Page:Tales-of-Banks-Peninsula Jacobson 2ed 1893 cropped.pdf/91

Some of the Akaroa residents probably remember a wall-eyed old Maori, who lived at Wainui twenty years ago. Among my notes I find the account of his imprisonment at Peraki, as told me by his cousin, the late Henare Pereita, of Kaiapoi. Though somewhat similar to a story already given in the published extracts from the Pireka log, it relates to quite another event. It is interesting as illustrating the merciless manner in which the managers of whaling stations sometimes behaved in those far off times, when they were obliged to take the law into their own hands. The story was as follows:—

“While I was living with my friends at Onuku, in Akaroa Harbor, I heard that a relative of ours, named Puaka, had been seized by the pakeha chief (Hempleman) of the whaling station at Pireka, and put into an empty oil cask, and headed up. In vain I begged Tukiauau and Mantai to go and demand his release; for some reason or other they would not, so I went with Mohi Patu and our white man Jim to attempt to obtain it myself. We were all rather afraid about our errand, as the pakeha was known to be a hot-tempered man, and we were not quite sure of escaping without punishment, if our interference aroused his anger, as he had forty white men around him ready to do what he told them. On reaching the station we sent a message to say that we wished to speak to the chief. While waiting for the interview, we got into conversation with the ‘hands’ about the place, and learnt some particulars from them about our friend’s capture. Presently we heard calls for us to go up to the house. We went up feeling very nervous and uncomfortable. Hempleman asked our business, and