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A Gumdigger's Holiday

A Gumdigger's Holiday.jpg A Guardian of the TempleThumbnailsA Gypsy GirlA Guardian of the TempleThumbnailsA Gypsy GirlA Guardian of the TempleThumbnailsA Gypsy GirlA Guardian of the TempleThumbnailsA Gypsy GirlA Guardian of the TempleThumbnailsA Gypsy Girl

Not all gumdiggers, however, waste their substance. Many when they indulge in a holiday, enjoy themselves in a moderate and becoming manner. Not long since I was rowing by the Matakohe Wharf, and saw a stout, thick-set man, whom I knew to be a gumdigger, fishing off its seaward end. His legs were dangling over the edge, his back was resting against one of the mooring posts, in his mouth was a short clay, and by his side stood a bottle of beer and a tumbler. His face wore a look of placid contentment, and he was evidently enjoying himself thoroughly.