A BRAVE WOMAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 258, 31 October 1925, Page 28

A BRAVE WOMAN.

KEPT REBELS AT BAY WITH HOT WATER. A story of how he met a brave woman of those old pioneering days used to be told by Mr. R. Nicholson, one of the original settlers of Port Albert. On one occasion when he had to go to Auckland Mr. Nicholson reached Mangawai, only to find that there was no cutter there. He then turned his steps towards Pakiri in the hope that a cutter running firewood down to Auckland would be there, and would be leaving shortly. While trudging over the bleak Pakiri Hills, Mr. Nicholson came on a camp of Maoris, who turned out to be some of the prisoners that had escaped from Kawau. One of the party in the camp that Mr. Nicholson happened upon, a great big hulking fellow, twice the size of Mr. Nicholson, asked for some matches. Taking out his tin box, Mr. Nicholson handed the native half what he had, but the man was not satisfied and wanted the lot. Being miles from anywhere that he could replenish his stock, Mr. Nicholson naturally demurred, and plainly showed that he intended to stick to his box. Things looked awkward for a moment, but there were a lot of better-class Maoris in the party, and they gave the greedy one a bit of their minds, and he slunk away. Glad to get away from such trying wayfarers—we must remember that Mr. Nicholson had only been a year in the Colony, and there was a Maori war on—he hurried on, and after having walked a little distance, he came to a settler's house. As the day was drawing in, he decided to try and get accommodation for the night. In answer to his knock a woman came to the door, and carefully eyed the newcomer before Bhe allowed him to enter the house. Then having satisfied herself that he was a respectable settler, she readily allowed him to stay the night. Much to Mr. Nicholson's surprise he could see no man about the place, which was lonely, and there not far-off were the dreadful crowd of Maoris he had met. When the woman was questioned she said her husband was working 6ome distance away, and only occasionally came home. ' Aren't you frightened of those rebel Maoris camped not far from here?" asked Mr. Nicholson with much surprise. The woman admitted that she was very scared indeed, and related an experience she had just gone through. Several of the natives, she said, -Jiad come to the house and wanted to enter. " Fortunately," added this plucky woman, " I had a kettle of boiling water handy, and picking it up I threatened to throw the lot of it over them, so they made off and left mc in peace. And now I make a point of always keeping the fire going, and I'have two or three pots of water boiling in case they should ever come back and annoy mc again."