A GHOSTLY DRIVER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2424, 12 February 1909, Page 2

A GHOSTLY DRIVER.

IN THE HEART OF THE BUSH

At a gathering of surveyors in Wellington, the Hon, G. F. Richardson told the following story:—He was Once out with a small surveying party in the xvilds of the Ngaxvaka-a-kupo Block, near Alartinborough, xvhich was a x r ery lonely and heavily-timber-ed. place iii those days. One night he and his party had camped on the banks of a stream in the depth of the bush. Ho xvas in a tent by hknself, and just as he got into bed lie was startled by a noise like that of falling timber. From tho sound of it, he had no doubt that it xvas totara. His mind instantly dashed back to the table, xxdiich had been left several yards away, xvlfere tho xveek’s bread cooked that night, xvas piled up. Acting under the impression that some pigs had invaded the camp from x Aiaori pa some distance axvav, he rushed out in his shirt to sax r e the niin. It xvas very much to his surprise he found the table and its load nit-act, whilst there xvas not a sign of life or movement any xvhere. The peculiar tiling xvas that his dog, xvhich dept outside tho tent, refused to accompany him down to tho table, but remained crouching outside the tent with bristles erect, and groxvling. Next morning several of bis mates asked him if ho had heard a noise of ■ailing timber in tho night. Two or three evenings after, xvhen tho incident xvas almost forgotten, the same sound was heard at identically the same time. There xvas a certain dry resonance in the sound that made him positive that it was totara that fell. Ho immediately rushed out to the edge of tho creek, in the direction which tho sound appeared to emanate from, and called out: “Who is there?” There xvas no answer. 'Next morning he put a bridge across the creek xvith his party, and they scoured the neighborhood for nearly a day to sec if anything could be located. Jsit apparently there xvas no cause for the mysterious noise. Several nights after, the number of the party in camp was sxvellcd by the arrival of several surveyors. On the Sunday evening he and one of the surveyors, who had been making some calculations in his tent, xvent outside for a smoke hi the dusk. Air Richardson had said nothing to his companion about the disturbance that had taken place. They xvere chatting softly in tho stillness, xvhen in the hush across the creek once again the crash of falling timber was heard. He started to his feet in time to see through the trees the loins of a pair of bullocks, followed by the figure of a man faintly outlined in the gloom, disappearing among the trees. His companion, who did not come to his feet so quickly, onl\ r saw the figure of the man and the wheels of a timber-dray. Then the deep silence of the bush settled down upon them again. Several nights after tlie same tiling xvas repeated, and, although lie called out to the driver, there xvas no answer. The whole thing was so uncanny that they xxere glad to make a move. Shortly after they dropped across some Alaoris, who, after being questioned by the speaker, told him that none of them dared to visit the place after dark. Some xveeks previous, u young jYluori line! been driving a bullock-dray through thete with a load of totara posts, xvhen the vehicle capsized and foil on him, crushing him to death. Not one of the party had known of this.