THE GUIDES OF HAWEA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 4 March 1908, Page 81

THE GUIDES OF HAWEA.

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Articles innumerable have been written on the delights, of deer-stalking in the Hawea district, bwt in none that I have Tead have the- merits of the guides been extolled. Captain Cradock, witih the delightful naivette of the military and moneyed man, assuming that his own figure should satis "y any reasonable reader, mentions his guide refer slightingly to him as a "ghiillie" and a covert hack on which to cross a mountain stream. The word "ghfllie," as understood hy a colonial, represents a model of servility. But- whatever' the faults of t%e average guide may }z he certainly has no claim to a character of this kind, and deeply resents having jx bestowed upon him. A more considerate writer would also have left the lhack incident untold, even at the loss of a litijle unworthy self-glorification at his 'guide's expense ; for, as anyone acquainted •with colonial life will know, "mateslrp" as one of ins noblest features, and for the lime being the spoitsmar is a mate and •tv, more. Every little assistanca will be given on that account only, often enough) cut of pity for the new hand, and in the full conviction that, rare the position and local knowledge reversed, th-e same care and consideration would be shown. Mistakes such as these are the more regrettable, as, apart from, the article ora deer-stalking, Captain Cradock's workl stands as a text-book on New Zealand 1 sport, and is, so far, the best available. Unfortunately, ignorance of local conditions is often responsible for a. certain) amount of friction and bitterness between* the sportsman and his guide, to the detriment of sport and the forest as a whole.. It is^ easy to understand why, in the guide's estimation, men from the Homeland should be the chief offenders, while a truer knowledge of each other's good .qualities would remove the cause. At present it is hardOy an exaggeration to say •that 'the men from, whom the. best gu ; des •will accept employment may be divided ■into three classes — colonials, English civilians, and army officers, in the order named. Tliere aTe, of course, exceptions, but the army man is placed lowest on the Jist of desirable employers, though one or two civilians run him close in popu'ar estimation. The cause is not far to seek. On the one hand you have a man who from his boyhood, and poesibly through no great merits of hie own, but by the accident of birth, ha 6 been accustomed to receive every homage that wealth and position can command. His lightest wish hitherto foeen a lajw to those in his employ,^ and if in the service the mechanical and unhesitating obedience of the regular soldier has led him to expect the same from* all. In other lands money holds sway, and as "sahib" or "baas" he has still received the exaggerated respect he regards as. his due, and has found none t» contradict him or say him nay. To such a man comes one who, from the time his school days were ended, has spent his years in strenuous tfoil. Keen, intelligent, and practical, during that time he has formed to many tifedes. and is a masteif ■of all. Boatman -or (shearer, shepherd, stockman, or farmer be has been, and in (all backwoods arts is able to hold his own, •from breaking a colt to building a hut or •working <a damper. Neither the rifle nor the hillside ore novelties to bam, and the taagic of the sport has never lost its jpower. t Proud of his country and of Mmfcelf, he regards no man as a superior from ■wealth alone, and is more apt to judge toy the conduct than the coat. Between tench men theTe is generally la, clash, not serious, perhaps, but enouerh to leave bitterness behind. The gruff orders of the ibairack or the camp are not appreciated, while the frank independence of the guide «■ mistaken for insolence. On, the hilt cases have occurred where the exasperated sportsman found his positive knd totally (unnecessary orders to abstain from smokang or await a regular lunch hour coolly disregarded fey his employee. About camp also the soldier requires as much attention as a fashiemble belle — without possessing her attractions or sweetness of .voice. It would make for harmony in many f^f 8 -, the sportsman recognised 4fc*t a guide's regular work did not include

j the duties of a. valet, and tliait for'oook- ; jing, unless each takes a share, a man I should be specially engaged. j On the other hand, colonials leave their ' white shirts at the base camp, and face the work of camp and hillside" as though atarch wete unknown. Many Homelaniders, to their credit be it said, adopt the same plan, and for this class of men the .guide would dare iany danger and endur« any trial. The ordinary courtesies of tife are observed, with no loss of dignity or self-respect to either. , It is amusing to note the air of proprietorship assumed toward a popular employer, and the way his good' qualities are brought to the front and enlarged .upon. His pTowess with the rifle or "on the hill is graphically, and, it is to bo feared, not always truthfully, paraded, for the benefit of others less fortunate iri ,their choice. The sportsman for the time being is undeT the wing of his guide, who will bluff all hands and give much misleading information that a decent head may jbe secured. Dangerous parses are carej fully avoided, as it is a point of honour (not to expose a new Hand to any heavy or fcroken ground ; and unlees the sportsman desires it otherwise, a long round will he taken sooner than run any risk, and as a result the page of sport is ucstaimed' with records of accidents or broken limbs. /The titles alone of some of the crossings taken at other times are suggestive enough, an<? the "Angel's Psjss" is only a sample of country knawai and avoided byi the initialed. A good shot is highly appreciated, and a heavy stalk is sweetened by the knowledge that it will not have been taken in vain, through the experience or excitement ; but mon who can drop shags, rabbits, or keas at ranges up to 300 yds are not apt to go into ecstacies over target practice such as that so proudly and guilelessly mentioned by the author of "Sport in New Zealand." Clean sport is also approved and estimated at its right value, for not every license-holder is as Ceesar'e wife, though it is pleasant to record that instances of pot-hunting among sportsmen are very l'are, and that when known the offender is regarded with contempt. The guide is a local patriot, and knowing the rapidly increasing popularity of the sport depends on the good heads to be secured, regards the man who would shoot a prospective royal ior camp ase as beyond the pale. Hinds are plentiful enough, and one more or less makes little difference— may even be of benefit to the herd — but the four or sixpointer may grow into a heavy head, and must be preserved. For months before the opening day the haunts of good stags are known, and those in each man's country lost the season before are under observation ; hence there is no delay, and with decent luck and shooting a few days are often sufficient to fill a license. There is a fascination about the sport unknown to any other, and year by year amongst the crowd of new faces the old ones are seen and welcomed. With the- local man the fever retains its grip. He may have been unfortunate the year before, and declared that he would never take the trail again, but broken in and trained to the game from boyhood, as the 6tir of preparation that marks the approach of the opening day begins, or at the call of an old friend, his resolutions melt like snow in the summer sun. With a stout heart, a dried manuka pole, and a pair of heavily -nailed boots, he is found once more in the van as of old. And as the miner is cheered and encouraged by the hoj>e that at any moment fortune may smile, so two lone figures on the hillside are buoyed up by the hope that in the next basin or through the bush beyond is waiting the 6tag of their dreams. And even though the head may only be of the ordinary "decent" kind, a "crowded hour of glorious life" will have been theirs. The long 6tretch of cautious climbing, the breathless suspense of the near advance across the orlsn, and the last note of all — the sound of a bullet, hard driven and true, striking through flesh and hide, are compensation for many an hour's toil and weariness. So we leave them, but, in deference to time-honoured precedent, not without a word of advice to intending visitors : forget, or never learn, the class prejudices of another and an older land,

and leave the "ghillie"' where he properly belongs — among the dust of a feudal age. Leave tin pannikins behind, and your heads -will be royals and your names long honoured in the land.