Lord Kitchener and the Silent Knight.

Progress, Volume V, Issue 7, 2 May 1910, Page 227

Lord Kitchener and the Silent Knight.

We publish to-day the last picture taken of Lord Kitchener in New Zealand. It was taken one minute before the distinguished soldier boarded the U.S. Co.'s "Mokoia," bound for Tahiti. The incident was the last in the remarkable motor-trip from Auckland to Wellington by Rotorua, Napier, and the Manawatu, taken by the Marshal with his sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. IT. Parker, of Kurow, North Otago. Lord Kitchener having made up his mind to have a holiday, engaged a big 38 h.p. Silent Knight Daimler from Mr. George Henning, of Auckland, and personally made all the arrangements for the journey. It is interesting to know that while he did this work he became familiar with the names of all the stopping places on the road, remembering them as easily as if he had been familiar with them all his life. Considering that most of the names were Maori, the incident shows of what stuff a great military commanding organiser is made. The original idea was to keep clear of all chance of "lionising," a sport of which, conducted as it had been during a few weeks past, the visitor had grown thoroughly tired. It was suocessful, with the exception of a "Haere Mai" of the Maori tribes at Ngaruawahin. But the simplicity of the Maori proved an agreeable surprise to tbe Marshal. The trip from start to finish was done in Mr. Henning 's fine car. Auckland to Hamilton was the run for the first day, and a very good run it was Next day between Hamilton and Cambridge, when the car was doing her thirty-five miles. Lord Kitchener declared that they had got on to a bit of really good road, and made an imperative suggestion to "let her out." Let out she was accordingly, and there was some racing which reminded one of the ballad of Lochinvar in places, and as far as the police were concerned, the results in the eye of the law were equally futile. No one enjoyed the spin better than Lord Kitchener. After Cambridge there came rain on the way through Tirau and the Mamaku Bush, that splendid characteristic forest so suggestive of the origin of Maori character, and chains were put on the driving wheels, so that the Marshal and the skid might be strangers. Stopping for lunch in the forest, according to the plan of missing official banquets and such things, the party were serenaded by the Tuis of the place, Lord Kitchener being specially pleased with the bell-like note of the "Parson Bird, the Tui making joyful all the high lands." Being, like the average hearer of good music, partial' to the "encore" practice, the Marshal, knowing well that the bare word would be ineffectual, set to work immediately to imitate the notes of the bird, and with such success that he

soon had them all round answering his advances with tremendous ardour. It is a neAv feat in the record of the great soldier. We have heard a man say it reminded him of how the marshal in his younger days acquired the Arabic language in which he is s,o proficient, a proficiency which stood him in good stead during the early days of his rise to greatness. Speech of man, song of bird, all one to K. of K. After lunch the car, running on towards Rotorua, was stopped at the foot of Ngongotaha to let the travellers see the Fairy Spring and the vast numbers of trout. Later the party enjoyed themselves at Rotorua greatly, going about extensively in the big Daimler to Waiotapu, the round Wairoa trip, Whakarewarewa, and all the other customary resorts, and of course the Wairoa geyser was duly soaped and was duly responsive to the attention.

Two days at Taupo were enough to see the sights, and of course the wonders of the Waikato and Wairaki came in for the usual admiration and enjoyment, and there was a spurt along the Tokaanu road. From Taupo to Napier was one day, viz., March 12th. This day there was company on the road — Sir Joseph Ward and a number of Napier motorists. The former early overhauled the Marshal, and his people took a heartbreaking farewell as they passed. But the Marshal shook up his chauffeur, and, going soon past the Ministerial equipage, plaintively offered ' ' a tow, ' ' which was quite jauntily refused. There was regret presently, for the Ministerial car proved unsqual to one of the big hills which abound on this track, hills which have been fatal to many a motorist. In fact, in the early days of this motor trip the car that got through was the exception. The Marshal had foreseen this disaster, and he was not long before

he was enacting the part of Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, who pulled the French ironclad off the Turkish coast. A little further on the foresight aforesaid was at fault, for passing Titiokura both the cars got bogged, and all the King's horses and all the King's men — including Field Marshal Lord Kitchener — failed to extricate them from their quandary. Thanks to some opportunists coming up just then — they proved to be of the Clydesdale persuasion — the cars got back to terra firma, and, putting on a spurt, the Daimler raced into the breakwater city three-quarters of an hour ahead of the Minister, the rest of the motorists enacting the part of the field when Eclipse did his record sprint. Leaving Napier by the sea, the roads took possession of the travellers' minds, for they were good They did not forget to say so. Neither did they forget to give their views

about the Auckland roads. They summed up, after some hours of lingual wrestling with "impossible," with the exception, of course, of some of those good stretches which had enabled the big Daimler to make such silent, splendid runs. Which proves that the Marshal, if he does drop heavily on faults, never forgets to be just. Moreover, by denouncing the Auckland roads he was just to the merits of the Silent Knight and the Daimler make. The car certainly overcame the difficulties of the road wonderfully. The better road enabled the party to make a short run to Dannevirke, where they spent the night. Next day, after losing 'two hours by getting mixed up with travelling sheep, they got to the Manawatu Gorge, only to find two bridges damaged, and undergoing repair. The operations did not please the critical eye of the Marshal, who took charge, and, standing on various points of vantage,

directed the operations, to the astonishment of the workmen, who did not know who he was, but acknowledged that he knew the business of bridge building from A to Z. "When they were told that the new "boss" was a distinguished officer of the Royal Engineers their astonishment subsided. So did the Marshal — very nearly into the Manawatu; for as he craned over to give some order about a stringer or a girder or a something belonging to the fabric he was building up his foot slipped, and he had to divide his attention between the chance of falling among the rocks in the water rather uncomfortably far down and scrambling his way out from his awkward position bv vigorous athletics. The athletics prevailed, and the Marshal survived to lick the Germans in the coming big war to which we are all looking so philosophically forward. Palmerston North, Foxton, and the country to Waikanae passed after this interlude like a streak, and from Wakanae it was the same, and, putting on a spurt, the Daimler got through in two hours and a half, Paekakareki hill and all. The Marshal was due to lunch at Sir Joseph Ward's, and he was on time. After the meal the Daimler drove the party down to- the wharf, and the Mokoia, and one minute before the Marshal got on board his way homewards, the photo, was taken which is our illustration. Mr. George Henning is at the wheel in the picture It is the position he occupied from Auckland to Rotorua, and from Dannevirke to "Wellington. The speedometer registered 1000 miles for the trip, which was accomplished without the slightest hitch. The engine started off the switch with one exception when the Marshal was on the car. on which occasion he said, "That's the first time she's failed off the switch." To show how easy this car is on tires, it may be mentioned that she has covered 7000 miles, including this trip, on one set, with only one puncture, the latter causing a delay of five minutes to change a wheel.