Chap. X. LAWS OF A PENAL COLONY. al9§ 
the whole proceeding, A spontaneous murmur of dis- 
apj)robation arose from the little crowd as the armed 
police jumped into their boat and shoved off. 
My own first acquaintance with the new authorities 
strongly reminded me that we were now under the 
laws of New South Wales. I had stored the potatoes 
I brought from TVanganui underground in the court- 
yard of my uncle's house, which was surrounded by a 
strong fence. Several vagrant pigs, however, had found 
means to break the fence, and get at the tempting cave. 
After ineffectual attempts to stop this waste by filling 
up the gaps and pelting the pigs with stones, I deter- 
mined to give them a salutary lesson in the shape of 
small shot from a gun. The natives had willingly 
agreed to this plan, which is quite according to their 
customs, even if you kill the thieving pig, provided 
always that you leave the carcase on the spot till the 
owner fetches it away. I had been told, too, by several 
of the settlers, that, according to English law, I should 
only render myself liable to a civil action for the value 
of the pig, which might be met by another for the 
value of the potatoes, should the owner of the thief 
prove litigious. 
I was rather startled, however, to receive a summons 
by the hands of the all-important Constable Cole, to 
answer a charge before the Magistrates at Thorndon 
of shooting a pig. I appeared at the appointed time, 
and was somewhat alarmed when told by Lieutenant 
Shortland that I had rendered myself liable to seven 
years transportation, according to New South Wales 
law, by turning over a young pig who had caused 
much devastation in my potato-cave a few days before ! 
He advised me to compromise the affair ; which I im- 
mediately did by giving the owner a pound, and telling 
him that I should willingly have paid him for his pig 
