THE KING AND THE FERRYMAN.

Manawatu Times, Volume VIII, Issue 184, 12 February 1883, Page 2

THE KING AND THE FERRYMAN.

j ', !; jss Woodyille' ' correspo|ident . of ; the;v ' HlB- H(l».r.^i<i ..tbu? ivcbfus' an incident cqunecied with ;'tbe triutupKaJ progress pErth^ Maori -Eing :r^?lt jappjears that . wh«B the" kiiig land " party piissfed^-^dbiej lower-ferry and-Gorge, .bridge, Tiiifjhiao ioformed the tall-keepers ofone nunifier of his foUowerj and paid i abcotdingjy, what was demanded, bat when he reached^e.npper ferry tlie toll- keeper there be^an"t6 Jhiist. upoii each* jiaori pajjiig' indiyiduwily. At this treatment the MiQrW'be?arae indignant^and iwme of them' tried- t<y"go round another, route to escape the toll, but were.^stopped by the ferryman's gon, who: got , knocked down by a Maori, while «ome others threatened to. pull down the' toll-gate. Constable Motley was then «ent for, and when he arriyed; he took m the situation at a glance, and tried to persuade the ferryman to accept a certain sum for tbe,whole of the nativesj as some of them possibly had not nionuy. The ferryman, hpweVervwM obstiuatt, and began quoting law and Irii rights, just a» if he was; m a Court instead of m the midst of a bush s^rroundett with | natiTe.s. ■: ; : The constable then introduced hinuelf to Tawhiao through an ioterpreterj and, atter informing him of the cause of ; his visit, appealed to Tawhiao 's sense of honorv and endeavored lo show him the stain and bad name which would -follow him if he countenanced his people committing an offence by pulling down the ?ate. . Tawhiao, who had decided ; toi 'remain outside the pah withhis peoplevT was .lying on the ground with some chiefe round a fire, and told the constable 'that he had paWd through^ two tollgates toat day and they had been opened •for Kirn to pass; but here they closed the ga'conhhn." ; . • . i-r;.