A PIC-NIC AT MAREWHENUA.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 38, 5 June 1876, Page 2

A PIC-NIC AT MAREWHENUA.

[BY Ol'K SPECIAL KEI'OKTER.] It is not often that the editor of this paper sends me to "do" anything so agreeable as a pic-nic. As a rule, my duties generally consist in reporting an inquest, a Cemetery meeting, or a Hospital Committee. On Saturday last I was deputed to undertake a most pleasant task in chronicling a trip by rail to Mr. M'Master's station at Marewhenua. Your readers have been already acquainted with the start of the pleasure-seekers in Saturday's issue, and a pigeon express message •Inly noted the arrival of the train at Papakaio. I will commence then at the Oamaru Railway Station, where at 11.30 the saloon carriage, with the " Weka" a-head, is blowing away as if anxious to make a start. Broad, the driver, is standing witli one hand on the regulator and the other on the whistle, while George, the stoker, is piling on the coal and look- ' ing after the injectors, and seeing that the water shows all right in the gauge glass. Mr. Amos is behind the train on another engine, in case anything should •S" wrong with the "Weka" on her ilia! trip. A minute before starring, up rushes I'ayne. in my opinion the most important man aboard the cars, for he has charge of the commissariat department, having procured the edibles from Messrs. CWkbiirii and Davidson's establishments. Mr. Smith, the Traffic Manager, is showing his guests to their seats, and of course waiting for the inevitable man who must ahvavsbc late, ev.-n if the train left two hours later. Mr. Danscy gets the signal, and then shriek, shriek, and off we start, with one engine leading, and another in the iv:ir. All the passengers being comfortably seated, we will just take a look down the long carriage. That gentleman at the far end, on the left-hand side, with a good double-barrelled gun near him, is Mr. Thompson of the Customs. He happens to be in the know you know, and as the policeman says, " from information received," he reckons there will be some pigeon shooting when the end of the journey is readied, and as it subsequently I proved lie was not far out in his calculation. The tall gentleman opposite Mr. Thompson is Major Steward, one of the joiliest and most obliging Press men I have ever met. He is mentally taking notes of all that is going on. The gentleman next him is Mr. Cash, who, by-thc-bye, has taught me a wrinkle in the pic-nic line. As soon as he is seated, he produces a comfortable travelling cap, and hangs his belltopper up in the hat-rack. -Next to him is a brother banker Mr. Till. The gentleman looking out of the window is Mr. Lemon, in conversation with Mr. Fun-ester. Lower down the carriage, on the same side, is Mr. A. H. Maude. Then we find Messrs. Galbraith, Hislop, M.H.R.; Longford, Aitken, and a lot more of our prominent citizens, accompanied in many instances by their wives. The train is barely past "the Gas Works when an adjournment is made to the guard's van, a member of the Fourth Estate produces the pasteboard, and offers to show the gents the three card trick. He doesn't do much in tins business, so a game of whist is started. The table consists of a box containing the creature comforts. One seat is a bag of sugar, another the strongest corner of a bandbox, the third is on the front wheel of a perambulator, while the fourth man sits on the bottom of the guard's van. The winning side has scarcely scored two by honours and tliree by cards when the whistle sounds, and in eighteen minutes from leaving Oamaru we are at the tanks near Awamoko. Then i your "special" produces a basket proj perly fitted up, and containing a earner j pigeon. The message announcing the time of our arrival is tied on the bird's legs, and off he darts for home. On ai-riving at the juntion, I recognise an old Dunedui acquaintance in the person of the

station-master, Mr. Bishop. Bishop, when in Dunedin, was the most obliging ciiard that ever travelled on the Port line. His general courtesy to Press " deadheads " was most marked. He didn't treat the gentlemen with disdain, as some guards do. They look upon Pressmen as the greatest nuisances who travel. In the first place, as a rule, members of the Fourth Estate smoke, so they must have a carriage to themselves, then they don't pay for°their tickets, and lastly, they are always supposed by the officials to be on the look out for a grievance to form the subject of a'''local." But I am digressing. At Awomoko a change is made in tluTengines, the " Weka " goes behind the train, and the No. 13 is hooked on to the leading carriage. It appears this change is necessary, as the "Weka's" brasses were getting warm. After a short delay another start is made, and we get on to the light railway. In the opinion of your " own," the word " light" does not convey a proper idea of this line. It should be the wire railway, for these 201bs. metals are the most miniature articles in the way way of rails I have ever been on. I know I shall be contradicted when I state that these light railways are a great mistake. Of course those persons holding a contrary view on the matter will argue : "It is much better to have light lines and pay interest on capital, rather than run into great expense at the first instance. Well, the chief argument against this statement is that the cost of continually repairing the line will swamp all the interest. However, I am not the editor, so I don't intend to write a leader on the subject. To return to the trip. Papakaio is reached at one o'clock. For the benefit of those persons who have not visited Papakaio, I may state that it is not the capital of Otago. What I saw of Papakaio was a publichouse, a store with an extraordinary wooden fence right in front of the window, and a pump. I asked a man why the fence was erected just opposite the store, and my informant replied: "Well, you see, the landlord of the pub. and the store-keeper don't 'zactly hit it, so the fence has been put up for a bit of nastiness." I went away anything but impressed with the jolly life these two neighbours must lead. After leaving Papakaio, a forage was made among the boxes, and Payne commenced hunting up corkscrews and glasses. Times passes pleasantly enough, and the house of Mr. M'Master is at last seen in the distance. We arrive at the city of Marewhenua at three o'clock, where Mr. William Gardner, Mr. M'Master's manager, is waiting to receive his rnicsts. A move is made for the house, and while the visitors are shaking hands with their host, I take a look round from my position on the platform. I find that Marewhenua is bounded on the north by the Waitaki river and a high range of barren hills, on the south by barren-looking hills, on the east by a wire fence, and on the west by some more lulls, capped with hills, the sun making them glisten like diamonds. I was told by a friend that there was some splendid country just over the range, but as I was unable to look over a mountain 1,000 feet high, I am not in a position to express a definite opinion. While I am wondering whether there would be a good opening for a pawnbroker's shop in Dall g ! D!m g ! g° os tne double-barrel of my friend Forrester. I hurry round to the scene of action, and lind wild pigeons innumerable, being disturbed by the visitors from their homes in the rocky sides of one of the hills. " Look out, Major, there sits one on that point," says Smith. "No firing at a sitting bird," yells out your reporter, and then the Major spots one on the wing and brings him down just as if he was scoring a bull's-eye at 200 yards. The bird drops, and a splendid race for it, which the Traffic Manager secures. Then Forrester lets go both barrels and brings clown three, and this feat he repeats later on, making six birds for two shots. Igo in mates with Thompson. We have one bird between two of us, and after Thompson has snapped twenty caps he finds that the nipple of his left-hand barrel is stopped up. We get savage. Igo hunting round for a large pin, 'and at last get one out of young Ready Cash's necktie. He says, "Awful bore, you know, for a fellah to have to undress lumself to assist a man to murder poor dicky birds. Think clemmed cruel, you know." However, we get the pin, and then try ten more caps. I begin to talk French, and Thompson says, " Draw the charge." We draw it, and find that instead of gunpowder, the cartridge contains sawdust. This explains why the charge won't go oft'. After securing about thirty pigeons in a little under an hour, Mr. Gardner asks the sportsmen in, and then to see the way those men punished whiskey and milk would have made a cow blush. At last, Mr. Smith tells us that time is up, and we make a move for the train. Before starting, Payne produces some No. 1 Green Seal, and the health of Mr. Gardner is proposed by Mr. Smith and drank with musical honours. The Traffic Manager thanks Mr. Gardner for Ms hospitality, and assures him that we shall give him another turn in a short time. Then Mr. Gardner suitably replies. The healths of Messrs. Smith and Amos are proposed by Mr. A. H. Maude, and most cordially responded to with Kentish lire and more singing. The "Press" proposed, to which Major Steward and yours truly responds, and then off again for Oamaru. On the way down plenty of vocal talent is brought into display, and town is reached at 0.30 p.m., all agreeing that they never spent a more enjoyable day, and for which they are indebted to Messrs. Smith, Amos, and Gardner.