Chapter 19
A fire raged and Eleanor was sitting beside it, shivering and savouring its warmth. Her clothes were still wet, but until she could return to her home, she would remain in them. Pork-Chop was tied to a tree, apparently recovered and like her, enjoying the heat from the fire. Danny had stopped shivering and his shirt lay steaming on a stick near the flames and Willy had gone in search of more wood.
"Thank you again, so much," Eleanor said. "You saved my life. If you hadn"t saved me when you did, I think I would have given up."
"You were lucky, Miss, I tell ya," said Danny. "If we hadn"t seen you chasing that pig, then I don"t think anyone else would "ave, either."
Eleanor nodded in understanding.
"I just want to go home and get into some dry clothes," she said quietly as she hugged her knees, her skirts beginning to steam
Willy returned and stoked the fire, the heat beginning to warm them. Pork-Chop began digging around the tree she was tied to.
"I think I"m able to walk home now," said Eleanor.
"Good, we"ll take you home safely, Miss, you"ll be right," offered Danny.
Willy nodded and grinned.
Andrew arrived home to find a small group of people gathered at their tent. Mrs. Moore was fussing over Eleanor and two strangers, youngish lads, were eating bread.
He began to shake as the near tragic incident was told to him and realised he could easily have returned home to find that he had lost Eleanor. Mrs. Moore helped Eleanor change into dry clothes and then brought tea and freshly made bread for the two lads. Grateful to Danny and Willy, Andrew contained his own emotions as Eleanor sat near the fire. She stopped shivering and said she felt better, although she still looked pale.
Rain threatened and Danny and Willy said farewell, they needed to return to their own tents to ensure everything was protected and dry. Mrs. Moore returned home to prepare the evening meal for her husband, leaving the couple alone. Andrew and Eleanor sat quietly together in their tent as she cried into his shoulder. He held her tightly and rocked her gently as darkness and rain began to fall again.
In absentia much of the time purchasing land, Colonel Wakefield was spared the misfortunes of cold prevailing winds, persistent rain and the unpredictable river that brought misery to so many. Engineers and surveyors were convinced that they could control the river with levees, but the capricious waterway randomly changed course, rendering their efforts useless. The harsh conditions tested couples. Relationships were strained, people became ill and tempers flared. After the bitter disappointments of Britannia and with their patience exhausted, some settlers moved away and relocated to the southwestern corner of Port Nicholson where flat land was scarce and hills in abundance offered shelter and protection. Reluctantly, Wakefield eventually supported the relocation of Britannia and followed the disgruntled settlers, however confusion reigned over the name. There was the old Britannia in Pito-one which they"d mostly abandoned and now there was a new Britannia. Honouring an avid New Zealand Company supporter and friend, the Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, the company directors promptly named the new township Wellington. The aspirations of the New Zealand Company to create Britannia, the flawless beautiful township they had meticulously designed, would not be realised in Pito-one.
Immigrant ships transported prefabricated buildings for easy assembly and they were quickly erected along the Wellington foreshore and on the surrounding low-lying hills of the growing community. Understanding the futility of trying to make Britannia the model township, Wakefield finally accepted that it was an abject failure and selected a new prime location close to a low hill near the new harbour for his new Wellington home and office.
To the immense relief of many, Wellington offered shelter from the cold southerly winter winds, there was no river threatening to burst its banks, and a deep, protected harbour allowed easier access for ships to offload cargo.