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Mihawhenua: The Adventures of a Party of Tourists Amongst a Tribe of Maoris Discovered in Western Otago, New Zealand

Chapter I. We plan an excursion

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Chapter I. We plan an excursion.

A spotlessly-polished brass plate, with letters deeply engraven, affixed to the side of the street door of a high rambling building in Manse Street, proclaimed to the world the fact that I, Robert William Brock, M.A., LL.B., Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand, had begun the practice of my profession in Dunedin.

In a modest way I had taken one room in this building, had my name and profession painted on the door, and, feeling that some greater extravagance was justified with the entrance from the street, had ordered the brass plate aforesaid. These embellishments, and the publication of a card in the daily papers, were the temptations I held out to the public to become my clients. A new mat was placed at the door of my room, whereon clients would be expected to wipe their boots before entering upon the fresh new carpet, or the process of taking my advice on any legal question.

Punctually at ten o'clock every morning I entered my office, deposited my brief-bag—short indeed in its contents of legal documents—upon the edge of the table, carefully page 18spread out the morning paper, and prepared for work. I always carried a black bag to and from home—not that it was necessary, but I saw that the members of the profession usually carried one,—and it was very handy to relieve my pockets of the encumbrance of the frugal lunch of sandwiches or bread and cheese, with the occasional addition of an apple or two, which I brought to, and consumed at, the office each day. Often when I had been seen leaving at night with my bag apparently well filled with books and papers, it was guiltless of enclosing more than a pair of gloves and the last new novel from the Athenæum, or perchance a pair of boots which had undergone the process of repair.

Full of hope, and not without expectation, I had given the order for the brass plate, furnished my room with a writing table, book case, chairs, letter press, and other usual requirements of business and work. Small piles of draft paper, foolscap, and other necessary writing materials adorned the book shelves that were some day to groan under the weight of bulky reports, but as yet only had the dozen or so of text books around which hung the cherished recollections of student days. My legal training had been achieved without entering a practitioner's office, and I had not therefore the advantage of having rewarded myself for that drudgery by securing a client or two in advance.

Day followed day with the usual routine, until I had been sitting in my parlour for upwards of a month waiting for the proverbial fly to enter.

It was early December, and already evidences of the season's gladness had begun to blossom upon the town. No client had as yet trod my carpet, and I began to despair of page 19earning my share of the family Christmas dinner, and to seek what consolation was afforded by the fact that a place at the table was always there for me notwithstanding. The pile of draft paper was growing slowly smaller, but not with the production of legal lore. I was accustomed to scribble for a local newspaper, and had also a strong ambition to produce some pages of contribution to the literature of my country. Hence I occupied my time and utilised my writing materials in these pursuits.

One evening, just as I had put away my writing pad, cleaned my pens, and closed the ink bottles previous to leaving the silent companionship of my law books, a loud and emphatic knock at the door resounded through the room. Something in the knock bespoke a client. A new experience was about to dawn upon me; a new world about to unfold itself before me. I was about to be consulted, perhaps by a prosperous farmer who sought to maintain an action of trespass against a disagreeable neighbour; perhaps a wealthy landowner wished his will made, and was going to entrust me with the charge of what legal business would arise from the distribution of his estate; or perchance some blushing maiden sought my aid to enforce payment of damages from a faithless swain. Such thoughts as these coursed rapidly through my brain in the brief interval between the knock and the answer to my summons to "Come in." By the entrance of my visitor all hopes of a client were dispelled, for this proved to be none other than my friend Chapman, the head master of one of our suburban schools, and a fellow student of some years ago.

He broke out as soon as he entered—

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"I say, Brock, old fellow, what do you say to a long excursion these holidays into the interior of Otago in search of the romantic and picturesque? You know there's plenty of unexplored country on the West Coast, and I want some good chum or two to join me in a regular exploring expedition. Now don't say you won't!"

Chapman had rattled on disclosing his proposal, watching my expressions of surprise and doubt the while, and wound up his request as above, doubtless, because he saw my face exhibit the question as to the practicability of his plan which crossed my mind.

"Have you any fixed idea ?" I asked.

"Yes, we will go to Queenstown, and from there strike inland towards the West Coast."

"Whom have you spoken to?"

"Nobody as yet but yourself."

Then we sat down, and under the puffing smoke of a cigarette discussed the proposal, and decided that the idea should be mooted to two or three mutual friends whose co-operation was desirable.

The following day my thoughts ran fully on the proposed expedition, and its possible results bulked largely in my anticipations of the future.

Towards evening Chapman again called, and told me he had seen two of our friends who were both willing to go. One of them was a young man who had attended some of the University classes with us; the only son of an early colonist who had purchased a large number of town sections in the days before the gold diggings, and had thus left his son a handsome estate, and master of an independent leisure which enabled him to use his time exactly as page 21inclination prompted. James Gordon was a youth who did not feel himself in any way superior to the hard work of a student's life, and with very laudable application strove to improve himself in mental attainments. His command of capital had always given him a place of reverence in the minds of the other less fortunate students, and put him into many posts of honour he would not otherwise have always been chosen for, although he did not disgrace any of them in the smallest degree. That Gordon had evinced some partiality for the companionship of Chapman and myself had been somewhat flattering to our vanity, and, although we could not be accused of exhibiting any servility towards him, we admitted that there was something akin to deference in our manner. That Gordon had consented to join our present expedition was a source of some gratification to me, and I was equally pleased when Chapman told me that he would call on me the following day respecting the arrangements to be made for the journey.

The other amateur explorer who had consented to be one of the party was a young doctor connected with a public institution in Dunedin, whose vacation generally extended for a couple of months at Christmas time. Dr. Richards was shortly to be married, and was about to sever his existing professional connection in order to begin private practice. The proposed expedition would therefore fall well into the period between the cessation of his present duties and the beginning of those more important ones he was taking upon himself.

The exploring party promised to be a tolerably complete and compact one, and already began to assume some degree of importance in one mind at least.

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From the fact, probably, that I had most leisure, the preparations for the expedition fell chiefly to me, and occupied a considerable portion of my thoughts.

I made lists of the different accoutrements our impedimenta would have to include, and frequently ran over in my mind numbers of articles I thought indispensable for our journey.

About noon on the third day after the proposal was made by Chapman, James Gordon called on me to discuss the plans for the excursion. I was glad to find that he entered into the project with enthusiasm, and, moreover, that he was prepared to place his purse somewhat liberally at our disposal for the purpose of procuring the most complete of possible outfits for the journey. He proposed that each member of the party should draw up independently a list of the articles necessary, and that a meeting should then be held to compare notes. This proposal was so eminently practical that everybody fell in with it. The lists were prepared with some care—at least, that was so as far as mine was concerned. Then the meeting was held. It was interesting to compare the different lists, and to see how far the commissariat department had entered into the calculations of each.

After comparing the lists, and discussing fully the points of agreement and difference, I was appointed a committee of one to prepare a revised list in the light of the diverse opinions, and then we were to set about the preparations.

Gordon had in his employment a sturdy Scotchman named Alexander Macdonald, who was to be impressed into the service of the party, and act as generalissimo of page 23the camping and cooking department, as well as valet-in-chief to each of the members.

The expedition thus assumed something like a reasonable and tangible shape. After one or two further meetings the list of necessaries was settled, and a probable date fixed for the start. During the next week or so an inkling of what was proposed got about amongst our acquaintances, and produced somewhat different effects. One would chaff us on the subject, another seriously ask what we expected to achieve, while a third would make mysterious suggestions as to how we should proceed, and then a fourth would request warmly that he should be included in the party, until at last we found that nearly every critic assumed to be capable of leading the most enterprising exploration, and that we could have extended our ranks indefinitely.