Hene and the Burning Harbour by Paula Morris

Author:Paula Morris [Morris, Paula]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781742539447
Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand
Published: 2013-03-04T00:00:00+00:00

7

Town on Fire

‘Look! Look!’

‘You can see the smoke from here!’

Hene woke up to the sound of shouting down on the beach – something about smoke and fire. It was barely light outside, too early for the morning service. But all of the girls in her whare were clambering to their feet and pulling on their dresses. One of the buildings must have caught on fire. They had to go and help save it.

But when they ran outside, they couldn’t see anything burning in Paihia. Everyone was thronging the beach, and lots of boats were pulled up onto the sand. In the distance, across the water, the sky was black with smoke.

Kororareka.

Hene ran up to Mr Tiaki, and he started jabbering away in English and pointing. She couldn’t understand what he was saying. There were lots of other people there as well, strangers – men, women and children. Some of them were still in their night clothes. It was a very odd sight.

‘Katerina!’ Hene saw her teacher and ran to her across the damp sand. Katerina stood with her arms folded, squinting out to sea. ‘Who are all these people? What’s happening?’

‘They’re from Kororareka,’ Katerina told her. ‘They had to escape.’

‘Escape?’

‘They say Hone Heke and his men arrived at dawn. Hundreds of them. Someone said he cut down the flagpole at Waitangi again, and then attacked the soldiers at Kororareka.’

‘Did he attack the people, too?’ Hene asked in a panic, thinking of Rangi. What had happened to her friend?

‘Hone Heke told everyone else to get out,’ Katerina said. She walked to the water’s edge. ‘Boats are going back and forth to get people. Now the town is burning – see?’

Hene watched the distant smoke billow upwards. It was windy, and she knew that would make the fire worse. Some of the girls were crying, worried about the people still trapped over in the town. A group of men on the beach were shouting and dragging boats into the waves. They were going back to Kororareka to rescue more people.

Mr Tiaki was with them, knee-deep in water. He would know where Rangi lived, Hene realised. He must remember the shop.

‘Mr Tiaki!’ Hene called, sloshing into the waves after him. ‘Go to Mr Maka’s shop! Remember Mr Maka? You have to find him and Rangi.’

For a moment, Mr Tiaki looked confused. But the names must have made sense to him, because his face brightened and he nodded.

‘Rangi,’ he said, and hauled himself into the boat. Hene turned back to face the beach. Many of the older people there looked afraid, as though they’d seen terrible things. One woman sat in a heap, crying. A little boy, still in his nightshirt, stood clutching his puppy. Hene wasn’t sure if the dog was whimpering or the boy.

‘Come, girls!’ Mata Wiremu was calling. ‘Move your bedding into the school house and we will make room for everyone.’

Everyone scuttled off to do as Mata Wiremu asked.

‘No school today,’ muttered Meri, a big grin on her face.

‘No, stupid!’ Hene snapped at her.

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