A LEAF EROM OLD NEW ZEALAND.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2446, 6 November 1886, Page 2

A LEAF EROM OLD NEW ZEALAND.

A work will shortly be published by Mr T. W. Gudgeoi) of Auckland called tho "Horoes of New Zealand" which will contain many interesting biott'raphios of the European and Native actors in the earlier history of a history of the war from a Maori i standpoint with tales illustrative of their character The following origiual sketoh whigh will be embodied in the work has bee's placed at our disposal by the author■ It was sometime, I think, in the summer of 1866, at Napier, that the following incident took place Th« hotel I was boarding in at the ..w

rtlme iis liaving au additional arid; llfd v room added to it andwas-nearitl .complotion is all but the flouring-boards to beluid.m to tha jpist'WiflnUHed,-■ At"'-' • the further end i>f tbfe room ear-'; • penter'a bench .which Bad been placed 'oQ a few loose boards which also serv&j. the• carpenter to stand on while prepiiriiMhe ':; flooring boards, ao betffdßn the beticliand the doorway which had been cut through to the old passage in the house were the yet uncovered joist in the new room. 1 happened at the time I speak of to b6 lying on a sofa reading in the further ond of the old room on the other side of , the passage from where 1 could see the carpenters at work through thai open doorway planing the boards, A relatiyi ' of the landlord (Mrs McCarthy) frum another inner room passing throOflr ' the onn 1 was in and went across the pat-

sage and into tho new room and seeing a chi«f, Tareha, a veryjturbulont and savag# follow in those days, conversing with the | carpenter, advanced to him aoross th» ' joist, and thus accosted him; hearing her voice I looked up from my book, ;" No# Mr Tareha you inakee the pay me for tJid shirteo and trouaertoo mo makeo sell jajg long time ago, yon plenty of money, nt®' ' (Ho had just received a large pile of sovereigns for, probably someone else's,, land); Tareha said'' Ugh! go awayj go away," refusing to pay. The request wag ■ repeated, when Taroha, without further ' notice, struck her a violent blow and knocked her down over the joist and tht 1 fell with a scream. 1 sprang off tho 1 and went straight for Tareha, knocked 1 him down under the joist by a happily 1 directod blow and tlion picked up Mrl McOarthy and half carried, half led her to 1 the room 1 had just left. By this tim# Tareha had picked himself up and was ia a foaming rage, and casting his eyes about i for a handy weapon to finish mo UjjL J seized an adze and came atW over tm joist. I had no weapon, but seeing lan old hair broom handy 1 caught it up, and with one kick sent off tho head, and had now a good ash stick about five feet Ion? ' and with this I went to meet Tareha. We met in the centre of the joist, each minJing our looting as the floor was about threo feet above tho ground arid I warded off a viciously and well meant' 1 blow Tareha mado at me with the adze with one ond of my broonl handle, and then swinging round a Id Maori, with a rapid under , blow caught Tareha full swine with all my might on 1 the side of the head which onco knocked him down amongst the" timber. I caupht the adze and flung it out qfijhig reach, as 1 knew 1 ,vas going to lilft a battle royal, and there woro a great iium* ber of Natives about, many of whom tvera half druuk. Tareha got up and dashed at me, but I retreated down the p.iisas* until 1 oleared the house, and then turned on him. He had drawn his mere, but I was a perfect master of the art of selfdefence and attack with a Maori, spetotfe thanks to an old Ngapulii Tohungsw teaching, but the broom-handle was blun? ' at both ends, and after a pass or two at my friend Tareha. the other Nativescame up and hußtled their chief away, but did not attempt to molest mo in any way. Great was the complaints made against me to the Land Purchase Commissioner, tho late Sir Donald MoLoari, Who wag there at the time negotiating with the Natives, and to whom 1 explained th« matter. 1 now weafc to Mrs McCarthy aud advißed her to tako out a summons agaiust Tareha for the assault. I wa , a t tnis time acting as interpreter to the R.M. Court at Napier, presided over by Mr Domott. Mrs McCarthy said it was no uso, aud only throwing good muiv after bad, and that she would havilo ohance against Tareha, as he was a big chief. " Never mind hiß. chieftainship S said I, " You must summons him, and 111 see if ho can do this kind of thin<rwitli impunity, I'll pay for the summon® and take my chance of recovery if yoa will only take it out." In the end Mm McCarthy consented, and next day & summons was issued, which I gave to m oue policeman, Groom, but all theNativei had gono back to the Pawhakaaifc* •Groom I said, "get a horse and deliver that summons" and tho gallant "Groom"did so, makinp at the same time a remark that there was no- one to • mourn his death, and duly reported to me that he had served it on Tareha, who had received tho missive in silence Ou* R.M. Court day was the first Monday in every month, and it wanted a fortnight to thatday. The R.M. said Tareha would not pay any attention to tho summoni ' then I said " we'll go and fetch him" but 1 gave it as my opinion ho would come. The two weeks slipped by vory quickly and the Court day arrived. (The Court was then hold in Munn's Hotel in the hig dining room with tho tacit understand that all cases wero to be dinnor time; ho did a rare trade did old Dan Munn on Court days, for prisoners ' and all, Groom included, excent th« R.M., liquored up before going into into Court. Several settlers had to ride into Napior that day and among others was my friend Mr Tanner, who had heard all' about the Tareha affair, Presently Groom wszrsgsrwte # at onoe and tell him Tareha ut here atftkH ! and the Court iB ready." Groom wenHP-.' but alas 1 Bomehow or another the RM ! ' had forgotten all about it and had tskon a boat and gono aoross the harbour to Mr' Alexander's .'station. Here was -a. mesi what was to be done. There was no J.P.' within twenty milon and they would not take the case even where they present against Taroha. Suddenly a bright idea struck me and I conferred with mv frim„l Tanner. I said''We w'll hoar this cafte," and we did, and determined Tareha ihmiM not get off if we knew it, so wo got a room prepared, at the hotel wero I lodeed villier's, cleared the table, and got some office paper, a few 0 f thd hotel olfaco books which were bound in leather, somo big envelopes and scali™ wax, and a Johnaon'a dictionary tosviSfc the witness on, and after duly cautioner Groom not to laugh lest a worse thine befall him, and to look extra stiff and solemn, we took our seats on the bonoh. Groom, I said, "open tho Court and march in the prisoners," and Tareha stood before the Court, his staff well in thn rear. " Call Mrs McCarthy; swear'/'W in Groom." That cetemony aver on the dictionary, Groota- muiMJH»i somo bit of his own trail, Mrs made a long rambling, statement that .1 lefy any one to havo comprehended inless they had previously known all ibout it, all of which my friond took lown, or pretended to. Tareha was then requested to make his statement, first >f all boing warned by me that ho ha 4 lettor not perjure hiinsolf as he must tnowl had seen all that had occurred *' iho punishment for which I told him was iix months imprisonment with hard labor, ; Careha shortened the proceedings .by heading guilty. "Now" said the court, ' ' 'about the debt." Mrs McCarthy, who m sworn again by Groom, swore the coat • ho had sold to Tareha was worth 30s fcha .•' roußers 40s, total £3los, for which': the

Court gave judgment, and thori addr«d: Tareha, and aftor reading himiseyea# lecture/m the assault ho.had' made <. defoncoleßa woman and a wlute woman', i. the Cuyrt fined him £2' for the 1 and 10* 6d costs. The debt ol£31Q» for- v the coat and trousors he was'to piv< at onoe, and make a humble apofogv' to Mn. AlcCarthy and to tho Court for Hi* injury Ui her and breaking "the W. Tareha put his hand iuto his pocket. and!.laid the whole amount obi the • table,- wet expressed his regret He had so fortottenhimself, and declared he would' n&var «>»& commit himself again.' " Then : ,r : % v*■ .'