was the old West Coast and the time was in Mr. Seddon’s pre-parliamentary days. He had become well known, however, and, as a reward for his services, it was decided that he should be allowed to christen a new mine opened up near Kumara. On the day set aside for the ceremony Mr. Seddon was away from home, and at the time fixed for the departure of the townspeople for the new mine he had not returned. The party waited for some time, but as Mr. Seddon did not appear it was decided that another gentleman should perform the ceremony. They started on the twelve-mile track to the mine, with pack-horses to carry the hampers.
They had not gone more than half an hour when Mr. Seddon reached Kumara, and was informed of the departure of the caravan. “Who is going to christen the mine?” he asked. “Mr. Blank,” he was told. This was too much for Mr. Seddon, because the gentleman named was a formidable opponent of his in local affairs. Without waiting a minute he hurried home, snatched up a tomahawk, and set out for the mine in a direct line through the heavy bush. He had six miles to go—only half the distance by track—but those who know the New Zealand bush will understand the difficulties of that journey. “Did he get there first?” asked one who listened to the story. “He gets everywhere first,” replied the story-teller; “he was waiting for them when they arrived, with his clothes in rags and his body scratched all over, and it was he who christened the mine.”
He had one pastime; it was deep-sea fishing. That, and a little horse-riding in his later days, were the only relaxations he took from work. Sometimes on a fine day he took the Government launch, the “Ellen Ballance,” down Wellington harbour and fished for an hour or so. A gentleman who accompanied him has said that he was as jolly as a boy, and always as pleased when any other member of the party caught a fish as if he had caught it himself. The rougher the weather, the more he enjoyed the excursion, and it was not unusual to see him sitting up in the bows fishing happily while all his companions were prostrated. Once he stopped in the middle of a journey to go fishing in a rough sea, and reached the height of his enjoyment as he sat in a small boat with the water dashing over his feet.
