across the strip of ground separating us from the ocean
beach, our baker and his boy following with the huge basket of
100 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
provender which our hospitable entertainers had judged necessary
for the sustenance of our small party.
A strange fish lying on the grass beside the Maori camping-
place arrested our attention. It was round in form and covered
with sharp spikes— "Just like a football with prickles," commented
the Boy. The Maoris, who were lounging about their temporary
dwelling, confessed that their ignorance regarding its species, and
doubt as to its edible qualities, had made them afraid to use it.
Our perspicuous baker, perceiving the value of this outlandish
visitor to a foreign scientist who happened then to be at Tauranga,
instantly secured it on his behalf. And, by the way, Tauranga
forms an admirable centre for a student of natural history.
Within an hour or two's sail lies the island of Karewha, the
only spot where still exists the Tautara lizard — famous for retain
ing a trace of the third eye. Karewha is also the home of the
mutton-bird, which, revealing curious taste, elects to nest in the
lizard's burrows. But little farther distant is White Island, the
northern vent of the New Zealand volcanic zone, whose many
geysers and boiling springs deposit pure sulphur.
A five minutes' walk brought us to the margin of the Pacific.
At the edge of the surf, in the warm sunshine, frolicked four little
mahogany-hued figures, running to meet the waves, then scurrying
back at each fresh inrush of the tide, as is the manner of children
all the world-wide seaboard over. Here the Artist began a water-
colour sketch ; the Boy hastened off to explore the rocky fastnesses
of the Mount ; and I sprawled on the sand in quest of the shells
for which the coast is famed. I had become engrossed in the
search, when a beautifully grooved scarlet Pecten fluttered down
right before me. Looking up surprised, I was just in time to
catch a glimpse of the eldest of the four little Maoris as, alarmed
at her own temerity, she rushed off to seek refuge behind the
nearest rock. A few minutes later, having evidently decided that
I was not a person to stand in awe of, she left her haven and
stood before me, a lovely, nut - brown figure, whose exquisite
TAURANGA. IOI
lines the sun-bleached blue cotton frock — her only garment, and
buttonless at that — did not conceal. Her tawny locks, their ends
tipped with a lighter shade, hung about a bright intelligent face.
In her hand she held a fine specimen of the Patella, russet in
tone, with a well-defined star in white. Accepting the proffered
shell, and following the custom of travellers when dealing with
savage nations, I tendered a return gift, a sweet, which she
received modestly.
As the Artist busied himself with his sketch a young Maori,
riding along the rough path close by, paused to look, and after
a momentary hesitation, dismounted and seated himself on the
bank near: later, two older men, encouraged by his example,
joined the group, and remained interested spectators, their tat
tooed faces betraying intense gratification at seeing a scene
familiar to them being reproduced in colour, though their lack
of English rendered their remarks unintelligible. The horseman,
however, proved to be a linguist ; and, as the acme of Maori
etiquette lies in revealing interest in a stranger by showing a
wholesome curiosity respecting his affairs, he proceeded to subject
the Artist to a severe examination.
" Where you come from ? From Auckland ? "
"Yes; but from London first."
"London? That very far away. How long it take to get
there ? "
" Six weeks, or two months."
" It big place ? Big as Auckland ? "
" O yes, quite; even bigger."
" Maori settlement there ? "
We were lunching, our provisions spread on a table-cloth by
the wayside, when a rude cart drawn by a native, who in passing
gave us the customary courteous greeting of " Tena-koe," paused
at the top of the slope, and the driver shouted to some one in
the rear. A moment after, the brown quartette, who had been
playing among the rocks, came scuttling by, with natural polite-
102 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
ness putting themselves to much inconvenience by leaving the
hard beaten path and floundering through the deep sand to avoid
passing too near us. The charioteer waited, his dusky figure and
broad gigi hat silhouetted against the glowing blue sky, until
the swarm of picaninnies had clambered, somehow, over the
wheels and into the cart. Then he started suddenly, precipitat
ing the two eldest — my friend of the shells and another perhaps
a year younger — into the road, where they landed plump on their
pinafores ! An incident such as that was too trivial to daunt
these hardy little bodies. Without a sound of dismay or a
moment's hesitation, they scrambled to their feet and started in
full chase after the cart, whose driver, in blissful unconsciousness
that half his passengers had been ejected, was proceeding placidly
onwards. Our luncheon was further enlivened by the advent of quite
a procession of Maori wahine, the babies which many bore in
pouched shawls on their backs causing them to resemble, as
Froude has aptly described them, " inverted marsupials." About
the young girls hung a hint of grace ; but it must be confessed
that the strong - featured matrons, with their tattooed lips and
chins, and weather - beaten complexions, were decidedly ugly.
They belonged to a poor tribe. No spouting geysers or steaming
fumeroles brought tourists to view their lands, and prolonged
battling with the elements for subsistence is not conducive to
beauty. Yet their manners wore that ease and urbanity which
later experience taught us to associate with native races.
On our homeward journey we landed at a deserted Maori
village situated some miles from the Mount and nearly opposite
Tauranga. Several years earlier its inhabitants had suddenly
abandoned it. The real reason of their exodus had never tran
spired, but the white folk ascribed the act to the agency of some
superstition; for, like all nations living at close quarters with
Nature, the Maoris are hedged about with strong belief in the
visionary. A border of tall trees surrounded the circular en-
TAURANGA.
103
closure around which the dwellings were grouped. One lengthy
whare, evidently erected for the temporary accommodation of a
large influx of guests during some tangi or special ceremony, had
succumbed to the weight of its thatched roof, and subsided in
broken-kneed fashion on the grass. Otherwise the whares looked
as though in occupation an hour earlier.
The sides and open portico of the meeting - house showed
many images elaborately carved after the conventional design of
the Maori gods — repulsive deities who are ever portrayed with
leering eyes and protruding tongue. The figures were coloured
red, the teeth blue, and the grossly exaggerated tongues white.
The eyes were indicated by circles rudely cut from the glittering
104 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
inner surface of the pawa (Haliotis) shell, which are firmly fixed
in their places by wooden pegs driven through the shell. As may
easily be imagined, the slightest deviation from the centre in the
position of these pegs gives the gods a sinister and utterly de
testable leer.
Within the building lay that ill-ventilated gloom so dear to
the barbaric heart. A prodigality of design, carried out in native
pigments of red, black, white, and yellow, decorated the wooden
posts and roof- trees. The earthen floor was still littered with
the dried rushes whereon the dusky worshippers were wont to
squat. Despite the long - continued isolation, all was intact, —
the knowledge of the inevitable vengeance of the Maoris doubt
less proving deterrent to any collector whose cupidity might
otherwise have tempted him to annex the valuable antique
carved figures.
A strange hush seemed to have fallen over the place. Scarcely
a bird fluttered. Long flimsy shreds of the blue-gum bark de
pended from the branches, as though the trees were mourning
in rent garments the decay of the shrine they guarded. A stray
black pig, looking like an unclean spirit, was the only visible
living creature in the abandoned spot. As, re-embarking, we left
the nameless village, we agreed that it would be a hard matter
to persuade any one of us to pass the night there alone.
-"CAfJ. COLVlLLS-
XII.
A BUSH PICNIC.
"A covered coach with four horses and an experienced driver."
Such was the equipage which the presumably veracious proprietor
of a Tauranga livery stable had pledged himself would be in
attendance at the hotel door at 9 a.m. precisely. But when —
leaving our breakfast of smoked schnapper, fried beef-steak, and
soda-scones — we surveyed the ramshackle chariot, its hood lined
with outrageous waxcloth, its decrepit harness strengthened with
rags, rope, and twine; and examined the tall, bony grey horse,
the short vicious black one, the willing but senile white steed,
and the half- broken brown pony which comprised our four-in-
hand, — we failed not to suffer a momentary disquietude. The
experienced driver proved to be a bronzed lad with a budding
moustache ; a flapping straw hat and a pair of garish scarlet
braces formed the most prominent features of his livery. There
is that, however, in the colonial atmosphere which breeds daring,
and not one of our picnic party betrayed a sign of apprehension.
The kits of apricots and apples and the hampers of food being
tucked under the seats ; the omnipresent " billy," its interior
packed with tea - cups, stowed carefully away ; and all of us
106 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
placed, five inside and two on the box,— the driver's team -whip
cracked, and we set off on the first stage of our bush picnic.
A few miles from Tauranga, at a point where the smoke of
a distant dwelling rose beyond a maize -field, we met a pretty
girl, a basket perched before her on the saddle, riding into town
on shopping intent. She rode astride, and as she cantered by,
flushing a little at the encounter, we noticed that her habit was
an ordinary serge skirt, which, for comfort in riding male-fashion,
she had turned with the gathers to the front — an ingenious plan,
and one which, by the simple process of re-twisting the skirt into
position, would enable her on reaching town to appear in an
ordinary frock.
Leaving the civilised world behind, we reached the edge of
the bush, where the road ran between high fern-covered banks,
their sides carpeted with giant sprays of gold and green lyco-
podium, their base luxuriant with tufts of fern whose fresh fronds
are a glowing crimson.
During the outward journey our ill-assorted team had kept
the driver busy. Acting on the instructions of our dowager, who
had early conjured him to rule his horses by kindness, he had
confined himself to ejaculatory persuasion. Ladies being present,
his vocabulary was necessarily modified, and the wily chargers
soon learnt to turn deaf ears to the oft - reiterated command of
" Git there ! " and to flout the veiled menace, " Oh-h ! I'il give it
to you in a minute."
Afar in the bush we came upon a little wooden house with a
tin chimney. About it the blackened tree - trunks and the fresh
up-springing grass revealed signs of cultivation. A Maori woman,
a half-caste baby slung in a shawl knotted over her shoulders,
knelt in the half- cleared garden -patch uprooting kumaras, her
hands her only implement. Half a league farther on we met
the white owner of the hut. He drove a rude cart, over the
side of which a cluster of his whitey - brown children eyed us
curiously. The man himself did not even glance at us ; evidently
A BUSH PICNIC. 107
the solitude of the bush was having the effect of making the
society of his fellow-creatures repellent to him.
It goes without saying that our destination was never reached.
Halting at an idyllic gully in the depths of the forest, our driver
used specious arguments with the purpose of inducing us to
abandon our original intention of camping at a point several
miles farther on. The road beyond he described as absolutely
impassable, full of towering hills and bottomless gulches. So
on a grassy slope by the stream the billy was boiled and the
plentiful viands consumed. All around lay the primeval forest,
its silence unbroken save for the sharp cry of the tui, the sweet
melodious note of the bell -bird, and the noisy hum-m of the
crickets, which in the warm sunshine sounded like a purr of
satisfaction. The New Zealand bush vegetation is unique. It has no small
grasses, and few wild -flowers. Countless tree-ferns wave giant
fronds overhead; smaller ferns in endless variety cover the rich
earth. So fertile is the growth of the aboriginal forest that
it is ofttimes difficult to tell to what species a tree belongs,
so densely do parasitic growths cling to its stem, or find
root-hold in the clefts of its branches. The upper portion of
one fine tree was usurped by a close - leaved creeper with a
white flower. About the extremities of the branches twined
the New Zealand mistletoe, a plant bearing red blossoms.
Farther down, long grassy foliage swathed the trunk; lower still
the mossy bark was studded with various small ferns, and inter
laced with the sinuous supple-jack; while in every available
cranny flourished the native orchid, racemes of seed having at
that season succeeded the small insignificant flowers. Beneath
the stately crest of the nikau palms the tawny sheath of the
seed-pods had burst, disclosing great clusters of drooping tassels
thick set with scarlet berries.
The hour for departure had come. The driver, having yoked
his team, busied himself nervously, and with evident misgiving,
108 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
about the dilapidated harness. Then, passengers and hampers
packed in, he mounted the box and, loudly cracking his whip,
shouted vociferously, " Git there ! " The horses tugged strenu
ously at the rusty harness, but the carriage refused to advance
an inch. The driver urged afresh, whereupon the right-hand
leader, a vindictive -looking brute with a pink flannelette wad
under his collar, turning right round, started to walk up to the
coach, being evidently under the not incorrect impression that
during the return journey he would be more comfortable seated
inside than pulling.
" Git, there ! Oh-h, I'll give it to you in a minute ! " vehe
mently asserted the charioteer, whose pleasant sun- tanned face
had broken into a profuse perspiration ; and little marvel, for
he was stranded over twenty miles from his stables, with a party
of seven, five of them helpless females, under his care. But
the steeds, after a modicum of futile straining, maintained a
masterly reserve : experience had taught them the value of the
oft-reiterated threat. The Bucephalus with the flannelette neck
tie assumed if possible a more menacing demeanour.
" Suppose we all get out and walk up the hill ? " we volunteered.
" Oh, if you only would ! " he assented gratefully. So, dis
mounting, we left the dowager sole occupant of the vehicle, and,
walking up the slope, awaited its arrival at the top. But we
waited long. Evil communications corrupt good manners, and
the brown pony, seized by the spirit of emulation, sought to
imitate the cantrips of the wicked' black horse. The dowager,
losing patience, got out and climbed the hill. The driver, nearly
at his wits' end, unharnessed the obstructionists, which were
then led by the Artist and the Boy, while the remaining two
horses managed to drag the empty coach to the summit. The
initial difficulty was overcome ; but our troubles were only begin
ning. For the first few miles the road was distinctly undulating,
and at the foot of every hill our steeds unanimously struck work.
Once we had the good fortune to encounter a bush settler and
in the. Bush
IIO OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
his wife — a weird-appearing couple, whose speech betrayed an
odd hesitancy, as though much solitude had stiffened the hinges
of their tongues. They lent us their mare, and, stimulated by
her aid, our quartette succeeded in scaling the highest point.
After that the way inclined downwards, and progress seemed
easy. We were speeding along at quite a comfortable rate, when
with a violent jerk a portion of the strained harness flew asunder.
After a lengthy repairing with rope we again set off, only to find,
a mile farther on, that another and more important part of the
trappings had come to pieces. The supply of rope being ex
hausted, scraps of twine, ribbons, everything and anything that
would knot, were requisitioned, and, with but vague hopes of ever
reaching the dinner awaiting us at Tauranga, we again resumed
our journey. Those of the party who at starting had most
earnestly entreated the driver to spare his whip were now most
urgent in their requests to him to " keep the horses going at all
hazards." When, late in the evening, a company of sadly shaken and
footsore merry-makers dismounted at the hotel door, the driver,
whom the incidents of the day had perceptibly aged, remarked
naively —
"Well, I had my doubts about the horses; but I did think
that harness would have lasted out the day, anyhow ! "
XIII.
A DRIVE IN THE RAIN.
Leaving the Boy to return to Auckland with our friends, the
Artist and I set off towards Rotorua, there to meet the Charming
Girl and the Fabulist, in whose congenial company we had
arranged to explore the New Zealand Wonderland. From
Tauranga to Rotorua, by way of Te Puke, is nearly sixty miles,
and thither, by the mail-coach which makes the journey several
times a-week, we decided to go. We started early, sharing the
front seat with the gloomy dyspeptic lad who drove. The mail-
coach had resolved itself into a clumsy open buggy, conveying
112 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
only one other passenger, a worthy dame whose baggage numbered
among its miscellaneous items a brand - new zinc bucket. Our
perch was not luxurious,, and the equipage appeared to be lacking
in springs : still, the January morning was mild and balmy, and
the prospect of ..a- charming drive seemed assured.
The pair of horses being fresh, we made a brave start, and
had left dear sleepy Tauranga several miles in the rear before
discovering that our umbrellas had been left behind.
"Never mind! Perhaps the sun won't be very scorching,"
we remarked sanguinely. " We mayn't require them."
On we sped through the pleasant summer air, which held
little sound save the murmur of the still discernible Pacific. Our
day's journey led through an endless variety of beautiful scenery,
had fate but permitted us to appreciate its glories. Sometimes
the track passed close by the bank of a lovely river, along whose
brink the pampas grass nodded and waved in profusion. Near
the Maori huts by the riverside grew many patches of maize,
the almost unconquerable wild fern rising among the crop. And
we shouted " Tena-koe " to a mild-eyed native, his nether limbs
encircled in a red-and-white checked shawl, who raised himself
from his labour to return our greeting.
Frequently, as we came within view of some lonely station,
our driver would draw a letter or newspaper from beneath his
seat and throw it down by the roadside, confident that no hand
save that of its proper owner would approach to lift it.
Farther on, in the shadow of a hedge of wattle (mimosa), whose
midget golden balls filled the air with fragrance, a pretty little
girl, with bright blue eyes set in a sun-tanned face, awaited our
arrival with the intent of becoming a passenger as far as Te Puke.
Bowing politely, and wishing us collectively a self-possessed
"Good morning," she handed up her luggage, a kit overflowing
with cabbage, and clambered into the back seat beside the
woman with the zinc bucket — the slight delay producing a
state of disgust in our youthful driver. "The old maid at the
A DRIVE IN THE RAIN. 113
post office yonder, she makes an awful jawin' if I'm a minit late,"
he explained. Reaching in good time Te Puke, a desolate little township,
we drove up with some style to the wooden post office, before
whose door our connecting coach, a lumbering vehicle somewhat
resembling an open dray with seats placed across, awaited us.
Deciding that 10.30 a.m. was too early for luncheon, and that we
would feel better prepared to enjoy a meal when we next stopped
to change horses, we ate a biscuit or two and emptied our flask
of wine, then mounted the fresh conveyance and set off. Our
new jehu was a grave bearded man, with a refined manner and
a pleasant voice, one to whom we instinctively felt it would be
an insult to offer a tip. He was on the best of terms with his
horses, and it was curious to note the cognisance the team
displayed respecting the incidents of their journey.
"Watch the horses after we pass this turn," whispered their
driver confidentially. And, observing them closely, we saw that,
the curve once rounded, the willing pair, unaided by any hint
from reins or voice, left the road, cut through the short grass
and fern to the right, and drew up close to something resembling
a dilapidated letter-box affixed to the rough fencing. Without
leaving his seat the driver deposited therein sundry loaves of
bread and a moist-looking paper parcel of beef.
" It's for the folks at the farm there," he explained, in
dicating a lonely wooden erection showing in the distance. " I
leave bread and meat here twice a-week, and the horses never
forget it."
In the distance stood a cluster of whares, and just beyond, lying
in a heap by the roadside, were materials for erecting a Maori
schoolhouse — timber, cupboards, desks, and forms being all
huddled together; while near by stood a little group of sober-
faced Maori bairns, evidently the prospective scholars, reverently
eyeing the machinery which was to aid their acquirement of
knowledge.
114 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
The clouds which had been gathering steadily overhead now
broke, and, lamenting the lack of umbrellas, we protected our
selves as best we could with waterproofs. At first the effects of
the storm-clouds drifting up the gorges and creeping across the
sombre hill-tops fascinated us ; and, assuring each other that it
would prove but a passing shower, we gave our whole attention to
enjoying the play of shadow over the slopes.
Where a rough track joined the road a new companion awaited
us. He had been on a visit to a sheep-farm a league distant, and
his host had driven him over to intercept the coach. He proved
to be an optimist, and, despite the depressing atmosphere, his
blithe fresh-coloured face beamed under his streaming umbrella.
It must be confessed that his buoyant manner of regarding the
downpour as a matter of no moment, indeed almost as cause for
congratulation in that it destroyed any possibility of annoyance
from dust, helped to cheer two slightly dejected travellers. Seating
himself beside the owner of the pail, who until then had main
tained a taciturn silence, his exhilarating presence speedily dis
pelled her reserve, and we learned many engrossing details of her
private life, including the fact that she was the mother of nine
children. Our jocund friend had ten himself, and gloried in their
possession. We were mounting higher now, moving slowly up the side of
great slopes, where the road was merely a rough track cut in the
mountain-side, having a steep overhanging bank on the one hand,
a sheer precipice on the other. At a sharp bend of the road we
nearly collided with a swart Maori matron seated astride a miser
able pony, a baby in her arms, the customary pipe protruding from
her tattooed lips, trotting stolidly w/tare-wards, seemingly heedless
of the pouring rain. After that humanity seemed to cease. Our
road — if a path that is merely a track roughly levelled out of the
virgin earth can be dignified by the name — penetrated farther into
the dense bush, leading through magnificent fern-groves whose
recesses were absolutely without sign of living creature : even the
A DRIVE IN THE RAIN.
H5
song of the few birds was stilled, and no sound broke the silence
save the swish-h of the never-ceasing rain.
Hunger began to assail us, and, with the undaunted faith of
travellers who had never been out of reach of food, we looked
confidently for a hospice at every turn of the way.
" When do you stop to change horses ? " asked the Artist.
" I leave these when we meet the Rotorua man. He takes
my place here, and I drive his horses back. Sometimes it's at
BUSH EguESTKiENNSL
one bit of the road, sometimes at another. I just drive on till I
meet him."
" But is there no hotel, no place where we can get lunch ? "
" None till Rotorua. The last inn you passed at Te Puke."
The information was appalling. To be wet was bad enough,
but to be both wet and hungry !
" But at least we can get a cup of tea somewhere ? " I said.
Even that, it appeared, was a vain hope. Not even a crust of
dry bread lay between us and the end of our journey. At this
juncture our kindly fellow-traveller came to our rescue by be-
Il6 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
stowing upon us a portion of his own lunch, generously taking
pains to overcome our scruples about accepting. Two apples and
a goodly wheaten scone became ours, and never was provender
more welcome or better appreciated. At length the conveyance
we had been expecting came in sight, bearing its cargo of flaccid
mail-bags, and almost equally flaccid passengers ; and, with a third
driver in charge, we started on the final and longest stage of our
day's drive.
We were high up now, and the rain, which before had been
heavy, came down in torrents. The slippery clay surface afforded
poor foothold for the horses, who struggled bravely on, their
steaming sides panting, their hoofs clinging tenaciously to the
treacherous track. The slightest slip would have sent us thunder
ing down on the tops of the forty-feet-high bunga-bungas ; but we
recked not. Crouched up under our wet coverings, we sat silent,
enduring, and motionless, save when the Artist bent his head
forward td pour the accumulated moisture from the top and
brim of his soft hat.
At 8 a.m. we had left Tauranga ; at 11.30 the deluge began.
Even the most reliable of light waterproofs has a limit to its
endurance. By 3 p.m. the damp had penetrated the one I had
drawn over my head and body, and saturated the tussore dust-
cloak worn beneath. Our bundle of rugs was under the back seat
of the carriage, and, the hilly nature of the road making it un-
advisable to pause, I perforce submitted until at length we reached
the stable-shed by the wayside where a Maori awaited us with
fresh horses. Thankfully discarding the soaking "waterproof"
and the limp, moist dust - cloak — which were unceremoniously
rolled up together and thrust under the seat — I revelled in the
luxury of a warm dry wrap, although there was every prospect
of its being soaked through within the next ten minutes. I
am ashamed to tell that at this point my resolution to be un
selfish completely broke down, and I was mean enough to ac
cept the often-reiterated offer of our good Samaritan's umbrella.
A DRIVE IN THE RAIN. 117
But even with these aids to comfort the last sixteen miles found
us physically unable to take much interest in our surroundings.
" There's a hot spring in there : somebody's camping out
beside it now," remarked the driver, indicating with his whip a
faint track leading into the bush. But our only thought was pity
for any one so foolish as to camp out when he might enjoy the
priceless shelter of a roof.
Crossing the bridge over the Kaituna rapids and skirting Lake
Rotoiti with scarcely an exclamation at their beauty, we at length
found ourselves on the banks of Lake Rotorua. Here our whip
paused to point out the vast array of tree-trunks, which, rising
above the water, marked the site of a sunken forest ; but we were
too submerged ourselves to feel sympathy with the forest. Just as
we left that portion of the road which subsided a depth of twenty
feet during the terrific eruption of Mount Tarawera, we were
greeted by a strident odour as of rotten eggs — nay, worse, an
odour resembling nothing less vile than that emitted by a bottle
of green peas which, in the sanguine and experimental days of
early housekeeping, I once pickled. And strange vaporous clouds
rising from the ti-tree scrub marked that we had entered the
Wonderland of New Zealand.
" I ought by rights to have gone round with the mails to
Rotorua first," said our driver, mercifully turning off a road
to the left ; " but I think you're as wet already as is good for
you." Ten minutes later we were being restored to an appreciation
of life in the warm sulphur baths of Whakarewarewa Geyser
Hotel.
WHAI1A0^IS
AT TOKAANU
XVII.
THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY.
For many miles the way lay along the banks of the grand Lake
Taupo. The sky was heavy, and, looking across the seemingly
boundless expanse of water, we found ourselves ever betrayed
into fancying that we gazed on the sea. At noon we camped
beside the lake, where the drivers of the two coaches built a fire
and boiled the billy for the indispensable tea, and we feasted
on the solid and unshapely sandwiches provided— at is. a-head
— at Taupo. The lake-shores were strewn with round pumice-
stones, and all along the wash of the water lay countless tiny
dead fish, the result, in all probability, of some recent sub
aqueous eruption.
The horses rested, we remounted, and sped on along the
THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY. 155
narrow shelf, which, gradually ascending, at length perilously
overhung the steep side of the lake, until, striking inward, we
reached a quarter abounding in signs of past upheavals. Earth
quakes had torn great clefts in the hills and left vast indentations
in the valleys. The pumice - coated road led through gullies
whose sides were riven and bare, past formidable landslips, and
under rugged steeps whose lowering crests seemed ever threaten
ing to fall and engulf us and our pigmy coach. It is in this
weird devastated territory that the moa is believed still to exist.
Certainly it were hard to imagine a more fitting home for the
gigantic wingless bird. So, on and on until the scene became
less awe-inspiring, and a sudden efflorescence of sweetbrier be
tokened the spot where, before the war, a mission station stood.
Nothing remained of it now save the sweet savour wafted from
the clumps of homely green bushes.
Gloaming was near when clouds of steam, arising from some
hot pools, and the barking of many dogs, told that we had
reached the Maori settlement of Tokaanu, where the entire
populace turned out to welcome us. The inn where we slept
was, I verily believe, the cleanest place on earth. Warnings re
garding what we were not to do occupied a prominent place in
each room. To lay anything down on a bed was not permitted,
and any attempt to brush the dust of travel from one's garments,
except beyond the walls of the inn, was expressly forbidden.
At sunrise next morning the Artist, the Fabulist, and another,
all clad in gaudy pyjamas, sallied forth to seek a hot bathing
pool. After first discovering several which were actually boiling,
they lighted upon a pond of comfortable temperature wherein
lounged an old tattooed Maori, smoking complacently while he
simmered. He promptly invited them to share his tub, and the
news of their arrival having spread, they were quickly joined in
the water by a score of boys and girls. The colour-loving eyes
of the young barbarians were enraptured by the brilliant hues of
the pyjamas. "Them nice pants. You wear 'em pants all-e
156 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
time ? " the boys asked from the pool when the envied garments
were being put on.
Tokaanu is an old and populous settlement. At the entrance
to a field in the centre of the village we noticed two gateposts,
which, to judge by their weather-beaten aspect, must have been
extremely ancient. Maori art affords little variety of design, and
those time-worn figures represented the typical travesty of a man
and wife.
The natives of Tokaanu live a nomad life, and reveal the
customary indifference to commercial enterprise. One man, who
had a small, unlovely, feather-bedizened kit for sale, accosted us;
but he showed the usual hazy conception of bargaining.
" How much ? " we inquired.
" A — a pound," replied he vaguely. This exorbitant price ex
tinguished our perfunctory interest in the article. And though
the vendor followed us silently a while, he made no further
attempt to do business.
It was at Tokaanu store, if memory serves me right, that the
sprightly Heiress purchased a tin trumpet, with the intent of
making merry during the following day's journey ; and we
secretly congratulated ourselves that her place was in the second
coach, not in ours. But when at seven o'clock next morning we
were all packed into the two coaches, ready to set forth on the
hardest stage of our journey, I doubt if even she had energy
enough for romping. Over fifty-six miles of roughly made roads,
across many bridgeless rivers and streams, and through leagues
of ash-covered desert, had we to jolt before reaching the accom
modation-house, which was the only available shelter within eighty
miles. For the first two hours the feeling of the party tended to
wards depression. The previous day's journey had been fatiguing,
our hours of sleep had been curtailed by a necessarily early start,
and we felt chilly and cramped in both mind and body.
On emerging from a thicket of ti-tree scrub there burst upon
us the amazingly lovely vision of Ruapehu, the great snow-clad
THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY.
157
mountain, and her close neighbour, the volcano Ngauruhoe. In
shape Ngauruhoe is a perfect cone. It rises grandly from the
plain to a height of 7500 feet, and is believed always to have
been in a state of eruption. Against the background of cloudless
blue sky great volumes of pure white smoke were rising majesti
cally from the summit. Much Maori lore and endless super
stitions congregate about these mountains, which until lately
were tapu both to natives and Europeans. To this day Maoris
THE PEAK OF NGAURUHOE.
are afraid to visit many parts of the Tongariro group, to which
Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe belong; and no native, however brave,
is so daring as to attempt to catch one of the wild horses abound
ing in that region. Full credence is accorded the belief that
many malignant spirits inhabit this quarter, and that the horses
have no actual existence, but are merely decoys in the service of
these spectral fiends.
The story of how Ruapehu ceased to be an active volcano
forms the subject of many legends. One of them is pretty enough
to bear repetition. She was beloved by Ngauruhoe and by
158 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
Tauhara (The Lone One), which then stood beside the others.
Her affection was bestowed upon Tauhara, whereupon the fiery
Ngauruhoe, tearing his rival from his place, cast him on to the
great Kaingawa Plain, where he still stands, sad and alone.
When Ruapehu found that her chosen lover was for ever banished,
the warm glow of her heart became ice, and she stands, ever deaf
to the pleadings of the fervent Ngauruhoe, close wrapped in her
mantle of snow. It is interesting to learn that, in spite of
Ruapehu's chilly exterior, she is probably not so indifferent as
she desires to appear; for a hot lake, which sometimes reaches
boiling-point, fills the hollow of her ice-walled crater. Perhaps
in time she may deign to listen to the cause of the devoted
Ngauruhoe, who is certainly as handsome a suitor as mountain
could desire.
Our way wound about, as is the nature of bush tracks. Some
times the mountains would vanish from our right side to reappear
unexpectedly on the left ; or, after veering round to the front
of our path, would suddenly dodge behind us. The plains
traversed are 3000 feet above sea-level. They bear little vegetation
except clumps of tussock-grass, and of the monstrous taramea or
spear-grass, a peculiar plant which has dangerously stiff pointed
leaves, and murderous, bludgeon -like flower -spikes, greatly re
sembling three-feet-long clubs studded with sharp nails.
At noon we camped by the side of one of the many rivers,
and drank tea out of tin mugs filled from the eternal billy, then
remounting, again laboured onwards. During that day's drive
seemingly innumerable brooks, streams, and rivers lay across
our path. The coach appeared ever to be descending to the bed
of a river with a rush, scrambling over its unseen boulders with
violent lurches ; or leaving its waters with a jerk and many jolts,
to toil up the steep of the farther bank.
The afternoon found us laboriously skirting a long waste of
ash-strewn desert, and looking down into the hollow left by a
sunken lake, long since dry and its history forgotten. Half-
THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY. 159
past six saw a bevy of weary, dust-covered folks deposited on
the verandah of the accommodation - house at Karioi, all too
hungry and tired even to laugh at the lodging afforded in that
out-of-the-way spot. Our rooms were odd, low-ceilinged places,
totally void of chairs, and owning but rudimentary toilet ware.
We were fortunate in being allotted a tolerably airy room, and
a whole wash-hand basin. But our ewer was a wreck, and an
old knife formed the bolt of the window. Some of our fellow-
travellers were not so fortunate. The Fabulist and another man
shared a room wherein the sole equipment provided for their
ablutions was a tin basin and a bucket of water.
The Knight, lady and daughter, who had preceded us by a
day, travelling in a special conveyance, had also lodged at Karioi.
They arrived there upon an evening when the better rooms,
such as ours, were already occupied. And even after the lapse
of hours the fumes from the widely opened vials of the sensitive
Knight's wrath still pervaded the atmosphere.
In justice to the keepers of the accommodation-house, it must
be stated that the arrival of two coaches in a day, even during
the height of the tourist season, was unusual, and strained
the resources of the establishment. Our hostess, a good-looking
young matron, presented an admirable example of what one
woman can do. In that remote region there was no other white
woman free to aid her. The sole burden of washing, ironing,
baking, cleaning, cooking, and tending her children lay on her
shoulders ; and, taking these facts into consideration, her manage
ment was amazing. I do not attempt to say that all was per
fection; and I must admit that the boots which we left outside
our doors dusty at night, we found in the morning in like con
dition. But the beds were clean, though some might be hard;
and we had fresh bread for breakfast, and a plentiful supply of
good, plain, well-cooked food at both meals.
Next morning it was a pleasant surprise to find Ruapehu,
whom we had left hidden in clouds, once more rearing her snowy
160 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
crest against a sky of glowing azure. Ngauruhoe, the noise from
whose internal rumblings had disturbed us during the night, was
concealed by the intervening bulk of Ruapehu, and to him we
bade a reluctant farewell. Then began the last stage of our
coaching. After fording half-a-dozen rivers, all of considerable
size, and being shaken, jolted, and bumped in a manner to which
custom was gradually inuring us, we reached a cutting that led
directly through the bush. The road was simply a track cleared
through dense forest. It was totally unmade save where branches
of trees had been laid across depressions in the road and the
surface soil shovelled over them, " corduroy " roads being their
colonial designation.
As we got deeper into the bush we came upon a tiny, gaudily-
painted house standing in a clearing. There was no sign of life
about it. The chimney was smokeless, no clothes hung drying
in the sun, no children toddled out to stare wide-eyed at the
passing coach. Pulling up the horses, our driver threw a bag
of provisions down by the wayside, in front of the cottage.
" Does anybody live there ? " we asked.
"Yes," grunted the driver. "A man does. Wife ran away
and left him. Said she couldn't stand the loneliness. Took all
the furniture with her, too, she did, even the windy-blinds ! "
It was easy to imagine that the type of woman whose idea
of life means gossip and shop - windows would repine in the
stillness of the bush, and that the long days when her husband
was toiling to clear his hardly acquired land would seem un
utterably dreary. Yet, contrasted with the lot of many thousands
of settlers' wives, this woman's life had been gay. Did not
the two front windows of her dwelling look directly on to the
public thoroughfare, whereon twice a-week the mail-coach might
be seen passing?
A mile or two farther on stood a tiny deserted log-hut, with
a sad little story attached. The owner had been living there
alone, working single-handed to clear his ground. After a time
THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY. 161
he was missed, and when search was made he was found lying
helpless in his house, wasted to a mere skeleton. Two days
after he had been carried to where he could be nursed and
cared for, he died.
On and on we drove, with the sun burning us fiercely and
the dust covering us as with a garment. Sometimes the im
mensity of the bush overawed us. It was so vast and so un
tenanted. Not a rabbit, nor even a butterfly, was to be seen ;
and there was no sound but the incessant raucous clamour of
the locusts. At noon we reached a real bush township, and
paused there to rest the horses and to enjoy luncheon, at which
we reaped the fruits of civilisation in the form of green peas
and cream. The meal concluded with a sportive little interlude
on the part of the Heiress, who gleefully emptied a jug of
water over the head of the gentleman whom she honoured with
her attentions.
" He looked so smug and sleepy that I couldn't resist the
temptation to wake him up a bit," she giggled in explanation ;
and her doting parents, rejoicing in her high spirits, beamingly
accepted the reason given as complete justification for the act.
At first sight Raetihi appeared simply a collection of log-
huts planted down pell-mell in a half -burnt piece of bush.
Great blackened trunks of trees stood about in legions. Legions
more lay prostrate, seared and leafless, as the fire had left
them. To our eyes the clearance had yet to begin. To our
eyes, also, viewing those wooden houses surrounded by so much
inflammable tinder and closely encircled by dense forest, the
danger seemed imminent of little half - fledged Raetihi being
totally demolished by fire. Yet, in its own immature way,
Raetihi was flourishing. The saw-mill was in full swing, and
near by the yoke of fourteen oxen which had been employed
in dragging the" huge tree - trunks to the mill were taking a
mid-day rest. There was a midget church and a clergyman ;
but no doctor lived within a day's journey, and the inhabitants
L
l62
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
had to cure themselves with the aid of the chemist and his
scant stock of drugs. A closed post-office, its windows shattered,
displayed a placard dealing with "traffic by-laws."
The most enterprising spirit in the townlet was a settler
whose business combined that of hair - dresser, librarian, and
bookseller : he had also a passable billiard-table and an up-to-
date phonograph. His circulating library comprised quite a
hundred and fifty volumes ; and the shop-window displayed a
variety of standard novels in their paper-covered editions. Our
small purchases made, we drifted into chat with the owner, and
found him admirably sanguine with regard to Raetihi, which
he believed to have a great future. He had been a ship's
barber and had seen much of the world, which probably made
him ready to enjoy an interval of rusticity.
"You see," he explained, "here I have my piece of land,
and it's all cleared, and I get fine crops off it : green peas, and
strawberries — any amount. Then I have a house and a trap,
and my dog here, and ios. a-year gives me a pheasant licence.
Being my own master, I can take a holiday when I like; and
many a good day's shooting I've had in the bush."
It was true. He had chosen a good " selection " in the
best part of the embryonic town. Only the yet unmarked road
to the prospective suburbs divided his property from the lot
THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY. 163
reserved by Government for the future post-office. His ground
was freed from timber. He had erected a good and almost
extensive place of business facing the street ; while behind,
surrounded by the neat and pretty garden, stood his dwelling-
house. Yet, in spite of his easy prosperity and openly ex
pressed pleasure in pioneer life, it was easy to see that his
heart was at home.
" I sometimes think I would like to see the old place
again," he said, as we spoke of England. " Brighton, my
town was. Ay, the Queen of English watering-places they call
her. I knew London, too. I would let this place if I was
to find a good man that would keep the business together, and
take a trip home. I would go as ship's barber, and my wife
would be a passenger."
"These flowers are from the Old Country," he answered,
when I admired his sweat-peas and godetias. " An uncle of
mine that's a great gardener sends the seeds over, and they
do grandly." " Do they succeed better than New Zealand seeds would ? "
I asked innocently.
" Well, no," he admitted. " But then, you see, they come
from home ! "
And this wistful love of the Old World we met through all
our wanderings.
In point of scenery, our journey between Raetihi and Pipi-
riki was probably the most wonderful among many. The way
wound through a gigantic gorge, with tremendous sides and a
mere trickle of water in its profound depths. Our heavy coach
crawled ponderously along the narrow shelf, frequently swaying
ominously near the edge of the precipice, and permitting us to
look over a sheer descent of several hundred feet. Once it
shaved the danger so narrowly, that on looking back I could
see that the upright, warning-post, placed at the very brink, still
swayed from its contact with the wheels.
164 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
After crossing any particularly hazardous bit, our jehu, who
was also part owner of the coaches, always pulled up the horses,
and, standing erect, anxiously watched the rear until the coach
following us had also passed the danger. And having learnt
that the driver in charge of the second coach had never before
travelled that route, and that at best he enjoyed the sight of
only one eye, we heartily shared his misgivings.
We had a magnificent view of the giant creeper - entwined
trees, which, covering the slopes, towered upwards to the hot
sky. Among them rose countless noble tree - ferns of varied
species, and an occasional nikau palm. A royal carpet of ferns
covered the rich soil. We picked a great bunch of the thick
mossy fronds of the Prince of Wales feather, or hot -water fern,
but it shrivelled promptly. At one place our attention was
caught by a gleam of scarlet amid the luxuriant foliage — which
never changes, for the indigenous verdure is evergreen. Stopping
the coach, we secured a branch of the tree. It had glossy leaves,
and clusters of vivid scarlet berries, resembling raspberries in form,
but the apex of each berry showed a shining black button. The
buds were enclosed in buff- coloured capsules. When ripe, this
leathery-looking skin divides in twain, revealing the scarlet berry
with its black eye.
There was an air of complete repose about this forest primeval.
Here and there a tui flashed through the sunlight, or a wood-
pigeon fluttered across the path. Sometimes a wild horse sought
the recesses of the forest at our approach ; but, in the sultry heat
of the afternoon, Nature seemed to sleep. Once or twice we
passed a roadman toiling at his solitary labour, his horse tethered
close by, and his billy lying on the ground beside him. Passing
a green -covered tent by the wayside, the driver, who combined
the offices of coachman, mail -custodian, and carrier, threw out
a sack filled with provisions, which would lie in all security from
molestation until the owner returned to claim it.
Gradually, as we left the thick bush, and the great cliffs
THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY. 165
became less towering, little patches of clearing appeared, and
beside the Maori whares we could note the kumara patches and
rows of flourishing tobacco - plants. Then, descending with a
run, we saw the beautiful Wanganui river, with the tin roofs
of Pipiriki dotting its green banks.
The space at the one accommodation-house at Pipiriki was
limited. The Charming Girl and I shared a tiny double-bedded
room. The Artist and two other men camped in the drawing-
room, and no one could get a bath in the morning, because some
one was sleeping in the bathroom. A nondescript meal with
potatoes and tea was ready on arrival. Though the accommoda
tion-house was exquisitely situated and well furnished, the cater
ing there struck us as being much poorer than that of even
remote places such as Karioi. At every stopping - place along
the route the charges were the same — half - a - crown for each
meal, or for a bed ; and it was interesting to watch the difference
in the provision made for guests. At an adjoining table we
recognised the Knight and his lady, the autocrat eyeing dubiously
the proffered viands, and turning from the tea -cups with open
scorn. He had arrived on the previous evening, and, like our
selves, proposed next morning taking the steamer down the river
to Wanganui. After an unsatisfactory dinner, tea, supper, or whatever title
the meal masqueraded under, we set out to explore our surround
ings. A Maori guide invited us to visit some caves four miles up
the river ; but the night was falling, and we declined, hiring him
instead to paddle us to the opposite side of the river, where
perched a picturesque native village. The last rays of sunset
were flecking the sky with glorious golds and crimsons when we
ascended the steep bank and walked into the grassy enclosure
wherein sat the tribe, eating its evening meal. Some natives might
have resented our invasion. Not so the Maoris. With genuine
pleasure they made us welcome.
" Tena-koutou," said we.
166 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
"Tena-koutou," replied they, and many brown hands — small
and shapely hands, too — were outstretched to grasp ours.
Round the tin dishes a large party of men, women, girls,
youths, and babes were squatted, and it was interesting to see
that in this tribal commune the smallest child had evidently as
much right to put his paw in the dish and help himself as had
his elders. In a pool of gravy in a tin pan lay a large ham-
bone at which an infant was picking ; but the chief provision
was a great pie -dish full of kumaras and some green vegetable.
Forks and knives were dispensed with, also plates and glasses.
A little gift of cigarettes delighted the party ; and one of the
older men, who knew some English, discerning that we wished
to walk through the kainga, constituted himself our escort. As
we passed between many carefully divided patches of tobacco-
plants — for though among Maoris most things are communal,
each man grows his own stock of tobacco, which is shared by
his wahine — the sound of wailing, a low monotonous lament,
reached us.
" Tangi ?" we inquired.
" Yes. Tangi," assented our guide, as we came in sight of
two women, who were crouching on the ground rubbing noses
and mourning.
" Where is the dead body ? " asked the Charming Girl, glancing
nervously about.
" Oh, he here, or anywhere," replied the Maori, pointing
vaguely to the different whares surrounding us. " He not dead
yet, but he die."
" Oh, he is only ill then ? What is the matter with him ? "
" Fire burn him, very bad. He die."
At the advent of strangers the women had ceased their moan.
Tangi could be resumed at any time, while a close study of
European dresses was a treat not to be enjoyed every day.
Passing through a tiny ravine, we came upon the eminence
whereon was situated the burying - ground of the tribe. Trees
THROUGH THE KING COUNTRY.
167
closely encircled it, and over it reigned the peace peculiar to a
place kept sacred.
" Tapu ?" we asked.
" Ai, tapu. No go there. It tapu."
After crossing the stile beyond the maize-field, we entered the
second portion of the village. Here also the meal of the day was
in progress, and here also were we made cordially welcome.
Swarthy faces beamed upon us, and tattooed lips, in hospitable,
if quite unintelligible, language, invited us to partake. In this
group the fare in process of consumption much resembled the
last — kumaras and cabbage, with the remains of a fowl in place
of pork. In addition, there was a splendid loaf of bread. Round,
flat, and nicely browned, it closely resembled a huge wheaten
scone. Inside one of the larger whares we caught the flicker of firelight,
and entering, found that it proceeded from some glowing wood-
ashes on the floor. Over the embers were set iron bars which
formed a primitive grill, whereon was placed a large tin pan
containing another loaf; while a third, still in the dough stage,
stood on the earthen floor ready for baking.
Each Maori village owns its
quaint kai (food) house, which is
perched on thick stilts, two feet
high, to ensure the safety of its
tribal stores from the incursions of
rats. As usual, there was little sign
of employment. The husbandry re
quired to support a tribe is small
in comparison with the number of
able-bodied folks, and is consequently easily over
taken. Pigs, thanks to Captain Cook, run wild
in the bush, and the rearing of sheep necessitates
little care. A hoary tree was laden with quinces,
168 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
which our escort told us they shipped down to Wanganui, where
the fruit sold at 2d. a-pound ; but further there was no sign of any
attempt at money-making.
Refusing many invitations to share the feast, we cordially
shook the numerous outstretched hands and departed. As we
went we met a little, monkey - like old man, whose face was
tattooed all over. He wore a Salvation Army cap, and our
guide, pointing to a badge fastened on his coat, remarked —
" He good Maori. He teach heathen."
"Kapai!" (good), said the Artist, approvingly patting the
badge, at which the wizened face of the aforetime cannibal
wrinkled up into a beatific grin.
Postal facilities
on THt WANqANUI i\|V£l\
XVIII.
DOWN THE WANGANUI RIVER.
Twice a-week, at seven in the morning, the river-steamer left
Pipiriki for Wanganui.
" There is really no need for them to leave so early, making
all the passengers uncomfortable for nothing," protested our
hostess, when interviewing us to learn if we would breakfast
before starting. "The boat reaches Wanganui at half-past three ;
so they could just as well leave at eight or nine. But, for one
thing, the men like to get their work over early, and, for another,
they think they get more people to breakfast on board than if they
left later. But in any case they are never punctual."
The dinner we had just eaten portended ill for the breakfast of
170 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
the morrow ; yet to begin a journey unfed would have been a
considerably greater trial than to swallow a poor meal. So we
breakfasted, adequately if not luxuriantly, before sauntering down
the slope to the boat, whose whistle had been blowing spasmodi
cally for the last half hour. It was already quite thirty minutes
after the alleged starting-time, and on board we found all those of
our fellow-travellers who had decided to feed by the way. They
seemed distressed, and explained that the cause of their perturba
tion lay in a ghastly rumour that the steamer breakfast would not
be served before nine o'clock !
It was not an inspiriting morning. The wind blew chill blasts
up the steep cleft of the river, and lowering clouds hung over the
wooded cliffs that towered above the water. We, who had looked
upon the tea when it was hot and the toast while it was crisp,
were glad to wrap ourselves in rugs. As for the total abstainers,
they were utterly miserable. Even the Heiress was subdued. The
starving women stoically drew their belts tighter and counted the
dragging minutes ; while the men took it in turns to walk past the
dining-saloon and glare hungrily in at the windows with a view to
reporting progress.
Six or seven miles below Pipiriki a turn of the river re
vealed what appeared to be a whole tribe of Maoris, attended
by eleven barking dogs and a black pig, awaiting our arrival.
Cargo, in the shape of certain sacks of grass-seed gathered by
the natives, and some boxes of fruit, lay ready for shipment.
A stoppage of twenty minutes being announced, those of us
whose appetites had been appeased gaily walked the plank
leading shorewards, whither our enhungered friends would fain
have followed us, but for the dread of thereby endangering their
chance of sustenance.
In a picturesque nook at the summit of the first slope, well
sheltered by the great surrounding cliffs, nestled the whares of
Heruharema, or, to call the kainga by its Christian name, Jeru
salem. High above the medley assortment of huts rose the spire
DOWN THE WANGANUI RIVER. 171
and roofs of the Roman Catholic mission. Remembering that our
Maori guide of the previous night had manifested warm, though
quaintly expressed, approval concerning the art treasures contained
in the chapel, we entered the path leading thereto, and straight
way found ourselves in an orchard, a simply delightful old orchard,
wherein the heavily fruited branches hung down to the ground, and
the grass grew lush about the tree-trunks. The interior of the
chapel did not impress us as favourably as it had the Maori. The
colouring was bold and crude, though we could understand how
greatly the elaborately bedizened images of Christ and the Virgin
would appeal to the untutored native mind. As we left the chapel
a gentle-voiced mother-superior came from the convent, which also
opened on the orchard, and invited us to enter. To our surprise,
within the austere - looking building were many white children,
varying in size from infants in cradles, or tots essaying their
premier toddle, up to children able to sing hymns prettily, and to
take a healthy round-eyed interest in visitors. The good ladies of
the convent, it seemed, had taken upon themselves the labours of a
foundling hospital, and were doing it well, though a Maori kainga
perched on a shelf high above the Wanganui river was the last
place where one would have expected to find such an establish
ment. We left the convent carrying with us a pleasing memory of the
quiet haven to which the poor little tempest-tossed mortals had
drifted, and with our hands and pockets filled by the sisters with
beautiful fruit. Unfortunately much of the beauty of the fruit was
external. The great purple plums were scarcely ripe, the red and
yellow ones were decidedly acid, and the pears and apples were
hard and sour.
We found our friends happier when, warned by the shrill cry
of the whistle, we returned to the steamer. While we explored,
they had fed and were at peace. The exhibition of our trophies
annoyed them a little, and caused them to repine at their detention
on board ; but as we hastened, magnanimously, to bestow all the
172 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
sourest of the sour fruit upon them, they had little cause for
grumbling. The sun broke through the clouds, warming the air and reveal
ing the amazing grandeur of the river scenery. Nothing could have
been more exquisite than the appearance of these giant slopes,
clothed in all the grace of their primal greenery. The palms and
tree-ferns, native to New Zealand, are apt to suggest painstaking
culture to those strangers who have been accustomed seeing care
fully nursed specimens of their kinds treasured in conservatories ;
and I, for one, found it difficult to dissociate an idea of excessive
luxury — prodigality indeed — from the varied and lovely semi-tropical
foliage wherewith Nature has endowed the North Island of New
Zealand. There was just enough life to add a touch of human
interest to the picture. Sometimes we met a canoe wherein sat a
Maori woman laboriously paddling her lazy spouse up-stream, keep
ing close to the bank to avoid the rapids ; and once a pakeha in a
canoe that had a scarlet sail and flew the union-jack exchanged
salutations with us.
At one point a scrap of paper stuck in the cleft of a stick gave
warning of cargo, and the obliging little steamer backed into the
bank and took on board the two rough wooden boxes of plums
that, lidless and unattended, awaited shipment. We stopped at a
group of native huts to let out one of the three Maori women who
had squatted in the stern, smoking without intermission. Her return
was rapturously welcomed by her picturesque if somewhat grimy
tribe, and thirteen vociferous dogs.
The chill of morning had passed : it was an ideal day, spent
among matchless and ever-varying surroundings. Yet mere scenery
soon palled on the majority of our company. Noon found those
who had finished breakfast at 9 a.m. already seated round the one
table of the circumscribed dining-saloon. They preferred to re
linquish the sight of one of the most lovely bits, and spend an
extra half hour in a stuffy cabin, to running the risk of being
excluded from the first service of the 12.30 luncheon !
DOWN THE WANGANUI RIVER.
173
The Knight and his lady passed most of the journey sound
asleep, with their pretty daughter, who did not share her parents'
somnolent tendencies, sandwiched between them. It was an un
comfortable position, without doubt, but 'it was also one wherein
she was perfectly safe from vulgar contact. In justice to them,
it must be acceded that even during repose' the disciplinarians
||||f?^.
Thi Faniily Fi?°"]
CNqLA^ID
succeeded in maintaining a dignified demeanour. But the pro
genitors of the Heiress never slept. To succumb to Morpheus
would have meant losing some of their darling's playful sallies.
Had they been asleep they could not, for example, have leant
over the upper deck and chuckled with undisguised delight when
the Heiress, having tracked her escaped victim to a retired nook
174
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
through
in the forecastle, where he sat medi
tatively smoking, slipped stealthily
behind him and clapped her hands
so loudly and in such close prox
imity to his ear as* to cause him
to start violently and drop his pipe,
a carefully - coloured meerschaum,
which smashed on the
deck. were passing
a part of the
Wanganui
river bor
dered with
precipitouscliff's that
held no
sign of
habitation, when a
young man in shirt-sleeves appeared on the bank. At the end of a
long fishing-rod he had suspended a letter, which he waved to the
approaching steamer. Evidently our obliging craft was accustomed
to collecting the mails in this casual fashion, for she dexterously
steamed in as near the bank as the depth would allow, and one
of the sailors, by standing on the rail and performing a clever
gymnastic feat, succeeded in taking the letter from the hook.
As we steamed on .we watched the goat-like movements of the
man nimbly ascending the tortuous steep and disappearing over
the ridge of the cliffs.
A score of miles farther down the river the magnificent vegeta
tion ceased, checked by the searing finger of Civilisation. The rich
subsoil was too valuable to escape clearance, and cattle browsed
where so lately bunga-bungas and nikau palms flourished. Then
IBs: AUSTRALIAN FAMILY
DOWN THE WANGANUI RIVER. 175
villas came into view, sparsely dotting the river-side. And when a
man in a tennis-jacket appeared, rowing a lady with a pink parasol
in an ordinary boat, and a railway bridge crossed the horizon, we
realised that we had left the region of romance and come back to
everyday existence. Our fellow-travellers began to bestir them
selves. The English Knight and his lady, who had circled the
globe to gaze upon the beauties of the Wanganui river, and had
slept peacefully through the greater portion of the voyage, awoke
and bethought themselves of comfortable hotels, and meals that
did not resolve themselves into so many high teas.
" I sincerely trust we shall get a respectable dinner at the hotel
to-night," remarked the Knight, as the steamer bumped against the
timbers of Wanganui pier. " If we do, it will be the first dinner
we've eaten for five days ! "
176
XIX.
WELLINGTON, NELSON, AND NEW PLYMOUTH.
The weather, which had so persistently
smiled upon us, changed. The morning
after our arrival at Wanganui, a Sunday,
we awoke to a downpour of rain, aug
mented later by a thunderstorm. It was
impossible to go out. Yet it must be
confessed that we were almost glad of
the rest and enforced leisure.
Wanganui is a prosperous and bust
ling little city which supplies a large
pastoral district. On Monday the rain
still descended, and the streets were filled
with settlers and stockmen all clad in
long boots and the most outlandish
waterproofs it had ever been our luck
to see : weird garments of yellow oilskin, with full pieces inserted
in the skirts for convenience when riding. At noon the rain
obligingly ceased, enabling us to walk the few steps to the station,
where our coaching companions were already assembled — the
Knight consumed with righteous indignation at having been
charged 8s. as hire of the two cabs that had conveyed his family
and luggage from their hotel to the station, a distance of one
hundred yards. The Heiress was there also, and _ her progeni-
.5
WAT£HpHOOf£ •N Wanijanui-
WELLINGTON, NELSON, AND NEW PLYMOUTH. 177
tors, whom she had cajoled into engaging a special compart
ment, that therein she might enjoy the undivided society of
the victim. When we arrived he was attempting feebly to de
cline the invitations to walk into their parlour, but they were
persistent and he was weak, and he finally disappeared within
the openly spread net of the Heiress.
New Zealand railway carriages are built on the Pullman
system, and the best of them are exceedingly comfortable. Just
after starting the clouds opened afresh, and through the driving
rain we caught glimpses of swollen turbid rivers, swamps wherein
cabbage palms stood knee-deep in water, and wayside stations
under whose sheds sheltered more men in strange oilskins.
After passing Palmerston the scenery became beautiful, and the
half-cleared bush was apparently fertile. Wreaths of mist hung
in filmy scarves over the mountain-tops and blotted out the
valleys. The ground along the line was cut up into countless
small properties. Most of the makeshift houses of the settlers
were smaller and poorer than it was easy to imagine human
dwelling. The rough wooden houses of Raetihi, in the heart
of the bush, were palaces in comparison. Many of them seemed
to have been patched together out of dismembered packing-
cases; and the zinc lining of the boxes, rudely nailed on,
formed the roof. Yet the wood - smoke curling up from the
tin chimneys gave a sense of interior warmth and comfort, and
in many of the hovels an attempt at window-curtains revealed
a refining feminine influence. On board the train a nondescript
meal was served. But for a little idiosyncrasy which induced
the chef to cook steaks, mutton-chops, pork-sausages, and onions
in the same frying-pan, the fare would have been quite tolerable.
All afternoon and evening the rain fell incessantly, soaking
the earth, and lodging in great pools along the lower levels.
It was nearly ten o'clock when we reached Wellington, where
a cab soon deposited us at a hotel. Our first impressions of
Wellington were wholly unfavourable, and during our stay nothing
m
178 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
occurred to alter them. The Government centre of New Zea
land lacks many things, but her crying want is a good, or even
a tolerable, hotel. The townsfolk, eager to sustain the credit
of their city, while admitting that existing hotels are bad, de
clare that the one recently burnt was irreproachable. But
travellers who have experienced its hospitality agree that it
was on a par with the others.
The hotel we chanced to select advertises itself unchallenged
as " the largest, most central, and best appointed family hotel
in Wellington," and when we saw how bad the best could be,
we rejoiced that we had not sought to fathom the dark possi
bilities of the worst. The slender partitions dividing the rooms
were apparently of paper, or at most of canvas. In our first-
floor bedroom a faint cough or a whisper several rooms distant
could be distinctly heard. At a preternaturally early hour on
the morning after arrival I was aroused by the sound of a
lurid curse uttered close to my ear; then followed a volley of
oaths, invective, and objurgations. There was little pause for
reply, but my drowsy fancy imagined it could hear feeble
whimpering expostulations in a female voice; and I quickly
made up a theory about the occupants of the adjoining room,
who, I speedily decided, must be an upbraiding husband and
his meek spouse. So strenuous grew the abuse, so condemna
tory the language, that my sympathies arose in favour of the
supposed Desdemona; and when a still more violent burst of
vituperation ensued, I rapped peremptorily at the wall. In
stantly fell a silence as of the grave, and I mentally pictured
the aggressor lying breathlessly still, trying to imagine how
much of his ultra - confidential converse had been overheard.
To our surprise, morning showed but one pair of boots on the
door-mat of No. 10 : quarrelsome, argumentative-looking, square-
toed boots, of a certainty, but only one pair! We zealously
scanned the different guests as one by one they dropped into
the breakfast-room, but failed to discover any one at all resem-
WELLINGTON, NELSON, AND NEW PLYMOUTH. 179
bling our conception of the Othello. Breakfast over, we ques
tioned the clerk regarding our room neighbours.
"No. 10 is a single room, ma'am. Mr Juro, a solicitor from
Tauke-tauke, is in it now; and he seems a very quiet gentleman.
I don't think he would take on like that, except he was talking
in his sleep," replied the hotel clerk — who also acted as a waiter
and answered the bedroom-bells — adding as a clinching argument,
" and he is a candidate for Parliament, too ! " A statement
which seemed to confirm all the lurid tales we had heard regarding
the New Zealand salaried legislators !
Afterwards we saw Mr Juro, recognising him from his boots.
He proved to be a gloomy-looking elderly man, and we agreed
that he might have been talking in his sleep. But if so, who
would envy him his dreams ?
Wellington was dripping. The unceasing rain rushed in
torrents down the streets, and rattled noisily at the windows.
Eight inches of rain had fallen in the district ; no building we
entered was free from roof-leakage, a chilly wind blew in fierce
gusts along the streets, and shrieked round the corners, shaking
the flimsy wooden walls and confirming our faith in the local
saying that " all the winds in the universe meet at Wellington."
In the hotel sitting-rooms fires were blazing, and had been for
days. We had intended crossing to the South Island that
morning, but the storm was so great that the steamer's hour of
sailing was altered from noon till five o'clock, then from five
till midnight ; so we resolved to wait till next day. Setting forth
to buy a waterproof for the Charming Girl, we encountered two
of our coach-companions purchasing umbrellas.
Nothing in Wellington impressed us favourably. In every
way it seemed to us inferior to Auckland. By way of safeguard
against destruction by earthquake the Government buildings are
constructed of wood, which gives a shoddy appearance to other
wise handsome houses. The museum holds many treasures,
but the accommodation is cramped, and at the date of our visit
180 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
the rooms badly wanted a thorough spring-cleaning: even the
contents of the cases were grimy, and sadly lacked dusting and
resetting. At night we made up a party and visited the Opera House, the
only theatre open. The drama, "Aurora Floyd," was played by
a ludicrously poor company. The audience was correspondingly
poor: supposing paper to be entirely absent, about £4 was the
outside limit of the money taken at the door. The leading lady
was plump, but the remainder of the company looked as though
a square meal was a rarity to them. Commiserating, we formed
ourselves into a claque, and gladdened the hearts of the performers
with unstinted applause. The wardrobe of the male actors was
chiefly remarkable for its deficiencies. One article of dress, an
extremely high, narrow silk hat, which fitted nobody, seemed to
be a joint-stock concern. We were sent into secret convulsions
as we saw another and yet another character make a solemn
entrance, carefully balancing this preposterous hat on his head.
Regarding the play, all I can remember is that there were four
acts, and that in the first three the curtain descended on the
heroine's prostrate form. The sound of her somewhat solid body
bumping on the stage seemed to be the accepted signal for the
act -drop. " They would identify us by the rings we wore, of course.
They always do," said the Charming Girl, conclusively.
" But wouldn't the salt water wash them off? "
" No. You see, our fingers would be swollen. Drowned
people's always do swell," replied she, placidly.
We were at breakfast at the Wellington Hotel. Round the
building the wind was howling in wild blasts, which found their
way into the dining-room, and made havoc among the elaborate,
if exceedingly dingy, tissue-paper adornments of the gasaliers.
Two energetic waiters were trying to attend to thirty guests,
and, while we possessed our souls in patience, we discussed the
WELLINGTON, NELSON, AND NEW PLYMOUTH. 181
advisability of crossing to the South Island that day. The
hurricane still raged; several boats that left the harbour on the
previous day had been obliged to return and lie inside the Heads
all night. In spite of the continuance of the tempest, matters
were a little better. The rain had ceased, and by leaving early
we would get the worst of the journey over by daylight. We
had seen enough of Wellington, and decided to delay no longer.
There were at most half-a-dozen passengers by the Rotorua,
and those assembled on the wharf to witness her departure wore
a pitying look.
" Ye'll catch it when ye get outside," ghoulishly prophesied
a young sailor, who was adding yet stronger fastenings to seats
already well lashed. We were still in harbour when a cheerful
summons to lunch enticed the Artist and the Charming Girl to
table. I, to whom discretion in seafaring proves the better part
qf valour, decided to go at once to my cabin, and, lying down,
to read until the rough-and-tumble of the trip was over. From
my berth I could hear the hum of voices and the busy clatter of
knives and forks in the saloon. Then of a sudden the ship
evinced an eccentric desire to stand on her end ; and after essay
ing that feat for a giddy moment, shuddered a little, then gradually
resumed the horizontal. But the action of knives and forks was
more languid now; and when, a moment later, the Rotorua
essayed to repeat the performance, there was a crash of broken
crockery, followed by a silence.
Since leaving England we had encountered a variety of
weathers, but none that would make us realise what an amazing
variety of gymnastic exercises a small vessel may execute in "the
windpipe of the Pacific" — Cook's Straits — and yet keep above
water. The Rotorua is a capital little steamer, and breasted the
billows like a duck; but the Artist, who remained on deck, said
afterwards that he never before understood what the phrase
"waves mountains high" meant.
The actual crossing, which on this occasion took an hour
1 82
OUR .STOLEN SUMMER.
longer than usual, was soon over. Great seas lifted us right into
the mouth of the Tory Channel, and instantly we found our
selves in smooth water. Then followed a lovely passage between
the walls of Queen Charlotte Sound to where Picton, a pictur
esque little town, lies cosily nestled among high hills. At the
end of Picton pier a plump complacent couple sat solemnly fish
ing, and having good sport, for quite a pile of small silver fish
had rewarded their efforts. Our apprehensions regarding the
remainder of the journey proved groundless. Next morning we
AN AKBOUR m NU-SON
awoke from a night of unbroken slumber to find ourselves in
Nelson Harbour in all the sweetness of an exquisite morning.
" Oh, going to Mrs Lightband's, are you ? " said the good-
looking young Scottish captain, as we took refuge together in
a little island of dryness, while the crew energetically washed the
deck with a hose and a quite superfluous quantity of water.
" Well, you know, if you had asked me where to go, I would
have told you to go there."
There are no proper hotels in Nelson. The boarding-house
WELLINGTON, NELSON, AND NEW PLYMOUTH. 183
* ¦.¦¦-&¦¦ -i.Ai 'A-':-.** >.•' ^A>
^LinoiqQEi^s >\ar\z-
xxn.
GUM-FIELDS AND A KAURI FOREST.
Starting from Dargaville, a single line of rail runs north, stopping
abruptly right in the heart of the bush, whither to see the kauri
forest we were bound. There was but one train daily either
way, and at the little station many of our Wairoa steamer-com
panions were already waiting. The Austrians, still maintaining
the same impassive air, stood beside their neat oilskin sacks and
bundles of yet unsoiled gum - digging implements. The sable-
clad Maoris were there also, the elder having added a finishing
touch of gloom to his appearance in the deeply black - bordered
202 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
handkerchief which protruded from the breast-pocket of his coat.
The luggage, which the bystanders were aiding the conductor to
put into his van, was of a delightfully miscellaneous description.
Among other articles of merchandise it included a huge basket
filled with loaves of bread, a cradle, and a shining tin milk-basin.
The train travelled slowly, making occasional pauses at rudi
mentary stations where sun - tanned women stood waiting to
secure the loaves of bread and carry them off in their aprons.
All around lay the "poor man's gold-fields," wherein, em
bedded in the vast tracts of bald .unreclaimed land, lay hidden
immense quantities of that fossilised resin, kauri gum — residue
of some long-extinct forest of kauri pine, destroyed probably in
past ages by some devastating fire. In riding within a few. miles
of Auckland city, we had constantly come upon waste - lands
whose grey clay showed signs of having been roughly turned
over with the spade. From these parts great quantities of that
clear amber gum so valuable in the manufacture of high-class
varnish had been taken. The traces of his spade -labour still
remain on the barren ground among the stunted ti-tree scrub ;
but the gum -digger has gone farther afield, and in this remote
district of Northern Wairoa hundreds of men are at work. The
occupation holds many attractions for the pioneer spirit. In the
first place, it is adventurous : a man has as frequent chances of
making a "strike" in gum -digging as he has in gold -mining,
although the probable increment is naturally smaller. In the
second place, the adoption of gum -digging as a calling necessi
tates but little expenditure. Given the gum-spear — a long sharp-
pointed rod fixed in a wooden spade - handle — wherewith by
piercing the earth the exact location of the treasure is ascer
tained, a spade to unearth it, and a small sack to contain the
day's gleanings, the outfit is complete.
The gum-digger being a migratory animal, his home is usually
a temporary erection calculated to do little more than afford the
owner shelter from storm. In one instance a happy misogynist
GUM-FIELDS AND A KAURI FOREST. 203
had hit upon the plan of cutting a door in the side of a large
packing-case and putting his bed inside. When we saw him he
was sitting on a stump just outside his cabin, basking in the
morning sun. A sleek pussy-cat purred contentedly on his knee,
and on a wood -fire close by simmered the jack-pot containing
his coffee. The run through the gum-fields revealed all manner
of dwellings, from the shanty belonging to a rheumatic old
couple, which was carefully constructed of a patchwork of all
shapes and sizes of boards, heavily thatched with dried grasses
and fagots of ti-tree, to the shelter of the robust new-comer,
which consisted merely of a piece of coarse canvas thrown over
a rough framework of wood.
The train stopped close by the ruins of a flax -mill, and the
Austrians alighted. There was no one waiting to receive them,
and, looking back, we saw them standing beside their belongings
uncertain which way to turn, but still presenting the same un
complaining dignified front to a callous world.
A hamlet bearing the quaintly ironical name of Babylon was
the next stopping - place. Here there were more signs of life :
two hundred gum - diggers were scattered over the tract of
country behind, and for their convenience a large gum-store had
been erected near the station. Several pack-horses were tethered
close by: their owners, who had come in from the wilds to ex
change their little pile of gum for coin and food, stood taciturnly
smoking as they surveyed the train. And an energetic Maori
lady, in a pink blouse showily trimmed with cheap yellow lace,
discussed a question of cargo with the conductor, holding her
quantum of bread in her embrace the while. She was evidently
free from the characteristic indolence of her race, for from a
communicative traveller we learnt that she undertook all the
packing at the gum-store — " a man's work ; a strong man's, too,
and she does it well."
Farther along the line we came upon a little cluster of gum-
diggers' houses of a less temporary appearance, in that their gables
204 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
boasted board or tin chimneys ; but all had the same ramshackle
look. The surrounding earth showed few signs of cultivation,
though an occasional heavily - laden peach - tree or a wallowing
pumpkin-vine, its length covered with yellow blossoms and large
green fruit, bore witness to the adaptability of the soil. The
arrival of the train appeared to be the one event of the day at
this little hamlet, for on a grassy knoll the women — dishevelled,
half-savage - looking creatures most of them — had assembled to
show their babes the carriages going past. Separated by the
intervening bulk of a small eminence from this community was
one exceptional house. Round about his wooden hut the owner
had succeeded in reclaiming fully an acre of the fertile ground,
and thereon all sorts of vegetables flourished exceedingly; and
repaid the squatter's labours by supplying him with a wellnigh
inexhaustible variety of nutritious food.
At a lovely stopping-place a pleasant flutter of excitement ran
through the passengers, and the train obligingly waited while
many inquiries and congratulations were despatched to a little
wooden house near at hand. A motherly fellow-traveller, who
had held animated converse from the platform of the car, volun
teered the information that a new baby— a first one — had arrived
that morning at the little house "before the doctor could be
fetched, and only another quite young thing about the place too.
It's wonderful," she added, " how well people get through things
when they're away from all help like this."
Our way now lay by a stream on whose opposite bank nestled
several Maori villages. The surrounding ground bore evidence
of good husbandry and a rich soil. Splendid crops of maize and
luxuriant patches of kumaras alternated with ripening melons and
pumpkins. And the half-wild native grape wreathed the tree-stems
and depended in long festoons from the branches. At the most
important of these villages the sable -clad Maori and his boy
descended, and were enthusiastically received by their entire tribe,
who had been squatting on the grass beside the line awaiting the
GUM-FIELDS AND A KAURI FOREST. 205
advent of the train. Sundry mahogany-hued infants, apparelled
simply in rudimentary shirts, threw themselves with acclamation
upon the boy, and our last view of the returned pair showed
them moving homewards, the nucleus of a bevy of admiring
friends. We were interested to learn that they were a son and
a grandson of a lately deceased Maori chief. On the demise of
their leader the descendants sought to honour his memory by
ordering the handsomest coffin procurable. When it arrived at
the village the sumptuousness of its aspect so delighted the tribe
that they had it photographed, the ornate casquet containing the
remains of the chief propped up in the centre of the picture, and
themselves grouped around vestured in the most dismal of weeds —
the ladies even wearing sun-bonnets of solid black !
The scene was less desolate now. Standing out on the for
ward platform, we had a magnificent view of the bush — some of
it scarred with the blackened strips which denote that the first
steps towards civilisation have been taken. That was but an
immaterial portion, however; the remainder still gloried in its
wealth of fern and palm. Grand indigenous grasses rioted in the
swamp-land bordering the line, and glowed in countless tints of
greens, russets, and golds in the hot afternoon sunshine. Looking
over the vast extent of country, and thinking of its hidden treas
ures whose presence was so long unsuspected, we recalled a
story we had heard of a moneyed man who, during a visit to
New Zealand, had chanced to stroll into an Auckland saleroom
when a large portion of this then unreclaimed territory was being
sold. Enticed by the auctioneer's description of land that he
had never seen, the stranger had become the owner of a large
stretch of country at 5s. an acre, and was now reaping a fortune
in yearly dues off the property. We asked Mr Mitchelson, who
journeyed with us, if this fairy-sounding tale was true.
" True ! I should think it was ! " he exclaimed. " Why, we
alone pay him £1000 a-year for the bush we rent. "
Sometimes the Government road, a rough bridle-path, crossed
206 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
the railway - track, and at these points notice - boards warned
travellers to beware our approach. But only once did we see
any wayfarers, and these were in admirable keeping with the
semi-barbaric vegetation. A stalwart Maori, gaily clad in light
blue trousers, a scarlet-and-black-striped jersey, and a broad gigi
hat bound with a yellow ribbon, came first, riding a good horse ;
while a pace or two behind followed his wife, a good-looking
young woman with the customary tattooed chin and heavy
silver-mounted pipe. When we first caught sight of her she was
comfortably riding astride on a man's saddle. A craving after
* ex
f "'/te
\^Jy"\l:i{'',
The time for the drinking of kava having now come, the
bowl was borne inside the royal hut and placed at the end
farthest from the monarch. A gentleman in a dark - brown
plush skirt, entering, seated himself beside it. To him, by
virtue of heredity, had fallen the enviable task of acting as
master of ceremonies, and of declaring in what order of pre
cedence the kava was to be offered. A half cocoanut - shell
polished to the point of reflection formed the only drinking-
cup. It was first filled for the king, who after deliberately
spilling some of the contents on the ground merely touched
with his lips the remainder, which was then emptied back into
the bowl. Next the admiral drank, he also going through the
form of calling a blessing on the house by allowing a little to
fall on the floor.
After the representatives of the Powers had in turn been
designated by the master of ceremonies, the seven head chiefs
were served. Then young Arcady got the first draught to convey
to the group seated on the grass outside, whereon the eager-eyed
gentleman in the tartan necktie, perceiving that it was destined
for another than himself, burst into a flood of indignant eloquence
at the slight. The man for whom the honour was intended
replied suitably. Irresolute young Arcady stood between the
two claimants. The vocal conflict raged, and appeared likely
to wage indefinitely, when suddenly a new actor came upon the
scene. Tamasese, the vice - king, from his seat beside the
monarch, had caught an inkling of the wordy battle, and, rising
from his chair of honour, leapt forth. His fine eyes flashed, an
infinity of scorn was in his expression. A few incisive words
seemed to quell the storm. The disputed draught was emptied
312
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
on the ground. The combatants, humbled by the rebuke, became
dumb, and peace reigned.
The noise of hand-clapping arose within the throne-room,
and Captain White, issuing therefrom, announced to the as
semblage the accession of Malietoa Tanu, whereon the Samoan
Hoisting ,
vSl-n- . AV\LI£TOAK FLAQ
flag was hoisted, and the air resounded with British, American,
and native cheers, the Samoan version of " Hip, hip, hooray ! "
diverging into a strange musical chant. The band played the
Samoan National Anthem, which was followed closely by " Hail,
Columbia!" and "God Save the Queen!" and the warships
fired a royal salute, the German Falke alone remaining silent.
THE ENTHRONEMENT OF THE SAMOAN KING. 313
Speeches followed in the throne-room. The Chief-Justice,
his words closely interpreted into Samoan by Mr Gurr, made
eloquent reference to the desires of the Powers. Without all
was quiet. One or two women smoked, and, seated under the
narcissus-like bloom and drooping crimson fruit of the leva-tree,
an officer found time for a little flirtation with a pretty half-caste.
Speech-making over, two dusky maidens with flowing hair
and green and yellow muslin robes, who were the Chief-Justice's
native servants, entered, bearing fresh-plucked cocoanuts, and
the royal party drank again. Then in turn the dignitaries shook
hands with and congratulated the king, Tamasese and the greater
chiefs kneeling and kissing his hand, the lesser and the native
pastors following in succession.
" From what I can hear, that's the lot," remarked Young
America, who had watched the proceedings unmoved, as though
monarchies were matter of no moment.
The ceremony was indeed ended. Leaving the brand-new
monarch installed in the rocking-chair, whose unsteady footing
seemed to symbolise the unstable nature of the Samoan throne,
the authorities had remounted the buggies and sped Apia-wards.
We, having declined Mr Chambers's kindly offer of the use of
the decorated chariot which had brought the king, in favour of
an audience with that personage himself, remained behind.
"Sakes, now! You're never goin' in there to see the king? "
ejaculated Mrs Beer-Hall, amazed at our temerity. "Well, then,
I guess I'll go right in too, behind you folks."
Entering the shady house where Malietoa Tanu stood, I made
my best obeisance before him, touching with my lips the cool
shapely fingers he extended, and shook hands with Tamasese,
who gracefully presented me with one of the royal bouquets.
"Kiss Malietoa's hand!" exclaimed Young America, his
countenance expressing extreme disgust. " I tell you, I wouldn't
kiss the hand of any man, woman, or child on earth, let alone
a nigger's ! "
314 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
" But he isn't a nigger ; and besides, you would kiss the
Queen's hand if you had the opportunity, wouldn't you ? " I
answered indignantly.
" I would kiss Victoria's hand if she were a beautiful woman,
but that would be because she was a beautiful woman, not because
she was a queen," Young America replied sententiously.
Half an hour later all was over. The gathering had melted
away. The natives were inside their houses feasting. In his
neighbouring dwelling, Tamasese, having by dint of violent
physical contortions and the aid of his womenfolk succeeded
in ridding himself of the irksome restraint of European dress,
and once more draped only in his lava-lava, squatted on the floor
and was happy. Alone in the deserted throne-room, among the
already withering decorations, the boyish king sat, leaning
forward, his chin resting on his hand, his beautiful dark eyes
gazing wistfully forward with a look of questioning sadness.
(¦-'-.
^A<
¦j'-i.
- (
liAVlNq SArlOft
XXXIII.
A 'FRISCO MAIL-BOAT.
A high-pitched feminine voice, whose owner, heralded by a
loud rustle of silk petticoats, was ascending the accommodation-
ladder, exclaimed, "Well, I don't think much of the city of Apia,
anyhow. But I did have 'a bully time ashore talking to those
soldier boys ! " A harsh-toned gong called vociferously to lunch,
and the smell of clam-chowder hung heavy in the air. We were
on board the American mail-steamer Mariposa, bound for San
Francisco. The Boy was unfeignedly grieved to quit the warship, where
we had been so hospitably entertained ; but I think both the
Artist and I were glad. Our stay in Samoa had proved the
perfect antithesis of our expectations. It was tantalising to
be within a stone-throw of so much scenic beauty and yet have
one's walks confined to a single line of road. And although
our experience of the picturesque savage warfare had been such
as we would not willingly part with, yet it had many drawbacks.
316 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
To mention the one most present with us, the heat had been
suffocating, and heat and excitement accord but ill. .
When we bade farewell to lovely Upolu the atmosphere was
heavy with gunpowder fumes, and the purple hills were reverber
ating to the roar of the salute fired in honour of H.M.S. Tauranga,
which, in response to the summons carried by the Taviuni, had
just arrived from Fiji. And so our parting view of Samoa
much resembled our opening vision.
A lady who joined the Mariposa at Apia aroused the
sympathetic interest of all on board. She was the wife of
a German engaged in missionary work at Samoa, — whether
as preacher or teacher did not transpire, — and was on the way
to Germany. She was a tall graceful woman, evidently in a
delicate state of health, and as the tears kept welling in her
sad grey eyes, I thought she sorrowed to leave her island home,
but never dreamt that her grief was at parting with the callous
individual who sat complacently sipping iced drinks from a tall
tumbler, without a tender word or glance at this fragile woman
who was embarking on a journey that would last for many weeks.
Their child, a surprisingly clever infant of ten months old, who
could already toddle about alone, found a great attraction in
the articles contained in the side-pocket of my deck-chair. Her
interest centred in a Samoan fan across which one of the officers
of the Philadelphia had tied a ribbon with the ship's name im
printed in large gilt letters. Toddling furtively up to my side,
the child would capture the fan and then stagger off to her
mother, holding the trophy in her triumphant grasp. It illus
trates the strained state of feeling then existing in Apia between
the opposing nations to mention that on each occasion the father
bellowed " Gretchen ! " in a voice of thunder; and the mother,
plunged in the depths of woe though she was, arose from her
seat, and wrenching from the babe's reluctant hand the fan
emblazoned with the obnoxious name of the American warship,
walked over to me and, without a word, returned it.
A FRISCO MAIL-BOAT.
317
An orphan half-caste child, Bertha, who was on her way to
German relatives whom she had never seen, was in this lady's
charge. She was a pathetic little figure, with clumsy ill-made
clothes hanging loosely on her thin childish limbs, and great
melancholy eyes looking out of her wistful little face. She was
a steerage passenger, but in the hopes that she might help the
"missionary lady" to amuse the lively little Gretchen, she was
permitted to remain near her
friends. Often, as we retired to
our cabins at night, we would
see the poor lonely infant lying
huddled up fast asleep on the
rug outside the " missionary
lady's" door. The trio of help
less creatures — for the mother
was no better able to take care
of herself than were the infants
— gained much commiseration on
board. The poor lady was a
bad sailor. In any case she
was in a state of health totally
unsuited for travel, and the
climax of her misery lay in the
possession of a fixed belief that
she was fated to die before
reaching her destination. The
ears of that insensate husband
must have tingled even in far-off Apia when the passengers of
the Mariposa exchanged their opinions of him.
Meeting people when travelling is like reading the first parts
of engrossing books whose concluding volumes are not yet written.
One gets an amazingly intimate view of certain phases of their
lives, then utterly fails to learn the sequel. There are very many
things I would like to know about the folks we encountered
Bertha. f^ofl SVyiQA
318 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
on our journeyings. I would like to hear what became oi the
strange woman, a steerage passenger, who, warring against fate,
became fired with determination of enjoying, for at least one day,
the luxuries attendant upon riches, and rushed madly into debts
that she could never hope to discharge when on shore at Naples.
I would be interested to know how the handsome schoolgirl
bride got on with the conceited little spouse who even then
had disclosed signs of bullying. Oh ! there are many among
our erstwhile travelling companions whose careers I would like
to have opportunities of studying. I want to hear that the
"missionary lady" and the sprightly Gretchen got safely home
to Germany. But most of all I would like to know that the
experiences that lay in wait for the apprehensive - eyed little
Bertha were not hard ones, and to be assured that she met
with a kindly reception from her Teuton relatives in the un
known country, that must have impressed the child as being
so colourless and bleak in comparison with her beautiful island
home. Our cabin on the Mariposa was a pretty little room, white-
painted, with fresh draperies of coloured muslin, and a square
casement that, its position being well forward in the ship's bows,
we could keep open except in the roughest weather. Two framed
notices conspicuously adorned the walls. The first politely re
quested passengers to remove their boots before lying down, — a
petition vying in unconscious humour with that which the New
York man had seen posted up in a " way-back " tavern, " If you
are a gentleman, you will use the butter-knife." The second bore
the ominous suggestion that passengers who were not already con
versant with the method of fastening the life-buoys which were to
be found under each berth, would find the stewards ready to in
struct them.
During the first two days the weather was ideal. The sun
shone and the wind rested. The passengers were mostly all
pleasant and refined, but we held little intercourse except with
A FRISCO MAIL-BOAT. 319
the half - dozen men in whose company we had been on the
Taviuni and the Philadelphia, and for whom our mutual endur
ances had engendered a warm respect. Two of our new fellow-
travellers, whose places at table were directly opposite, may be
specialised as awaking a gruesome interest in us. One was an
elderly man with a flaxen wig and a dyspeptic complexion ; the
other was a well-groomed, alert-looking young fellow, who wore
a pleasant smile, a plethora of diamonds, and exceedingly ornate
foot-gear. Both men were semi-invalids. Their first inquiries at
breakfast were always respecting each other's health : these were
followed by an exhaustive disquisition on the merits of their re
spective bolus — for, as we speedily gathered, each daily swallowed
two digestive pills. In point of manner both were quiet and un
obtrusive : we might have chanced upon much less agreeable
neighbours. It was the extraordinary nature of their appetites
that appalled us. The disquieting element lay not so much in
the variety and quality of the viands they succeeded in assimi
lating, as in the disturbing, not to say unholy, combinations in
which they indulged.
One morning the younger concluded a meal, that had already
comprised at least three hot dishes, by eating pork sausages and
honey — first cutting up the sausages, liberally anointing them with
honey, then wolfing the whole. On witnessing this sign of prowess,
the elder invalid, hastily disposing of his second helping of " corned
beef hash " and of the sheaf of spring onions on which his energies
were at that moment engaged, ordered eggs and a dish of hot
batter-cakes. He had a custom of concluding an extensive break
fast by saying in a feeble, die-away, invalid-requiring-to-have-his-
appetite - tempted sort of voice, "Steward, bring me some nice
eggs." On the arrival of the eggs, which were served, shelled, in
an exaggerated egg-cup, and the pancakes, he soaked the cakes in
a flood of maple-syrup and devoured them and the eggs in alter
nate mouthfuls.
While the Pacific continued placid the Artist shut himself into
320 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
his cabin and did ' Graphic ' drawings ; the Boy made a careful
investigation of all the ship's appointments, including her officers ;
and I lay in my deck-chair — for whose seductive embrace I had
longed at Apia — and scribbled. There was little temptation to
idle ; the ship's library was almost antique, the author most in
evidence being Bulwer.
On the third night out from Samoa we saw the rare phenom
enon of a lunar rainbow, a weird appearance suggesting the ghost
of a " shepherd's delight." As gloomily prophesied by the weather-
wise, this was the sure precursor of a storm. Its appearance was
quickly followed by what is known in South Sea parlance as a
" blow." The Mariposa was light. The cargo wherewith she
began the voyage had all been unloaded at Auckland, and, being
chartered to ship a large consignment of sugar from the Sandwich
Islands, she carried little ballast, so for four days and nights the
waves tossed her unresistingly about.
The Mariposa cabins, which are in all respects well-appointed,
boast the quite gratuitous luxury of spring mattresses ; so that if
one is light, as I happen to be, the giddy sensation of being tossed
in a blanket is added to the discomforts attendant on pitching and
rolling. Our nimble-footed little American stewardess, surely the bright
est and best of her class, was thrown down and badly bruised, and
the care of her many sufferers devolved upon a steward whose
hands were already more than full. He was a cheery Irish-
Colonial, amply endowed with good-humour and physical endur
ance ; but even he succumbed to a fit of the doldrums, which
caused him, as he mopped up the iced water which, the instant
after he had placed it on a chair, had chosen to turn a somer
sault on to the carpet, to remark in bitter soliloquy, " Well,
I'm blest if, for the life of me, I can tell why any man that
could earn a crust on shore should be so mad as to ship as
a steward ! "
A FRISCO MAIL-BOAT. 32 1
Our cabin was situated near the bows, and in the storm the
waves dashed noisily against its side, the wind whined and wailed
at the openings of the Venetian window - shutters, and a mast,
whose column pierced the corridor near, cracked in a series of
pistol-like reports all night long. But everything comes to an
end. We reached the Sandwich Islands one morning of brilliant
sunshine, to see the flying-fish skimming in thousands above the
tranquil waters of Honolulu Bay.
NtHR HONOLULU
XXXIV
HONOLULU.
Our day in the Sandwich Islands opened with the discovery
of a catastrophe. As we bade farewell to Admiral Kautz he
intrusted the Artist with a private communication to the
Hawaiian President at Honolulu. When the Mariposa entered
the harbour, the Artist opened the carefully locked and strapped
portmanteau wherein this State document had been carefully
concealed, and found its envelope stained and smeared with
great reddish - brown patches. During the storm the cork had
wriggled out of a stray bottle of chlorodyne, and, actuated by
that wanton perversity which seems especially rampant in in
animate objects, the bottle had elected to ooze its sticky contents
over the secret despatch, leaving the less valuable contents of the
portmanteau inviolate.
As the Mariposa touched the wharf she was boarded by an
eager little crowd, one of whom, a Kanaka journalist, after a
hurried question or two to the purser, who pointed out our
group, rushed up to the Artist and, introducing himself as the
representative of a local newspaper, on behalf of his journal
HONOLULU. 323
craved particulars of the Samoan war. My husband is a modest
man, and rather shy of interviews ; apart from that constitu
tional weakness, he was all impatience to present the blotted
letter and his apologies to the President. He tried to put off
the journalist with generalities and excuses, but the man refused
to depart except the Artist blessed him with details. He was
persistent, and exhibited a tenacity worthy a better cause.
While the Artist sought, as decidedly as politeness would per
mit, to discourage his attempts to extract information, the Boy
and I stood gloomily by, mentally picturing our day spent in
the clutches of this avid interviewer. Then an idea struck me.
" Do you see that gentleman standing by the gangway — the
young one with the blue tie ? " I interposed, thrusting myself
into the conversation, and pointing to Younger America. " Well,
he was on the Philadelphia also, and I'm certain he will have
far more to tell "
There was no need to finish my sentence. The interviewer
had already hurried off, and, while he was tripping over words
in his eagerness to introduce himself, we, unobserved, made
our escape. Next morning on deck Younger America proudly
showed me a copy of the previous night's issue of the enterpris
ing Kanaka's paper, wherein the leading feature was a column-
long interview with himself, which afforded many vivacious if
not slavishly accurate disclosures regarding the Samoan war.
If I recollect rightly, it set the number of the rebel troops at
15,000, and rated all else on the same lavish scale. The jour
nalist had certainly direct cause to thank me. I am convinced
that the Artist's account of Samoan affairs would have been
but bald and colourless in comparison with that of Younger
America. We strolled up to the presidential buildings — formerly the
royal palace of Hawaii — to find that, the day being Good Friday,
the offices were closed. Obtaining the President's home address,
the Artist hastened there, leaving the Boy and me to await his
324
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
return in the beautiful gardens surrounding the palace. We
were sitting on the grass in the shade of a tall acacia-like tree
when we discovered that, all around, the ground was strewn
with seeds of a brilliant scarlet which had fallen from the tree.
With a view to future necklaces, I began to pick them up;
while the Boy, foreseeing their use as soldiers in his mimic
battles, eagerly filled his pockets. At first I felt a little afraid
that the Chinese gardeners who were moving about might dis
cover our depredations and ignominiously expel us ; but our action
passed unheeded. Doubtless the shining scarlet seeds had more
value in our eyes than in theirs.
The Artist returned, his mission duly accomplished. The
President had seen the humorous side of the situation, and
merely smiled when he apologetically tendered the smudgy
epistle. The sun was now high, and, our desires turning to
wards luncheon, we sought a likely restaurant. The only one
at hand was attached to the Occidental Hotel, and it we entered,
to find ourselves in a quaint place whose waiters were solemn,
pigtailed Chinamen. There was no choice of fare : luncheon
was served at a fixed price. Clam soup, codfish cream, Vienna
steak and green peas, haricot beans, potatoes, mince-pie, bread
and butter, bananas, and tea and coffee were placed before us
in quick succession by our soft - footed attendant. The viands
were not especially tempting, but they were quite eatable ; and
the price, taken by a Chinese cashier of so grave and reverend
an exterior that we deemed him some high dignitary, was seventy-
five cents, or a shilling each !
Fate had evidently decreed that our day in the Sandwich
Islands was to be an economical one. As we left the hotel, its
proprietor — a plump pleasant American, with a wonderful array
of glittering golden teeth, who was sunning himself in gorgeous
carpet slippers on the doorstep — affably accosted us. He pro
pounded that catechism as to our movements and worldly affairs
which at first strikes the European as odd ; and, evidently de-
HONOLULU.
325
sirous that we should make the most of our stay at Honolulu,
advised us how best to occupy the time.
" Say now, folks ! " he counselled kindly, " if I was you I'd
take the car down to Waikiki and watch the bathing and the
surf-boats. It's a fine drive, and you'll get the car right here,
and it'll only cost you ten cents each."
So, gratefully accepting his advice, we hopped into the first
car that appeared and had a delightful drive along a palm -
shaded road. For a long way
either side was bordered by hand
some houses standing in gardens,
whose brilliance of colouring lay
not so much in a plethora of
flowers as in the superb tints of
the tropical foliage. Swarms of
dragon - flies of iridescent blue,
green, yellow, and scarlet, filled
the sunny air, darting hither and
thither like humming-birds. Be
yond the houses the way ran
through a tract of land that had
been a desolate waste until the
industry of the Chinese, and their
marvellous ingenuity in the matter
of irrigation, converted it into
profitable market - gardens. Rice-
fields, with blades of vivid green
rising above the water lined one
side of the road ; on the other were countless rows of dwarf
bananas. Few were more than five feet high, but each plant
showed a heavy cluster of fruit. Colonial experience had taught
us to think that the Mongolian practised horticulture merely
from a desire to make money; but that day's experience con
vinced us that he possesses to perfection the gardening spirit.
IN A T-f^AM CAl^-
A Honolulu iA°Y
326
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
He may grow bananas or salad as a means of livelihood, and do
it better and in more orderly fashion than any other, and he but
rarely cultivates flowers for profit ; yet every cracked dish, leaky
pail, or fractured saucepan whose primal usefulness is ended,
becomes with him a flower - pot wherein he devotes his scant
leisure to nursing tenderly some precious slip or delicate seedling
plant. A few uninviting Asiatic shops and many laundries adorned
this quarter, and we regretted that the car whirled us so quickly
from the quaint figures we passed
by the way. Sometimes it was
a tiny Chinese girl dressed in
stiff silken robes elaborately em
broidered with many colours,
who was out walking with her
nurse in cotton coat, trousers,
and apron ; or a woman of the
poorer class trotting along in
her thick-soled shoes, one child
on her back, the others clinging
to the hem of her garments.
And once we chanced upon an
incident which illustrates the
Chinese horror of publicity. A
lady tourist was preparing to
take a snap-shot of a Chinaman, when, happening to glance
round, he saw the pointing kodak, and, seizing his watering-can,
rushed for the covert of the nearest outhouse.
Leaving the car at the terminus, we went down to the beach
and watched the bathing and the rough and tumble of the surf-
boating. The Artist sketched the outlines of the lovely bay,
and I picked up a few shells which were peculiar in form, but
not beautiful. The afternoon, though soft and balmy, was very
hot, and we were thirsty ; so, before making the return journey
7ft£ UNWILLING SUBJECT
HONOLULU.
327
to town, we halted at a funny nondescript shop by the wayside,
and, seating ourselves in the unpainted wooden verandah facing
the main road, demanded lemonade and tea. As we waited, a
native funeral passed by ; but so strange to our unaccustomed
eyes was the effect of the bright raiment, the gaily caparisoned
horses, and the nodding white plumes, that the little procession
had almost passed before we realised that the horses draped
|S6gj=gir~ A HAWAIIAN FuNtftAL-
with be-tasselled white netting were drawing a hearse, and that
the people attired in all the hues of the rainbow were the
mourners. Their lemonade gulped down, the Artist and the Boy, who
proposed walking back to the ship, hurried on after the funeral
procession, and I sat in great contentment sipping the weak
tea which the proprietor, a wrinkled old Celestial, had served,
and I have little doubt prepared, with his own hands. An open
doorway across which was fixed a counter -like shelf opened
directly from the dark shop on to the verandah, and as I
lingered, the wife of the proprietor appeared within, and leant
328 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
against the counter with her back to me. There was something
oddly attractive about even her back view. For one thing, she
resembled all the better specimens of her race that I have seen
in having her hair beautifully dressed. No Chinese woman ruins
her hair with curling -pins, or distorts the outline of her head
by padding. Her glossy satin - like black hair was brushed
smoothly back without a parting, and coiled round an enamelled
clasp. In her pretty little ears she wore ear - rings of green
jade. For the rest, her vesture consisted of a loose coat and
trousers of light blue cotton, and her naked feet were thrust
into the customary shoes with turned -up toes and with thick
soles. As she gradually moved round so that she could see
me, I saw that she carried a tiny baby. It wore a clumsy
checked frock of European fashion, but a deliciously whimsical
Chinese cap encircled its bullet head. The young mother
completely arrested my attention. With her almond-shaped
eyes, shining jet - black hair, clear waxen skin, and vivid
scarlet lips, she was beautiful in a style that was strange
to me. Watching her admiringly as she leant against the counter,
I instinctively became aware of a vague change in her manner,
although outwardly it amounted to little more than an increase
of nonchalance. Looking beyond her into the dim recesses of
the store, I saw that a strapping young Hawaiian carter,
leaving his team in the road, had entered by the farther door,
and was talking with the shopkeeper. But though his business,
real or affected, ostensibly lay with the old husband, his interest
plainly centred in the young wife. His glance kept furtively
straying in her direction. She did not respond by even a look,
but continued leaning against the counter coquettishly idling
with a shoe that had slipped off her foot, though her very
assumption of unconsciousness revealed that she was fully
alive to his admiration. With a final pleading glance, and
a whispered word as he passed her on the way out, he de-
HONOLULU. 329
parted. She had made no reply, though for an instant she
raised her eyes from the toes on which she balanced her shoe,
and met his ardent gaze with a half - indifferent but wholly
seductive look.
The team clattered off down the quiet road, the husband
vanished, and, carrying my empty cup and the bowl of coarse
brown sugar as an introduction, I stepped up to the counter to
make her acquaintance. If ever there was a woman fitted by
nature to lure men's fancy into forbidden channels, it was she.
Her fascination was elusive and defies analysis. Her manner
was charming, and her broken English bewitching to a degree.
Our converse, as was only natural between two mothers, began
and ended with baby.
" How old is it ? " I asked.
"Fifweek."" It must be a good baby. I have not heard it cry."
" No ver' good. Cry sometime," she responded impartially.
" Is it a boy ? "
Her scarlet lips met in a pout. " No. Girl," she answered,
drawling out her words with a reluctance that explained her
perfunctory attitude towards the infant, which she held after
the manner of a child with a new doll that has not caught
her fancy, but which she feels constrained by politeness to
nurse. As I drove back to Honolulu I found my vagrant thoughts
constructing a romance between the alluring Mongolian matron
and the handsome Hawaiian, — a romance that, for the sake of
the wrinkled old husband, and of the yet more wrinkled young
daughter, I trust had its sole origin in the enervating influences
of that languorous Southern afternoon.
Our day's expenditure had been so unexpectedly small that,
after we had bathed and dressed, we felt that duty to ourselves
demanded champagne at dinner. Somehow, all our petty
economies seem to end in a little indulgence which brings
330 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
things level again. Dinner over, we sat on deck watching
the cargo being shipped, and, knowing that every additional ton
would add to the comfort of the next week's voyage, our hearts
rose as each fresh load was dumped down into the hold. The
Mariposa was timed to leave Honolulu at ten o'clock, and
before nine an amazing number of intending voyagers had
come on board. So many were they that, for the accommoda
tion of male saloon passengers, a corridor in close proximity
to the engines had to be fitted up with three tiers of berths.
And later, as we tossed our way towards San Francisco,
prognosticating people became dejected when they found their
waking thoughts dominated by the knowledge that, in case of
disaster, the ship's boats would hold only a proportion of those
on board.A graceful native Hawaiian custom, which has been adopted
by the white residents, is to festoon departing friends with
garlands of flowers. The effect is often charming, though
sometimes it merges on the ludicrous. The wreaths are com
posed of countless fragrant blossoms, which, after being denuded
of their green calyx, are thickly strung on a thread. Only the
heads are used. It is a wanton and extravagant method of
garland - making, and hardly permissible even in a land of
flowers. The Artist brought me one, a thick ruching of sweet
crimson carnations. Compared with the long flower-ropes where
with many of the ladies were entwined, it was almost short;
yet more than a hundred carnation blooms must have been
sacrificed in its making, and though it made a delicious sweet-
scented necklace, I grieved that the flowers should perish so
soon. Most of the new - comers were positively laden, with
friendship's offerings. One young lady had seventeen, and the
gay floral trophies gave an air of festivity to the parting scenes.
Unfortunately they did not act as a panacea against mal-de-nter.
With the first beats of the engines, apprehensive faces looked
HONOLULU.
331
out from the surrounding ruffles of bloom, and anxious voices
inquired, " Does this ship roll much ? " The question answered
itself. An hour after starting, when we went downstairs to bed,
scores of lovely garlands lay huddled in forlorn heaps outside
Floral Fakj.w£.lls ~=^—
AY Honolujj.'
the cabin doors, and from within came unmistakable sounds
of woe. A heavy cargo of sugar, and the additional weight of a
hundred extra passengers and their luggage, steadied the ship
considerably, and enabled the older travellers to enjoy the
remainder of the voyage. Our pleasure was marred, however,
by a lack of reserve on the part of the new-comers. They
332 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
either came on deck wrapped in blankets, and lay about the
seats in misery, or remained in their cabins loudly bewailing
their mal-de-merity .
As we neared America the weather improved, but not their
manners. The ladies appeared at all meals, including dinner,
wearing cloth caps. It is an unkind thing to say, but I do think
we found them less objectionable when obtrusively ill than when
obtrusively well.
A SiqMT
of SEALS
XXXV
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE.
The ways of the United States Customs are strange. When
nearing America the purser of the Mariposa presented each pas
senger with a declaration to fill up, stating the number and nature
of his belongings, and detailing whether or not they contained any
dutiable article. Then, after entering San Francisco harbour, the
ship slowed down while an official from the customs boat sent out
to intercept us stationed himself in the saloon, and the voyagers,
forming a long queue, individually interviewed him, presenting
their formally signed declarations and receiving a ticket in
exchange. " How nice ! What a capital plan to get all the bother over
before reaching the wharf!" chorused the novices. "Now we
won't have any trouble on landing."
334
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
Within the rope-bound enclosure on the quay the luggage was
grouped, and, quickly identifying ours, we showed the card, an
ticipating instant freedom. " Ah ! " said the customs officer who
received it, "cabin trunks, open them, please; portmanteaus,
unlock them ; soiled-linen bag, open that ; rug-strap, undo that " ;
and so on until every article, even to my tea-basket, had been
opened and rummaged. And all around us were exasperated
people whose luggage was undergoing the same exhaustive scru
tiny. We quitted the wharf wishing some Solomon would arise
to disclose the meaning of the futile preliminary documents and
delays. In the light of our later experience it is strange to look back
and remember how little the journey across America had ranked
in our thoughts. Believing the States to be much like a greater
England, we regarded the 3000 miles of railway travel merely
as a quick route to the Atlantic ferry, not as affording us a glimpse
of one of the most wonderful countries in the universe. Conse
quently, as we afterwards regretted, we left ourselves only three
weeks from the time of landing at San Francisco to the date of
sailing for home.
The beautiful Western city has not lost her golden glamour.
That will cling to her as long as the Golden Gate guards her
waterway, and golden poppies spread a rich mantle over her
waste lands. Yet the smart bustling city of to-day retains little
more than a memory of the atmosphere of romance woven
round her by Bret Harte. One bit of the old world, the en
chanted world of '49, we discovered in the Mission Dolores, a
Spanish church which, despite the near vicinity of an aggressively
modern place of worship, still retains its picturesque dignity.
San Francisco impressed us as being a city of anomalies. The
heat was oppressive, the wind chilly. One street might be basking
in sunshine and the next pervaded by an eager and a nipping air.
Ladies wore sealskin cloaks over muslin frocks, and men wore
straw hats and fur-lined coats. In the park where the elite of
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE.
335
San Francisco society gathers on Sunday afternoons, there were
many handsome private carriages, but only two coachmen.
Among the multitude of listeners to the music, the women,
almost without exception, wore expensive Paris millinery — which
means a much greater outlay in America than in London ; but
among the men our most careful scrutiny could only discover
one chimney-pot hat, and that was a bad one. A splendid service
of cars took one any distance for five cents, and electric light was
in common use ; yet many of the side
walks showed a primitive wooden board
ing as pavement.
We did not take up our abode in
the " largest hotel in the world." The
admiral had recommended the Occidental,
and we had every reason to feel grateful
to him for the suggestion. It was con
ducted entirely on the American system.
We paid so many dollars a-day, and were
provided with all meals and the use of a
large second-floor chamber : its alcove was
fitted up as a sleeping- apartment, while
the remainder of the room, which was
upholstered in crimson plush, made a
comfortable drawing-room. The proprietor of the Occidental
Hotel has a pretty and chivalrous way of treating guests which
other hosts would do well to imitate. When, on the morning of
arrival, we went upstairs to unpack, we found a lovely bouquet
of roses, camellias, and maidenhair ferns awaiting us.
" Why, where can the flowers have come from ? " we exclaimed.
"Well, I guess Major Hooper sent them," said the Irish
chambermaid casually, as, duster in hand, she quitted the room.
And from the visiting-card attached we gathered that it had been
sent with Major Hooper's compliments ; but that confirmation of
her words only intensified the mystery.
1, *
'0% m
HJ'l
HmTIHec
v'
-"•"'JI
' W$?\
3f|pier=
IM C.OLD£N
QAT-E- PAfiK
i
336 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
We were still busy with conjectures as to the gallant major's
identity when there was a tap at the door, and a hotel clerk
entered carrying a plate of the huge Californian oranges, which he
placed on the table, saying, " With Major Hooper's compliments."
" Tell us, who is Major Hooper? " we implored.
The polite young man opened his eyes at the ignorance ex
pressed in the inquiry. "Major Hooper is the proprietor of the
hotel, ma'am."
It was the major's endearing little way, to welcome with a
bouquet the arrival of each lady visitor. The oranges, we flattered
ourselves, were a special tribute, and, unlike most Bonifacial
benefits, they w,ere not mentioned in the bill.
Fire is an ever-present danger in American and colonial hotels.
Even in our short journeyings the destruction of an important
hotel had immediately preceded our arrival in several towns.
We are not a nervous family, but with these recent disasters
fresh in our memories the frequent placards inscribed "To the
fire-escape " attracted our attention, and, finding that our room
window opened on a small square framed by the high inner walls
of the hotel, the base of the enclosure thus made being roofed
with glass, the Boy and I thought it advisable to ascertain the
exact location of the fire-escape, and set off on a journey of dis
covery. Up one corridor and down another, across the central
upper hall we went. Then, still obedient to the pointing hands,
we entered a third passage, and explored yet another corridor.
This time the placard condescended to details, and announced
that the fire-escape might be found at Number 99. Number 99
presented a closed door. We tried the handle, only to find that
the door was locked ! Our task, undertaken in daylight and
with placid nerves, had proved tedious and distracting. How
infinitely greater its difficulties would have been had we been
flying before devouring flames, and how ineffectual when com
pleted, we did not care to think.
The first excursion of every visitor to San Francisco is to Cliff
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE.
337
House, to see the State-protected seals disporting on the rocks ;
though why that modified joy should be considered the great
tourist attraction passes my comprehension. Cliff House is built
on the edge of a high rock, at whose base the waters of the
Pacific beat unceasingly. Seated at little tables stationed just
within its many windows, visitors consume the viands provided
by the establishment, while gazing at the- many-tinted seals who
"gyre and gimble" on the rocks beneath. Ice-cream-soda is the
popular drink, and baked beans the standing dish. Not in
frequently they are taken together.
One of the little things that struck us as amusing in the
States was the institution of free luncheons
whose accompanying beverages were not free,'
" lunch " being the accepted generic term
for a snack. " Free lunches ready at any
hour of the day or night " was a frequent
announcement. Surprising also was the dis
covery that " shoe " was the accepted term
for boot all over the country. " Boot," in
America, is only used to designate long
fishing -boots or other abnormal foot-gear.
And delightfully eccentric were the huge
overall trousers that encased the limbs of the
youngsters while playing out of doors.
Desiring to take a peep at the surrounding country, the
morning after arrival we took a car to Ingleside. The line
ended at a wayside inn, where, seated on a tiny balcony over
looking a garden bowered in roses, geraniums, and yellow broom,
we sipped a beverage called " Queen Charlie," that had been
warmly recommended by the waiter. "Queen Charlie" was a
pink fluid, which, in the regrettable absence of ice, tasted like
pomade dissolved in tepid water. Eschewing the seductions
of further Queen Charlies, we walked down a road bordered on
either side by tall eucalyptus - trees, which were then in bloom,
Y
JUV£NIL£. SAN FRANCISCO
'Frisco male
338 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
showing fragrant clusters of white blossoms that slightly resembled
sweet sultan.
The fields were lovely. Creeping ignominiously through a
gap in a fence, we found ourselves on an extensive golf-links,
whose little gullies were simply ablaze with wild-flowers. Gather
as we might, our inroads made little impression on the brilliant
carpet of bloom. Tbe only thing that prevented our being
perfectly happy was a confusion of ideas as to the season of the
year. It was now April ; our stolen summer should have been
over : yet all around us flowered blue lupins and the orange
Californian poppies — eschscholtzia — which we had been accus
tomed growing as summer annuals at home. And field mush
rooms, which we had always considered an attribute of autumn,
showed their toothsome crowns among the rich grass.
To us the unique feature of San Francisco was Chinatown,
where over 20,000 Chinese crowd together. And in its precincts
we spent most of our leisure, constantly seesawing between delight
at its picturesque inhabitants and disgust at the gruesome nature
of their habits and tastes. The visitor to Chinatown usually
goes there at night, under the care of a guide, who on con
sideration of his fee treats his charge to peeps at a joss-house,
an opium-den, and the Chinese theatre ; but to gain a thorough
appreciation of Chinatown one must loiter about its gaudily
bedecked alleys by daylight, and view the Celestials at their
ordinary avocations.
The buildings are in the same style of architecture as the
other 'Frisco houses; but the district has been abandoned to the
Asiatic invaders, who, by embellishing their dwellings with a
plenitude of shaky balconies, many-coloured paper signs, and a
multiplicity of flimsy tinsel decorations, have given the streets
a foreign appearance. Each doorway shows a cluster of half-
consumed joss-sticks stuck into the portal : the streets are densely
peopled with Chinese, and the provision-shops display an array
of revolting Chinese delicacies.
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE. 339
To watch a Chinese lady — richly attired in black satin coat
and trousers, and attended by a maid clad in similar garments
of blue cotton — do her marketing is to have one's ideas of menus
overturned, such the -atrocities that she selects and the servant
packs into her basket. And truly all the monstrosities conceivable
in the way of food seemed to await purchasers in Chinatown. Black
eggs that had been buried until they attained the desired stage
of decay, malodorous dried fish, quaint wooden pails full of
sprouting grain, pickled bamboo-shoots, strings of alternate lumps
of black putrid meat and rancid yellow fat, and doughy saffron-
hued cakes imprinted with Chinese writing, were among the
common edibles. Pallid ducklings which still retained the bill
and feet, and had the stumps of feathers sticking in their sickly
bodies, floated in glass jars of nauseous-looking fluid. These and
many other delectable morsels were on sale. But the leading
tit-bit was evidently beetles, for every second shop exhibited
basins filled with them. It was a slight relief to learn that
they were water -beetles, and that the fact of the Mongolian
estimating them fattening when eaten at that season accounted
for their presence in quantity. The chemists' shops went a
degree further, and showed drawers and bottles crammed with
shrivelled atrocities — monkeys, frogs, and lizards, besides insects
of all kinds, dried ready to be steeped in boiling -water and the
infusion drunk as tea.
Apparently the most popular professions in Chinatown are
those of barber and of fortune-teller. Quite a third of the shops
showed a bill stating that clients might have their heads
shaved and ears cleaned for 25 cents. And on Sundays every
street corner held its soothsayer — I counted three in one narrow
alley — who sat behind a small table, wherefrom smouldering joss-
sticks sent up a thread of incense, looking like some solemn pig-
tailed spider beside his web of cabalistic signs. There was certainly
no lack of flies.
We passed before a popular oracle, and after hearing him
34°
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
foretell a fortune which evidently gratified his client, asked him
to read the Boy's future. He was a grave benignant spider,
and, looking kindly over his spectacles at the Boy's chubby face,
instructed him to draw a wooden stick, imprinted with characters,
from several in a jar, and to select a roll of coloured paper from
among many. After carefully examining the paper and the stick,
PAZiCT~>
"mm ™uHc chanc winc ]i — ,i-
I IBOTffll) TELL 1N ENGLISH
he took up a brush-pen and, beginning at the foot, made myste
rious tracings on the zinc plate before him. His deep calculations
were not things of a moment ; time and thought went to their
making. And the Boy had become the blushing centre of an
interested little crowd of Chinese when the Sphinx voiced the
result of his communings.
"Ver' good boy. Ver' good fortune. No more sick. Make
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE. 341
plenty rich. Six year, eight year, ver' good luck. Good head"
— pointing to the embarrassed subject of his divinations — " good
face; good boy. Twelf year he marry"; here the Boy gave a
shamefaced snigger and hung his head. " Plenty rich. Sixteen
year — forty year — alle same. No more sick. Ver' rich. Good
boy. Good fortune." A prediction which, if a trifle primitive,
was eminently satisfactory.
The presence of emissaries of the Salvation Army in China
town we accepted as matter of course; but it surprised us,
while strolling along on Sunday afternoon, to see a shop front
labelled with an aggressive sign which declared it to be the
quarters of " God's Regular Army." Sound with an obscure resem
blance to harmony was issuing from the open doorway, and,
moved by curiosity, we entered. At the farther end of the long
dark interior was a low platform whereon stood two men. One was
ponderously grinding an air from a species of hand-organ, while
the other lifted up his voice in a travesty of sacred song. Rows
of chairs covered the floor-space ; they were wholly unoccupied
save for three little Chinese girls, who sat near the front gazing
in speechless almond-eyed wonder at what they evidently thought
these gentlemen's eccentric fashion of amusing themselves. This
lamentable attempt, one of many wellnigh as ineffectual, to
convert a nation that will ever adhere to its own manners and
methods of worship, struck us as being particularly futile. And
the defiant note of opposition to all other Christian organisations
sounded by its flaunting signboard further diminished our already
meagre opinion of its originators.
Turning from the hall, in whose vacuity our departing footsteps
echoed loudly, we set off to search for the shrine of the Chinese
gods. At the top of two long stairs we found the principal joss-house.
That particular form of religion to which it is sacred recognises
gods but no priest, each votary being a law unto himself. This
especial joss-house was conducted on strictly business principles.
342 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
The lessee paid 1500 dollars annually for the privilege of keeping
it, and doubtless made a profit. He was a dignified gentleman,
who wore a black silk turban topped by a scarlet knob, and passed
his days sitting behind a table near the door, ready to sell joss-
sticks to the worshippers.
In the twilight of the interior many precious things were
dimly visible : elaborate carvings of ebony emblazoned with
gold, great brazen jars, and gigantic, flat, one-sided bouquets
composed of marvellously ingenious paper and feather flowers
— bouquets of a bulk so great that their freight from China
must have cost a ransom.
In the place of honour sat the God of War, a bloodthirsty-
visaged image supposed to have been a tremendous warrior, ten
feet in height, who when in battle was wont to wield a sword
that had a nasty little habit of decapitating a hundred enemies
at one blow. Before him were placed three tiny handle - less
cups, which morning and evening the keeper of the temple
filled with fresh tea. On feast - days the liquor provided is
whisky. At one side stood a basin of water and a towel, by
whose aid, as the faithful believe, their deity performs his daily
ablutions. A light burns perpetually beside him, and countless
incense-sticks smoulder before his shrine. The charger of the
fierce War God, which is somewhat inadequately represented
by a banal toy-horse on a wooden stand, had a position on the
right of his master's platform : he receives a modicum of worship.
Artificial flowers wreathed his neck. A light and a few joss-
sticks burned before him, and for his secret delectation a single
cup of tea had been supplied.
The God of Good Luck, who ranks next in power to the
great warrior, was a lugubrious figure clad in the strange
sackcloth raiment which is Chinese mourning. On his face
were smears of red paint supposed to represent tears of blood,
and his history is that of overpowering filial affection. When
on earth he was devoted to his parents, and on their demise
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE. 343
he wept until his tear-ducts were dry, when he wept blood and
died. It is surely some strange confusion of ideas that induces
people desirous of prosperity to make petition to one whose lot
was so hapless.
The method of prayer is curious. The suppliant first pur
chases sundry joss-sticks and the use of a prayer-mat from the
custodian of the temple. Thereafter he sets a light to the in
cense, and kneels on the mat before the god whose kind offices
he desires to secure, while the temple-keeper strikes a bell, and
beats a big drum to attract the attention of the god, lest he
be asleep.Out on the balcony a string of huge paper lanterns over
hung a row of stunted shrubs in pots. A tripod supporting a
great brass bowl, wherein are contained the holy ashes of the
burnt incense, occupied the centre. In one corner, close by a
stove used for the consumption of paper money as offerings to
the gods, stood a wire erection much resembling a Brobding-
nagian parrot's cage, wherein are burnt fire - crackers with the
intent of scaring away evil spirits.
The restaurant we visited presented a series of quaintly
fascinating pictures. A quiet nook in the characteristically
decorated upper dining - room was occupied by a silent gam
bling-party, one of them a man of high position, to judge by
the appalling length of his finger-nails. The game in process
was a species of domino-poker, and evidently the stakes — moon
stones or cat's-eyes, which lay in tiny luminous heaps before
each player — were of value, for the quartette was so engrossed
in the game as to remain quite unconscious that the Artist was
taking a rough sketch of them.
At the farther end of the large room a table was laid ready
for a dinner - party of thirteen. And, by the way, thirteen is
not esteemed an ominous number in Chinatown, and special
blessings are believed to follow in the train of peacock's
feathers ; the joss - house even was lavishly adorned with their
344
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
beautiful iridescent plumes.. The preparations for the feast
were on such a diminutive scale that the board looked exactly
as though it had been daintily spread for a doll's party. The
round table was covered with a delicate fringed cloth ; small
napkins to match, a quaint china spoon, a tiny green glass
bowl capable of holding quite a thimbleful of spirit, and three
saucers raised on stalks, were placed in readiness for each guest.
The middle of the table was occupied by dessert. A dozen of
the odd tall saucers held each a handful of neatly arranged
A c;a/"12. T»4£y Can all
UNDERSTAND
gastronomic mysteries. Slices of black eggs, melon - seeds,
lychees, scarlet ginger, segments of real mandarin oranges,
giblets, and weird-looking salad, were the only viands at whose
nature I could even guess.
So carefully were the dishes arranged, and so cleverly did
the colours harmonise, that the effect was extremely pretty. I
would have given a good deal to have been present when the
company arrived, and, seating themselves on the thirteen carved
stools already grouped round the table, gave their undivided
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE. 345
attention to the many courses which the neat - fingered cooks
were busily preparing in the kitchens below. But had I been
present I think I would have vanished before the surfeited
guests, reclining on the divans which lined the room, lapsed,
with glassy eyes and mouths agape, into an opium slumber.
On the way out we peeped into the kitchen of the restaur
ant, where three cooks had paused in their labours to regale
themselves with rice and salad. The dexterity wherewith they
handled their chop - sticks almost deceived us into regarding
them as useful instruments.
Under the care of our guide we entered an opium-den. It
was a dank noisome cellar, and the double tier of short square
berths which lined either side scarce left room to pass between.
Though it was yet day, several of the bunks were occupied by
recumbent figures, and in the farthest two men were convers
ing in a monotonous undertone as they crouched together over
the lamp heating their opium. On a mattressed shelf near the
door lay the proprietor of the establishment. Coiled up beside
his tiny lamp, he smoked incessantly. Seemingly custom had
so inured him to the drug that it acted merely as a stimulant.
Taking up a minute ball of the opium-paste on the point of a
long needle, he heated it over the flame, watchfully turning and
twisting it about as it fizzed and spluttered in the heat. When
the modicum of paste had reached the proper stage of cooking,
he inserted the remains at the pin-hole in the bowl of his long
opium-pipe, and for a moment drew in long breaths of ecstasy.
The preparations occupied a much longer time than the in
haling. A few whiffs seemed to exhaust each pipe, and almost
before he had begun to smoke, the long bamboo tube was laid
aside and another pellet was fizzing over the flame.
Leaving the warm sunshine, we plunged suddenly into some
thing like an exaggerated rabbit-warren. It was the barracks
underneath the Chinese theatre, where in cramped airless dens
the sixty actors engaged at the theatre, with their wives and
346 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
families, lived. The underground passage in which, after de
scending an almost perpendicular ladder, we found ourselves,
was only eighteen inches wide and little more than six feet
high. Had a man of more than average size sought to traverse
it, he would have experienced the difficulty of the camel in
trying to pass through the eye of the needle. Occasional gas-
jets lent a feeble glimmer of light, and served to reveal the
indescribably dingy nature of the walls. Occasional glowworm
lamps burned in miniature shrines sacred to the melancholy
God of Good Luck. Each dwelling was about six feet square.
Several may have been smaller, certainly we saw none larger.
As was to be expected from their location, the rooms were
windowless ; and there were no fireplaces, the cooking being
done at a common kitchen. There was no sign of beds ; pre
sumably the occupants rested reclining, or rather curled up, on
the floor.
So narrow was the corridor, and so difficult the ascent of
the stair, that one involuntarily shuddered at the idea of
what would happen if a fire took place among those closely
packed human habitations, and a panic ensued ; and the sight
of the uncovered flickering gas-jets and the many votive
lamps made us marvel that such a catastrophe had not
already occurred.
In one cell a pretty woman sat on a table zealously polish
ing the toe-nails of her shapely feet by the glow of an oil-lamp ;
and in another, which displayed an incredible quantity of gild
ing and ornate decoration within its limited confines, the chief
tragedian, a man of good presence and courteous manners,
sat meditatively smoking.
A scramble up a steep ladder landed us behind the scenes.
Mentally contrasting the bald surroundings with the multitu
dinous effects deemed necessary to the production of even the
simplest play on the English-speaking stage, we were struck
by the absence of cumbersome properties. The Chinese actor
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE. 347
works independently of such accessories as scenery and stage
furniture. Should a character wish to intimate that he is on
in the upper floor of a house, he makes a motion as though
ascending a stair, and the audience, comprehending, gravely
accepts the situation. Chinese players are all men, so one
dressing-room sufficed. It held several large trunks of dresses,
and a variety of spears and banners. That was all ; it was as
different as might be from the crowded noisy racket that is
usual behind the scenes.
We saw a number of astounding things in Chinatown ; but
I think that underground warren, in whose vitiated atmosphere
so many lives were spent, was the most wonderful. In their
contrivances for sleeping the Celestials reveal that same ingenuity
that characterises their other doings. One man who had a
little stall set against the side of a house in a corner of a street,
nightly went to roost in a narrow wooden box which he had
fastened to the wall just over his stall. It was about seven feet
in length, and had a door at one end. When the enterprising
owner had shut his shop for the night, and had, probably, lost
the better part of his earnings at fantan, he climbed to his nest,
pulled up the ladder after himself, and, closing the door, turned
in comfortably for the night. No arrangement could have been
simpler or more complete.
Several of the shops we visited had a broad shelf which
evidently acted as the sleeping quarters of the owner. And we
got the idea that the usual paraphernalia attendant on slumber
—pillows, sheets, and blankets, not to mention robes de nuit —
were considered mere superfluities of life, and that the Mongolian
was content to curl up anywhere, and cover himself with any
spare garment that he happened to possess.
Though the Chinamen live in what to us seems a revoltingly
slovenly fashion, it must be confessed that their appearance is
almost invariably neat. The universal working-dress of dark-
blue cotton always looks well, while the carefully pleated pig-
348 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
tails give a dignified touch to the appearance, and are never
untidy. And even though the Celestial may have his face
and ears washed only at long intervals, and then by a barber,
his complexion is conciliatory, and rarely shows traces of
grime. The length and thickness of the pigtails surprised us until
we discovered that all were closely intertwined with strands of
black silk. To have lost the pigtail is the sign of humiliation
and disgrace to a Chinaman. In San Francisco we only once
saw a man who had been bereft of his, and he was a beggar
who poked about among the refuse of that quaint alley which
we recognised as having formed a picturesque background for
that striking play "The Cat and the Cherub." And further,
with respect to appearance, it must be added that the Chinaman
is always carefully shod. As every one knows, the Chinese as
a nation are noted for small feet, which fact gives point to the
following incident.
The Boy is a creature of infinite energy. He feels his life
in every limb, to the perpetual detriment of his garments and
the periodic ruin of his boots. Hop-o'-my-Thumb found his
way home by the pebbles he had dropped, and in like manner
the Boy might almost have retraced his route by his discarded
foot-gear. Naturally the idea suggested itself that he might
take more than a fortnight to wear through the inch-soles
peculiar to the Chinese shoe, and with the intention of buying
him a pair we entered a shop. It was a tiny place, with just
enough floor-room to hold a narrow counter and two stools.
A cupboard with glass doors stood against the wall, and over
the second door was a ledge which presumably formed the
sleeping-apartment of the assistant.
It is difficult, wellnigh impossible, for an alien to guess at
a Chinaman's age. To judge by wrinkles, the years of the
proprietor of the emporium must have numbered about two
hundred. Comparatively, his attendant was a mere infant; he
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE. 349
could scarcely have seen more than ninety-eight summers. They
received our request with polite imperturbability, and by signs
begged us to be seated. Then the assistant opened the cup
board, released a shoe from its paper envelope, and handed it
to his master, who proceeded to try it on. Here I must confess
that the Boy's feet are not remarkably small. Indeed it is on
the size of his extremities that his fond parents rest their hopes
that he will ultimately be tall, trusting that, after the manner
of puppies, the Boy will grow to fit his feet.
The scene of the fitting was absurdly reminiscent of
Cinderella's proud sisters. The Boy's toes refused even to
enter the first shoe ; his heels stuck boldly from out the second.
When the third pair of men's shoes offered proved too small
for the eleven-year-old youngster, a close observer might have
seen the mask-like countenance of the assistant slightly relax.
When the fifth was discarded he grinned. With the seventh
ineffectual trial even the staid proprietor smiled ; and when, after
clambering on the counter, the assistant produced specimens
of " out " sizes from the top shelves of the cupboard, and even
they cramped the infant toes, the proprietor laughed aloud,
while the assistant stood on the counter buried to the knees
in a mound of rejected shoes, and fairly wriggled in contortions
of delight. Finally a pair of shoes, apple-green satin decorated
with an applique of black velvet, was discovered, into which
the Boy found that with a little difficulty he could insinuate
his entire foot, and that, in lack of larger, we purchased. It
had been a lengthy process. Still, to have seen a Chinaman
throw aside his reserve and give way to unrestrained mirth was
an unusual experience, and one to be proud of.
"Have you ever heard of a Mr Stevenson? He wrote a
book called ' Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,' " our guide had inquired
tentatively, as we looked down from the balcony of the restaurant
to a little square wherein a number of Chinese children were
playing. "Well, when he lived here he used to wander about
350 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
the old part of the town. So when he died the people remembered
that, and put up a monument to him down there."
The quiet little square discovered, we spent some peaceful
hours within its bounds. The memorial erected by some cul
tured Californians to the memory of the stranger who had
tarried a space within their Golden Gate is original and effective.
On the top of the handsome slab of stone a galleon with sails
of burnished gold rides proudly over waves of bronze, and the
side bore the following extract from Stevenson's Christmas
Sermon: "To be honest, to be kind — to earn a little and to
spend a little less, to make upon the whole a family happier
for his presence, to renounce when that shall be necessary and
not be embittered, to keep a few friends and these without
capitulation — above all, on the same grim condition, to keep
friends with himself — here is a task for all that a man has of
fortitude and delicacy."
Round about the grassy slopes encirling the monument the
comically be -trousered Mongolian bairns play a quaint game
of tip-cat, their pigtails flying behind them as they run. Boys
and girls alike wear trousers, strangely shaped and of varied
hues ; and save for the broad embroidered fillet that covers
the shaven forepart of the head, and their earrings and anklets
of jade, it would be hard to distinguish the girls. The pigtails
of both sexes are interpleated with threads of pink and crimson
silk, and their little feet are encased in the odd turned-up-toe
shoes. However sparing the Chinese parents might be in their
personal expenditure, it was plain that their delight lay in the
adorning of their offspring. The tiny babes sported brightly-
tinted skull-caps, and boys of mature years wore high black
silk caps crowned with a scarlet knob, a little gold image
being sewed on in front to protect the child from injury did
he fall.
The fathers seemed to act as nurses, and those who regard
the face of the Chinaman as stolid and inexpressive have assuredly
WITHIN THE GOLDEN GATE. 351
never seen him fondling his progeny. We had already ascer
tained that he had a sense of humour. In the square we dis
covered that he possessed to the full the divine passion of
fatherhood. As the soberly clad and apparently aged pere
watched the gambols of the bigger children, his one expression
was that of beatitude. When he toyed with the wriggling atom
of humanity that owed its being to him, ineffable bliss beamed
from his almond eyes, and perfect content curved his thin lips.
A LADIES /^AN
XXXVI.
DUE EAST.
It was when preparing to leave California that we first realised
the unadaptability of the ordinary British luggage to the United
States travelling system. The express rates are founded on the
knowledge that the American usually travels with one or two
huge and weighty trunks, — any lesser articles, such as a hand
bag or small valise, he carries himself, — therefore the Express
Companies charge all luggage at terms consistent with the largest
possible Saratogas ; so steamer trunks and portmanteaus mount
up considerably when charged a half-dollar apiece for conveyance
between a hotel and the railway station.
Just as we were preparing to vacate our room the polite clerk
appeared again, bearing a goodly two-handled basket. As he
DUE EAST. 353
placed it on the table he repeated the formula, "With Major
Hooper's compliments," and added, " Major Hooper thought
you would like a little lunch for the journey." After that fresh
token of the Major's perspicacity we could not marvel at the
popularity of his establishment. Every guest who had been
welcomed with flowers, and sped with a well-filled lunch-basket,
fared forth to spread the intelligence of the Major's chivalrous
and bountiful ways across the length and breadth of the States.
We crossed the wide harbour in what we esteemed a giant
ferry-boat ; but soon after leaving Oaklands Station the cars
were uncoupled, and the train, divided in five sections, was taken
on board the biggest ferry-boat in the world. It delighted the
Boy to be able to step from the carriage on to the deck, and to
walk round the train while crossing the bay.
We had looked forward with much curiosity to our first ex
perience of the vaunted American cars. They are certainly
amusing, and that, in a journey which occupies many days, is
an immense benefit. Whether during the day they are more
comfortable than our English railway carriages is a matter of
opinion. We thought the day sections of the sleeping-cars rather
narrow, and the seats of uncomfortable brevity. The drawing-
room cars, with their basket lounging-chairs, are nice, but the
ordinary carriages, where people sit in rows looking into the back
hair of the people in front, look most uncomfortable, and must
have the soul-and-body-cramping effect that a day spent in a high-
backed old-fashioned church pew might produce.
In a round-the-world tour one rarely feels quite alone. You
constantly meet people in whose company earlier portions of the
journey have been spent. Between San Francisco and Chicago
we travelled with two of our fellow-refugees from the Philadelphia,
and several of the Mariposa passengers were also in the train. It
interested us to find that the section immediately opposite ours
was occupied by an elderly couple resident at Salt Lake City.
Concluding, of course, that they were Mormons, we regarded
z
354 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
them attentively, and were a little disappointed to find them
pleasant kindly people, evidently devoted to each other.
We had left San Francisco at sunset, and shortly after starting
dinner was announced. But Major Hooper's thoughtful present
had made us independent, and when most of our neighbours had
gone to the dining-car, we got a table from the negro conductor
and proceeded to investigate the yet unknown contents. Viewed
outwardly it was a portly white wooden basket, square in form
and having a high lid. Never was basket so judiciously or so
comprehensively packed. From its exterior one would never have
suspected it of concealing two grilled chickens, a quantity of
boiled ham, many slices of tongue and sausage, two bottles of
Californian wine, a couple of long French loaves, a lot of jam
tartlets, some biscuits and cheese, a small pot of chutney, and
neatly lidded tumblers containing jelly and butter.
Using sheets of the white wrapping paper in place of napkins,
we began picnicking with a zest and enjoyment that an ordinary
meal, laid circumspectly and served by many waiters, could not
have raised. We were busily engaged when a young fellow-
countryman, who with his sister had also tarried under the roof
of the beneficent major, appeared from the adjoining car. He
had come with the intention of consulting us, and stood regarding
our occupation with astonishment.
" I see you are dining off your basket," he said at last.
" Yes. Are you not ? "
" Well, no. You see — we can't."
" Why, isn't it all right ? " we asked, not comprehending.
" There are lots of good things in ours."
"Oh yes! There's plenty of food, and all that. But we
don't know what to do ; they have forgotten to put in any knives
and forks! " ;-'f.v , e(-u[. 'ji ,,-• !"i ' -.. „ ^"r^C
Our sole answer was to hold up the thirty fingers which had
proved sufficient for our necessity, and he departed sadly, his
difficulty still unsolved. It was a pretty little instance of the
DUE EAST.
355
unconformity of the travelling Briton, but I have no doubt our
friend would have been astounded and righteously indignant had
any one hinted that he was insular.
About eight o'clock the coloured porter began to prepare
for the night by transforming the carriage into a long narrow
corridor walled on either side by double tiers of closely cur
tained sleeping-berths. And into these low-roofed bunks each
passenger, still fully robed, has
to crawl or clamber. Such a
thing as a ladies' compartment
is unknown : one's neighbours
are of what sex or manners the
Fates will, and timorous old
ladies are wont to suffer tortures
of apprehension behind their en
shrouding curtains.
Just as things were getting into
readiness for the slumberers, one
of our Philadelphia companions
came along from the next car
where his berth was situated. He
was a rich Australian bachelor,
and his sun-tanned face wore an
expression of mingled coyness and
gratification. " I say," he whispered con
fidentially, "here's a funny go! A girl — and a jolly pretty
one, too— has got the berth below mine. It's — it's an awfully
embarrassing situation, you know!"
With a twinkle in his eye the Artist solemnly commiserated
him ; and with simulated sympathy, and hardly sustained outward
gravity, I offered to exchange berths with him. It would have
been an easy way out of an " awfully embarrassing " situation, but
somehow he declined to take it.
356 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
The sleeping-car beds are wider than a ship's berths and less
given to wobbling; yet for a lengthened journey I would rather
travel in the wobbliest cabin that was ever built than in the
steadiest car. For one thing, the stuffiest ship's cabin is cooler
and better ventilated ; the temperature at which the cars are
sustained is oppressive to British lungs. And in a cabin one
knows who one's companions are, and can disrobe and dress
in comparative comfort ; whereas the confines of the sleeping-car
berths do not even admit of the inmate sitting up in bed, and
one has to dress and undress in a recumbent position. Witty
Dean Hole, who is a big man, says that when travelling in the
American sleeping-cars he felt like a sea-gull in a canary-bird's
cage, but that he thought the sea-gull would have an advantage
over him in not possessing gaiters with twelve buttons .which had
to be taken off and put on. Still, we are naturally good travel
lers, and I don't think any of us lost an hour's sleep during the
railway journey, although within the first week we spent five
nights in the train. Sometimes in the night the tolling of a
deep-toned bell would half arouse us, and we knew that the engine
was sounding the solemn note to warn some solitary city of its
approach. During the first night a little sensation occurred. Some
times — frequently indeed — one berth is engaged between two
people, and the Salt Lake City lady had retired in the belief
that her spouse proposed sharing hers. Awaking in the night-
watches and finding him absent, she instantly conjectured that
he had been smoking on the rear platform and had fallen
off the cars. Frantically ringing her bell, she aroused the
conductor, who instituted a search, in the course of which
her husband was discovered wrapped in peaceful slumber
behind the curtains of the next berth. From this little
incident the Artist, who is apt to take a frivolous view of
life, argued that the worthy couple could not be Mormons.
Had they belonged to the Saints, he said, the lady would
DUE EAST.
357
have regarded the temporary absence of her lord with less
concern. On the previous day we had been in sunny flower -wreathed
California; early in the morning we awoke among snowy hills,
with the odour of crisp frosty air, not exactly in our nostrils —
the heating arrangements of the car forbade that — but to be
gained by stepping on to the outside platform. At intervals
we passed through wooden tunnels, which were narrow sheds
built to protect the line from heavy deposits of snow. All
night we had been steadily ascending, and already an altitude
of 6000 feet above the sea-level had been gained.
We dressed as best we could. The only ladies' dressing-
room attached to our car was a tiny place whose door had
neither lock nor bolt." An' English lady and myself stole in
wrappers to the dressing - room and made as complete toilets
as the limited space and lack of privacy allowed. We found
that experienced American lady travellers had a clever way
of emerging from their berths fully clad, and with their hair
elaborately dressed. Regarding ablutions, several of them were
content with powder or a slight sponging with lavender-water.
American women are pleasant to travel with, and many of them
revealed a kindly interest in our nation.
"You are English — British, I mean?" interrogated a lady
who was removing any traces of dust from her face by dabbing
it with eau-de-Cologne before one mirror while I brushed my
hair at another. " I guessed so when I saw you get on board
the cars, and I was sure of it when I heard you speak. I can
always tell any one from England, your manners and accents
are so much more finished and matured than ours. Ours are so
abrupt." Life on an American train is never dull. First in point
of interest came the meals, which were served in a well-
appointed dining-car, where one could select from a compre
hensive menu. In point of variety and cooking the viands were
358
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
far in advance of those provided on our home railways. Some
times the meals were charged a dollar a- head, at others they
were served on what Americans
call the "European plan" and we
term a la carte.
The hucksters who pervade the
cars are solicitous and not easily
daunted. Refuse to purchase one
of the new novels he offers, and
the vendor, setting you down as a
material person, will return speedily,
laden with chewing-gum, cracker-
jack, and bananas. Should these
fail to tempt, he concludes that
your tastes are purely domestic, and
quickly reappears at your elbow bearing specimens of Mexican
lace, tablecloths, or hideous mosaic inkstands.
So far as our experience went, the moccasined Indian of
romance is no more. He has
degenerated into a taciturn hard-
featured being clad in slovenly
European dress, with perhaps a
hint of the barbarian showing in
his brilliant neckerchief or vivid
hat - ribbon. His glory has de
parted ; he rides across the vast
alkali plains, or hangs about the
stations, wearing an expression of
impenetrable gloom.
The train stopped for half an
hour at Wadsworth, a settlement
on an Indian reservation at the
border of the great plain. And there a group of Indians
clustered about the station, the men sitting idly on the fences,
INDIANS on ourTW^
DUE EAST.
359
the women, with the comical papooses slung on their backs,
standing stolidly about ; and all looking with cold unfavourable
eyes at the passengers, who were glad to escape from their
travelling prison and to seize the opportunity of taking a little
exercise on the platform. None exhibited the slightest interest,
or tried to do any business with us ; and after the smiles and
generous welcomes extended to visitors by the South Sea
Islanders, the gloomy looks and unconciliatory manners of the
Indians seemed doubly unpleasant.
To us the journey over the great desolate waste was a
strange and engrossing experience. During the day we often
went to the end
platform of the
car, and, regard
less of the inevit
able dust, sat on
the steps, looking
out on the dreary
expanse, whose
surface was unbroken except by the
low-growing grey sage-brush. Some
times a solitary spiral column of
a &a«T stTri.t^NT dust would, like a guiding pillar,
move slowly across the plain. But
usually no movement or trace of any living thing broke the
monotony. Far away across the vast plain arose a tiny
ridge, like the rim of a billiard - table — it was the Rocky
Mountains. The only signs that humanity had ever ventured to cross
the dread inhospitable alkaline desert lay in the railway line,
in the earlier track that wound in close proximity thereto, and
in the many discarded canned-food tins that lay along the sides
of both. There was no wind, yet the dust was great. And
although the windows of the carriages were kept jealously closed,
360 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
it succeeded in penetrating everywhere till even our eyelashes
and our teeth felt gritty.
Early on the following morning we arrived at the stronghold
of the saints, where we had arranged to spend the day. Salt
Lake City impressed us as both dowdy and dusty. While
viewing it we breathed dust, ate dust, and looked through a
veil of dust. But though the city has a mean unlovely appear
ance, the regal snowy mountains which form its background
redeem it from the commonplace, and lend an air of refinement
and dignity to its surroundings.
The city seemed to be built upon strictly utilitarian prin
ciples ; everything, apparently, had been designed for use, nothing
for show. The shade -trees that line the wide streets were still
leafless ; not an evergreen shrub was to be seen. The houses
seemed to have been planted down without relation to size or
fitness, and most of them sadly lacked a fresh coat of paint.
In the vicinity of the city the alkaline plains had been reclaimed,
and were cultivated with such things as would grow; but every
scrap of vegetation was intended for use. There were no hedges,
no flowers, and, except for occasional poplars and a few orchards,
there were no trees outside the city.
The inhabitants were dowdy. The men's dress was careless,
and that of the women lacked the colour and affluent appearance
of the Western belles'. Everything had a niggardly aspect that
was depressing, and the atmosphere was unlike that of any other
town we visited. As illustration of the Mormon's reluctance to
expend money on things that are merely ornamental, I may
mention that though it was pleasant April weather the only
visible signs of floriculture were a dozen hyacinths which bloomed
—six to each garden — in the front plots of two of the smartest
houses. And at the side of the principal hotel an enclosed patch
of barren earth, about the size of a large tablecloth, and absolutely
void of shrub or even a blade of grass, bore the inscription, " This
ground is reserved for the use of guests at the hotel."
DUE EAST.
361
We visited the great tabernacle, which externally looks exactly
like an inverted pie-dish supported on pillars, and gained aural
evidence of the astounding acoustic qualities wherewith accident
endowed it. To judge by the residue of nutshells, orange-peel,
and cracker-crumbs left in the pews, the tabernacle seems to be
a favourite lunching-place with the Saints. The newer meeting
house is an imposing erection which the Mormons have wisely
decided to keep sacred to their own sect. No Gentile is permitted
to enter the Temple.
The famous Amelia Palace, which was built by Brigham
Young for the use of his favourite wife, strongly resembles a
A Hocjl. op THE. LATt BlMUHA^ foUNt;
commonplace suburban villa. Just across the road from it
stands the Lion House, a row of attached dwellings of various
sizes, presumably so christened because the lion of Utah kept
the greater part of his menagerie within its dove-coloured walls.
We took a little pilgrimage to the grave of the Prophet,
who, one cannot but acknowledge, was a man of amazing force
of character and a born leader of men, though whether he led
them in the right path is another matter. His remains rest
under an unostentatious headstone in a grassy enclosure shaded
by tall trees.
In the afternoon we went by train to the Great Salt Lake.
Owing to the earliness of the season the train consisted of one
362 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
car, which contained a sprinkling of tourists like ourselves, and
the way lay across fifteen miles of flat marsh-land, where the
dried salt made white incrustations round the margin of the
pools. The line ran out into the lake, and ceased at a huge
pavilion that is built over the water. It has a dancing-hall
capable of accommodating a thousand dancers, while on either
side extend many hundreds of dressing-rooms for bathers.
The lake is deservedly called Great. It is ninety miles in
length and forty in breadth. On all its islands fresh water has
been found. Wild buffaloes exist on one, and on another there
is a vein of copper ore. An elderly man who was hanging about
the deserted dancing-hall volunteered this information. He had
not the appearance of one who entertained a high opinion of
unadulterated water, and he could hardly be expected to show
us a buffalo, but in confirmation of his communication regarding
the copper he pulled from his pocket a little salt-bag containing
samples of the ore, and hinted at the possibility of obtaining for
us shares in the company just started to work the mine.
The waters of the Great Salt Lake are so heavily tinctured
with saline that five barrels of water yield one barrel of salt.
One of our party took the Boy for a little row, and both returned
with their clothes powdered with salt from mere contact with the
dry boards of the boat.
It occurs to me now that our low estimate of Salt Lake City
is perhaps not quite a just one. We visited it at the season
when it had not yet thrown off its winter lethargy. And our
memories of the day spent there owe much of their sadness to
the fact that during it we got tidings of the tragic reverse at
Samoa on Good Friday, wherein several officers and men from
the Royalist and Philadelphia fell into an ambush and were
killed by the rebel natives. A culminating touch was added to
the horror of the incident by the White Caps cutting off the
heads of the slain officers to lay at the feet of their Chief.
Doubtless the reception of the painful news cast a gloom over
DUE EAST. 363
our day, and made our impressions less favourable than they
would otherwise have been.
The cars seemed almost homelike when we went on board
at night just in time to go to bed. Next morning we awoke far
up among the snow-clad hills, and alighted for breakfast at a
little Rocky Mountain village, where the women wore sun-bonnets
as joint protection against the hot sun and bitter wind. The
houses were unpainted wooden shanties surrounded by rough
rail fences. On either side arose bleak mountains, and a few
cattle stood disconsolate among the clay-coloured rocks. Beyond
the town were occasional log-huts, with the winter's accumula
tion of ice still resting in a solid mass on their roofs. The snow
was falling in a thin persistent shower, and although the scenery
was fine, the effect was unutterably melancholy.
After some hours of rough travelling we reached Leadville,
a mining town which is proud of the distinction of being the
highest in the world. All around the hills were seamed and
scarred with tunnelling, and the heaped-up refuse made the
town look as though it stood on a bed of ashes.. The air was
piercingly cold, and the few women and girls whom curiosity
had brought out to witness the arrival of the train had their
heads wrapped up in woollen shawls. One or two boys offered
little cardboard boxes filled with glittering quartz for sale, and
sympathetic people bought them.
In the car we had a particularly obtrusive and conceited
negro porter, and it surprised us to see the affability, not to
say extreme familiarity, wherewith this nigger was treated by
the more skittish of the Sadies and Mamies. Their complacent
mothers made no objection while they chatted, giggled, and
shared their lollies and pop-corns with him; while he, flattered
to the top of his bent, neglected all else, and sat amongst them
rolling his eyes and grinning fatuously.
From the highest inhabited point we descended to where
extensive fruit - ranches flourished in the valleys, sheltered by
364 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
the white-streaked ranges of mountains. The colour of the soil
had changed to red, and the railway track kept beside a large
muddy river. Again the way led through less cultivated coun
try. We passed a little town where a drive in the hillside led
into a great coal mine. Several of the houses were painted a
vivid blue tint, and gaily-hued dwellings may be accepted as an
unfailing sign that the mines they surround are rich in mineral.
The crests of pines showing among the snow - covered rocks
reminded us of home Christmases.
Farther on came gold mines, with the wooden shanties of
the workers placed close to the river's brink. And far from
human companionship we saw a trapper's log-hut nestling close
beside the river. His light boat was drawn up beside the
house, for the water was still frozen. Far up in the cleft of
the mountains loomed the black mouths of caves, which the
Boy flattered himself were the dens of grizzly bears.
Dusk was near when we entered the grand canon of the
Arkansas. We viewed it as we swung dizzily from the front
platform of the car, with an icy wind blowing in our eyes,
while the train crept between the lowering battlements of over
hanging rock. The train was not a small one, but it seemed
like a pigmy thing as it moved cautiously along the bottom of
the great gorge. Even in April the snow lay in masses in the
gullies, and the river was ice - bound. The only hint of spring
was given by an undergrowth of shrub which bordered the
river. Its stems were still leafless, yet they were warmly flushed
with red and pink, as though, from their frost - bound prison,
the roots were putting forth rosy finger-tips to feel if summer
had come.
The Artist tells me that I have quite failed to give anything
approaching a just impression of the scenery that during many
hours we traversed. In reply I hint that a few good sketches
would [represent the appalling heights and depths of cliffs and
ravines more vividly than words could ever do. To this he
DUE EAST.
3^5
retorts that a line picture that would in any way realise the
terrific grandeur of the gorges is quite beyond his powers of
execution ; and as I am painfully conscious that a word picture
is utterly beyond mine, we combine in shirking description.
This portion of the Rocky Mountains, where the scenery
is unparalleled in awe-inspiring grandeur, is both difficult and
dangerous to traverse. In that one day's journey we saw three
ruined engines lying crushed and broken beside the track, and
/ Co/ORADO
our arrival at Colorado Springs was delayed two hours by a
break-down on the line in front of us.
Colorado Springs is a gay little city that owes its popularity
to the near vicinity of certain mineral springs, the Garden of
the Gods and Pike's Peak. Looking up at that towering
snow -mantled serenity, we felt ashamed that the ubiquitous
speculator had been permitted to vulgarise it by building a
railway to the top. The very knowledge that during the
366 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
season one could scale it seated comfortably in a Pullman car
has bereft it of that cloak of mystery which is the prerogative
of mountains. Colorado being a prohibition State, there was a nice moral
air about the town. No intoxicating drinks could be had ex
cept as medicine. When the Artist sought our friends to
have a "good -night" smoke, he found them re-entering the
hotel, gravely carrying bottles of beer. They had been to the
chemist's to purchase their medicine ! This enforced abstinence
must be made the more galling to the local toper by the fact
that among the springs a fountain of natural soda-water tanta-
lisingly wells up. Although the inhabitants of the clean spark
ling little city are sober under compulsion, a mild indulgence
in gastronomic pleasures is not denied them. When we asked
the negro waiter if there were any places of entertainment
open, he looked nonplussed for a moment, then, seized by a
happy thought, said, " Dar's a good oyster-bah, sah ! "
Setting out for the Garden of the Gods next morning, we
saw a house in process of being moved bodily from one end of
the street to the other. The motion was imperceptible; but on
our return some hours later we found that it had travelled
several feet nearer its goal.
There were six of us, and we chartered a buggy. We had
been under the impression that in our New Zealand experiences
we had exhausted all the strange types of conveyance that the
ingenuity of man has devised. We were wrong. The oddest
of all had awaited us at Colorado Springs. The driver was a
young man of that splendid American type which seems to
embody the characteristics of all the past Presidents. His
intellectual exterior gave him the appearance of condescension
when he touted for our custom. I think that was the real
reason that we endangered our lives by entering his ramshackle
buggy. You can't refuse to drive with a man who looks like
an amalgamation of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington,
DUE EAST. 367
and General Grant, especially when he accommodatingly
lowers his charges. His horses were steady resigned animals,
but the buggy was decidedly of a frisky disposition. When we
were least expecting, it would seize the opportunity of violently
bucking. And its further peculiarity lay in sudden lurches
which precipitated us bodily to one side of the carriage or to
the other. The Artist and I shared the back seat, and either
he was engaged in raising his crushed form from under my
sudden onslaught, or I was employed extricating my mangled
remains from his unwilling embrace. Influenced by the ex
hilaration of the crisp sparkling air, we took these little mis
adventures light - heartedly, and fairly frolicked in the cantrips
of the sportive machine. When we ventured to ask the driver
the reason of these extraordinary evolutions, he looked at us
in evident astonishment at what he deemed an utterly frivolous
question, and, without abating one jot of his dignity, replied,
" It's the springs." He could not possibly refer to the under-
springs of the vehicle, for there were none. He may have
meant that the buggy was actuated by the intoxicating influ
ence of the renowned mineral - water springs, but we did not
like to betray our ignorance by asking.
I shall not attempt to describe the wonderful Garden of the
Gods. Its unique beauties are beyond any powers of narration.
It suffices to say that the place was a revelation of loveliness,
and that we agreed that no other name could have suited it so
well. Great portals of terra - cotta stone form the gateway to
a valley whose grey - green slopes are ornamented by countless
specimens of Nature's statuary. Most of the groups are in the
same red rock, although in others patches of brown, yellow,
and pink occur with marvellous diversity of effect, while a few
—and these the most beautiful of all — are executed in pure
white stone.
In the summer the slopes are ablaze with flowers, over a
hundred varieties blooming within .the limits of the garden.
368
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
While the men climbed to the crest of a little eminence from
which a more comprehensive view could be obtained, I gathered
a handful of exquisite anemones unlike any I had seen. The
petals were of a delicate lavender tint, and the blossoms grew
close to the ground, on whose surface their great golden hearts
gleamed like fallen stars.
In the afternoon we did a little shopping in the town, and
there we again found the same
kindly curiosity that had amused us.
"Are you from Chicago?" in
quired a merchant who in two
minutes had given us a succinct
summary of his varied career, in
cluding his reasons for coming to
Colorado Springs, and the cause of
his intending departure to Cripple
Creek. When told that our home
was in London, he replied com
placently — ¦
" Wall, I guess I was right. I
knew you came from the East,
sti?awb£hrik anyhow."
AT DOCK 1 en o clock saw us once more
on board the sleeping-car, which
we had begun to regard as our
only abiding city. In the night
we entered Kansas State, and by
seven o'clock we were at breakfast in the station dining-room in
Dodge City. It was another of the curious anomalies attendant
on our journey to begin breakfast on strawberries and cream.
Whether the fruit came from Mexico or Southern Texas, we
did not learn. Its flavour was delicious, and our enjoyment
gained an added zest from being served by a waitress whose
features were of a lovely Spanish type.
-~yT\
DUE EAST. 369
The day was passed in crossing a vast stretch of prairie. No
elevation was in sight. The mountains had ended abruptly in
the solemn grandeur of Pike's Peak, and we crossed hundreds of
miles of prairie, on whose rich pasture fed great herds of cattle.
Sometimes we passed a girl in a cotton sun-bonnet, driving a
team over a seemingly endless tract of prairie, or a cowboy
dashed by urging his horse to a mad gallop. The few home
steads in the district were all old and moss-grown, unlike the
brand-new shanties of the Rocky Mountain villages. A Western
lady sitting near us compared the bare, rather bald - looking
landscape unfavourably with luxuriant California, and in winter
it must have been bleak enough. There are no hills to temper
the sweeping winds, and, as in the higher altitudes, every woman
had her ears covered.
Farther on some of the ranches had orchards, and little
thickets of cotton-wood broke the plains. Farther east still, by
Florence and Topeka, the country was lovely, and evidently
fertile. Trees were abundant, and in the great fields, among
the bleached stems of maize — which looked like the pallid ghosts
of last year's crop — rough-coated cows and shaggy dog-like pigs
browsed contentedly. Kansas must be a grand sight in autumn ;
even in the undress of spring it gave promise of bountiful harvests
to come. In Britain we are accustomed to find our audacious
foliage waiting — often to its own destruction — ready to welcome
the return of the tardy sunshine. In Kansas the long cold winter
had ended, the brief hot summer was at hand, but still the trees
hesitated to put on their festal trapping of greenery, and only
now were the ploughs overturning the first long rows of sod.
We passed through many enterprising little towns, where
the signboards were frequently bigger than the hotels they
represented. Yet each embryonic city, with its unmade roads
and dusty side-walks, boasted elaborate electric-light fittings.
The railway line ran for a long distance right through the
principal street of Topeka, where the townsfolk were so ac-
2 A
370 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
customed to having an engine and cars running past their door
steps that scarcely any one favoured us by a glance.
At Newton Station we noticed a sad little cluster of Russian
immigrants. There were several young men and girls, and an
elderly man and woman. All sat speechless, and only the hopeless
resignation of their attitudes betrayed their sense of the terrible
loneliness of their position.
xxxvii.
CHICAGO TO NEW YORK.
During our stay in Chicago we had the good fortune to be
the guests of friends who showed us only the brightest side
of the go-ahead city. Their pretty home was fitted with so
many clever labour - saving contrivances that we gained the
impression that the inventive genius of the world centres at
Chicago. Like most American houses, it was heated by hot
air from a furnace. Electricity was put to many and varied
uses. All food — meat, milk, vegetables, and aerated waters —
was kept in a refrigerator. Every room was supplied with hot
and cold water ; and a clothes - shoot, for the conveyance of
soiled linen, ran from the top floor to the bottom, so that any
discarded article at once found its way to the wash-house in
the basement.
372
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
To eyes accustomed to the staid dress and stereotyped
ceremonials of our older country there is a decided air of
the casual about Chicago. We visited a petty court where
justice was served hot in a room having the appearance of a
private office, and where the lawgiver, a typical Uncle Sam,
tried cases with his feet cocked up on a table and a spittoon
within easy reach.
The principal streets were busy and smart ; and, owing to
the pleasant custom of keeping the shop windows dressed and
A JUSfict oF -ntc PEACC_
brilliantly lit after closing-time, the streets retained their gay
appearance far into the night. The drapery warehouses had
many attractive arrangements for customers. All had com
modious waiting- parlours, well supplied with comfortable chairs,
couches, and writing - tables. The iced - water fountains were
a feature of every store, and even in April the counters where
delicious ice-cream sodas of varied flavours sold for five cents
were besieged.
A favourite American method of shopping is critically to
examine many articles and purchase few. I overheard one
CHICAGO TO NEW YORK.
373
matron who had a large number of children's summer suits
brought out for her inspection, and had bought none, say to
her companion as she left the store, " I only came here to see
if the frocks would be as cheap ready-made as if I bought the
material and had it made up at home, and I find I can make
them cheaper at home."
A lively, if incomprehensible, sight was the Chicago " Wheat
Ring." Onlookers are admitted to a gallery in the Board of
Trade buildings commanding a good view of the raised octagonal
platform whereon hundreds of men jostle each other, shouting
vociferously the while. The cries and excitement increase at
times to such a pitch that one expects the rabble to lose com-
374 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
plete self-control and rend each other in pieces. A man in
a box raised above the heads of the throng appears to direct
the proceedings in a way not obvious to the spectator. The
sight of this bear-garden proved so entertaining that we felt
disposed to regret that the London Stock Exchange transacts
its business within closed doors.
In Chicago there is a revolt against the use of the word
" lady." Coloured folks having claimed the appellation, white
people repudiate it ; and the best waiting-rooms at the principal
railway stations at Chicago are labelled "Women's Rooms."
" I year dat in England dey won't allow dat anybody a
lady 'cept she a person of title," said the nigger man-servant,
husband also of the laundress at the house of the friends with
whom we stayed in Chicago. " If dat's so, I guess I wouldn't
go to lib dere nohow. I wouldn't 'low my Dinah to lib in a
land where she ain't reckoned a lady, I guess."
The Boy had a salutary, if unflattering, experience in a
morning spent at a Chicago school. It must be confessed that
so certain was his youthful escort that the other pupils would
guy the outlandish garb worn by the Boy — it was an Eton
suit! — that he esteemed it expedient to delay their arrival until
the classes had assembled, and to leave the seminary five minutes
before they were dismissed. The discovery that boys and girls
shared the same studies, and that their teacher was a lady,
made the Boy at first feel a trifle superior, but the American
infants soon cured him of that. When his escort explained
that the Boy was merely a bird of passage, the teacher kindly
insisted on his giving the class a little account of his experiences
at Samoa. It was decidedly humbling, when the children tittered
at what seemed to them his odd accent, — a decent specimen of
North-West London, — to hear a chivalrous urchin generously
say : " Don't laugh at the funny way he talks. I can sympathise
with him. I've known what it is to be Irish myself"!
The glory of the World's Fair has long departed. The
CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 375
Field Museum, the model of Columbus's refuge La Robida,
and the models of his ships, alone remain as mementoes of the
furore-arousing spectacle of 'Ninety-three. Decaying woodwork
marks the site of the enchanting fairy fountains, and on a jetty
that during the Fair supported a much-frequented casino a motley
array of fishermen daily catch scores of perch.
Space fails to tell of all our experiences. We ascended the
Masonic Building, flying up the first nineteen storeys without
a pause, and even at that altitude four floors intervened between
us and the theatre and roof-garden that crowned the stupendous
edifice. And among other things we saw " the greatest circus
in the world," where there were twenty clowns, and in three
large rings simultaneous performances were going on all the
evening. Our pleasant stay ended, we boarded the train late one
night, and next morning found ourselves once again entering
British territory after crossing the Detroit river, the train being
conveyed in an immense ferry-boat to the Canadian side, where
there was a hint of home in the V.R. emblazoned on the customs
offices. As we journeyed, the things that struck us as being peculiar
to Canada were the fences. Some, where the rails were arranged
in an apparently extravagant zigzag fashion, were called " snake "
fences; others, which were composed of huge roots of trees,
were named "stump" fences. The fields, though still bare,
were basking in the sunshine, and though some of the land
was yet uncleared, many snug wooden homesteads nestled among
their orchards.
As usual, we had forgotten about the puzzling change of
time, and a full hour before we expected it, Niagara came
upon us with the added charm of surprise. The train paused
for a few minutes on the Canadian side of the river, and the
passengers alighted to look at the tumult of emerald-green water
that rushed headlong over the precipice. From beneath vapour
376
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
arose, throwing a semi - trans
parent veil of mystery over the
falls ; and on this film of spray
a vagrant rainbow quivered. We
seemed only to have begun to
realise the immensity and the
unspeakable beauty of the un
ceasing avalanche of fuming
torrents before we were warned
that the five minutes had fled,
and that we must re-enter the
train. When we had resumed our
seats a gentleman of ingratiating
manners accosted us, and in a
confidential whisper suggested
A SNAI^t pE.NC£L
a, £tjk|P FtNcj_iyfv?i
that for a honorarium of two
dollars he would supply us with
a carriage to see the sights.
Thanking him politely, we de
clined to make any arrange
ments. We had scarcely set
foot on the Niagara Falls
Station when another gentle
man offered to drive us round
for one dollar, but his offices
also we firmly rejected.
Before setting out to see the
Falls we engaged a room with
a special bathroom attached.
I don't think I have mentioned
that in the States cleanliness
in travellers is at a premium.
Any bath costs a half dollar,
CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 377
so we found it profitable to have the bath included in the in
creased rent of our sleeping accommodation. In this instance,
by taking six baths, one each that night and in the morning,
we reduced our bill by three dollars. Had we only wallowed
in warm water at intervals during the night also, we might
have got our accommodation for nothing !
Having secured our rooms, we were walking down the street
in the direction of the continuous thunder of the Falls, when the
owner of a comic trap and a pair of black ponies volunteered to
place his and their services at our disposal for fifty cents. Not
being proof against this tempting offer, we jumped into his
carriage, and were driven from one point of interest to another.
Since Government acquired the land of the Falls the extor
tionate fees against which tourists were wont to grumble have
been abolished. The natural beauty of the surroundings has
been retained, and strong iron railings have been placed at the
dangerous points, so that one can venture very near the verge
without risk. It is impossible to realise the grandeur of the
Falls without seeing "them, and with better acquaintance one's
admiration and wonder only increase. To linger above the Falls
and watch the impetuous rapids rushing to throw themselves
over the precipice is even more impressive than to gaze from
beneath at the headlong drop of the waters. The one blot upon
the magnificent scene lay, to our minds, in the volume of smoke
that, issuing from the tall chimney of the mills above the Falls,
hung pall-like in the still air.
Save for the presence of two lovers, who were wholly un
conscious of our existence, we had the place to ourselves. Sil
houetted against the mist that encircled Goat Island, oblivious
of the vast torrent that with a noise of many waters rushed
incessantly onwards, and regardless of any force in nature save
that governing their affections, they gazed adoringly into each
other's eyes.
The falling shadows recalled us from our rocky foothold,
378 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
round which the waters madly swirled, and we drove back to
the hotel for supper, which resolved itself into a mad jumble of
meals, the menu including such incongruous items as porridge,
salmon, hot buck-wheat cakes, and ice-cream. Supper over, and
the Boy refreshed by a warm bath and tucked up in bed, we set
off to see the Falls by night. It was an ideal night, with a
brilliant moon and stars, and still crisp air. The town was
gaily lit — who ever thinks of Niagara as a town ? — and the
shops, which were chiefly emporiums for the sale of souvenirs,
such as photographs of the Falls, dolls, and spurious Indian
blankets, wore an expectant aspect. They had not closed when
we returned to the hotel at eleven o'clock, and they were open
before seven o'clock next morning when we left the city. But
only the main street showed any sign of life — everywhere else
was deserted. The banks of the river were our own. We crossed
the long, long bridge that leads to the Canadian side, slapping in
the middle to see all the Falls in one great half-circle. The river
is a quarter of a mile in width, and half of that area was thickly
covered with broken ice, on whose sharp facets the moonlight
sparkled. The works farther down the river that had seemed so
ugly and incongruous by daylight were all brightly lit, and,
losing their sordid appearance, looked almost imposing.
From Niagara to New York is a long day's railway journey,
but an interesting one. For many hours the line lay along the
brink of the Hudson river, and we saw the romantic Catskill
Mountains under the glorifying influence of a radiant sunset.
It was dark when we alighted at New York, and we went direct
to the nearest hotel, the Grand Union. It was conducted on the
"European plan." We paid three dollars a-night for a second-
floor room with a handy fire-escape, and could take our meals
either at the restaurant attached to the hotel or at any place
we preferred.
The bill of fare at the Grand Union Restaurant was tremend
ous, every item being charged separately ; and the names of many
CHICAGO TO NEW YORK. 379
dishes struck us as ludicrous and puzzling. What, for example,
could " Silas Saddleman's scrapple " mean ? None of us had
courage enough to order it and see. " Shred wheat " had declared
itself an impossible conglomeration of half-raw grains, and ex
perience made us wary. " Aunt Jemima's hot cakes " we easily
discovered to be pancakes eaten with maple syrup, and "Aunt
Abbey's rolled oats " had turned out a palpable porridge.
The atmosphere and feeling of New York seemed to us so
reminiscent of Paris that we wondered that the spirits of good
Americans take the trouble of crossing the Atlantic. The side
walks were busy, but, owing to the overhead cars which are incal
culably superior to our underground railways — the horselessness
of the trams, and the infrequency of cabs and private carriages,
the streets seemed less crowded than those of London.
Business is the soul of the States, and the mention of one's
occupation is not shunned there as it would be at home. " I
haven't made a cent to - day," you may hear a Chicago man
remark to his family in the same jocund manner in which he
would tell them that he had made a big deal. And "What did
you do in Boston ? Everybody ? " a Yankee will openly ask his
brother speculators at table.
Curiosity sent us to a " cake-walk" given by somebody's octo
roons, most of which were the blackest niggers we had ever seen.
The cake-walk turned* out to be a species of competitive march,
or rather competitive strut, wherein each negro, gorgeously
dressed, paraded round, his Dinah on his arm, the strut ending
in elaborate posturings. Before the cake-walk an "interlude by
those acquainted with comedy" was given. We thought the
designation delightful, although the interlude proved conclusively
that the actors' acquaintance with the Comic Muse was of most
distant character.
In New York one has abundant ocular evidence that slavery,
among negroes at least, has been abolished. It was no uncommon
sight to witness a nigger loll in a boot-black's open-air establish-
38o
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
ment while the proprietors exerted themselves to the utmost to
bring his shoes to the requisite degree of polish. And in Central
Park on Sunday afternoon we saw a benevolent-appearing, gold-
spectacled negro, attired in superfine broad
cloth, taking an airing in his handsome
carriage with a white coachman and foot
man on the box.
The majority of American parents
seem to have a mania for showing
originality in the way they dress
their children. In San Francisco
the little boys when at play were
engulfed in huge trouser overalls
of brown holland ; while in Central
Park, which we visited on a Sunday
afternoon, many youngsters wore a
travesty of military or naval dress.
Sometimes details were a little
mixed, and a naval cap might be worn with a military uniform,
or vice versa, the result being somewhat confusing. One child
sported the costume of a French Admiral ; another, quite a tall
lad, had an early English dress with knee-breeches and a high-
crowned beaver hat. Two little sisters who accompanied him
were pranked out in scarlet frocks and bright blue jackets,
both lavishly adorned with rows of gold braid ; scarlet hats
with clumsy white frills inside the brim, and red stockings and
shoes ; the frocks being so shaped as to give the wearers an
unbecoming rotundity of outline. The effect of the principal
promenade that afternoon was that it was the scene of a juvenile
fancy dress gathering. Many extraordinary tartans and eccen
tric combinations of colour decked the girls ; and our tastes and
eyes, being accustomed to the loose flowing hair and graceful
frocks of youthful English femininity, took exception to the
clumsy fashion so prevalent in the States of twisting the hair
whites blacking
CHICAGO TO NEW YORK.
381
into tight pigtails tied with tags of ribbon, and of robing their
owners in short full skirts of lively checks, which merely accen
tuated their immature waistless forms.
It was in Central Park, too, that the rainbow-hued vesture
and smug self-complacency of a characteristic negro family
group afforded us. vast amusement. A sketch in black and
white can give no conception of the wide range of aniline dyes
that dominated their raiment. They were evidently in circum
stances which enabled them to feel at peace with the world,
and, fully conscious of the unapproachable magnificence of
their appearance, they paraded the walk, their ebony counten
ances glowing with innocent pride and personal gratification.
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in CENTRAL PARl^,
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XXXVIII.
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
After our wanderings, to step on board a Liner bound for
Liverpool felt like embarking on some trivial excursion. The
Cymric is not one of the fastest steamers, but she is a splendid
sea -boat; and though the chart sometimes noted "rough con
fused seas," and the waves were glorious to behold, the nine
days' journey, in comparison with our tossings on Southern
seas, was merely a pleasure cruise.
Our departure was cheered by the unexpected appearance of
the New York man who had been a fellow-traveller throughout
the Pacific. He had heard that we proposed sailing in the
Cymric, and came down to the docks to wish us a kindly bon
voyage. The Tongan natives threw their garlands and neckerchiefs
into the water to testify to their desolation at parting from
their friends; at Honolulu they encircled them with wreaths
and ropes of flowers ; while Yankee adorers sweetened the fare
wells of their departing Sadies and Mamies with so many boxes
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
383
of candies that the saloon was in danger of being blocked.
There were floral tributes, too — blossoms in baskets, and roses
cut with very long stems ; but the sweets were greatly in the
majority. The Cymric was a remarkably steady leviathan, and
the ocean was not especially unkind ; so possibly the subsequent
blanks at table were as much owing to a plethora of confections
as to the action of the waves.
PARTING -TOKENS
While stopping off Sandy Hook to drop the pilot we had
the odd good luck to see a mirage, a phenomenon for which we
scanned the African desert in vain. Quite near and distinct
appeared high cliffs which formed a background for islands
whereon were grouped buildings resembling fortifications ; farther
to the left was a lighthouse. We dropped the discussion as to
the exact locality of these forts, with fellow - voyagers who were
as geographically hazy as ourselves, to see the pilot leave.
Turning, a few seconds later, to resume our conjectures, we
384
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
were amazed to find that the solid - looking cliffs, forts, and
lighthouse had completely vanished, leaving the expanse of
water unbroken save for the distant line of Long Island.
During the first three days the weather was perfect. The
sea was smooth, the sun warm, and we lounged on deck scan
ning the horizon for ships. After
the lonely stretch of Pacific,
whereon for three weeks we did
not see any trace of another
vessel, the Atlantic seemed almost
populous. On these compara
tively busy waters a rigorous
look - out is a matter of neces
sity, and constant relays of men
were stationed in the crow's
nest. The nights must have been
bitterly cold, and we used to
commiserate the sailors when
we saw them, wrapped in warm
overcoats, climbing to their
draughty perch.
The Cymric was in all re
spects comfortable. The library
had many new books, and plenty
of snug corners to read in. The
cooking was excellent, and the
variety and quality of the viands
beyond reproach. I can speak
with authority on this point, as
none of us missed a meal throughout the trip. Several of the
passengers revealed a prowess with the knife and fork, how
ever, that made our appetites, robust though they were, seem
feeble. These were known on board as the "seven-meal folks,"
and of a truth they seemed to have embarked with the intention
Keliey/nc; watch
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. 385
of eating their way Europewards. At 7 a.m. they opened the
day with early tea and fruit, followed at 8.30 by a substantial
breakfast. During the forenoon beef- tea and chicken - broth,
toffee and cocoanut tablet, were handed round, and on these
they managed to sustain life until 1.30, when an extensive lunch
was served. Tea helped to while away the afternoon; and a
dinner of many courses, followed by ices, fruit, and coffee, was
served at seven o'clock. This would appear almost enough in
the way of provender to ward off starvation; yet, if one went
into the saloon about 9.30, little groups might be seen eagerly
assimilating poached eggs and sandwiches. It was a good day's
work. To my mind the American as contrasted with the British
method of training children was exemplified by the attitude of the
parents of both nationalities who were on board. A children's
table was served in the large saloon at regular hours. It was
admirably catered for, its menus were specially prepared, plenty
of stewards were in attendance, and the two stewardesses ate
with the juveniles to see that they were properly served. Yet,
in spite of these admirable arrangements for their comfort, all
the American parents insisted upon their children — except the
infants with nurses — having seats at table with the grown-ups.
Finding the American bairns enjoying all the glories of the
State feasts, our Boy and two nice English boys, whose attentions
were restricted to the juvenile table, felt half inclined to grumble.
But their repinings had scarcely time to formulate when, for
their benefit, the chief engineer kindly instituted a club which
met in his cabin at the hour when the others were dining in the
saloon. It was called the Cold-Pudding Club, and each of its
brief meetings was inaugurated by the introduction into the
junior members of a plentiful supply of ice-cream and cakes.
It is easy to realise the delight of the youngsters on finding
themselves on speaking terms with such dignitaries as the chief
engineer, who ranked second in power only to the captain ; and
2 B
386 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
the ship's barber, a gentleman who, in addition to his skill with
razor and curling-tongs, was gifted with a genius for sleight-of-
hand tricks : did not a modest inscription on his visiting cards •
proclaim him the Wizard of the Atlantic ? Another exceedingly
popular member of the club was Mr Riley, the head cattleman,
to whose humour the club owed its witty rules, which I copy
from the Boy's list : —
Rules of the Cold-Pudding Club.
i. Five shillings to join.
2. Seven and sixpence to leave.
3. No member is allowed to eat more than 12 lbs. of cold pudding at
one sitting.
4. Any member who is not on board on day of sailing is requested not
to follow the ship on foot.
5. We shall have one strawberry festival every Tuesday following the
first Monday in January.
6. Any member found drunk and disorderly will be locked up in the bar
with a muzzle on.
The fame of this exclusive coterie quickly spread, and the
pampered youngsters, on whom the glory of late dinner had already
palled, openly yearned to join it, the knowledge of their envy
naturally rendering the original members transcendentally im
portant and graciously condescending in manner.
On the fourth day out the weather changed : the sea became
rough, and the nip of unseen icebergs tinctured the air. The
long rows of deck chairs remained empty, while their owners
clustered in the library or the saloon. " I can't find a warm
corner in this house," said an old lady, and her slip of the tongue
voiced the feeling of everybody ; for so spacious were the halls
and staircases, and so completely was sight and sound of the
sea excluded, that, save for the pulsations of the screw and the
slow stately roll of the vessel, it was easy to think we were in a
good hotel, and not traversing a wide ocean.
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
387
The Fastnet Islet afforded our first glimpse of Britain ; a
few hours later found us off Queenstown. Under the cold starlit
sky the great ship lay as steadfast as a rock, the brilliantly
illumined tender bobbing up and down by her side. Along one
gangway a line of men hurried a constant succession of mail-
bags, — conspicuous among them we noticed the small cherry-
coloured . bag containing the ship's letters ; and across another
moved the departing passengers, most of them Irish peasants
who had left a cruel mother-country in search of fortune, and
were returning to visit their friends. They were all well clad,
and, to judge from the amount of baggage they had accumu
lated, their exile had proved lucrative. We could picture the
rejoicing that would fill many a mud cabin at the return of the
wanderers. In sad contrast to these gleeful groups was a young
compatriot in the last stage of consumption, who was carried
on board the tender. His death had been rumoured during the
voyage, but he survived to see his native shores once more.
388 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
A popular saloon passenger also disembarked at Queenstown,
and his going was the signal for a stentorian chorus of —
" What's the matter with Mr M'Kerrol ? " Other voices volley
ing in reply, " He's all right ! "
" Who's all right ? "
"Why, Mr M'Kerrol's all right."
" Oh, that's all right ! "
When the tender had cast off, and the pulsations of the
engines once more thrilled the ship, the saloon presented an
unwonted sight. The mails from shore had been brought on
board. Table and floor were littered with the discarded en
velopes and wrappings of cablegrams, telegrams, letters, and
journals, and all who were not eagerly devouring their corres
pondence were buried in newspapers.
Next morning the Irish Channel was looking its loveliest ;
the skies rivalled the blue of California, the calm sea was
dotted with craft. On the lower deck the stewards were
manipulating vast mounds of luggage, and on the promenade
above the voyagers were discussing the probable hour of land
ing, and the possibility of catching certain trains. The dishabille
of the voyage had been discarded, and the Sadies and Mamies,
resplendent in the smart hats that had replaced the Tam-o'-
Shanters, were anticipating their coming siege of our high
places. Then came the good-byes, and the landing. The Customs
passed the luggage almost unquestioned. A special train was
in waiting, and within a few minutes we were speeding south,
gazing with fresh eyes at the pretty hedged fields that impressed
us as being so green and so small. A little later, darkness and
the lights of London had encircled us, and we were jogging in
a growler towards our own familiar nest, still undecided whether
joy at returning to our cosy home, or regret that our long
holiday had ended, was our keener feeling.
389
L'ENVOI.
We have settled down into our former ways of life. The studio
wears its accustomed alluring homeliness of aspect. The familiar
fragrance of tobacco haunts its atmosphere; the same sleek
pussy - cat, who has added a frolicsome black kitten to our
family circle, purrs on the hearth. The same servants administer
to our comfort ; and, save for countless happy memories, our
stolen summer might almost be a dream.
But, besides our thoughts, many tangible mementoes of
distant lands surround us. A long stretch of Polynesian tapa,
crudely patterned in reds and browns, forms a fresco along one
side of the studio wall. A Samoan fan, crossed by a naval
hat-ribbon with U.S.S. Philadelphia in gold letters, recalls our
stay as refugees in the American warship. A stuffed kiwi, the
New Zealand wingless bird; a short fluffy ostrich feather; a
shark's tooth, prized of the natives; and many shells, remind
us of our residence in sunny Auckland. A piece of clear amber-
hued kauri gum, and a walking-stick — its handle cunningly
wrought by the bushman who carved it into the semblance of
a clenched fist — bring back our expedition into the beautiful
kauri forests of Northern Wairoa.
The pair of Chinese shoes, which even at this early date
refuse longer to admit the extremities of the rapidly growing
Boy, have a place of honour beside the blue glass toilet orna-
390 OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
ment, filled with evil-smelling cocoanut-oil, presented by the
queenly Taimi at the Tongan bridal.
A piece of lava from Vesuvius, a spray of dried maidenhair
fern from Pompeii, a pressed Buddha - flower from Ceylon, a
withered but still fragrant cinnamon leaf from the sweet Cin
namon Gardens at Colombo, a dried anemone from the lovely
Garden of the Gods, a tiny bunch of frail white spring florets
from the snow-strewn banks of Niagara, a faded orange poppy
from the Golden Gate, and a long string of the brilliant scarlet
seeds picked up in the old palace gardens at Honolulu, are
among our treasures. A shrivelled brown rosebud is all that
remains of the enthronement bouquet of the handsome sad-
eyed young Malietoa, who, bereft of the thankless glories of
kingship, has doubtless ere now returned joyfully to the theolog
ical studies he was so loth to relinquish. The Samoan throne
has been swept away, and, to my regret, the bulk of the State
bouquet with which Vice-King Tamasese presented me has
long been food for fishes. Finding, when crossing the Pacific,
that the blossoms were rapidly becoming mouldy in the hot
moist weather, I hung them up in a bunch in my cabin to
dry, and an active steward, while " tidying up," tidied the
historic but decaying bouquet out of the porthole into the
relentless ocean.
Within my desk are more gleanings from our wanderings.
A paper-knife cut from a single piece of New Zealand green
stone — a beautiful species of jade, the Maoris' only precious
stone — lies close to my hand. And in a pigeon-hole are two
little glass pots from my dressing-case. One holds a huge green
locust from Sydney; the other is half full of grains of vividly
yellow sulphur, the remains of the lump bestowed upon us,
while in the New Zealand Wonderland, by the gallant Apora.
And a canoe paddle elaborately carved by a Maori at Whakare
warewa decorates the wall of the anteroom.
VEN VOI. 391
Among a bundle of dilapidated documents treasured by the
Boy is a copy of the 'Samoan Herald' for 15th March i8gg.
The curtailed size and many misprints would reveal the stultify
ing effects of local warfare, even if the editor did not in its
columns publicly thank Captain Torlesse of H.M.S. Royalist
for protection afforded to his wife and family during the bombard
ment of Apia.
Out from a batch of menus of meals eaten in many ships drop
two crumpled pieces of paper. Both documents recall our little
trips on shore at Samoa. One runs thus : —
General Pass for all dates. Apia, Samoa, 21st March 1899.
Pass Mrs Boyd and Son from Apia Hotel Pier to Mulinu'u and
return. (Signed) V. G. Gurner, Royal Navy.
The other is the Artist's special pass, which enabled him to
go anywhere at any time.
These rumpled scraps of yellowed paper act the part of
the magic carpet of the ' Arabian Nights,' and noiselessly
carry us back to the beach road at Apia; we breathe again
the warm flower - scented air, and hear, over the roar of the
surf on the coral-reef, and through the sigh of the wind in
the palm - trees, the sharp rattle of musketry in the bush
behind the town.
To those who dream of travelling at some future date when
they can spare time to take a holiday, I would pass on a valuable
piece of advice that was given to us when the idea of our going
a-roving was first mooted. " Don't delay going until you are
too old to enjoy travel," counselled our wise friend. " Go while
you are yet young."
392
OUR STOLEN SUMMER.
Perhaps we were singularly lucky. We had no misadven
tures ; nobody defrauded us. Throughout our wanderings, apart
from my transient illness, we had not even a headache to divide
amongst us. Looking back, it is surprising to see how any
trivial discomforts, such as those caused by storm, rain, heat,
or dust, have faded from our recollection, leaving us only the
memory of a stolen summer of amazing length and beauty.
PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS.
YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
3 9002 03097 2286