Page:Tales-of-Banks-Peninsula Jacobson 2ed 1893 cropped.pdf/261

shell, for the treacherous ocean had dashed out the bottom, and the valuable contents were, alas! “full fathom five.” Peter Malmanche lived there some time, but a mysterious accident occurred, which for a period gave the bay an evil reputation. One night he retired to rest as usual, but when his wife awoke in the morning he was missing, and after a long search he was found by her in the bush, some distance from the house, in an insensible condition. There was a fearful wound on his head, and by his side was an axe covered with blood and hair. It was with great difficulty his life was saved, but when he recovered he could throw no light on the matter, always declaring he remembered nothing from the time he retired to rest till he recovered consciousness after the accident. Investigations were attempted, but the matter remains a mystery to this day. He returned to the bay after the accident, and the whâre got the reputation of being bewitched. The most mysterious and appalling noises were heard in the night, and are testified to by many persons above suspicion. On one occasion Peter Malmanche nearly met with another accident, that would probably have proved more disastrous than its predecessor, for one night, after being terribly annoyed by a succession of these mysterious and unaccountable noises, Mr. Wm. Masefield took down a gun, and vowed he would shoot anything he saw in the neighbourhood of the house. Opening the door, he observed a dim figure near the whâre, and, taking aim, had his finger on the trigger, when a loud coo-ee caused him to stop, and he found it was Peter Malmanche, who had walked over from Akaroa. It is thought that these strange sounds must have been the work of persons who were anxious to prevent the Messrs. Masefield settling, but if so the fraud was very skilfully devised and carried out, for to this day there is no clue to the mystery. It was in company with