was poor food after all.
‘Grab the axe, Bill, I’ve caught the robber,’ shouted Jack.
‘The axe?’ said Mrs Phipps, startled.
Jack grinned.
‘You’ll have pork for dinner tomorrow,’ he said.
9. Crisis at Cashmere
The next day, Mr Dyer went with the boys to the saddle and showed them his own way over. With nothing to carry, the walk would take them little more than three hours.
Mrs Phipps had now to harvest the potatoes and work over her land with only Archie and Jim to help. There was little to do in the house, for they could only afford the simplest of meals: porridge and tea and damper and pork and potatoes. Like other settlers she learned to eke out the tea by mixing in dried biddy-bids. She could not bake bread, for she had no yeast and no camp-oven. But one day, while bringing water from the spring, Archie nibbled at a thick green leaf and liked the taste. Mrs Phipps cooked some of the leaves and they did very well instead of spinach.
A fowl-run was built with a log house and a fence of criss-crossed sticks. Into this went the pullets and a big rust-coloured rooster. Tools, plants, seeds, a few supplies, and a wooden tub to be placed before the fire to serve as a bath were bought in Lyttelton. Mr Parsons fetched these things in his boat and landed them on the sandy beach.
Late autumn passed into winter. Storms came, but there were no hard frosts in this sheltered bay. The dug ground lay ready, the fruit trees were trimmed, new ones were planted, and strawberries were set out on a sunny bank. At nights Mrs Phipps sat mending and patching the clothes by the light of the fire and the slush-lamps, which were made from pig’s fatset in a tin with a home-made wick in the centre. These winter evenings were jolly; for while she stitched, Mrs Phipps told stories to the children, or sang long ballads with a chorus for them all to join in. After Emma had fallen asleep, or on wet days, their mother took out books and slates and pencils to begin teaching Jim and Archie their letters and numbers.
They knew now that Mr and Mrs Parsons were not only farmers, but school-teachers. That was how they had met and fallen in love—teaching school on the long sea journey from England. In time, the boys would go to school at the Parsons’ cottage; but they could wait until Bill and Jack had served their term at Cashmere; and besides, there would be threepence a day to pay, and lesson-books into the bargain.
Meanwhile Archie and Jim had plenty to learn out-of-doors. With no pet to keep for himself, Archie made friends with the bush birds. He found that a little sugared water in a deep shell would bring the tuis and bellbirds close to the door. Tomtits, fantails and robins hopped around without any enticement at all. The saucy wekas were curious about these odd human beings and even came right into the hut to steal a shiny teaspoon. As for the slow, stupid and lovable woodpigeons, they were so tame that many a one ended up as a tasty meal for a settler’s table.
Archie did not like this idea when he first heard of pigeon stew. But when the pork ran out and everyone was growing tired of potatoes and porridge, Mrs Phipps went quietly through the bush with a long pole, until she found an overfed bird dozing on a low branch. He did not even turn his head as she stunned him and swept him to the ground. That evening, Archie had to harden his heart; and it was not so difficult with that delicious smell coming from the pot.
The boys were hunters on the beach, too. Up at the Pinnacle, a steep rock that stood out of the sea but could be climbed at low tide, there were mussels and rock oysters, and big red crabs that would grip on a stick to be hauled up. Once, early in the morning, they found stranded on the shore a thin fish that was longer than Archie was tall. It served for three meals. Mr Dyer said it was a frost-fish.
One day, Mrs Parsons came to call. She was a tall, smartly-dressed woman who was fast friends with the
‘Grab the axe, Bill, I’ve caught the robber,’ shouted Jack.
‘The axe?’ said Mrs Phipps, startled.
Jack grinned.
‘You’ll have pork for dinner tomorrow,’ he said.
9. Crisis at Cashmere
The next day, Mr Dyer went with the boys to the saddle and showed them his own way over. With nothing to carry, the walk would take them little more than three hours.
Mrs Phipps had now to harvest the potatoes and work over her land with only Archie and Jim to help. There was little to do in the house, for they could only afford the simplest of meals: porridge and tea and damper and pork and potatoes. Like other settlers she learned to eke out the tea by mixing in dried biddy-bids. She could not bake bread, for she had no yeast and no camp-oven. But one day, while bringing water from the spring, Archie nibbled at a thick green leaf and liked the taste. Mrs Phipps cooked some of the leaves and they did very well instead of spinach.
A fowl-run was built with a log house and a fence of criss-crossed sticks. Into this went the pullets and a big rust-coloured rooster. Tools, plants, seeds, a few supplies, and a wooden tub to be placed before the fire to serve as a bath were bought in Lyttelton. Mr Parsons fetched these things in his boat and landed them on the sandy beach.
Late autumn passed into winter. Storms came, but there were no hard frosts in this sheltered bay. The dug ground lay ready, the fruit trees were trimmed, new ones were planted, and strawberries were set out on a sunny bank. At nights Mrs Phipps sat mending and patching the clothes by the light of the fire and the slush-lamps, which were made from pig’s fatset in a tin with a home-made wick in the centre. These winter evenings were jolly; for while she stitched, Mrs Phipps told stories to the children, or sang long ballads with a chorus for them all to join in. After Emma had fallen asleep, or on wet days, their mother took out books and slates and pencils to begin teaching Jim and Archie their letters and numbers.
They knew now that Mr and Mrs Parsons were not only farmers, but school-teachers. That was how they had met and fallen in love—teaching school on the long sea journey from England. In time, the boys would go to school at the Parsons’ cottage; but they could wait until Bill and Jack had served their term at Cashmere; and besides, there would be threepence a day to pay, and lesson-books into the bargain.
Meanwhile Archie and Jim had plenty to learn out-of-doors. With no pet to keep for himself, Archie made friends with the bush birds. He found that a little sugared water in a deep shell would bring the tuis and bellbirds close to the door. Tomtits, fantails and robins hopped around without any enticement at all. The saucy wekas were curious about these odd human beings and even came right into the hut to steal a shiny teaspoon. As for the slow, stupid and lovable woodpigeons, they were so tame that many a one ended up as a tasty meal for a settler’s table.
Archie did not like this idea when he first heard of pigeon stew. But when the pork ran out and everyone was growing tired of potatoes and porridge, Mrs Phipps went quietly through the bush with a long pole, until she found an overfed bird dozing on a low branch. He did not even turn his head as she stunned him and swept him to the ground. That evening, Archie had to harden his heart; and it was not so difficult with that delicious smell coming from the pot.
The boys were hunters on the beach, too. Up at the Pinnacle, a steep rock that stood out of the sea but could be climbed at low tide, there were mussels and rock oysters, and big red crabs that would grip on a stick to be hauled up. Once, early in the morning, they found stranded on the shore a thin fish that was longer than Archie was tall. It served for three meals. Mr Dyer said it was a frost-fish.
One day, Mrs Parsons came to call. She was a tall, smartly-dressed woman who was fast friends with the
Similar Books
