Page:Tales-of-Banks-Peninsula Jacobson 2ed 1893 cropped.pdf/166

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Jimmy Walker.
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son, he used to make them read the Bible aloud to him every evening. He was working for a good while in the employ of Mr. Justin Aylmer at Malvern and other places, and bore the reputation of being an excellent bushman. His favorite book was a translation of Herodotus, which he was constantly reading. He told Mr. Aylmer that he had once resided in Sydney, where he had been employed in a store, fallen in love with his master’s daughter, and married her. He was wild in those days, and having a dispute with his wife, cleared out one fine morning, and never saw or heard of her again,


No. 13.—Jimmy Walker.

Amongst the “Old Identities” of the Peninsula, one of the most remarkable was Jimmy Walker, or “One-eyed Jimmy,” as he was often called, from the fact that one of his eyes was gone. Our informant tells us that he believes his right name was Quinn, but no one ever called him anything else but Jimmy Walker, or One-eyed Jimmy. The way in which he first became known as Walker is rather curious. When he first came to New Zealand he was a very strong and powerfully built man, standing over six feet. Being not only a sailor, but a sailor accustomed to boats, he soon learnt to manage the canoes, when he went to live amongst the Maoris. After a short time he became so expert that none of the Natives could “hold a candle to him,” as he used to say. The result was that the Maoris christened him “Waka,” the Maori for a canoe; and as his Christian name was Jimmy, he gained the appellation of Jimmy Waka, or Walker, which stuck to him till the day of his death.