MAORI AND THE BULLDOG.

Shannon News, 12 May 1922, Page 4

MAORI AND THE BULLDOG.

A PIG HUNTING INCIDENT. The Mokau correspondent of the? Taranaki Herald is something of a wit; and His weekly letters usually contain a humorous description of some local incident. The following is culled front last week's letter: ; Speaking of pigs, the Maoris asked the new chum if he would like to go out for a day's pig hunting with them’ He said he would —very much. ' They said: "You gotta dog?" "Oh yes, I gotta dog," was the reply. "Allri, you bring," they said. So in the morning, he brought his dog along to the pah — a real bulldog, with a head such as some of you in New Plymouth may have noticed on a bottle of Guinness' stout; compact head, with a nose crushed fiat and turned up. The Maoris looked at it —long and intently. They said to the new chum "Whaffor him?" "Oh!" the new chum said, "anything.." The chief of the tribe then put in a word. He said: "That dog, he no good for pigs; to 'flat in the nose, no can smell good; better tie up, and we take our dogs." "Eight you are," said the new chum, "anything for £L quiet life. You catch my dog and tie him up." But there was some-| thing uninviting about the look of that bulldog, and the chief, after noting its strong teeth and determined eyes,' thought perhaps it might be easier to

let it join the expedition than to catch and tie it up. So the bulldog went. No sooner had the party got into the bush than v the yelping of the dogs announced the discovery of pigs. The bulldog, ~7orking c i his own, laid out four; the other six dogs working toge-

ther had "only one to their credit at the end of the day. In due course the party arrived at the pah bearing the spoils of the chase, nothing being said about the respective merits of the dogs.

A couple of days afterwards, however, the new chum happened to be passing along the road outside the pah. He heard a fearful howling of dogs. Wondering what on earth could be the cause, he proceeded to investigate. He had not gone far before he found a row of six dogs with their heads through and y.mmed tight between the stabs of

a fence, and the Maori chief on the other side with another stab, and wiring into them for all he was worth. “Hey there!” shouted the new chum. “What's that you're up to?''. The chief paused in his labour, and when the new chum got close enough he said,

“Py korry, you got ct fine pig dog. Him nose flat. My dogs, all te noses too much point. I make 'cm flat like yours!”—and he commenced again—biff! bang! bash! Remonstrance was in vain, and the new chum got ovor the fence in time to escape a blow that would have flattened his own nos 6 had it been in the road.