TOUGH DUCKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 December 1939, Page 17 (Supplement)

TOUGH DUCKS

-Alter a Spell ami a Clip of lea WO | sol off towards Hie river at which we arrived in lime In Hud a (food camp site. Mundy went to till tlte billies, but he came back willi a run. "Ducks,” he said. 'There were two blue ducks. He lired al them when they were close together. He killed one. bid the other dived and we did not see him again. While 1 was looking for this duck I slipped on a loose rock and wrenched my knee. My knee was not so painful at first, but after 1 had rested it for a while it began to swell. Our camp was between the two forks of the Waingawa. Mundy, the cook, plucked and cleaned the duck and divided it into three equal parts and he placed it in front, of the lire on forked slicks, after sprinkling il with sail and pepper. He also put on some rice to boil. The food smelt good while il was cooking. Jackie lixed our camp, (‘reeling the fly, as it look- | ed like ;i shower before morning and I the sandllics were biting. When lhe camp was lixed. Mundy called "Koi rnaro te kaki raki” (the duck is cooked) We sat down beside the fire ,

each one with his portion of duck on a forked stick which was stuck in the ground in front of him. Mundy had cut in half the last, Maori scone, reserving one-half for the morrow. The other half was divided for present use. I trier) Io cut off a piece of duck. No go. The knife would not cut it. I looked at my sheath knife, gave it a rub on a stone, then I, got a bit of duck off -which I tried to chew. The taste was all right but talk about tough! I said I thought it was the one that Noah had in the Ark. Mundy was giving his piece a good go. Ho reckoned it was “Adam’s pet duck from the Garden of Edon." We simply could not eat it. so we decided to pul it in the billy with the rice and some shallots and stew it till midnight, and have it for supper. We woke up at ten. Mundy was at the fire. He said that the stew was ready and so it was, not a great lot but very good. It was soon demolished.