ISLE OF ROMANCE

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1935, Page 7

ISLE OF ROMANCE

MEMORIES OF BULLY HAYES. A PICTURESQUE PIONEER. Memories o'f one of Canterbury’s moat interesting settlers and of his encounter with the. notorious buccaneer Captain Bully Hayes arc recalled by the recent Gazette notice declaring Motunau Island a game Sanctuary, Says an exchange. 1 ' The settler. Was Mr. John Scott Caver? hill, -whose descendants have still in their possession a quaint old document conferring on their grandfather the right to occupy Motunau Island. So far as is known by members of the family, the right • has. hot, even to this day, been revoked. That it was originally granted was thb direct result of a Visit paid by Bully Hayes to the island in the early days of Canterbury settlement. “Darby” Caverhill, as the old man was known, was a picturesque figure, with a mane of flaxen hair,’which caused him sometimes to be called “White-haired Bob.” He habitually wore white corduroy trousers, a tweed coat and a hat of the variety known as a’half-topper. He was known widely for his kind heart; in fact, it was no uncommon thing for him, in his capacity aS justice of the peace, to fine wrongdoers in, the? Cheviot Court, and afterwards to pay their fines for them. He had a great capacity for humour, and loved to tell stories of incredible happenings, keeping-all the while a perfectly serious countenance.- ' BUCCANEER’S VISIT.* ' It was . while he: was. settled.. M Motunau with formerly Miss. Frances King, a Creasy J pilgrim, •. that Caverhill looked out one morning to see a strange ship anchored close to the island. His disgust on finding that the vessel was commanded by Bully Hayes was profound, for although at ■ that time Hayes had not ySt been arrested for piracy, his reputation was already ah evil one in the South Seas. The buccaneer and his crew remained at the island for some time, going ashore frequently and engaging in quarrels and carousals; and while . Caverhill had. the right to order them off his run, his rights did not extend to the island. Fearing that the islet might ibecome such a resort of bad characters as had once ..been Mana Island, near Cook Strait, he immediately applied to Governor Gore-Browne for permission to occupy the island. This presently arrived in the following terms: — ; , “On behalf of Her Majesty, I hereby authorise and empower Mr. J. S. Caverhill, of Motunau, in the province of Canterbury, to enter upon and take and hold the exclusive possession of the island called Motunau, situate in the province of' Canterbury, until this, authority shall be revoked. Dated at Auckland this 10th day of January,' 1857.” The signatures on the parchment are those of Thomsur GoreBrowne and E. W. Stafford. BOY BOUGHT FOR SACK OF FLOUR. Caverhill had sufficient wit to keep on the best of terms with Hayes during the buccaneer’s stay at Motunau. This enabled him to make what was probably the strangest deal ever completed between two white men in New Zealand. Aboard the vessel, as a member of Hayes’ motley crew, there was a miserable, halfstarved lad, who won the good-heartea runholder’s sympathy. Hayes would not say where he had picked up the lad, and Caverhill could'not but presume that the boy had been kidnapped, such crimes being all too frequent in the buccaneers career. • • Eventually, after some chaffering, it was agreed that Caverhill should buy the boy the purchase price being a sack of flour. The lad grew to manhood m Caverhill’s kindly care, and afterwards spent most-of his life in the Cheviot district. To the day of his death he was known as Johnny Flourbag.