The Chronicles of a Gay GordonGordon, J. M. (Joseph Maria)
History
The Chronicles of a Gay Gordon
Gordon, J. M. (Joseph Maria)
Generals -- England -- Biography; Gordon, J. M. (Joseph Maria), 1856-1929
which those same schooners supplied them, thus helping them on their
passage to another world. Sulphur (or White) Island is doubtless still
there, and, no doubt, supplying many tons of that most useful product of
this earth under very much happier conditions.
But, to hark back to the incident of the wonderful volcano upheaval which
wrecked Ohinemutu and its terraces, its mountains and its lakes. For
about a month previous to the eruptions the captains of the coastal boats
plying along the eastern coast from Wellington to Auckland, making
Gisborne, Napier and Tauranga their ports of call, noticed that when
travelling between White Island and the main coast they passed through
shoals of dead fish floating on the surface of the sea. They were
astonished at this, but they failed to arrive at any solution of the
phenomenon. It was not till after the eruptions took place that these
reports caused the Government authorities to attempt to trace a connexion
between the shoals of dead fish on the waters and the eruption at
Ohinemutu. The result of these investigations proved--as far as it was
reported at the time--that serious volcanic disturbances had been taking
place between White Island and the mainland, unknown and unseen, but the
result of which was apparently proved by the presence on the surface of
the waters of the dead or stunned fish. All boys know that a concussion
caused in waters where there are fish, stuns them and brings them to the
surface, ready to be gathered in by the enterprising but unsportsmanlike
spirit who fires off the exploding charge. That a great explosion and
upheaval had taken place within the deep sea was proved by the experience
of the skippers in the coasting trade. I think I am making a correct
statement when I say that the connexion between White Island and the
District of Ohinemutu on the mainland, as volcanic centres, was
established.
My duties, as I have already stated, were not onerous. My chief work, as
instructor, was minimized by the small number of troopers. I had under me
some thirty or forty mounted men. The Maoris were somewhat restless
between the east and west, and they proved that restlessness by making
raids on the working parties which were then employed on road making
through the Parihaka district. Their chief delight was to raid the
road-makers' piles of broken metal and scatter it, broadcast, from their
well-constructed heaps.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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