OUR NORTHERN LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2239, 28 January 1897, Page 23

OUR NORTHERN LETTER.

(Fbom Ocr Ownt Correspondent.) Waverley, January So. TOTABAPUKTJ, AND OTHER FOLK. Hard by the Riverbaak road on tha southern side of the Waoganui, and some two miles above the swivel bridge, stands Totarapuku, home cf Mr Andrew Duncan. A lovely spot it is, and ifc has been enjoyed by the family during the last 30 years. They now propose to cut up the patrimony into blocks suitable for building sices for villa residences. Half a mile or so to the south-west frowns the historical cliff known as •' McGregor's Leap" — so called iv commemoration of a thrilling incident of the Maori war. John M'Gregor, whilst being hard pressed by the rebels, leapt off this high cliff, and then plunged into the Wanganui River at its foot. While swimming across a native fired and shot him through the cheat; yet notwithstanding this the brave M'Gregor just managed to make the ether shore, and so escaped with bis life. Gordon Park, eight aores of a capital orchard some four miles up No. 2 line of the Wanganui River, is being capitally worked by Mr Jonathan Ktndrick, who supplies Wanganui with apples, plums, and rare grapes from his two conservatories. In Victoria Avenue, Mr W. Is. Coe, saddler, has established himself, and ia doing very well. He ii also agent for the celebrated Humber and other noted bicycles. A WOULD-BE MUBDEHEB. George Enbwistle, of Newtowu, Wellington, hag apologised to the arresting constable for " making such a mess" ever the shooting of his wife, his daughter, and Morris — the mau who hastened to prevent the semi-sanguinary conflict'between maniacal fury and domestic helplessnets. Tbe aged sinner, who, by the way, can count 77 summers, attributed "defeated . determination "' to " crooked shooting." I am happy to say that none of the victims are much the worse for the fusillade of the old scoundrel, , who should now be effectually prevented from repeating or further injuring those whom it is his dnty to protect rather than injure. HALCOMBE HOMES. Shooting the triplet terraces guarding a j northern portion of the waters of the Rangi- i tikei River, you come to and cross the substantial bridge on the river just completed and go on through Orepuhi pa, strewn with the wretched hovels of a straggling broken hapu. A poor, aged Maori in red blanket and armed with fish ' spear trundles towards the river in hopes of a j flounder there for his kaikai* All about the pa, great, lazy young fellows lounge, smoking tbe eternal pipe, old women sib rosking themselves j and crooning snatches of some old New Zealand ; ditties, young girls — some nob half bad-looking — chatter and laugh and while away apparently ' pleasantly enough the time, nude pikaninnies i tumble about the toitoi grass, and an assortment . of mongrel dogs and lazy pigs squeal and grunt together under the broiling sun ; but there is Tuterangi Hill [Tuttrangi puke) ahead, and so we lay to it. Fifteen minutes of hard graft and stew take us up, and then we set our faces to the cool sea breeze and glide down M'Rae's road, passing that gentleman's lonely patrimony ; his broad acres of rape aud oati, turnips and wheat, cocksfoot and ryegrass, all laughing and fast maturing from brilliant green to full-ripe yellow, and tastefully bisected by clumps of native groves end bushes. A mile further WOOD LAWN, home of Mr Lioton, embracing within it* 1115 ' loamy acres 100 in oats, 70 in turnips, 40 in • wheat, and eight in potatoes, and feeding 3000 ' purebred Lincolos— a stud flock from Sutton's < rams, the same having just yielded some 25,0001b of top-wools to the master of Woodlawn, who freely accorded me his best hospi- ' tality. Across the road and upon a gently rising hill stands * j STRATHENDRIB, of 1200 acres. Mr Owens Carline Fleasants is at home, and bids me welcome. He had just finished the shearing of 3000 sheep, getting satisfactory fleecei. One hundred acres of oats and ditto of late turnips were coming on well, and the orchards, filled with rare English apple trees free from blight, bid fair promise of a lucrative Geaton. "Come and sec; my picture gallery," cries Mr Pleasantg, leading the way to a, room of ' bis commodious home, on the walls of which are quite a number of pen and ink caricatures of "Diok Seddon," the master , and the young lady of Strathendrie, the *' Win ' of Lady Zetland," " The time and manner cf . Captain Russell popping the question," and of i other celebrities. " These were all done by a ! station cadet 14 years of age," quoth Mr j Pleasant;, passipg out to the kennel, where j Prince, a rare cross between a Highland beardie and Smithfield collie, performed under command like any circus. Two miles from Halcombe, along the Stanway road, luxuriates RAPOKE (SUNSLOPE) — which bike and I, under request of the owner (Mr Stephen Milner), had the honour of christening the land,— which lies comfortably in a sunny nook, grasses over 2000 sheep, and looked well just as I passed. A ROW AMONG THE ELEMENTS. _ About noon of last Sunday strange indigo tints began colouring the eastern sky of Marton. As it rose and darkened tho midday 'lights a solemn stillness fell all around, so that even the gossamer-winged thistledown ceased its aerial flight. The thermometer quickly rose to an alarming degree, and from between the forked, j ragged tongues of the now inky cloud, looming I yet higher, the sun burned fiercely. Two hours I

went by, daring which the sky overhead deepened and the eastern horizon immediately under the thunder cloud became a. brilliant gi-eea sheen. la a moment millions of half'withered'.learee unaccountably parted from their parent stems and fluttered to the. ground ; the next instant the silence was broken by low mntterings from afar, and these were followed by a general sough from the north and west, then from oub the great ink blotch overhead a steel-blue and red and gilt stream of Ore like one million rockets altogether shot with a slight curre down and struck the dry earth, exploding at oontaot with the din of a multitude of live fins bombs. Then the sluice rivers of the heavens burst opera and whole water fell down and deluged the dusty earth and the withering crops And the whitened grasses, and the thunder-bolt struck a hedge fencing in Henderson's flour mill and burned it up, notwithstanding the falling waters, and the cattle and horses of the field all ran together bellowing and moaning in fear. And there w»8 wildwutr all through the air : the trees bent their heads under to let the furle» rash by, and all the dwellings of SffartCrn quivnred and shrieked and groaned, and the people inside retired to dark corners, while" all the naughty things they had done and said chummfid up to them. Then after a Rattle of four hours the electrical besiegers fell away east and vfesb and south and north, and left the calm blue aky and the moon and the stars to laugh merrily on and sail smoothly away from ' east to west once more.