Tales Told by an Early Pioneer

Lake County Mail, Issue 7, 9 July 1947, Page 8

Tales Told by an Early Pioneer

The Devil’s Staircase —Journey down country—-Back to the Lake again— Death of Caesar —Nearly Starved.

During the time that George and I liad been living at the head of the fhke, a man named Green had been building two small boats at the station, one for Mr Rees and one for Mr von Tunzelman. He was a brother of that Green who at one time was the champion sculler of New South Wales. After finishing his work, and having bought a mare from -George, he determined to take her down along the Remarkables Mountains to the south end of the lake, and, having swum her across to the peninsula, he did succeed in accomplishing this, after a very hard journey, however, and this was the first time that either man or beast weiit by "that route. It is scarcely to be wondered at that Green named two parts of the route respectively “ The Devil’s Staircase,” and “ The Devil’s Lumber Box,” by which name they are still known.

It was on the fifth day of January, 1862, that George and I started down country, on which day we rode as far as Lake Hayes only, and spent the night with Flint, who was living in a tent there, looking after a mob of ewes. Our object in going this distance only was that it enabled us to make an early start next morning to i cross over the Crown Range, and, as we both had very heavy swags in front of our saddles this was an object of some moment to us. We reached the Wilkin station the following evening and continued our journey the day after, ultimately arriving in Dunedin "where we remained for some time, after which I pushed on to Invercargill in search of some sort of work. Not seeing anything there, however, sufficiently tempting, as indeed had been the case ever since I had left the Wakatipu district, and meeting Mr Rees in Invercargill, I was easily persuaded by him to go to the Lake, where I knew that the climate was

very much superior, and more enjoyable than that of the coast line of Otago.

On the 20th February, 1862, Mr Rees and I left Invercargill, and rode as far as Hill’s station at Hawkanui, and on the following day we pushed on to Rodger’s station.

This wiis a most unfortunate clay for me, however, as poor Ctpsav, my collie dog, took a bait Which had been laid for wild dogs at the Elbow on the Punjab station, belonging to Mr Wentworth, and, although -we did our best for him, the poison proved too potent, and my faithful old dog succumbed. Readers who do not know the value of a collie clog to one continually working amongst sheep, and especially in a hilly country, will scarcely understand the serious loss that Qacsar’s death was to me. I would, certainly not have- taken £2O for him, indeed I question if the offer of £SO would have tempted me to part with him. Rut let me change the subject.

Shortly after my return to the station, where I found George Simpson once more at work, he having disliked down country quite as heartily as I had done, it was arranged that Mrs Rees go down for a change to the Pomahaka run, in which Mr Rees had an interest, and I was told off to the duty of accompanying the party, which consisted of Mr and Mrs Rees, Mary Rose, and Lizzie, the half caste Maori. Our journey, however, had nothing whatever to do with the Lake Settlement, and so I must pass over any account of it, and continue my narrative from the time when I returnd to the station. On ray journey up country I was accompanied by one Robert Kilgonr, who had been engaged by Mr Rees as a generally useful hand on the station, and in some measure to replace Duncan Mac A upland, who had got an appointment down country. We had to remain at the foot of the lake, for some days, waiting for the boat to come for us. and during that time we stayed at Mr Tretter’s station, in charge of which

Was liis nephew, Mr Manson. At last''the boat arrived and took us up to the station, where I straightway went out to the east end of the Hayes Lake where I had been camped by myself for three weeks before going to Pomahaka and where a hut had been built, and George and I took up residence there.

I should have mentioned that previous to our departure down country, a Mr Dooley, who had been engaged by Mr Bees as a sort of store keeper and general handy man about the place, arrived, bringing with him little Billy

Fortune, a son of our old boat man

Shortly after I had gone to reside at Hayes Lake, a Mr Switzer brought some hundred sheep, the property of a Mr Pattullo, which were “ running on terms ” with Mr Rees and a man arrived at the station to take delivery of them. First of all we had to draft them off, and then boat them across the arm of the lake on to the peninsula run, as it had been arranged that the sheep should be taken over the Devil’s Staircase, and delivery of them given at the south end of the lake.

It was on the morning of the sth of June, 18G2, that we started, Kilgonr, Switzer’s man (answering to the extraordinary name of Parraratt) and myself, and after travelling about eight miles we camped on the lake side at a place where we had arranged that the boat was' to meet us, but no boat was there.

The rain poured in torrents and the wind was blowing a gale; we were soaked thr’ and thr’, and our matches all wet, we were unable to light a fire, and so it was wet, hungry and tired we spent the first night out. Next day the rain and the wind still continued, and, as it was of no use going on. we remained where we were, and allowed the sheep to feed about. A second night passed by, my companions being lucky enough to get some sleep by crawling under the rocks of the shore of the lake, whilst I being unable to sleep, kept watch over the sheep and spent the night in trying to catch a wood hen by a' ruse shown to me by Maori Jack. Taking two thin saplings, like fishingrods, I tied a piece of red pocket handkerchief on the end of one, and with a noose on the end of the other, I held it in front of the red rag and whistled in imitation the cry of the wood hen. Although I several times nearly caught one, I was not altogether successful, and morning broke without any signs of the boat and without any game for my night’s work.

Next day my companions, in their indignation at the non-arrival of the boat, said the sheep might go where they liked for what they cared, and declined to leave the partial shelter of the rocks, but, as I had a different, idea as to how to keep alive myself and the sheep which were spreading and feeding up the rugged spurs of the Eemarkables, I sent my dog—a pup of old Caesar’s —round them and brought them down to the side of the lake, and then asked one of my mates to give me a hand to catch and kill one. After some persuasion they agreed to do so, and having caught and killed a sheep, I began skinning and dressing it carefully, my companions looking on all the time in a dejected manner, and cross-questioning me as to what I was going to do next, seeing I had no fire to cook the mutton with, but the only answer, I vouchsafed was, “Wait a bit, and then you’ll see.” When I had finished my work I took a portion of the sheep’s liver, and squeezing it quickly in the water of the lake before it had time to cool, I proceeded to eat it, my mates looking on and expressing their horror of such a dreadful feast. Before I had finished, however, and they had seen that I was relishing the food, they got over their scruples and joined mo, taking for their meal, Published by R. C. Wilson, 25 I’a'h Street, Dunedin, and P in+od bv \VPson & Ra f < lift Ltd . at their Rp-ns’er'-d Printing Works, 25 Bath Street, Dunedin. Wednesday, July 9, 1947.

the one the heart and the other the tongue, in my opinion the two toughest parts Of the beast. No doubt this may be very shocking to my readers, but let them put' themselves in our places, andwhat would they have 'done ? In the old pioneering; days we could not afford to be very fastidious, and : so long as food was clean and wholesome we did not quarrel with it, even if there, was no fire to cook it. I have partaken of many a strange meal, and many a first class one also, but I doubt if I ever enjoyed one more than I did the one of the sheep’s raw liver, after three days’ starvation.

It was not'until late in the evening that the boat turned up, when we were glad to get a good square meal, not, however, before we had freely abused poor old Bob for the delay, although this was not really owing to his fault, as single-handed he could make no headway against the gale of wind with the heavy whale boat.. In due course we reached the foot of the lake, and saw Parraratt and his piob safely on their way, and then Kilgour and I returned by boat to the home station. (To be continued)