H.—2l.

134

[r. troup.

107. You are quite satisfied that he came from the hut on the 18th ?—Yes, he was just there one night. 108. And your diary says he left for Waioola on the 19th ?—Yes ; the same day as I went to Dunediii. 109. How would his road lie I—ln the same direction as I left by way of Mataura Township. 110. How 'ong would it take him to go from the lalay Station homestead to Waicola ?—Two days. 111. How long would it take you to go from the Islay homestead to Mataura ?—I think it is abf t ten miles. You could not do more than that in half a day. 112. The further entries in the diary are these —that is on that date i\ [Entries quoted.] That is your entry on the same day ? —Yes, it is with reference to a fence round a block of land known as Templeton's. 113. Do you come from your place to Dunedin in one day ? Could you get there in one day in .1887 ?— Yes. 114. Had you a daily mai' ? —I am not sure. I rather think it was twice or thrice a week. 115. You were station-manager for some time, and T suppose you had some experience in station work \ —Yes. 116. We are tod that there was a Monday, the day before the 18th. Meikle says it was one of the worst days he has ever known in New Zealand, and some other witnesses say it was a day of rain and storm. Can you say whether on such a day as that, McGeorge would begin a long journey with a team in the ordinary course ? —None of us went out in bad weathei. 117. Supposing McGeorge had instructions to go either to the homestead or to Waicola on a certain day, and it turned out to be such a day as I have described, what would his duty be ? —His duty would be to stop there, because there was nothing in connection with his work with a team so pressing as to take him away on such a day. 118. Are you perfectly clear about all this ?—Yes, I am perfectly clear that the entries in that diary were made from day to day, so far as I am concerned. 119. McGeorge came to the homestead on the 18th % —Yes, and stopped that night. 120. And this entry, " William McGeorge left Islay for Waicola," refers to that fact ?—Yes. 121. You told us that there was a muster of the sheep on the turnip land in August —about 646 sheep were put on the turnips in August ?—Yes. 122. You were not there when the muster was made in October ?—No, I was not. 123. Here is a plan [plan produced] of Meikle's paddock where the sheep were found. Your sheep were where the figure " 7 " appears on the map, and the, word " North " ? —Yes. 124. If sheep where " 7 " and " North " appears on the map, were to come down to here [indicating position on plan] what would they have to go through first ?—Through a fence alongside the figure 7. 125. What kind of country would they then get into % —They would then get into tussock land. 126. Would tussock land in Southland on the 17th October afford such feed as would attract sheep from turnips ? —Not unless the turnips were all worn out, and the tussock place was good. 127. What is the fact with regard to that tussock land ? —I think there might be an inducement for sheep to come out from the turnips to the tussock land if the feed was good on the tussock land. 128. After having got on to the tussock land, if they were to come down where they were found, what else would they have to go through ?—They would have to go through the fence at the figure " 7," and through another fence along the road, and then through another fence at the south end of the tussock. 129. That is two fences ? —Yes. 130. Do you know where Meikle's ploughed land was ? —Just south of the company's land. 131. They would have to get on to there ?—Yes. 132. That land you say had no crop that would provide any feed for stock —that is before the 17th October ? —There would be very good feed on the ploughed land. 133. You say they would have to get through another fence ?—Yes. 134. We will assume this : that the sheep on Meikle's land came from the company's turnip land. Do you say they could get there themselves, or must they have been driven ?—They would not have gone there on their own account. 135. That is as far as you know, from the nature of the fences and the feed 'I —Certainly, they would not. 136. Mr. Templeton has told us a story which I want to bring under your notice. He says that you came into a hotel where Mabin and Templeton were, and that you said you had documents in your possession which could get Meikle out of gaol, and that Templeton told you to hold your tongue ?— Such a statement is quite incorrect. 137. First of all, did you ever have a document in your possession that would get Meikle out of gaol ?—No. 138. Or any other evidence that would get Meikle out of gaol ?—No. 139. Did you ever say to Templeton or to any one else that you had a document that would get Meikle out of gaol ' -1 had no scrap of a document, nor of verbal evidence. 140. You sweai itiat you never said to Mabin or Templeton or to" anybody else that you could get Meikle out of gaol ?—No. I may say that I was twice engaged as an acting-bailiff, and had to put him out of the company's property" The public do not know that. He was capable of concocting anything against me. ~,,•,-« 141. You say you had to do the duty of a bailiff on two occasions, and that he had a feeling against y OU % Yes ; but I have none against him ; I forgive him for everything.