RAMBLINGS BY A TRAMP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8066, 6 October 1887, Page 6

RAMBLINGS BY A TRAMP.

No. 43, THROUGH HAWKE'S BAY ON HORSE--(CONTINOKD. ) HASTINGS AGAIN. The twelve miles from Napier to Hastings, on the Heretunga Plains, I did by rail, and returned to Stortford Lodge, where Musket two was stuffing herself to the eyebrows with old oats and young grass. The daughter of Pohokura was looking 100 per cent, better—getting quite handsome, in fact. The visitor to Hawke's Bay race meetings will find Stortford Lodge a very convenient and comfortable place to stay at, and X can recommend STOCK'S COOK.

I am partial to cooks when they are good —1 bar the China article ; 1 don't like that, good, bad, or indifferent. There is nothing of the celestial about Stock's cook—at present. She is a good-looking, plump, six-foot specimen of terrestrial manufacture, and, when she becomes an angel, will take the largest size of wing. 1 like plump cooks, don't you, Mr. Editor? My editor is not a bad sort of fellow, but he takes a mean advantage of my absence, and uses his pencil too freely on my copy.

HERETUNGA'S TWELVE APOSTLES.

The Heretunga Plain, some forty square miles in extent—a block of the fattest land in the colony—was grabbed at a nominal sum per acre, and parcelled out amongst a syndicate of twelve gentlemen, notoriously known as the twelve apostles. Which of the dozen was the Judas lscariot, whether Ormond, Russell, or Tanner, 1 cannot depone to, but I will make oath and say that any or all of these gentlemen are capable of selling Sir Julius Vogel—who has been a saviour to them and their classfur thirty pieces of silver. As an instance of the richness of the soil in this district, 1 may mention the fact that eighteen consecutive crops of wheat have been taken from one paddock without any serious diminution in the yield or the use of an ounce of manure of any kind. The worst feature about Hastings Is its unsheltered position; the wind comes sweeping down the Ruahiue range and whistling across the plain, with nothing but wire fences to break its force, chills you to the marrow. This in summer may be pleasant and cooling, bat I wasn't there in the summer time. ENTRAINED. The ride from Kaikora to Hastings I have already described—nothing but sheep, a few Maori kaiks, and the Rev. Samuel Williams on the road. To save time, Musket two's shoes, and my own leather, I decided to return thither by rail; so we entrained at Hastings, old Harry Rawdon supplying Musket two with a bucket of oats and chaff to amuse herself with by the way. On the Thames Barry acquired a reputation for good nature, horsey skill, and bad speculations. He hasn't altered a bitand he wears the same sized boot he was wont to wear on Tookey'a Flat. The old, jolly waggoner is the lightning expressman of Hastings— that there is much lightning about Harry, but yon can always depend on his " traps" being on time at the railway station.' i bespeak for the old joker the patronage of Thamesites visiting Hastings. END OF A PLEASING EPISODE. Having exohanged keepsakes -spurs and other small tokens of remembranceand taken our last cup together, Mr. George Tod accompanied me to the station, where I bade a final adieu to my true friend and travelling companion, and jumped on board the train for Kaikora. Tnus ends the episode of George Tod and Bret Harte—for me it has been a pleasant one, and I hope it has also been agreeable to my readers. HASTINGS TO KAIKORA. On this section of the line stations are few and far between, Te Ante, where the train stops twenty minutes for refreshments, being the principal one. At a'Maori settlement near Te Aute we picked up Mr. James Carrol and Mr. W. Broaghton— breeder of Musket —and a number of Maoris en route for Waipawa, where a Native Land Court was sitting. Wherever you travel, the Maoris are always found largely patronising the New Zealand railways. You never hear them complain that the railway has ruined their property or their business— the fashionable croak of a considerable section of the European community. On the contrary, the Maoris appreciate to the fullest extent the benefits to be derived from the public works policy. Mr. James Carrol was on a canvassing tour, and had received quite an ovation from the Maoris in this portion of the' electorate. He told me he expected to receive a block vote from the Mormons, and had great hopes of winning the seat, and, just for luck, he became a subscriber to the AUCKLAND Weekly News. [He has sinoe been returned, and we are glad to know that the first member elected to the new Parliament is a subscriber to this journal.Ed. W.N.J LIMERICK. Arrived at Kaikora, we detrained, Musket two stepping on to the platform as quiet as a lamb and fresh as a daisy. We stopped for the night at Limerick's Hotel, which is the only one in the township. The name is suggestive of turbulenoe, shillalahs, and Patriotism, but there is nothing of the sort about the house, which is very clean, quiet, and comfortable, and Mr. Limerick is a most peaceable and obliging landlord. FROM SEABOY TO SQUATTER. Among other travellers staying for the night at Limerick's was Mr. DilloD, a squatter and prominent man of the district, who, learning I came from Auckland, inquired very affectionately after Captain Thomas. I informed him the old sea dog was well and hearty. He said he was cabinboy with the gallant captain, whose sea boots he had to clean, and earned more "ropes end" than "ha'pence" on the job. But, tired Of the tarry trade, he tarried not upon the order of his going, but scudded away' on the first opportunity, with what sail he could carry, into "the bush," without saying —leaving the skipper to clean his own boots. At a safe distance from the port, he entered on the profession of la "cow spanker," as they call it here, at the' rate of 10s per week. By industry, perseverance, and the opportunities afforded by the land laws of the province, he has become the possessor of a well-stocked and decent-sized run. Mr. Dillon not being one of the greater " Barons" of Hawke's Bay, the bursting of the big estates Bill has uo terrors for him, and he can see good government come out of the Stout-Vogel Ministry. •He is an admirer of Sir Julius Vogel, and we agreed in the opinion that Vogel ought to be made Colonial Treasurer for life. Mr. Dillon had a bad attack of asthma and I had a severe cold—contracted at Hastings. For relief, we took a prescription of malt and hot water every half hour. We felt con siderably better in the morning—it was about one o'clock in the morning. RADICAL OPINIONS. Starting again from Kaikora, we paced leisurely along through Waipawa—whore the Native Laud Court is sitting, " still is sitting"to Waipukurau and the Tavistock Hotel. I am not sure that I was altogether welcome at Gow's. Peter said to me one day, in a half serious, half jocular strain, " l wish you would shift out of this before you drive all my customers away. Your Radical notions are too high-toned for this locality." I expressed regret that my opinions did not suit the taste of his Tory customers, but informed him that I had not the remotest intention of starting before I was ready. The fact was that my Vogeliati enunciations were unpalatable to some of the frequenters of Gow's. When the squatter squad "run down" the Colonial Treasurer in my presence they did not have it all their own way. 1 could generally Stem the current of their abuse by remarking that I never heard of Sir Julius Vogel thieving any Maori lands, or plundering the province of Hawke's Bay of its choicest blocks, or, that it was deuced ungrateful on their parts to traduce a man who had made a railway to their woolsheds. Were it possible to pass the population of Auckland through Hawke's Bay so that it might gaza on the land monopoly existing there, instead of doing as wo are doing at present—"with a malignant insanity we oppose the measures, and ungratefully villi'y the persons, of those whose sole object is our own peace and prosperity"every man who voted against the Stout-Vogei Ministry would be flailed with a dead oat. AMUSING CATASTROPHE. Talking of dead cats reminds me of an inoident that occurred at a meeting held at Waipukurau by our old friend, lawyer I,nacelles, during his electioneering tour in the Waipawa electorate-— Lascollea is not j

particularly popular, I may say. To that meeting came one of the independent and intelligent eleotorsof Waipawa, accompanied by an enormous wild oat, tied by the tail to a stout " bit »v a Bhtick"—it was dead—shot purposely for the ocoasion, 1 have no doubt in my own mind the intentions of the Waipukurauan Whittington were good, but an officious " mimbah av the fooroe" thought otherwise, and chose to construe the harmless display of.-feline into a deliberate attempt to provoke a broach of the peace, and collared the man with the oat—a tyrannical abuse of policial power—which spoilt the evening's amusement; for, although pussy's mews were silent, she could still supply sufficient catgut for a musioal divertissment had the caterer of " furrin" musio been allowed to accomplish his purr-pose. I have since learned that the inventor of the new-fangled flail was had up " before the beak, and fined, which I think a rascally shame. The action of that policeman was an uncalled for interference with the liberty of the subjeot, an unwarrantable violation of the " Bill of Rights." It is the indefeasible right and privilege of the free and independent electors to catechise the candidates who seek their suffrages ; and 1 have yet to learn that it is in the category of crimes for an elector to take a dead cat -so long as it is fresh—with him to a political meeting. As a protest against snob an infringement of our liberties, let us all take dead oats tied to the end of a stick or an umbrella handle when we assemble in front of our would-be represent# tives. * 1 move for an inquiry into that " copper's" conduct.