122 TUTIRA 



hands : draining, track-making, and fencing were started within a few 

 weeks of purchase. Specialisation of work had not begun each man 

 put his hand to the task most pressing. The kind of life led by these 

 pioneers, the kind of work done in the early days of station life, cannot, 

 in fact, be made more comprehensible to readers than by full citation of 

 actual bare facts. Doubtless the work was rough and crude, but it is 

 upon the dust and grime and sweat of these prehistoric days that the 

 present Tutira is founded. 



Well, the reader has to imagine a company of young men, living 

 on bread, mutton, wild pork, and potatoes, in a reed-hut, garbed in 

 little else than boots, shirt, and moleskins, the last-named garment 

 supported by a waist-belt containing the butcher-knife, sometimes its 

 leathern sheath, from use and wont, so warped to the wearer's shape as 

 almost to resemble a tucked-in tail ; the station itself a wilderness, un- 

 fenced and pathless, covered with bracken, bush, and flax. 



The diary of 78, by whomsoever written, is broken and fragmen- 

 tary, in that of '79 each day's work is entered. Making no further 

 apologies, I shall allow this diary to speak for itself. Whether of 

 interest or not, its pages, at any rate, portray the early days of a 

 sheep-run. The initials C. H. S. are those of Charles H. Stuart, T. S. 

 those of Thomas Stuart, T. C. K. those of T. C. Kiernan, otherwise the 

 journal tells its own tale. 



JANUARY 



1. Wednesday. C. H. Stuart and T. S. in Napier on a visit to Meanee. 



Kite at Petane. T. C. K. enjoying his New Year's Day by keeping 

 the confounded cattle cut of the oats. Turned them out twice, and 

 the last time drove them over the other side of Hughie's fence. Took 

 a look round about 6.30 P.M. and found four of them back again, so 

 gave it up as useless. Larrikin registered from this date for a year. 



2. Thursday. T. C. K. and Hughie fencing all day at the horse paddock. 



C. H. S. returned from Napier about 4 P.M., having sent Kite and 

 Tom S. to the Kaiwaka for young bullocks. 



3. Friday. Kite and T. S. returned from Petane and brought 2 of the young 



bullocks from the Kaiwaka. C. H. S., T. C. K., and Hughie fencing all 

 day. 



4. Saturday. Kite and C. H. S. sledged posts from Ty lee's spur and cut 



some Kohi posts for the horse paddock. T. C. K. and Hughie fencing 

 in ram paddock at Kaikanui. 



5. Sunday. All hands at home. 



6. Monday. Heavy rain all the forenoon. Cleared up about 2 P.M., and 



C. H. S., T. S., and T. C. K. did some fencing. 



