A DIGGER'S STORY.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume I, Issue 23, 15 April 1890, Page 2

A DIGGER'S STORY.

A. ROLLING- STONE THAT DID GATHER MOSS.

(All Rights Reserved.) Stand, by your halyards peak and throat, let go jib and staysail; lively boys, lively, before the squall strikes; keep her away, and stand by to close, rei-f every thing ! The speaker was Captain Redman, skipper of Vie cutter Ocsan Bi<*d, with whom I had tak j n a passage from Dunedin to the Grey. We had been sailing all night with a squally soja'west wind, widch freshened as the' day broke, and kept on increasing in fury. When the Captain shouted his orders I looked to windward, and was horrified to see a regular hurricane close upon us. The water lashed into one white sheet of foam was flying towards us, and a roar equal in intensity to the loudest thunder storm filled the air. Fortunately our little cutter w.is got before the wind in time, and wag soon flying o'er the foam like a sea-gull. Again the Captain's voice rang out amid the howling of the storm, set the close-reefed staysail, and keep her away right before the gale, quick for your lives, before we get pooped. At the time the storm struck us we were a few miles above Breaksea sound, and thither the Captain decided to run for shelter. In the meantime the seas rapidly increased in size, great angry combers rolled after us, apparently seeking our destruction, so it was with feelings of heartfelt gratitude that we entered the sound, where we were in comparative safety, for although the squalls inside were something terrific the water was smooth, and rose and fell with an undulating movement as though sobbing itself to rest after a burst of fury.

We anchored in a littl« cove behind Resolution Island, and moored the cutter to some trees on the shore. After BeeiDg all snug we retired below to change our dripping garments, and tte crew, having been up tdJflßhf, crept into their bunks, amuse myself in the best could.

Now, there being no books on board, I Rhould have found this % bard task, had not the thought occurred to me to start writing a short history of my lifo, consequently I commenced to write this narrative, which I afterwards finished, called /

The Rolling Stone that did Gather Moss. I was born in Portsmouth on the 4th of March, in the year 1839. My father kept a marine store, and did a

firs, -class business. I had three brothers and two sisters, all older than myself, and I, beinsr the youngest, was petted and allowed far too much of my own way. Still I was sent to school regularly, and made to stick at it until I was fairly educated, for which I have always been thankful. My great delight, whenever I could was to go on board the dif- <*. ferent vessels with the sailors who dealt .'" at my father's store. Being young and lively, I was a great favourite among them, and many were the wild tales they told me of their perils and adventures, and the wonders they had seen in foreign lands. The consequence of this was that as I grew up to manhood I began to look upon myself not so roach "> native of England as a native of the World, and j I resolved to visit every portion of the globe as opportunity offered. In the year 1860, my brothers being all established in different lines of business, my father'began to turn his attention to the establishment of myself, and a few ■■days'after my 21st birthday, asked me what trade or ; business I should like to pursue. Now, my.mind being made up for a rambling life, I stated to him my wish to travel. He was very much annoyed. ; at first, and would not listen to my . project of going abroad, and for a few days constantly reminded me that a rolling stone gathered no moss. But at length, through the persuasion of my mother, and finding my mind was thoroughly made up to go. He offered to compromise matters thus — To give me £SOO and let me go to J Australia or New Zealand to iry and establish a business for myself, it being clearly understood that if I did not succeed in that time I was to return and enter into any business he chose to pick out for me. , To this I quickly agreed, for: it offered a chance of seeing half the ; world at any rate, at once, and I was willing to trust to chance for seeing the . .other half. Moreover, I wanted to be on the move, and po shortly after I took my passage in a steamer for Sydney. My father went to see me : off, and his last words on that occasion, as nearly as I can remember, being these—" Good bye, Fred, my boy, and remember to come back according to

tim, the £SOO 1 have given you will, with economy and what little you can earn, keep you for the five years, but I have no doubt you will come back quite penniless, for,: as I have told you so often before, 'a rolling stone gathers no moss/ "

"Good bye, my dear father, I replied, I will endeavour to prevent such a dire catastrophic, and will do my ; best to be home in time, and though, as you Bay, it may be very true that. * a rolling stoue; gathers no moss,' still, my dear father, I have heard said it is equally true that, ' a fitting hen never gets fat.' " We had fine weather during the whole voyage, and made a very quick passage out to Sydney. We arrived there in midsummer, but I did not like tLe place or climate, so after a teir days rest I took my passage for Auckland, in New Zealand. I lived there for two years, being fortunate enough to obtain » billet in a large wholesale store. At the expiration of that time, feeling tired and restbss, I left and went down to Wellington. Nut being successful in finding work to my mind there, I removed to Dunedin, where I worked for a year and a half in a large drapery establishment. •

At the end of that time gold was discovered at the Grey, a river on the West coast of the middle island of New Zealand, and a heavy rush se* in to that part. Seeing; by this time that my little capital *as too small to give me a decent start in a business of ray own, I resolved to follow the crowd, and try my luck at the diggings. Accordingly, I invested all the money Irhad in goods that I thought most ■mtable, took my passage in the Ocean Bird, and so found myself wind bound iff the Breaksea, sound. The gale lasted all. that day and part of the night, but the following morning was •aim, bright, and clear, and the waters of the sound were as smooth as glass. The scenery was quite new to me and very beautiful: on each side the land c6vered with trees and shrubs of every ■hade of green rose in places to the height of thousaeds of feet. At the mduth of the small water courses we »aw small fiats a few acres in extent, but no beaches ;, in fact, to me, the aound appeared at one time to have been a valley from which, owing to gome grand convulsion ot nature the bottom had fallen out, and the sea had rushed in. To my mind the whole appearance-of this sound had indicated £t ihlnness of the earth's crust, and I ■u a ot feel exactly safe while in it. r " a We found fish very abundant there, and half loaded our boat with pigeons •nd kakas, which made a very welcome addition to the cook's larder. The following morning we resumed o«r journey to the (jrrey, and arrived at thatport two days after without other adventure. On landing we found fully a .thousand men on the ground moat of them living in tents, as at that time there were not enough houses to contain them. They were a fine stalwart lot ■ of men, and all seemed in good spirits*

When I left Diuietlin I had some idea of starting a small store on the diggings, but being offered, a first class price for ray goods I sold out, and thereby found my capital rather more than doubled. So I put my money in the bank, and resolved to look around me a hit before starting a new venture.

Daring my rambles I formed an acquaintance with two young men named Carter and Smith. They had been working inland and had done well, but were driven in through want of provisions. They had bought a new stock which they intended boating up the river as far as possible and then carrying it on their backs. They told they were working a ricli little creek known to themselves alone* and offered me a share in their claim.

Now, I knew nothing of the work, but as they told rue T could soon pick it up I resolved to go with them and try my luck. Having thus decided I bought myself a revolver and everything necessary for a digger's outfit. We had a very tedious voyage up the river, having in the shallow places to jump out up to our waists and drag che boat along. On the evening of the third day we reached a bend in the river beyond which the boat could not go, and having paid our boatmen pitched our tents and made ourselves comfortable for the night.

My friends told me it-was six miles from there to the claim through dense bush, so as I expected we had a terrible job transporting our stores the next few days, and was heartily glad when the job was finished. The next thing was to fix our camp and, everything snug, for we expected to be some months working out the claim. When that was j finished we started digging, and after I stripping a paddock 12 feet square and seven feet deep had the satisfaction of seing some eighteen inches of washdirt through which the fine gold shewod very freely. We took fifteen ounces oat of that paddock, and by the expiration of a fortnight bad one hundred ounces of £,old per man. We continued working alone on the creek for some time longer meeting with good success; but one evening alter a. most successful day's I work while we were clearing, out our sluicfi box we were suddenly startled to see a man looking down on us.

(To be continued.)