The Maori Football Team in England.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3060, 21 November 1888, Page 2

The Maori Football Team in England.

The London correspondent. of the Christcliurcli Press mites Almost simultaneously with the arrival of the telegraphic news that the English football team has played its last match in Now Zealand, tho Maori team lias oommenoed its -season ! 'm England, OiVVtlie" 2nd" insfc.-" at': Richmond it p'lpyed rather a scratch team repreRenting Surrfiy;' aiid'wou tlio 'game jby one gWanij oli'o : }ry lo':'pno try.

When saying that 'tlio Burcby 'tedm*', ■ ■jvfts rather a sciatch team, and had j riot previously played' together, 1 dov •not wish to detract from the iuerjt of. the Maori •■performance, becsffc it should be recollected that they had only been a week on shoro, which may. li 4 fairly:> said' I; iiiiee j tfe®Sdvantag& under ■which y. : Surrey laoored/ : However, what our.; " visitors .will do against ft crack Eng-" lish team in good practice remains to they are.-snre of hearty welcome if their reception at Richmond be any criterion. Not only wei'Q the spectators delighted with their picturesque appearance ns ■' tlie'caiiie : on; to) the ground, in their ? black jerseys witli'v Maori maW'of the y. rarest eharacter thrown over their shoulders, . but the fair and spirited** manner in which tkv conducted the • game was universalipjprociated. I will not say - some were not : disap-. pointed that something outre did not happen—that is asking too .much of human nature—but; as i nothing! of that description did happen,'theiact was certainly not. placed ( -Aho " discredit of the team." Perhaps somo of the partially, disappointed ones, if they happened to be of- middle age, . might have remembefed the escapade,) of" Deerfoot," the Indian runner, and might have wished for something ; of the same sort to have happened, At Leicester, somo five and twenty years ago, some incautious individual - asked him who was his hatter, in/ allusion to the plumes before upon his: head, ; v Whereupon . Deerfoot. made for Him;" 'withrthe evjdent intention of adding his soalp "to' his private: collection; and ;was only pulled off with great difficulty. ;/Any ; possible .confusion! however, entertained' by ignorant "Londoners .witjk regard to the manner and cuptoms-W' Red Indians will soon be dissipated ! on a further acquaintance with tlio . genial and gentlemanly teaiugvho aro our visitors, * ■ Story of a Famous Horse, .

. Old Astley, of circus renown, was a' famous man in/his day. a celebrated triok-horse called Punch, who, after a variety of fjambola mth - tho clown, would thrust his head and; ■ neck through a liapkiii,' then Bit down- i to' a well-spread table,'knock his hoof. on the table, as a hint to' look sharp, ' and a warning^toMcl6jvn,ihd^as-; his attendant. .'' •He would furiously seizo with.liis f mouth a boll-pull (bell-pulls, were ' common .in those days); he wohld eat j whatever '™ put down bDfoi'o liim, - mock. .turUo—i.e., bran. inasli^-a' bread fowl," beans, turnips,' carrots,'' : 4c., then taking a kettle in his mouth ■: by tho handle, would pour out . some ;,i ! water in a punch-bowl, seize a tricky bottlo made for , the purpose" labelled* " Brandy, 1 ' pour it into the punch.bowl, yid. deliberately lap; nodding " good health", to' the olown |*:.tlion f waltz gaily, and finally \! drunken man would.- The 1 to .elicit- roundsj of ap'f faoti j Punches. One ;df: the {stM dfdho I Company, , , '- . \ • pidjAstleylconcoctei a; schbme: | send, spine'of his: intp'\the j pi'piincesV and amongst themtPuiiot. j •They exhibited with' various Success: imtil? they; ? reaolibd; from bad management they collapsed; * Telegraphs-were not'invente'd : : then, *- bad weather and other causes'prevented Astley hearing tho sad news; ruthless creditors seized' the 'offecta and stud, and among; them Punch,, who was taken away and sold at a horse fair. All traces of him were ■ ■lost, but, though: lost to Bight, lie was. / to memory dear,and Astley advertised'' us largely as lie could in "those : days ■ of limited inquiry; l But Punch had vanished.

About, eight years after, goiug.into a low quarter of Ike,town, he sawa costermonger's cart 'a poor, ep ■ down, abject creature, the trading the akin, a wretched resemblance of the lost, but bclovcQPuncli. Astley paused in doubt, then tremu- ■ lously muttered Punch," The ', animal pricked up his ears, stood: upon his hind logs, upsetting tho costermongorand the content's of tho. cart, then waltzed up to its old master,

.. Tho meeting was a strange one, but positively." affecting. Astley's 'Down sir,' was instantly obeyed; Punch's neck was instantly prasped, the caresses of tho horse and manager blended, and the recognition was comploto. ... "Well, I'm dashed," exclaimed tho costermongor, "lie is a terror and no mistako; everybody says so; and so do I."

t " Will you part with the animal ?" said Astley.

" Will I ? Won't I ? and gladto get rid-ofbitu. Oh, sir, don't I ffro'. anything to do with him, The tales I'vo 'erd about this 'ere hanimal is enough to tako your air bout by tho root; why, if he sees a kottlo 011 the firo he'll rusk in, seize' it, and comA menco all sorts 0' gameß; every' ho sees up goes his hoof on to the • tablo, and tlieuo bo tugs and bangs till tho table,or bell comes to smash,. If a band plays in tlio streot, he' waltzes like a natural Christian, and then pretends to fall dead as' a', her-1 ring.". He was repurchased by his . old. master, for a live-pound note,' well fed and tended, and in loss than a month Punch was at his old post. ', ringing bolls, and drinking brandy - and water daily.

Mr Justice Field and his Black Cap,

A correspondent tells tho following story, which, ho believes, has never yet appeared in print. Mr Justice Field, who, in spite of advarfciy; years and deafness, is a great travaHf was last year a passenger on a steamer between Folkoston and Boulogne, In tho. cabin a special lunch' was being ' served for a party, and tbo cbainpagno was flowing pretty freely, when the learned judge, arrayed in tweeds and wearing a small black travelling cap,camo down the cabin slops arid ordered a plato of beef and a t»lass of bcotv'% Tlio steward did not know who tho visitor was and paid littlo attention to his request. The judge took off his cap and waited patiently, and at longth, after calling tlio steward, again put on his cap. At this moment a member of the party, recognised tlio judge and called out, "Steward, lie has assumed the black cap, sine] if you don!t attend to him fif : onco ho jvjll, procecf} to' prphojincp' sentenco ofaeatt,' 1 f ."'Jlr justico Fielj tjot his lunch, but his deafness prevented hiiu from, understanding, tba, reason for tho . altered demeanour of tlio steward. •' • SKINMY Mnif'j A'• 'T. , " Well's health; roinwer" :• restores health and vigor, cures,; Dyspepsia, potency Soxual Dobility. - At clioiuißtJP' aiid. druggists. "•.Kompthiirno Proper & • - Co, \?ont6, Welbuston; v ' -V ■■■■;. : : -".EoiJOH.Os'iiom -v,. : \ "Ask for TV oil's f 'Rough dii' Corns." A complote, permanoht cure. . Quick foiled or corns and bunions,"'.At tljl chemiatij ah<|' pruggist.' 1 . !