The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-28

equator a long time TO get dcCuStoiiSu
to the great difference in the seasons
one finds in Australasia, and particu-
larly here in the upper island of New
Zealand where the climate is much
| like that of your gulf states.'
That is what Sir George Grey, ex-
governor of New Zealand. said to me
| at Auckland some years ago.
1t was nearing the Christmas holt
days, and as my stay in these beauti-
full islands was limited to two months,
1 determined to see the natives in the
kings country" as their great reser-
walton is called, the famous hot springs
| to the east and the grand avalancheS
| and mountain lakes of the middle is
land without regard to the season.
| I had a letter from Sir George Grey
| to the Maori chief Ontonga, and half
breed Maori named Mahkah was en-
gagged to act as my guide into the
kings country
The American consul came to my
hotel to bid me goodby, and during the
conversation he told me of country
man of ours who had reached Nhe city
that daSy from Sydney.
His name is Baldwin said the
consul, and he is now sick in this no
| tel. He is we'll to do, but his is a very
sad case, and incline to think that.
! from dwelling on his troubles, his mind
is unhinged."
Then the consul went on to tell me
| that Mr.. Baldwin was from Boston
| Some six years before this he was the
owner OF = number of New Bedford
whalers that came to collect whale oil
and bone in these southern waters.
The shipowner had q son, spirited
| but rather delicate boy, who, like most
wholesome youths brought up near the
sea, had an intense yearning TO become
! a sailor.
After much pleading on the boys
part-his mother was dead-Mr. Bald
win intrusted him to the care of Cap
tain Wellman of the whaier Albatross.
! with Instructions to send Clifford-that
| was the boz's name-home on some
| steamer as soon as he became tired of
a sailors life, which he expected would
be the case by the time the ship
reached the south Pacific.
But the AlbatrOSS never came back,
and, except once, was never-heard of
again. Six months after she left New
Bedford she touched at Norfolk island,
where Clifford was reported we'll and
still enamored of the sea.
The manner of the loss of the Alba
! tross could be only matter for specu-
| Iation, but that she was lost was set
companies had paid the claim and the
| widows and orphans of the missing
sailors had discarded their mourning
years ago.
Still Mr. Baldwin believes his son is
| alive" said the consul, land he spends
/ most of his time travelling along the
coasts of Australasia in his vain
search. He is now much exhausted,
and fear he will not see the year
out"
Together we called on Mr.. Baldwin,
a thin, careworn man, prematurely old,
although he was only 49,
He told me his sad story, as he had
| told it for years to every one he met,
and in obedience to his request | prom
! ised to look out for the lost Clifford.
as every one had done, but it is I'M
necessary to state that there was never
hope behind any of these promises
The next day, with my guide. left
| Auckland. 1t was the 18th of Decem-
Der, and a more beautiful summer day
never came down from the blue skies
J for the delight of man. The woods
were shimmering emerald pillows. The
train ran through broad sheep pastures
and past farms and orchards as beau
tiful and rich in color as are the hills
of Devonshire in June.
Unnecessary here to tell of our
reaching the end of the railroad, of the
visit to the geysers and the scene OF
the recent earthquake or of our long
! horseback ride into the forbidden land
/ of the kings country.
mot even the queen of England"
said my guide, with a Show of pride,
could enter the kings country with
| out permission of the chief. But few
white men had ever been there, nor
could you go if you were not the friend
| of Sir George Grey, whom the MaoriS
call their father"
Ontonga. the Maori chief. a tall,
magnificently formed man, with a tat
tooed face, treated me with a hospital
| ity that was at once princely and bar
barrie.
| These people in appearance and man
ners remind me very much of our own
! Navajo Indians. They cultivate the
ground after a fashion, but have great
fiocks of sheep, herds of cattle and pigs
and poultry without end, while every
| stream teens with fish.
Rather reluctantly the chief gave me
permission to go on the coast. The
reason for his experimenting the danger
on the islands of Haman explained
! the guide. There is still a band of
man eaters. That's why our people
keep away from the coast and do not
wish white visitors to go there"
! l reasoned that if these people had
been really dangerous the English
would have cleaned them out long
before, and the fact that they were
unheard of it not unknown outside
the kings country" argued that they
were not important. But the prospect
of seeing real cannibals, even at dis
tance, increased my desire to go.
We carried provisions on a pack
horse. for the west coast was wild
and uninhabited. We were armed with
shotguns and pistols, not so much for
self protection as to secure game if
need he.
1t was the evening of Dec. 20 and
we had made camp in beautiful
valley, near the shore, where there
were fuel. grass and water.
| We needed no shelter for the air was
as soothing and balmy as in the land
of the lotus eaters. where, the poet
says, it is one perpetual afternoon.
| We had an early supper and just at
sunset the guide, who seemed unusu-
| ally nervous. went to the top of an
adjoining hill TO spy out the land" as
| he put ii. for he had been educated at
missionary school and was full of
| Biblical expressions.
| After being absent so long that /
began to feel impatient he came rum