THE WILD OLD DAYS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 5804, 23 January 1906, Page 7

THE WILD OLD DAYS.

AN OLD WHALER’S EXPERIENCES. A COLONIST OF '33. LI FK ON THE CHATHAM ISLANDS. Probably rho colonist in Uii.s part of tliu aorld ih> Uilr.atn v/ho witii bin. UantchlAr, Mrs> at No. 7. Biuhttin tilruft, Wl'lljiihloii. ilr- j-* no or'i;n;iry rnnn this old uAlow. | ivfio rovud Uu> colonial nwav hack i :!i l'J' 7 lx‘toro V* !*j.;ng;oi, wa* \\ellingj :/>a--.in(l -.v.io suh.-cnn-iulv was married li!'ie on the day u eidngtvn was estab- ( !.-ie,*S. .ssxly-iive years ago. He will atj in- innetyaixUi birtijiiay in June , next, yet be can move about livelv I enough, ha* a pair of clear eyes that ’ ! J: la; n lie: aid oi B[;ec.Uicli*s to decipher ['nni. ami [flays <i<l. si;rewdlv. His com-i-Jcxion is woiidcrfullv clear. - ids sound mile is ovnicn.eii hv tile .manner in which he. shavre himself, a ?uf his vote 1- Ui.it ol .1 man oi tony. '1 he face of tin* o.d man that fKrcuiiar fimk sn.iw>Min*r,s that conics at xvirlt fiu-t 1 1 liy old but his hands aro history 'i‘l.uy aro almost flesblos*— knojtoti, ffnarh.nl, ami wrdo<i. U illiam arrived in Port Jackson (iSydnoyj m one of tho crow of th* bn K Ann and *Mary. At Svdnev tbo vu*WAN sold, ami her new owner liUi-d hor up for a trading cruise 10 New Zoaland. Sho sailed from .Sydney about l ebroary or .March. I*;W, in charge of <*ajjtiiin Richard-s, wi?h in the crew-. Wellington, or what is now Weiijngfon. was tlio hr«d ]>orl iii:uic. and a pHUty sjxjt it was wuii ihc native hush extending like a soft cloak <>t grct-n from tin' hill-tops to the water, nuh onlv a lew insignificant clearing® round ttie Maori .vtllcments. lucre was no proo-m-ct of much husiness, re Die Ann and -Mary stood out to sea again, rounded 'lyrawhiti. and cruised for a time about IvapiD and Manji. Receiving little encouragement to trade in safety, Captain Riciiards heat through the .Strait a-am and stood out ctist-uway tor tho Chail Imm Inlands, then a whaling station of Minus importance, though even then not what it had been on account of the great decrease that had taken place in Die number of whales.

CANXABJJLISiI AT Til33 CIIATHAMS. Ah ? Aun antl Mar - V arrived at the Chatham* in May (IS3DJ, and tho news they heard was that a French whaJinj' vcesnl Jjad been setJMMI bv the Maoris (who had previously com©' from Aew /©aland and almost demolished Iho Maori population), and nor crow had ai, been KiJlod and eaion. indeed ooiuo whe oiiino on board tho brig wore crippled nnd knocked .i!io uI. tuo Frenchmen liavmg made a bold light before bring overpowered. After tho Maoris had rilled tho french vessel of everything of any vaiuo, they sot lire to hor close inshoie, and what was not burned sank to tho bottom ol tho U hangaroa Bay. JCeeve s-<ys that tho Maoris aad no idea of the uao or value of money, a quantity ot w Inch they had looted from tho I'renchman and ho purchased from a duskv chief a double lisiful of dollars for eighteen piga of tobacco—a deal that tho old man recalls with a chuckle. After doing sorno business and replenishing tho lazaretto with pigs and potatoes, projiaratiuna were made to sail tor islands more remote still, hot while the wind came up m fierce squalls from seaward the Ami and Marv commenced lo drift towards rocks. A second m.fi i r i Wil ? bo,n «; )o , l ' , ' re,J . but before it couM lx, droptied. tho gallant Ana and Mary was oh tho rocks—at onco her grave .uid monument, uf the scene that followed. Mr Iteeve relates a dramatic incident. there was no loss of life. Subsequently when tho galo abated tho crow was ordered, to discharge tho cargo, tie was carrying a halo of blankets to tho si 1° oi tho vessel to drop it into the il.! 1 ,? cb -.‘ t “lontpido,, when.a Maori, who

11. U got, on board, and become oicitwl by the scene. made at lain wuii Ilia tomahawk, and was a bout to prevent licovo seeing old or even middle age. ivlu'ii tuo Maun e wile threw her mat ovoriJam, aa net which cuuscd her Ilom) spoil so to dosist. Tho incident had cuuisod hVcye io drop tho bale into tho water, but it was recovered later on. Alter tlic* struck. Captain Richards ordomi Reeve to sUvt-m the two cask* of rum ou board, fouriuK that the Maons would get at tho liquor and ci oato trouble, but next morning ho repentod and told Jam to save as much as possible of (i.. so Roovo went on board, only to find that what spirit was left won well diluted with salt water. "I bottled it oIT. though," said tho old man with a twinkle, "and wo sold it afterwards to American whalers—sailors in flu*® days didn't mind a little thing iiko that!" Asked how it was that the natives slaughtered tho Frenchman and spared them, Kccvo explained that Captain Richards had boon dowq to tno Chatham** before, and wiu* well known to the chief, who had visited Sydney. After everything had been discharged, tho brig was broken up, and out of timbers tho crew constructed a house, in which they lived in comparative comfort for roue time. On ono occasion Roovo and two others sot out for a ramble to tho other side of tho island. They reached a pa not far away, and wore walking leisurely through when they espied a native equalling gravely iron do a whore by tho track. At t!io same moment another Maori came along the track. When opposite the wharo, ho who was sitting within strode out and smashed in the skull of tho other fellow, who fell dead almost at tho foot of the pakehas. Then the murderer strolled back to tho wharo and reseated himself, as if ho had oniy boon out to say "How are you?” It had been alleged that the dead man had "makutued'’ a relative of him in the wharo. and thd act of .blood waa a squaring of accounts. ISLAND LIFE. About Christmas time that year the owners of tho lost Ann and Mary sent down a schooner from Sydney to look for their vestsel and her crew, a son of On plain Richards being in charge. By this time tho crew of the brig hail become firmly settled. They, however, undertook to do some sealing on outlying islands, whithor they wore conveyed in the schooner, being given a fortnight's provisions. As the schooner did not return for a month, the sealing party had n pretty bad time, having to subsist on fieb. shellfish, tho eggs of sea-birds, and "fat.ben’’ (the earliest record of the much-detested noxious weed), which, when boiled, made a substitute for vegetables. At tho end of their stay on the sealing island, they were reduced to eating tho flesh of shags. About that lime—early in ISin—a bast’s crew, including Reeve, decided to settle on South-east Island, make a home there, ami keep it going by growing potatoes and rearing pigs for sale to the whalers who then caller! there frequently. To help them in their venture, they took with thorn two or three Maoris, who had escaped the fury of the Maori raid, and these became willing slaves and worker! well. On Pitt's Island, thev discovered a couple of men— escaped convicts—who had fled from Tasmania, and had made their way to the Islands. Schooners were no r trading .pretty regularly between Wellington and the Chatbams. and early in January. IfVtl. Reeve look a trip to this port. On January 22nd, the ship Stain's Castle arrived, ami he wont on board at once to “pick a wife out,” a mission on which he was quite successful. and straightway was married—sixtyftv.i years ago to-day. There were no long engagements or spun-out courtships in those wild days. Re took her to his homo off the storm-bent Chat bams, where they lived until early in 18-t-l. Reeve had been told of the wonders of Otnhiti and the roving spirit arising within, him. he resolved to sail away. He contracted to sell his share of South-Mast. Island, with his home, for X'KX). to one MfChitehie—half to bo paid in trade: goods and half in cash. The trade goods were lost by the . sinking of a cutter (bound from McCiufehie's to Whungaroa), and so staggered waa the gentleman with the* eb.iriK-tcri.stio name, (hat ho refused to pay the cash—albeit ho had assumed the part ownership of SouthEast Island. Reeve made for Wellington in search of justice. Ho waited on Mr Brandon, who said he was not then

practising, and then he eaw aMr Ross, who would not stir in tho matter unless Xteove put up Jill/. This fio could not do. so that tint properly became forfeit to MrClutchic. Tho McClntchio cloix* not dio ont of the story hero, for on Hoove's return to the Chuthame, a man named Ryan came on iho scene. Ho had come down from Sydney with a cow. McClntchio contracted to buy tho animal, but failed to payup. meanwhile having handed it over to the native® for safe-keeping. Ryan, exasperated, called for volunteers to rescue his cow. and Reevo made one, feeling aggrieved at McGlutchie'streatment of. himself, and having made up hia

mind to go a-sailing again. Indeed at th.s juncture ho had signed on the American whaler Corinthian, then lying at Waitangi. Tho party of cow-reacuors advanced ou tho pa, where they knew the cow to bo. and there encountered Mo Clutchie. Ho and Ryan got to hot words, and Ryan, who v.armed with a double, barrelled gun. shot him in the arm and cleared oil. McClutchie, who also had a double-barrelled gun, fired two shots without effect, anti then rushed at Reeve with the butt end of tho gun screaming "Blood for blood I” Reeve warded off the blow, and woo then taken prisoner By McClufchio and ids party. As they were marching him off they encountered a scorch party from tho Corinthian, who took McClutchie in charge, conveyed him on board and had tho ball extracted from his arm. Tho captain offered tho natives half-a- keg of tobacco for the cow when delivered, and in mighty short time it waa on tho beach, where it wan slaughtered and placed among tho ship’s stores—"and good beof it made," added our informant. It was South Pacific justice, ns then understood. Tho Corinthian sailed the next morning. and had not boon long out, when tho crew struck a whale, which in turn struck tho boat, smashing it up like matchwood. AThcn one boat became injured it seems it was the habit to try and transfer the lino to tho second boat, so as not to lose the whale. On this occasion the mate ( Portuguese) was in charge of the second boat, but instead of attempting to take tho line, ho pulled away. This was the final act in a longstanding breach between the mate and skipper (a Nantucket man), and afterwards the latter swore loud and high that he would have no more of that Portuguese. He sailed away for Sydney where a new mate was shipped.