"THE BITER BIT”

Hawera Star, Volume L, 10 April 1930, Page 12 (Supplement)

"THE BITER BIT”

The new redoubt had been finished and the awkward squad of volunteers drilled into something like militaryshape. Things were getting serious, and at any moment it appeared as though the brown malcontents would come down on the little settlement like Te Ivooti on Mohaka. Over the river the rattle of firearms was frequently heard, the merry- men of Titokowaru practising gunnery- to keep their hands in. Guard was mounted day- and night in tlie little sod fortress, and sentinels

told off for duty-. There was the usual element of devil-may-care larrikinism among some of the y-ounger members of the defenders, ar.d having heard that a somewhat timid public servant was to go on sentry duty one particularly- dark night, a number of tlie hopefills decided to play- a trick on him. One of the band was blacked over on face ami limbs,’ and attired chiefly in an old tattered blanket, lie stoic upon the timoror..- otic in tlie darkness. “Who g-aes there?” faltered the latter, feeling that the hour of the Hauliau raid nad at length come. “BloodyJack!” y-elled the joker, giving the l name bestowed on a notorious bloodthirsty Waikanae chief long before called to his account. The vacillating sentry- happened to possess, despite his timidity-, a strong sense of humour, and recognising the voice of the prowler, drawled, on recovering his nerve: “Pass-011! Bloody--Jack! All’s well!” Then, to convince his friends inside that he was doing hi s duty- he let off his Enfield rifle between the merryone’s legs, and the latter, leaping about four feet into the air, was obliged to admit that the fright had been transferred to the friglitener.