Edited by Ineke Kershaw
“Look here George, you go down to Wellington and get a pack of men’s clothes. Its nearing Christmas and we shall all want new clothes and we’ll buy them off you.”
I went down as they suggested and saw a merchant, Mr Krull. He listened carefully to my tale but he had nothing but flour, sugar and tea in his store, which was no use packing around the country as I should never make anything out of it.
However, he took me to a Mr Whitten and at the interview Mr Krull said “Now George does not know much about the trade, so you must not force any unsaleable goods on him because if he can’t sell them then he can’t pay you. You are to treat him the same as a cash customer as you run no risk, I run it all”. He then turned to me and said; “ Now George, if they don’t treat you well, come to me and I’ll take you somewhere else”. The pack was supplied and I felt Mr Krull’s kindness looked a mountain to me, situated as I was.
By the time I put my things ready, the wag(g)ons had all left Wellington so I sent them on by passenger conveyance and told the driver, when he overtook them, to put the goods on the wagons. Later in the evening I left Wellington on horseback to ride to the ‘Windrop’(Wairarapa) but when I got to ‘Ti Ti’ I felt ill and cold and thought I would stay there the night.
The hotelkeeper told me to bring my saddle and leave it in the bar – where I found to my delight that all my goods had actually arrived. Instead of staying the night, I went back to the paddock and caught my horse, the joy of my new possessions and their possibilities put new strength in me.
I overtook the wagons at Mangaroa and rode on to Tauherenikau and waited there until the wagons caught me up. Then I packed the goods on the horse and arrived at Smiths and Rivens on Xmas Eve and was in time to fit all my friends out in new suits making a good profit.
Such a thing as repudiating (denying) the debt of £100* that I owed never even entered my head. I told my creditors that it was of no use sending any bills to me as I had not the money to pay them but as soon as I got the money I would pay it and the interest, which in those days was 10%.
I worked hard at the business and used to think nothing of leaving Waihenga Ferry (just south of Martinborough today) at 10pm and riding right through to Wellington to be ready for my work the next day.
The first occasion on which I swam a horse across a river was going to Wally Smith’s from Hungarua. It came on to rain very hard and when I was about half way, I had to cross a small river. It was in flood and it meant on this occasion that I would have to swim the horse riding back; although I had never swum a horse before, I made my mind up to do it. I put my horse into it and I was quite surprised to find how easy it was to swim a river on horseback. Whenever I came to other rivers after that, I never hesitated to take my horse over.
Later I was with the mail driver and a friend looking at the river further down but had no idea of crossing. When the mail driver asked me if I thought I could ford that river, I said “If I had your horse I would very soon see if it was fordable”. To my surprise he jumped at the chance and when I got about one third of the way across I called back “ Oh its alright.” No sooner were the words out of my mouth than down went the horse. Only his head was visible above the water. However I kept going and he brought me out on the other side.
*(2013 = $165,00)
