The Fifth Brother – Installment 5
Ezekiel was right to be worried. To call the scribblings that Tobia Ledsome had brought in, maps was being generous. He had collected every half-thought out drawing and sketch of the island he could find. The ones he didn’t buy he had made, from the descriptions of other explorers and Maori.
Te Waka a Māui, as the larger Southern Island of New Zealand was sometimes called, was much longer than it was wide. If laid on a compass rose, it ran at an angle South-West to North-East. The Widow Clark was thought to be to the South of Dunedin. If the drawings were to be believed, a large valley stretched South, moving slightly inland, with mountains to the West and a small coastal range to the east. It would come out to where a large river intersected it, coming from the Western mountains and flowing towards the Eastern coast. According to at least one Maori, there was a constant trade going on there. The river and the relatively flat land making travel, and so trade, possible.
The exact location was not possible to confirm with the so-called maps. However, it was enough to form a rough two-part plan: Part one, follow the valley for fifty miles or so until a large river is reached. Part two, explore the river for signs of a village and ask for directions to an old white woman.
It was going to take a couple of days to get everything ready. Ezekiel would not be able to take his two trunks since this trip would need to be done on foot. He had a shoulder bag that he used when ministering to the sick in Sydney. He had used it to carry his most common medical supplies around, but would now use it to carry everything he wanted to take with him. He would need some fire making supplies and a good blanket to sleep in. This part of the world seemed to be wet most of the time. He would need some waxed duck canvas to help keep the rain off.
He was told that getting food in the wilderness could be a challenge. There were no native mammals inland, just the seals on the coast. He would need to purchase dried meat and some other travel food. Fishing hooks were to be purchased, if he could find any, the maps showed streams and rivers were plentiful.
Tobia and Ezekiel spent the rest of the morning making lists of supplies and then trying to parse it down to what he could carry and what he would actually need for a four-day trip. Tobia seemed more excited than the man actually going. Helping make the lists and gesturing towards possible landmarks on the maps with a childlike giddiness. Ezekiel had to remind himself that this funny little man had already shown he had a true adventurist streak. He was sitting amongst the proof of it. Tobia had traveled exactly half-way around the world to scratch out a living among the wilds of an unexplored land. No matter his appearance, Tobia was the master and Ezekiel the student in this situation.
After lunch, they took a break. Tobia had to take care of some lodgings business, so Ezekiel headed out to see if he could purchase any of the items on his list.
All business in Dunedin was centered around the docks. Ezekiel figured if what he needed wasn’t for sale there, someone would at least be able to point him in the right direction. A sealing ship had anchored out earlier that morning, and the docks were busy meeting the vessel’s needs. There were men rowing boats laden with barrels and tarps out to the anchored sealer. A couple gentlemen from the ship were walking the pier front, bartering for supplies using samples of the seal fur their ship carried.
Ezekiel asked around and was soon introduced to a man who sold dried meats. He had both seal and fish dried in six-inch lengths. Ezekiel was trying to determine what the best price would be and make sure he wasn’t being overcharged. A tall Maori man with distinct facial tattoos in elaborate swirls came up and yelled at the man selling the meat.
“Two pounds. I give you this,” he held up two coins and then slammed them down on the barrel.
“Wait your turn. Don’t you see there are others ahead of you?” The merchant jutted his chin towards Ezekiel.
The tall native turned and looked down his nose at Ezekiel and exhaled sharply in a dismissive way.
“What you need? Where you go?”
“I don’t see how it is your business, but I am going on a trip down the big valley towards a river. A big river, I’m told.”
The Maori studied at Ezekiel intently for a moment. “You look at white woman? Old?”
“Look at? Oh, for! Yes, I am looking for the Widow Clark. Do you know her?”
“Yes. You come with me. We leave tomorrow. I show you.” He turned his attention back towards the shop owner. “Two pounds fish, same price, him,” and he jerked a thumb at Ezekiel.
The shop owner returned with two packets of dried fish tied with twine and took their money.
“What you called?”
“Ezekiel Stone.”
“Hmmph, Stone,” He jabbed his chest with his thumb and said proudly, “Matiu.”
“Nice to meet your, Matiu.”
“How-do-you-do, Stone,” he said, his words running together, more statement than question. He stuck out his hand.
Ezekiel took it and immediately regretted it as his whole arm was shaken up and down a precise three times while his hand was being crushed. He did his best to hide the pain from his face, but his clenched jaw was quite visible.
Matiu laughed and slapped him on the back.
“Good. Now we go find tobacco. What you need?”
“Glad you asked,” said Ezekiel, pulling his list from his pocket.
___________
The rest of the day proved to be educational. Ezekiel learned about the particulars of bartering in Dunedin, eventually getting everything on his list. He also learned about his guide Matiu, who had led the way to every new purchase. Matiu was confident and headstrong. Almost every vendor eventually accepted the terms put forward by Matiu. Whether the terms were legitimately good for both parties, or they feared the angry glare of the large Maori was hard to tell.
Matiu had just returned from a sealing trip. He had been gone for six months. It was a hard life, apparently. Often the sealers were dropped off on small islands to hunt and kill seals while the ship dropped off other parties. They had to fend for themselves, making small shelters and living off the land and the seals they clubbed. They would continue hunting every day until the ship returned. Twice they had killed every seal on the island. Matiu was determined not to work on another sealing ship again. It was not a challenge to him. Next time, if he decided to to go to sea again, he would try the whaling ships. He explained that to him, it was more fitting for a man to hunt the whale. The seals were just a slaughter of something that couldn’t fight back.
He had come away with a seal skin cloak, of which he was rather proud. It was fashioned after the traditional Maori cloaks and would keep him warm and dry during their trip. He also came back with a fondness for tobacco. He loved puffing on his short stem pipe whenever they would stop and talk.
Matiu walked Ezekiel to the Valhalla. He would return for him in the morning, after breakfast. Matiu was going to go meet his father who was staying with some family just outside of the town.
Ezekiel was pleased with his good luck. He was to have a traveling companion who knew the land and was familiar with the Widow Clark. God was certainly smiling on him today. He went straight to his room to pack his things and organize his new purchases.
While he was trying to figure what medical items he could take and still have room for his dried fish, a knock came at the door. He opened it to see Maggie Woolrey. She stared straight at him, she didn’t need to look up since they were both about the same height, though part of that was due to the heels on her shoes.
“Uncle sent me. He wanted to invite you to dinner again, at our place.”
“Oh,” he looked over his shoulder at his scattered belongings. He really needed to finish packing. He would feel anxious until it was all set and packed. He turned back to Maggie and saw a look of concern disappear from her face, and she looked at him expectantly. The need to pack was replaced with a more urgent need to spend a little more time with Ms. Woolrey.
“I would be honored to spend the evening with you tonight,” he said. He saw her eyebrows raise. Ezekiel replayed his last words over again and felt his face flush. “And your uncle. I would be honored to spend the evening with your uncle and you, too. Also.”
Maggie’s eyebrows continued to climb, as Ezekiel struggled to climb out of the hole he had dug for himself.
“Uh, what time?”
“Seven, Mr. Stone.”
“Alright. Seven. I will see you, both, at seven. Please excuse me,” and he shut the door.
Maggie was glad he had shut the door, as she felt her own cheeks beginning to redden.