A TRIP FROM HAMILTON THROUGH PIAKO TO THE THAMES VALLEY AND BACK AGAIN.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 744, 24 March 1877, Page 2

A TRIP FROM HAMILTON THROUGH PIAKO TO THE THAMES VALLEY AND BACK AGAIN.

'' {OonblUdedfrom iSMtibf the lZth Ina't.)

As I said ia iriy last, we were determiner! to get to Mr McGlashah's, in spite of fords and floods. So, back we went some four miles, until we reached the fording place. It did rnofc look so bad. My friend said, we would venture it. I told him, I thought it was rather deep on the further side of the creek. Ob, he did not think Let us try. My politeness would not allow me to go first, so I gave way to my friend, whom I followed, at a respectful distance. He was delighted to find the * water so low. He said, " come along, it is scarcely up to the horses knees. 0, ,come along, and —— " but, T heard -no more, his voice ceased. " I looked in - front of me, and saw SDmething which appeared like a gigantic float belonging to a fishing, line. It was my friend, whose horse had sunk over his back in. deep water. I called out to him riot to hurry on my* account, if he enjoyed it, as I was satisfied with the. warm bath I had had early in the morning, arid did: hot care for another so soon after dinner.. I would remain where I was, until he returned. He did not complain. Some would have sworn and got angry-^-not : so my friend, his patience is proverbial. He only said it 'was a little wet. He straggled through it, and, thinking he had got over his troubles, he bustled on to reach the house, when lo ! close to the house was a stream of nearly as wide as the Waikato, at Hamilton, and quite as deep, which prevented him reaching his goal. |He coo-eyed, and presently might be heai'd a dialogue somewhat as follows : there ? Can I cross ? Yes, can you swim. If your business is important, and you are willing to stqpall night, strip off and swim over j

with your hoi-33, bit if yo:i wonfc stay all night, stop where yo.i are." with his returns spifew'iipQn feha ground, shoa'tiog: "How.; many acres ploughed, &.;.,|andVended by getting permission tosign?the proprietor's m> Mr 'MoGlashan had been prwoaeria his'own house eorae ten days, and there was every appearance of his continuing so for ten days longer, as there was no way of getting out until the water had subsided. How pleasant- and convenient this rouse, be in the winter, especially in cases of sudden emergency, such as sickness, & 3 ., not to be able to send for a doctor; or communicate with your neighbours. How cheerful ! On leaving this, we hurriel on to the Piako Hotel, a distance of about thirteen miles, where we arrived about sundown. Here, we found our friend, Mr Ticklepenny, also, Mr Murray's manager, and several other gentlemen. My friend, at once, introduced his business, and obtained, from two or three, the required statistics. Then, "Yes, he did not mind if he did take a glass of something, but, he would change his first, as his feet were damp." Mr Ticklepenny kindly invited us to stay the night at his house. I accepted his kind offer, alfchouglLtbe accommodation at the hotel setfmed attractive enough, every thing within the house appeared clean and neat, the landlord very obliging and attentive. My friend elected to stop where he was for the night. He wanted to be away very early in the morning, to call upon one or two settlers upon the Cambridge road, and it would save him a mile or two to remain at the Hotel. And he remained. On our way home, next day, he told me that he had been very comfortably bared for; good clean bed, and well served meals. The Hotel, he had found, certainly equal in this respect to some houses of greater pretentions. Mr Ticklepenny showed me round, to look at Mr Morrin's cattle and farm. It was worth looking at. There is something over two thousand acres in grass and clover. Although there; were above a thousand head,of cattle and sheep, the feed was—much of it—fully a foot deep. There, were, - some pedigree cattle well worth looking at. The proprietor of this vast estate - some sixteen thousand acres—is spending a large amount of money, and is fast transforming this wilderness into a kind of paradise. My , statistical friend' informed me that the farms of- Messrs'McDonald and ... Gu'bbins, which he had visited that morning, were also choice bits. My friend told me that I missed a treat through not staying at the Hotel ail night. He knew, he said, I had a fine ear for music, and appreciated a goed thing when I heard it. He was sorry I did nob hear it; it was woderful for its power and richness, considering the smallness of the ■'instrument. The performer must be an enthusiast, for he continued to enchant the company nearly the whole night. The , landjord[wanted, to put my friend in the,same room as this : gentleman occupied, but he objected upon the 'ground that the music had such effect upon his nervous system that ■' in excitement. k he might disturb the gentleman. -He was astonished, he said, how so small an organ as the nose could produce such powerful sounds. Did I not hear it up at Mr Teoklepenny's 1 ,\o—well to be : sure. He had heard in hi 3 time many such instruments, ,but none to compare with it. > I shanked hifc* for his good wishes/But told him that, although. I certainly had a love for music, I did not appreciate either bagpipes or, nasal organs; they were not to mytiste. He said that if it be true that " music charmed the savage-breast,"- certainly the rats and mice must have been very quiet that night daJihe neighbourhood of that hotel. I joined my friend again about midday, when wa at once headed toward Hamilton, calling at the farms : ; as we came along. But before I leave this district I must mention a circumstance which was brought under my notice, and that was how sometimes settlers* good natures are imposed upon. A gentleman, in. the, habit of driving cattle about the country, lands at the hotel, where he finds several settlers. Picking out one who is proverbial for his hospitality, the following dialogue . takes place: . " By-the-bye, did your boss say anything to you about selling some steers ? Manager V' : No. We have none to. sell that I know of. Gentleman: You .remember those steers I brought up some time ago—that's the lot; Mr -—. want 3to buy .them. Manager: What can Mr ——do with them; he has no feed to fatten bullocks like those, and we have plenty. I don't know why the boss Should sell them, as they would pay us well to keep for three or four months longer. Did he fix a price? Gentleman: No; I was to look at them. Manager : Well, they won't go under so-and-so (showing an amount). You had better come with me now and look at them, then you can stop at my place to-night. Gendeman: All right." .They started,, and when approaching the manager's residence the gentleman suggested deferring the looking at the cattle until next morning. The manager thought, a3 now they were upon their horses, they had better look at them at once. They were close by, and one doeg nob know what might turn up in the morning fco prevent his going l o see them. They saw the steers;

the'gentleman remarking they were fin 6; beaStb,- although not very fat . had size and good frames, they were net a bad lot. '■' After examining:, the. r rest of the cattle, &c,? near, they returned to the residence ; the gentleman's horse was fed, and'he himself joined the manager and his

family at ten, 'nothing more was

", Baid about the'' steers' that night. 1 The next morning when finishing

, his. breakfast the geutleman looked up from his plate and briefly sairii ■■'.: "that 'party will' not give that money for the steers," to which the

manager replied, "alright they can remain'where they are.", This ''•cattle driving ; gentleman must be .■■:': either a clairvoyant or a spritualistic . medium,. - for he must have communicated with the Mr he mentioned,' during the night, as he ■ - did 1 not appeal 4 to 'know on the . , previous evening when he looked at ';,'.'; the.,cattle*that "that party would not/give the amount" asked. He did [not know until he had finished his breakfast next morningy This ■"• was n'ot : bad, was it? A clean sav- *'' of half-a-soveriegn. , •"' Nothing worthy of recording occured to myself and friend after leaving the Piako Hotel, until close to' Hamilton, when my friend treated me shabbily. We called at a small > , settlers house near Capt. Steele's but •• found no, one but children at home. ~ They , expected mother and father just now. As I had business of my own .with father I said I would wait : a little..' -My friend said he had to : ,gp to Tamahere for some official :.'. _, dopumenta, and as the sun was go-

ing down he would go along, and i ; me at # €apt Steele's, at whose house I was to remain until he:re-f,-'":''-']Mbin:tiihtirh l e're : turried. I went to Capfo Sfceeles and waited, no one had seen my statistical friend. An hour I ( - jkssedj' then I heard my friend-had called atithe.gate and enquired for a settler from fche_Eiako, who he heard :,•; was 1 /' Staying 1/alNDapt. Steeles, but this was just before sun down when ;i -it th6ngnib he was?on his way

( , Another hour or so passed, arid. I was still waiting. I * '■ i*dse to gp; f but Mrs'Steele objected to

m'y going from them at such a late "- i hotfiV v and the night-so dark, I must stay the 'night, and at the same tinie

instructed some one to look after my •,v v; horse., .-'I-:• remained, but? no friend

culled.- Next morning when- cros-' '• ;( sing the ferryj I'Wad told my friend ! i previous evening, enquiry had crossed before l ::o;him,r>i)Light niiow began to dawn

.* : ? upon'the" l subject/ I saw • the, cause *•■' v 6f'his 'ommit'ting to call for me a 8 " promised. J Myfriend ; is oi* a nervous

bashful jtemerament, he had asked ;».T to i-spend the evening at his house,- but-he did not like me to • sjee*

him salute his family after so long ;Hdd f ; dropped ( lnto

his house, sav. half an hour after his p have seen me. I can iv uniierstand it all now, nothing but nervous bashfulness which could

not let me be, a witness to a scene 10 '^ Ji ih r> s6itfe' i< w ! a!y a repititioti of the'stdry

.of jthgj.prpdigal son, you know that ' story—lt says that when the son ).W.vWfKiyot father ran and fell on, his neck, and!—but you know't'he' 'kt'ory—if you do not our 0/ jfriend a s[r ; Raider yim\V point it out for you any time he is pa'ssing your you rea&jit kindly; substitute the "word wife'for father, and" the word husband at once see why I was Mt'"aj( Oapt. night." .1 ra '^n4^.ffoi > glad he : t *L ..ln^none,the; worse for;his.ijourneyji ■l. and,*n6W.'Mu Editor-1 lmust ! wish W o/yoa'r "ul\ bite* 3JG.