EAST COAST LETTER.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 342, 24 August 1889, Page 2

EAST COAST LETTER.

[OWN CORRESPONDENT.—“ NARRATOR.”] Pray sit by us, and tell’s a tale, Merry, or sad, shall it be ? As merry as you will. —WiKTEti’s Tais. My friend, and correspondent of your contemporary, got rather to windward of me last week, inasmuch as anticipating a dearth of noteworthy intelligence I retained the SwannBooth quarter-mile race over eight hurdles. 3ft 6in high—for this letter. The race was a very well contested one altogether, Mr Booth looking far the fittest man of the two at the outset. But it soon became evident that he had no show—his antagonist jumping equally well with himself, and going faster between the hurdles. There is no doubt|but that the twins Eddie and Charlie Swann, brothers of the late lamented Mrs Pook of Mataahu, are very promising athletes, and I think will be heard of hereafter.

Fresh complaints are constantly coming in from travellers both north and south of this as to the state of the roads, and still the C.C.C. and the execution officer make no sign. The sama disgraceful inaction also prevails all along the coast line. Our mutual friend A. Tramp, Esq,, hade taste of the quality of our bridle tracks, and made some characteristic enquiries as to parties concerned, of which we shall probably hear more. He freely admitted that for bad roads we certainly excelled any part of the country which he and the Co. had yet negotiated, which is a distinction at any rate, though not a desirable one. That versatile and amusing writer has not left Waiapu yet (19th) according to recent advices. An apparently incredible, yet perfectly true story, comes from the same district (Waiapu proper). It appears that a married woman, named Iratani te Kawi, stated that

she hud been confined of a child, which died at, or soon after birth, and she produced the corpse wrapped up in the usual Maori manner for interment. A large •* tangl” was held, quantities of food were brought to tho “ Kaluga,'' and all hands feasted royally. Ultimately the child (?) was interred. Two Maori women, however, who had doubts on tho bona fidel of the transaction—named Terlna Haua and Msrara Hope—did a little private exhumation business the next day, and on unswarthlng the guosi *‘ tamaiti" discovered a hind quarter of pork, which

had been out and missed from a pig killed for household use, and fashioned roughly into something like the semblance of a child, Of course there was a great hubbub. Iritana was summoned before the local Runanga, and banished into the bush, where she remained two days (t.e., from the 10th to the 18 h July last). Then fearing she might commit suicide, or die from exposure, the weather being very inclement, a party went out in search and found her very weak, and exhausted, but still alive. They brought her back to the settlement, and I suppose thinking she had undergone a sufficient penalty for her unique offence, recommended her to the pardon and good graces of her very much disgusted busband. But that fastidious individual, objecting to the many and reiterated congratulations conferred upon him respecting his porcino paternity, incontinently bolted and is at present sojourning at Heruharama, Tuta Nihoniho's village. A good thing occurred in the Waiapu Valley lately, which, in the absence of more important items, will suffice to complete this letter* As everybody knows, the beautiful and

fertile Waiapu Valley is largely covered with “ tataramoa," a species of briar which is most difficult of eradication, presenting an almost impenetrable front of sharp venemous thorns and spikelets, to tho advance of the eradioator. Well, there is a tradition among Ngatiporou that the missionaries introduced this formidable land monopolist, and they have in. consequence named it “ mihinere,' 1 or missionary. Everybody also knows Mr O’Meara of your town—not the commercial O’Meara with his paltry five feet odd of stature, but the O'Mara, some six feet and more of surveyor, gentleman, and good fellow. The O'Mara, in executing some surveys of the valley (Aroha Mokopuna Block), with his two Maori assistants, were in their war paint, slashing away with their murderous looking billhooks at the obstinate “ tataramoa,” which resisted not unsuccessfully, — as the hands and faces ot the Maories fully demonstrated. Chop, bang, swish, grunt, and imprecation, constituted the usual course of procedure, with an expression of excelling luridity now and then when an elastic “ Mihinere " would spring back from an ineffectual blow and score several on tho countenances, one or the other, of the agreesore. Suddenly one of the two Maoris, one of whom has received an unusually severe wipe across the mug, cease work, and apostrophise the briars in terms more favorable to Mormons than “Mihineres”—blankity blanks going off like a dual discharge of Maxim guns—enter “ the O'Mara " from one Bide of the thicket (as before said, in bis war paint, with a huge slash hook over his shoulder) to ascertain the cause of the row—and the other—who on earth do you think, Mr Editor, but the übiquitous “ Tramp who was doing the Valley. “Is this the language spoken in these parts,” quoth A Tramp, Esq. “Certainly,” replied ‘the O'Mara,* " under the circumstances— by the Maoris,” “ I'm glad it was ths Maoris," said ths Tramp,