The Life of William Hodge

on account of the steamer fare being four shillings and sixpence. So we got on board the steamer and also our luggage and sailed for Dunedin then the Captain came round for the fares. As there was only the Captain and two men on board and that comprised her crew. So after we paid our fares I can assure you the most of us was brokers as there was eighteen of us and after paying our fares I don't suppose you would have scraped up one pound amongst the crowd so we asked the captain if there was a sailors home in the city of Dunedin and he told us no they had not got that yet. But as he said there was plenty of Boarding houses so as there was no sailors home, we was just wondering who was going to take us in without any money, so we got up to Dunedin Jetty and sure enough there was a horse and trolly waiting to take our luggage and I can assure you we got a surprise. Appearingly the man that owned this Horse and trolly got the news that the crew of the ship Helenslie had got paid of that morning. And I suppose he very naturally thought on full pay and sent down for our luggage. As he kept a boarding house and public house, all in one, and I have no doubt he thought he was going to get a good haul. Anyhow we thought it was very kind of him to send down for our luggage so we all arrived at his house and had a good Dinner waiting for us, and everything was just O.K. so I thought I would take a walk through Princess Street in Dunedin. I saw a group of men standing and I had a look at them and I fancied I knew one of those men, and I called him on one side and asked him if his name was Jack Munro and he said yes. Well I said don't you know me, and he looked and said he thought he knew me. I said I knew you the first glance and that you and me was schoolmates at Moffats School in Leith for years and my name is Hodge then he knew who I was and shook hands and asked what I was doing here. And I told him the circumstances and he said to me that things was very bad in this place there is no ships until the wool season. Here is a group of men

been here idle for some months and all dead broke. But he said there is a man belonging to Leith, a billiard marker at this Shamrock Hotel. But he did not know him, so he never liked to speak to him, and he never frequented that hotel. Anyhow if you go up McClagan Street you will see it. And just have a look in at the Billiard Room and see if you know him so I went up and had a look in at the door and saw him and upon my word, I could hardly believe my own eyes and who should it be but an old apprentice mate of mine, that bolted from our ship in Port Adelaide in the year 1865 and both of us done our month in Adelaide jail together. His name was Bill McIntire and when we both shook hands I said I never thought for a moment of ever finding you here after seven years. and he just thought the same about me. Anyhow it was a joy full meeting and after I told him how I came to Dunedin in the ship Helenslie from Glasgow and got paid of with four shillings and sixpence. Just as much as paid our fare up. Anyhow that was the means of one getting a few shillings so I thanked him and said good bye as some of his customers arrived to play billiards. So talking a walk at night I met a passenger that came out with with us from Glasgow. And I asked him if he could put us on to a job anywhere as he was an old hand in Otago, and was only home for a trip, and his name was John Irwin, and after telling him about the amount we was paid of with he said to me if I liked I could come out to his farm as he had one hundred acres under crop of oats and while his crop was Growing he used to fell trees of Black pine and split posts and rails for the Gov'nt in the Gov'nt Bush and he would give me ten shillings a week and Found. His farm was twenty eight miles from Dunedin, at a place called Waikawiati [Waikouaiti] He said he had no house on the farm, only a Hut as there was only him and his brother and both single men.

So I very naturally agreed with him as there was no ships, and I had money enough that I got from my old apprentice mate to take me out on the coach, as there was no railways in the Otago district in those days, so I got out and made a start falling trees, sawing them in lenths (sic) then bore a hole with a big auger about a foot into the log then put in a certain quantity of blasting power and a bit of fuse then set fire to the fuse and stand aside for after the explosion that log was laying in two halfs as those black pine trees was lovely splitting timber then we would do the rest of the splitting with our maul and wedges. So things went on all right for two or three moths. So the boss and me came into Duenedin for a trip and brought in a load of firewood for one of his friends with his horse and waggon (sic) so when we was ready to go out again I thought I would take out my chest and all my belongings as they were left in the boarding house that I lived in at first. So when he was ready we took my check and things and he had a few things also to take out with him so we went very early in the morning and got out early that evening as they had good roads in Otago, if they had no railways. Anyhow we got everything nicely arranged in this hut and just thought that my chest would be a fine place for keeping that bag of blasting powder in. So things went on the same as before for a week or two when one day we came down from the Gov'nt bush and found our hut gone. We supposed that we had left a little fire in hut after breakfast and the wild fowl had got in and got scratching about and set fire to the hit then when it came to my chest of course the blasting powder caught and blew the hut to pieces and did not leave us one stitch so we had a look round to or three yards from where the hut once stood and I picked up one pocket book just a little singled. I was fortunate in picking that book as I had a a few photos in it from home. So I just decided to leave and get into Dunedin by coach so when I arrived I made

straight for Dunedin Jetty and see if there was any chance of getting into anything afloat and just as I was about to go on the jetty there was an oldish man standing there and he came over to me and asked if I was a seafaring man and I very quick answered that I was. so he said to me that they wanted a hand in a little steamer called the Beautiful Star laying down the jetty and if I would go and get my clothes as she was ready for sea. But as I said I won't disappoint you for I will go on board just as I stand. All right he says come on as we wil be back in two weeks. It was no use for him telling me to go for my clothes as all the clothes I had was on me. All the rest burned in the bush along with my chest and what little money I saved and I was so glad at getting a berth so easy that I never asked where she was going or what the wages was or anything else. I was so proud to get a start. Anyhow we sailed and took cargo and mail for five ports as far Lyttleton. I was in about eight months at eight pounds per month and I can assure you that just put me on my feet once more. So after eight months I left her, as the work was very hard, as in those days the crew had to work all cargo at every port and all the ports was pretty close to one another on that coast so I had a look round and I found that the Captain of an old collier Barque was up in Dunedin so I found him at the agents office and he wanted nine able seamen and bound to new castle for coals. As that was her trade between Newcastle and Dunedin. Anyhow she was in Ballast trim. As those old ships generally was condemed for carrying general cargo and they were only fit for carrying coals. So we sailed from from port Chalmers and made a fair passage through Cooks straights and across to Newcastle. Now this old ship called the [Eleanor?] belonged to Mr Hannel the shiping master in Newcastle and discharged her ballast of stones into a lighter alongside, then hauled her in under

the cranes to load the coal for Dunedin. So we got loaded in a day or two, and sailed. So after we got all sail on her and everything shipshape, the first cry was all hands to the pumps as the mate had sounded the wells and found about three feet of water in her. So we started the pumps and after an hour and a half we got a suck out of her that showed she was nearly dry. But we found we had a long spell at the pumps every two hours so we had a bit of a talk about her leaking so badly and just thought if we got into any bad weather it would just be the last of her. Anyhow we was very fortunate and had a nice fair wind, which carried her across to Dunedin in six days and mighty glad we was to arrive and get clear of the pumps for a bit, as I guess we just carried across. So we discharged her cargo of coal into one of the hulks in Port Chalmers. So we took in Ballast just as much stones as stiffen her as we had signed Articles for six months and we thought it was no use asking for our discharges until we got to Newcastle as there was no coasting vessels in either Port Chalmers or Dunedin. So we sailed and of course was not half as bad as far as the pumps was concerned, as she was only about half loaded and did not make so much water. So we arrived in Newcastle in about fifteen days and dropped her anchor in mid stream and one of the men came to quietly and says what do you say if we go aft and ask the captain if he will pay us off as between you and me he says if he don't pay us off I do intend to bold and as I said that I am just in the same mind as yourself as I am not going to sail in her anymore, when she is loaded, as if she gets into heavy weather that would finish her. So aft we goes and told the steward that we wanted to see the captain so he came and asked what we wanted and we asked him if he would kindly discharge us and upon my word I thought he was going to jump down our throat. No he says you have signed articles for six months so you will have to