CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT.
NGATI'S DISGUISE.
The return journey proved to be less perilous than the descent. Theawful chaos of water was beneath them, but invisible, the darkness beingso intense that everything was hidden but the mass of rock over and bywhich they climbed. In addition, the exertion and busy action after thelong waiting seemed to keep them from thinking of anything but the taskon which they were engaged. So that, to Don's surprise, he foundhimself on the outer side of the dangerous corner, with the gulf leftbehind, and then clambering on and on by the side of the torrent chasm,past the other perilous parts, and before he could realise the fact,they were all together on the shelf, crouching down. Here Ngati slowlyraised his head, to stand gazing over the edge at the level above,watching for a long time before stooping again, and uttering a lowgrunt.
He mounted directly, bent down and extended a hand to each in turn, andthen taking the lead, went cautiously onward to get out of the deeprift, and find a place that would enable them to reach the higherground.
It was still dark, but not so dense but that they could pick their way,and they passed on till they reached the hot spring, a little beyondwhich Ngati believed that they could strike up to the left, and crossthe mountain to reach the plains beyond.
Another half-hour was devoted to retracing their steps, when Don stoppedshort, his ear being the first to detect danger.
They were passing the mud spring, whose gurgling had startled them incoming, and for a moment Don thought that a sound which he had heardcame from the thin greyish-black mud; but it was repeated, and wasevidently the laugh of some one not far away.
Ngati pressed their arms; and signing to them to lie down and wait, hecrept onward, to be absent about a quarter of an hour, when he returnedto say a few words in his native tongue, and then squat down and buryhis face in his hands, as if in thought.
"They're just in front, Mas' Don. I keep hearing of 'em," whisperedJem. "Sometimes I hear 'em one way, sometimes the other."
"That is through the echoes, Jem. How are we to manage now?"
Ngati answered the question in silence, for, rising quickly, after beingdeep in thought, he silently picked some grass and moss, rolled it intoa pear shape, and bound it on the end of his spear. Then holding theweapon up high, he bent his body in a peculiar way, and stalked offslowly, turning and gazing here and there, and from time to timelowering his spear, till, as he moved about in the shadowy light, he hadall the appearance of some huge ostrich slowly feeding its way along themountain slope.
"Moa! Moa!" he whispered, as he returned. "Jemmeree moa; my pakehamoa."
"He wants us to imitate great birds, too, Jem," said Don, eagerly. "Canyou do that?"
"Can I do it?" said Jem. "O' course; you shall see."
Ngati seemed delighted that his plan was understood, and he rapidlyfashioned rough balls to resemble birds' heads for his companions'spears, and made them turn up their trousers above the knee, when, butfor their white appearance, they both looked bird-like. But thisdifficulty was got over by Ngati, who took it as a matter of course thatthey would not object, and rapidly smeared their hands, legs, and faceswith the slimy mud from the volcanic pool.
"Well, of all the nasty smells!" whispered Jem. "Oh, Mas' Don, are yougoing to stand this? He has filled my eyes with mud."
"Hush, Jem!" whispered Don.
"But shall we come across any hot baths by-and-by?"
"Silence, Jem!"
"All right, Mas' Don, you're master, but this is--oh, bad eggs!"
Ngati held up his hand for silence, and then whispering the word "Moa"again, he imitated the movements of a gigantic bird, signing to them todo likewise.
Don obeyed, and in spite of the peril they were in, could hardly helplaughing, especially when Jem kept up an incessant growling, like thatof some angry animal.
Ngati was evidently satisfied, for he paused, and then pointing forward,strode slowly through the low bushes, with Don and Jem following andimitating his movements as nearly as they could.
As they walked on they could hear the murmur of voices, and this soundincreased as Ngati went slowly forward, bearing off to the left.
It seemed to Don that they were going straight into danger, and hisheart beat with excitement as the talking suddenly stopped, and therewas a rustling sound, as if several men had sprung to their feet.
But Ngati did not swerve from his course, going slowly on, and raisingthe spear from time to time, while a low excited whispering went on.
"What will they do?" thought Don; "try to spear us, or surround andseize us?"
The Maoris did neither. Ngati knew the dread his fellow-countrymenpossessed for anything approaching the supernatural, and in the beliefthat they would be startled at the sight of the huge birds known only tothem by tradition, he had boldly adopted the disguise--one possible onlyin the darkness; and so far his plan was successful.
To have attempted to pass in their ordinary shape meant either captureor death; but there was the chance that they might succeed like this.
They went on in the most deliberate way, both Don and Jem following inNgati's steps, but at every whisper on their right Don felt as if hemust start off in a run; and over and over again he heard Jem utter apeculiar sigh.
A harder test of their endurance it would have been difficult to find,as in momentary expectation of a rush, they stalked slowly on, till thewhispering grew more distant, and finally died away.
All at once Ngati paused to let them come up, and then pointed in thedirection he intended to go, keeping up the imitation of the bird hourafter hour, but not letting it interfere with their speed, till, feelingtoward morning that they were safe, he once more halted, and was in theact of signing to his companions to cease their clumsy imitation, when afaint sound behind put him on his guard once more.
The task had been in vain. They had passed the Maoris, and were makingfor the farther side of the mountains, but their enemies had beentracking them all the night, and the moment day broke, they would seethrough the cunning disguise, and dash upon them at once.
They all knew this, and hastened on, as much to gain time as from anyhope of escape, till just at daybreak, when, panting and exhausted, theywere crossing a patch of brush, they became aware that the Maoris hadovercome their alarm at the sight of the gigantic birds, and were comingon.