The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1893-10-14
Copyright, 1893. by

n ings, used to retire to his badly ven
ti1atcd WHARF, and casting aside his
lily on the general mat in state OF
natural freedom, until the sun once
more broke from the clouds; or falling
the vicin ity Of q friendly WHARF, he
went after an enemy to keep himself
warm. if not dry, and consoled himself
for getting tlrenched by breaking the
sixth commandment. However, after
umbrellas were introduced to his no
tice, and his visitors paid him in
gold for the use of his lands, he no
longer had the same excuse for staying
indoors or s'scofiing'' an enemy; there
fore he gradually settled down and
gratified his lawless passions by becom-
ing n member of parliament.
But between the stages of man eat
ing and dress suits there were wars and
oscillations between the Pakeha ana
the Maori which took away a good deal
OF the pleasure of living in New Zea-
land.
In the northern island, of which
Auckland is the capital, the natives
were the most contun;acieus, and deeds
of peculiar atrocity were by no means
uncommon. In the kauri forests fraG-
mcnts of human beings were frequent
1y found scattered about as they had
been tossed, after being hacked to
pieces, and. of course, the crimes were
at once put down to the original owners
of the land.
On the other side of the bay which
stretched between Auckland and the
kings country, stood u shanty or drink
ing shop which also served as the ferry
station. The landlord and his twosons
acted as ferrymer, and did at one time
a brisk trade to and from Auckland
city, while the wife acted as hostess;
and as this shanty was the only house
which stood on that side of the water
at tho time. she had most of the travel
ers as customers.
Behind the shanty lay the primeval
forest, dense and unclearcd, with the
kauri gums rising straight and grace
full like nlasts from the underground of
fern trees. supple-jaclSs and wild mint,
and it was in this scrub that most OF
the grewsomc discoveries were made.
Travellers were fcrricd over from the
city, and never came back again, or at
least never came back as they went
away: SO that the mysterious murders
continued. while Tom the ferryman
and his two sons had to get most of the
return fare from the police, when they
delivered as much they could gather
OF the dismenbered travellers for ideDti-
fec ton by their friends a melancholy
business that ferry must have been
to take over live men and bring back
CHASTITY chunl<s--and the citizens Won
dered that these fcrrymcns nerves
could stand the constant Sh OckS.
One day Tom and his sons ferricd
over two young men who had made up
their minds to have a few days sport
with gun and rod in the forest, despite
its evi, rcrute. They were both Eng
1ishineE and new chums, and like Eng
1ishmcn travelling for pleasure were
pretty free with their money. showed a
good deal of it we'll as lavish dis
play of jcwelry, while they laughed
easily at the warnings which they re-
ccived.
They had their TASKS with them,
therefore did not linger at the shanty
when they landed. but struck straight
out for the forest, and. as they told
Toms wife on their return, had good
sport until the rain came on and drove
them back.
1t was about noon when they re-
turned on the fourth day, after wad-
ing for many hours through the
swamps, with that persistent and bone
chilling downpour saturating them as