LETTERS FROM THE BACK BLOCKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 51

LETTERS FROM THE BACK BLOCKS.

My Deab Nat,— l am sorry that I cannot fall in with your luggeibion about changing knives. No doubfc yours is a very nice one, and hat the advantage over mine in having two blades, while mine has only one j but fancy knives never suited me— l can't get enough work out of them. Mine is a very strong knife, which takes a good edge and keep 3 sharp a idng time. The blade is aboub 3|in long, and the handle the same. Once a girl asked me for the loan of ib to cut a piece of string. When I opened ib and gave ib to her she said, " Good gracious 1 I didn't ask for a tomahawk." A chum of mine brought it out from England for me. I have had ib more than a year, and must confess ib is getting rather the worse for wear. The bladq ii scratched in one or two places and a »icco «£ (,Up bone h*m>} » broken 0% 1

suppose you would call these "blemishes"; / call them "honourable scara."

• I also live in the country, and am fond of all the sports you mention, except fishing and cricket.- I have never tried fishing, except celing with a torcb, which I thought vary good fun, although ib is rather creepy bo feel an eel around your bare foot if you happen to bread on a big lively one. I i.ever took to criok&fc. Ib is too slow a game for me. I have done & good deal of shooting in my time, having had a qua ever since I was 10 y«ars old. It's only a single barrel, but a lot of ammunition fcas gone through it. I went oub last week and got two hares and a rabbit with four cartridge!!. I hit another, bub ib was getting dark and the dog couldn't find it. That happened to be one of my good shooting days. Yesterday my cousin and I went out, and we gob half a dozen head of game — puk&lcie, duck?, and hares — buh we weren't so fortunate with the cartridges. You see, when you'vo got to buy your own cartridges on le a week ib makes you jolly careful r.ofc to wttaba-them. Sometimes my father makes me a present of a hundred, bub net so often as J should like him to. I wanb a double-bnrta>)ed gun awfully badly, bub somehow no one %seai« inclined to give me one. Dad Bays I would value ib more it I earned ib, but I'm sure I shouldn't,. and ie will be years before I can do bhab. Have you gob a double or tingle barrel P Where do you livo ? and bell me if you shoob aay deer. My cousin Sfc&ve has just had a double-barrel given him. He is going to take it bstok to .school with him next week. I asked him when be came home to tell me the names of some of the " distinguished men " his school had turned oub. Hesaid he "didn't know anyof theirnames, bub of course there snusb be dozens." I told him bf.ey couldn't be very distinguished or eSse the boys would know their names. Then I reeled off. lots of our old scholars that our high school had tnrned oub. He said it was a pity I dirin'b do something to distinguish myself ■while I tr&s there, bub I bold him I never had a chance — I was only a junior. He goes back bo school again next Saturday, and then we won't see him again until Christmas. I miss him very much when he is awivy. We've known each other ever since we were babies, and we've never had a real row yefc.

Wfc've had another football match, and woa agaiu. This time we played a combined team of two schools, and had a walk-over, 40 to nil. We have challenged a big school in Tirnatu, bub we haven't had a reply from them yet. I expect they will bs surprised to get a challenge from the " Back-block nippers." Most likely we'll be beaten,' because it bat the reputation of being a first-class team. We've got a boy in the te?.m that can run like fcbe wind. Of ail the boys I saw in Dunedin I think there is only two or" three that can come anywhere near him. i

I believe he could go full split to tUe edge of a precipice, stick bis heeln in the ground, and cub away in another direction. It's almost impossible to collar him. He always takes the goals, too, which I can't do at ail. Do you go in for reading rsmdh ? lam very fond of ib. J. like best books about travel and adventure, also sea stories. Xam very fond of BalJ»,ntyn&'s books a»d Henel/e, but not so nraoh as Rider Haggard'a. I hav«s read nearly all of his. lam in the middle of one of the beat ©f his, "The Heart of the World." It's an Rwfull/ gcod book, and very exciting.

I sea by the paper febafc a vr»r correspondent has been captured. What & lob I should have had to writs abowt i. p it hud only been me I You want" to know what Barry and I think of the war ? WelJ, as I s*id before, it's my opinion that England will have to sail ,in and restore peace' before anything is settled* * r I uiay be eight and 1 may be wrong, but if EDgland lets America take the Philippine* and doesn't say acythiog about it, I shall be very much earprised.

Fancy the sea being able to break through the sandhills at St. Kilda ! The people round bhere mast have had a lively time of ifc fora few* hours. I remember being, told that once before the sea had come in, bub I could hardly beliere ib. Ido wish I had been there. Dunectin is a great place for water of all sorts. When I waa there it used to rain nearly every Saturday and Sunday, and ence it hardly stopped for a fortnight, which I thought was very hard indeed. • Ib'a very cold there when it does rain — much colder than it is here when ib snows.

We went to a progressive euchre party the other night. ' Ifc had been snowing heavily for two or three hours, bub ib stopped about 7 o'clock. Everything for miles and miles was •white, and the horeea' feet balled a good bib ; but it was a perfectly lovely night, and we came home very quickly on top of the frozen snow. Ib commenced freezing hard when the snow stopped falling.

Harry seoms to think we've got a lot of adventures iv the country. I should like him to tell me what he thinks bhey are. I've been on the look oub for one for a' long time, bub I've never been able to find one. It was very kind of Dob to offer to settle the little dispute with the editor for me, wasn't it ? But it's always better to !Bght out our own battles, isn't it— even at a school where fightmg isn't allowed ? — Yours truly, . B. O. B.

[Ungrateful B. O. B. ! I thought you would have said something so nice to poor little Dob, instead of telling her to mind her own business. After this, I shall almost feel inclined to agree to the assertion that boys are horrid, selfish things. — Dot.]