An anecdote told by Mr Spikeman (No. 9)

Two pages of handwriting, recounting a story told by William Spikeman. The text has been transcribed as:

Johnny Heke came here in the morning on his road to fight the Harawa natives - and says he, “Well Paikemana, I’m going to the war, you come with me.”

So I says that I can’t leave my house and children and goods to go along with you, “and if you are conquered and killed, what will become of all the things? The Harawa will come down and take away everything from me.”

“Oh no fear of that,” Johnny said, “I’m going to fight for the pakehas and you come with me.”

But so I would leave my house so I went out with him, and saw a lot of women and old men and says I to him, “Well Johnny what are you going to do with all these old folk?”

“Oh,” says he, “If I had not brought them with me, who would there be to cook the food?”

By and by he went off - well after the fight on their road home a great body of natives came to my place and began knocking the things about and behaving quite impudent like. At last they came up to me and says they to me, “Give us some flour and sugar for we are hungry.”

“No,” says I, “I won’t give you a scrap; if you had come up at first and behaved civilly I would have given you some with pleasure though I am a poor man & can’t well afford to feed so many.”

“Well Paikemana if you won’t give us food we will break all your house down and help ourselves.”

“That you shan’t do as long as I can help it - you should kill me first, and that won’t be done till I have done some mischief among you.”

Then one of the chiefs said, “I told you that Paikemana was too strong for us; it is no good; we came to the wrong man when we came to him.” So says another, “Just wait till John Heke comes.”

Well after a bit comes Rongo, Heke’s wife, and some other women. Now I’ve known Rongo since she was sucking - so I says, “Rongo, come in to have some food.” So I push her and the women inside and says I to them, “Now my children are all inside this house and all my goods. If your husbands burn my house as they say that they will, they shall burn you with my children.”

So I pulled down all the blinds and fastened them in. I myself went to stand outside that they might not see (?)any sign (?) of the women inside.

Well all around me were these men looking like savages - at last they thought that Johnny would be here soon, so they made a last effort and says they to me, “xxxx Paikemana, if you’ll give us some food which you must for we are proper hungry, we’ll go away; if you won’t give it to us, never mind the women we’ll get them out and burn your house.”

“Well,” says I, “if you do burn my house down you shall stick a tomahawk at the back of my head first.”

“Never mind.” says they.

Well sirs here was a pretty dicament to be in - after a bit I saw John Heke coming over the hill, and Rongo, who was inside house you know, tapped at the window and says, “Paikemana, is that John Heke coming?”

“Yes,” said I, “Oh do let me go out.” says she, “I will go and meet him and tell him of all the ‘Kino (evil)’ these men have been doing to you.”

Well I let’s her out and she goes straight and has a long talk with Hoani; I could see them talking together very earnestly for a long time, and then they came together towards my place.

Xxxx says Hoani, “so these scamps have been ill using you? They only did it because I was not here to keep them in order, but they’ve gone I see.” For the men made off directly they saw Johnny coming along so peaceably like with Rongo. “Well.” says he “Give me some food, I am hungry.” So I took him in and gave them flour and sugar which they did duty to - and thus ended my disaster.

“Now you know sirs that I have been in the country for a long time, and knew how to manage with the natives, and by being firm and no coward I got on very well.”

Mr S then told us, by way of showing how some ‘manage with the natives’, that there was a house on the opposite bank of the river was inhabited by a family of the name of Florence [i.e. Florance] who were strangers. The party went over from his place to Florence’s, and one man came up with a gun which he suspected was to shoot him, but they only killed two out of four pigs which were going about. Mr Spikeman went over to see how things were going on there and found one daughter in hysterics, another half mad with fright and the father blubbering like a child.

On asking what was the matter since they had got rid of Heke’s set so peaceably Mr F answered, “So you call that nothing to have one’s pigs shot before his face?”

“Oh,” said Mr S, “that’s much better than to have them kill you or your daughters & you should be thankful that the girls are all safe.”

“Oh never mind the girls,” exclaimed the paternal F., “they’ve shot my pigs.”

Quantity: 2 sketchbook(s) pages.

Physical Description: Handwriting in ink on both sides of sketckbook page, 200 x 160 mm