SECRET OF THE CAVE

Hokitika Guardian, 26 September 1925, Page 4

SECRET OF THE CAVE

A Bl'MEl) FORTUNE. WESTLAND CALLS THE TREASURE HUNTERS. (Ijy Simon .Muir in the Auckland "Star.’’) X'o l binkinp person doubts ibai. in many parts of Xew Zealand, sonic ot them iynp still in primeval solitude and .silence, there is much pnld still to be tineartbed. While this Dominion caiiiml vie with her preat sister across tbe Tasnutn Sea in the jiroduetinu ut the precious metal, she lias piveu. and is pivtnp. to tbe world sia-b a quantity of the auriferous ore as makes her position mi mean one in the world ot pnld. And. of all provinces or districts in the Dominion which seem to oiler the preatest possibilities. Westland in the S iiil'i Island presents the preatest probabilities of success to the prospect'll' ami the fortune seeker. That there is pnld there io be dup nr washed out is well eimupli known, bur ike inaccessibility of tbe wild repion. and the c::usc(|tieut dilliculties ol wiii'kinp there, letard any pnqier or adequate system cl prospecting. I’rospei tors wil l have been there have no doubt as m the presciue of pold in payable quantities. but these prospectors are men of Imluhle moans, and they have not the linauci.d haekinp lo meet the initial expenses ol a well-equipped pruxpei li up jtarty. Jillt eunliph Is known 1 i 'how that a preat. field is there for the pold miner - and also for the prospector tor oil - but the latter is number story, which may be beard of later. And in a cave in the wild V < Coast of the South Island there lies a treasure uin'lninicd. widen will tail to the man or the party wlm is resolute eimupli to meet all dilliculties and unearth what was so careiuliy planted there probably sixty years apo. It i~ a robbeis' or pirates' board. It is valued at £IO.OOO, a stake for whicii it is worth while riskinp mitcn. Ibe story of Ibis bidden pold Ims been told by an old prospector. Mr 11. 11 libber, of Invercarpill, and may be accepted as the narration of a Iboruuply reliable man. and a respected citizen of the Southern city. A i’KOSI’ECTI VE STOUV. 1 'Some thirty-live years apo." said Mr 11 libber, "a party of live, mclmliup myself, were prospect inp in tlie wild and lonely West Coast ai a place called Kedbills. Tbe leader of the party was Mr I’auliu. whose name will be familiar to most middle-aped people in Otapo and Southland. liedbills is in West land, not far from .Jackson’s Hay. Tim business of pelt inp there was an

arduous and serious one. il meant swappinp it over wild and rouph tracks, but we did not mind that much. Look at. a map. see where .Jackson's Hay is, and you . may press Die ditlieidty of petiinp there. 'I here are no railways or any oilier reasonably comfortable means of inmniunn at ion witb the outside world. "While we were wurkinp at I'edbills, and doinp all riphi. even il we were not makinp lortunes. we puked up a wonderful story, which pradiuilly we pieii'd i Ipeiiier. The .-.lory was Dial, in a cave mi the Castside River, mu very far from us. a lot of Australian '. den pold was buried, ol liio value "I £ lil.il'.e.'r. \II ellort had been made to dip ii out bv a parly limit Dunedin. Hut ii was impossible io live or work io that wild repion durinp winter, and the parly had pone away tin pievimis year ami bail not returned. Tbe cave and its contents were D’e properly <d tbe first man or party wlm would manape to dip in and secure tie' j"!d.

’ Mr I*;iuiiu walked across to I" 'k ai the cave, and the work the parly bad done I here. He came back (am in- -d tbe treasure was there, and that it (ould be pot, lie pa: it on to u iha! if we would !£" across and dip ii ("it hw add I ear Die eX!»"i,-.-.. and we -ban! !

share ih" '.'"l'L Hat il eciue I i• o bip a eambl": we prelerred "iiv in no and winter was eoiuinp on. So we lit the district, and never went be, !.. and I he!'" Ike pold 1- I 1 this (lav. lel me. however. I ell lb" -tuy a- v.a learned il . ami I alieved il .". THE ROHHKRY. "Durinp 1 In* preal days of Amurnlm - ha I've-i of pol'l an aii.be ine' rnbbe'.v look place ill Dorl I’liilip. A vw al was l.eiiie; bolea with her preeiotis e’kl diisi. ntteked away in b ixe-. Hi dim t inn* t lie ship sailed, had a line run I | , ,i"‘. a till msl”.'i(i " I her ea. rp" .-it I c a don. And then jin ama/.inu di-.i overv was made. A number of f. e.es. with their precious eo,tents, bad been I'--moved, and in their |.l.iee were an equal timber of boxes (• lit aioi ee "iirDi or iron iillmps. Ttmte was eoiisleiliiitl' 1 1 1 . t"l tlie In..'. I epl'e-ili led C':.C"'l. lUi U lot! , ould I.e doin' .- I 1 was ele.MI that Die I", b'lt-ry bad not been all.a in'! ill London, it on Die veyap" llotiie. [1 must have been at I ’or t I’liilin, but iillhoiipb every thi op possible w.a- ibm" 1o discover tin l robbers and Ibe stolen pold. Dm all'iiir reinaioed :: ni.\st"iy. Thai liivsti'iv can I • cleared up. A SrCCESSI CL COCI’.

"Tillin' bold iin'ii determined to rob Die e.ilil ship. I'liibably with D ' < invaiue ot Ibe er'-w Dn-v lnmutped lo eel 11 Id of ."V l.d el ill ' boxes of cold, and bad them (onveyed to a (inter lyinp near at band. They pul boxes in place of these abstracted, so tlutl loekcd all riplit. With D'-e cold eo board they slipped ilieir . aide mid sei iii:t to sea. b.'.idinp iiplil aeri -s fibe Tasman (Te-'mi io Xew Zeubuml. Tlieir plan was in bury or bide I lie eel.| in some n'el'el plai e ill this e >11!!-fj-v until tbe line and cry died away. Then they could p"| and divide it and live happily ever ailer." "The fust part of the scheme - ’lereedeil. They bad a line inn across, and. ernisiiiw un I lie West Coast, Si'.'il'ebed for a suitable each.'. <'online to .lack-on'' Ray. they landed at the ('.i:-e.ade River and proceeded up some di -T ain e. And here they came upon a cave w lii.-H i hey decided would -live their purpu-c admiraiily. The jmld Was landed. Two ol the live pr.ieeed-i-.l to carry i! lo the cave and bide it tlii'ii', lliri't' icmained aboard the (tit • ter. XI"M ESI.'. "And ibeii Nemesis, that mud Dieu bad appettred I o I.e asleep mid lei Du ir -alienie iiri'-i'er so wol idei'l ill ly. I.T! upon them. du~i wlit-n the pold bad been safely slowed away a L'l'i'ilir -lerin broke out. The men on shore cowered in Die cave m safety. The three mi'll on board, eaiiphl ly Die fury of I 11'-' temposi. bad ibe cut ter splintered like llialchvv I oil the l"< k-( mid ! hev were drowned. Next morn in" the ivvu siirv ivv.r : . lal.iie' sleek, le.'llio'd that they were marooned in a wild uninhabited district, without food ~r miv kiiovvledee of the country or its

"I’Oifiapliy. Tiny (l.eided that the best they could cuild do was i" sonalale and strike lor any plae • that niiplit put Diem m l"U'!i with civdisaion. and il they slioidd rei'eli there safely they would try and pet into rommunieation with each other mo! ml urn for tbe "old. "So they struck out into the terrible w ildeniess. tine was never in aid. cl apitin. Ii" mu-i have died in D • awful solitude which swallowed him up. Weeks or months after a wild, emaciated mail st a "sored into Dunedin, lit- was in a terrible condition, and was sent to the hospital. Tie doetor there asked if lie bad any friend s with whom be would like to eemniimirate.

" Xu. - he said. I’ve no friends here, hut if there i< a milter anywhere near there is something important I'd like to tell hint.' A miner v.as got. The dying man told hint the tragic -torv and drew a ronyh chart of the cave in which the gold was huried. He did not know the name of the locality, hut anyone who did could not dottht for a moment that Jackson's Bay ami the Cascade Itiver were meant. I hen h“ died—and that was the end ei the- rubbers, All that the gold had yiven them was death and hardship—three drowned. one lost in the bush, one dytny in hospital. IX qEEST OF THE TEE AS I'll E. “The miner who yot the c-hari does not appear to have,made use ot it. hut some years later it fell into the hands of a more enterprising individual, who thought it f.nrth wjtib having a tr.V for the treasure. lie yet up a party and went away to the Cascade Hiver He discovered the cave there all rigid, but a landslip had occurred and had blocked the mouth of the cave. The party began to tunnel into it. and had got in a considerable distance when winter came and they had to go back ,

to Dunetlin. There the leader of the party died, and the gold was safe again it its undiscovered hiding place.

"It was here that. Mr Paulin rante in. He found the cave, saw the work the other men had done, and i here, to this day, lie the cave and the gold within. The treasure awaits the man or the party who will tunnel into this cave. Who will do it. or will it ever he dune? If I were only younger, but Well, there is Mr I lubber's story, which can he verified, if any verification were necessary beyond his word as a shrewd, intelligent, sober-minded gentleman. It is an invitation to the adventurous, and the prize seems worth the venture.