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Updated: May 18, 2025
"Will they kill us if we stay?" whispered Don. "Yes," said Tomati, with a curious look. "Run for it both." "But we can't leave you." Tomati smiled, and was silent for a few minutes. "You will not leave me," he whispered, as he smiled sadly. "I shall escape." "I am glad," whispered Don. "But Ngati? where is Ngati?" "Crawled away up the mountain. Badly wounded, but he got away."
The man turned his head feebly round and stared vacantly so changed that for a moment they were in doubt. But the doubt was soon solved, for the poor wounded fellow said with a smile, "Ay, my lad; I was afraid you were done for." "No, no; not much hurt," said Don. "Are you badly wounded?" Tomati nodded. "Can I do anything for you?" "No," was the reply, feebly given.
In less time than it takes to tell, men had been sent out as scouts; and pending their return, Tomati led the way up the path, after the women and children, to where, to Don's astonishment, there was a strong blockaded enclosure, or pah, made by binding great stakes together at the tops, after they had been driven into the ground.
The four who were over made a desperate stand, but Tomati joined in the attack, and the daring fellows soon lay weltering in their blood; while, as Don rapidly loaded once more, he saw that Tomati was leaning on his spear, and rocking himself slowly to and fro. "Are you hurt?" said Don, running up, and loading as he went. "Hurt, my lad? Yes: got it horrid.
"Yes, yes!" cried Jem, eagerly. "Yes, yes," said Ngati; and then he stood, looking puzzled, as he tried to remember. At last, shaking his head sadly, he said, "No, no," in a helpless, dissatisfied tone. "Want Tomati. Tomati "
"Then he has escaped," whispered Don joyfully. "Yes. So must you," said Tomati, shivering painfully. "Good lads, both." "I don't like to leave you," said Don again. "Ah! That's right. Don, my lad, can you take hold of my hand and say a prayer or two. I'm going to escape."
"It's all very well, Mas' Don," he said, with his mouth full; "but if he comes and says `my pakeha' to me, I shall throw something at him." "Oh, it's all kindly meant, Jem." "Oh, is it? I don't know so much about that. If it is, why don't they give us back our clothes? Suppose any of our fellows was to see us like this?" "I hope none of our fellows will see us, Jem." "Tomati Paroni!
"Why, it hurts your feelings as much as it does your body." "Ah, well, never mind. You're quite safe now." Tomati walked away to speak to one of his men. "Quite safe now, he says, Mas' Don. Well, I don't feel it. Hear what he said to the fust lufftenant; this was the worst part of the coast, and the people were ready to rob and murder and eat you?" "I didn't hear all that, Jem," said Don quietly.
News was brought in soon after of the boats being busy taking soundings, and that night Don and Jem sat screened by the ferns high up on the mountain side, and saw the sloop of war with her sails set, and looking golden in the setting sun, gliding slowly away toward the north-east, careening slightly over before a brisk breeze, which grew stronger as they reached out farther beyond the shelter of the land; and in spite of hints from Tomati, and calls from Ngati, neither could be coaxed down till, just as it was growing dusk, Don rose and turned to his companion.
"We shall go sailing away all over the world, and be took by the French, and never see home again!" Don made no reply, but went about his duty gloomily enough till toward afternoon, when a canoe came off from the shore, manned by about fifty of the New Zealanders, and with Tomati and Ngati in the stern.
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