Cry of the Taniwha Read Free

right. We’re all grown men. Give us the gory details.’
    ‘Well, for a few days I’ve been enjoying the company of a young lady. And tonight, while the others went starwatching, things…ah, um…well, things became more advanced.’ Jack paused, as if unwilling to go on.
    ‘And?’ asked the policemen together.
    ‘And…well…the young lady now thinks that we’re engaged to be married. She’s going to tell her parents in the morning. So—’
    ‘So,’ interrupted Alf, ‘you decided to scarper because your intentions had nothing to do with marriage.’
    Jack nodded.
    ‘Let me guess,’ said the other policeman, ‘you’re already married.’
    Again, Jack nodded.
    There was silence while the policemen weighed up the story.
    Alf broke the silence. ‘All right! If what you say is true, then you won’t mind us taking a look in your bag, will you?’
    Jack lifted his head and eyed the policeman in front of him. ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘But I can’t take it off with my hands tied up, can I?’
    ‘Unlock one of the cuffs, Alf, and let’s take a look.’
    Jack felt hands fiddling with the metal around his right wrist. A moment later his hands fell apart. There was now nothing to stop the bag being removed from his back.
    However, at that instant the ground gave a mighty lurch. It was not enough to unbalance anyone, but it was enough to distract the two policemen, especially when the hotel behind them started creaking as if it was about to break apart. Then the earth below their feet rumbled, suggesting that it might collapse as well. The whole thing can’t have lasted for more than a few seconds, yet in that time Jack had shrugged off his captors and was sprinting down the road.
    The pursuit did not last long: Jack’s desire to escape was far stronger than the policemen’s desire to catch him. So when Jack headed off the road into low scrub where steam escaped from the ground, they quickly decided that their services would best be given to the people of the village, some of whom were now pouring out onto the streets in panic. If Jack Boult wanted to kill himself by runningaround in a dark thermal area, then let him—they had more important matters to attend to.
    Jack sat on the rise overlooking Ohinemutu, thinking about his future. Clearly, he had to get away from Rotorua. The best option was to head south to Taupo. From there, he could get to Napier where there was a port. Then he could go anywhere and, with the money he had, do anything—the whole world was now open to him.
    His dreaming was abruptly stopped by another jolt from the earth. This one was stronger and accompanied by louder rumbles. ‘Forget about the whole world, Jack,’ he said to himself. ‘First you’ve got to get out of here.’
    Yet he was reluctant to move. It was safer up on the hill than near the thermal areas where mud bubbled and boiling water spouted into the air. He was a superstitious man, and he had been unable to put out of his mind the talk he’d heard during his visit to the Rotomahana terraces. The locals had spoken of a phantom canoe on Lake Tarawera, exploding geysers, and strange waves that suggested some giant within the lake was awakening. A huge lizard-like monster called a taniwha was said to be responsible. Certainly, the rumbling and the shaking of the ground indicated that something was happening below.
    A lull in the earthquakes eventually got Jack to his feet, and he headed down the hill towards the new town where he hoped to find a horse. As he approached, the smell of sulphur became more noticeable, and Jack’s fears grew: unpleasant things were happening in Rotorua.
    Finding a horse proved to be much easier than expected.Even though there were lots of citizens out on the streets, they were too worried about themselves to notice him slipping inside the stables behind the local hotel. There, Jack paused and listened. If someone accosted him, then he would simply run out again. But there was no alarm,