BACK FROM KIMBERLEY

Pahiatua Star and Eketahuna Advertiser, Volume 1, Issue 45, 12 November 1886, Page 3

BACK FROM KIMBERLEY

The follow ing story of ex[>eriences of a trip to Kimberley has been told the Napier Evening News by Mr John Golthouse, a young German, hailing from Waipiikurau :

When we readied the goldfield (?) there wore about 800 diggers there. We started at once to look for some gold, and asked some of the men, “ Where's your pegs, mates ? " They replied, “ There’s no pegging here, mate. Stick in where you like ; you're welcome to all you can get." We fossicked about the field for 21 days and got 2dwts. of gold. We said, “ This'll not do ; we'll go on further." There is a range about 00 miles further on—l don’t know its name, and we determined to go and prospect it. The diggers tried to persuade us not to go, because the blacks were very troublesome they said ; but we had made up our minds and so wo started. We hail only Olbs. of flour and 15lbs. of biscuits, one horse, and our swags. Wo got to the range in two days. We fossicked about for half-a-day and found tho colour. We had to carry the washdirt about a mile and a half to water. In the first six dishes we got three little nuggets, weighing about three ounces altogether. We Washed 20 more dishes next day, and didn't get a single speck—-not a colour t Wo then made up our minds to give it up altogether and start back for Derby next morning, because our food was done, and wo hail to kill our horßo for tucker. Wo had revolvers and plenty of ammunition, but there was nothing to shoot, though the pa[>erß reported that thero was plenty of game everywhere. We killed a few snakes and ate them—one of them 8 feet long. They tasted something like cel. Talking about snakes I may as well tell you that I was bitten on the left shin by a snake. Some Victorian diggers doctored it for me. I don't know what they did ; but they tied my hands behind me, and made me yell so tliat you could have heard me half a mile off. (Here Mr Golthouse showed us the scars of the rough surgery that lmd probably saved his life). The night before we turned bock from the range (after we had made up our minds to leave), while we were in the tent, we beard some noise outside in the scrub, which we thought was a snake. We took our revolvers and quietly crept out of tlio tent, and when we did so we saw it was four blacks —two men and two women. We left the tent and went about a chaiu and got behind some scrub to watch what the blacks wore going to do. Tliev didn't see us leave the tent. The men left the women behind and got two big lumps of pumice stone, about lOOlbs. weight. With these in tlieir hands they threw themselves over the tent and broke it down and commenced pounding away at what was underneath with the stones, thinking they were knocking the brains out of us. When we saw that we tired, and killed all four with nine shots, we packed up and started at once for Mount Barratt fur fear there might be more blacks about. We left everything behind, except a pair of blankets each, and two billies full of horseflesh —it was all the food we had. We didn't think much of our own tucker, but we didn't want the blacks to make a meal of us.

A countryman of mine named Hahn, who came from Hamburgh with me, was killed by the blacks ou his way to Mount llarratt. His mate who escaped told me this. They had no tent, but slept under a blanket put up as a fly, and the blacks rushed tiieui at night and killed poor Hahn.

When we got back to Mount Barratt there were two stores there, but the prices tiiey asked for provisions were monstrous. I paid £7 sterling for lib. of tea, 91b. of sugar, and 15Jbs. of door I There were scores of diggers begging for half-pamuikins of flour, but tho storekeepers wouldn't give them a mouthful. One of the stores was stormed about 4 o'clock one morning by 80 of those starving wretches. They took everything out of the store and hunted the storeke6[s>r away. From Mount Barratt wo made the trip to Derbyin 21 days on foot.

In tlie conrsu of our return journey, wo were “ stuck up." An old West Coast digger named Riley, with a mate, met us on the way, and Riley asked us for lialf a pannikin of flour. I put down my swag and gave him a pannikin full, Riley had his revolver in his hand when he oaxuu out of the scrub ; but 1 didn't take any notice of that. When he had got the flour, no said, “ That's not enough; 1 want the lot,” and raised his revolver. 1 drew my revolver and shot hmi through tho left shoulder, and told his mate to turn his back or 1 would shoot him. lie dropped his revolver and cleared, ltiley was picked up by tumo Victorians going back to Derby with a dray, and got in some days before we did. The Victorians re|M>rted the shooting to the police, and when I got to Derby 1 went straight to the {sdioe station and told that 1 was tile man that shot Riley. The policeman said he had heard about it; but he knew that it wu a sticking. up job, and it would have been no blame to mu if I liad shot him dead. Riley was taken to Sydney in a steamer.

To show you what some men will do out there for tucker, I met one of Uu> Triumph men named Voss, ou the road. He asked me to give him some flour, and I did, and also a good piece of damper. As soon us the poor devil sat down and oouimenced to eat it, another fellow rushed out of the scrub, snatched the bit of dam|>er from him and bolted. Wo couldn't give him any more. Derby is a miserable hole. When we landed there were- only two hotels, a post office, and about fifty miserable huts. When we got back from the field, there were four hotels, and about litue stores, and quite a lot of houses, but it is only one straggling street. On our return there wore about 400 diggers, mostly Victorians and QuiH-uslaiiilars waiting to get away. Some of them hod even taken their families with them a most digraceftil thing. Tlu-y were selling their thing* for next to nothing humvi from fit to 10s, breech I<mi Img guns worth 110 or £l2 were* wild lor as many shillings. On the 12th October the steamship .Albany lioie m sight* and «EU<i w i agjvalcu .vr UoUi lot

differs at the prospect of gelling »m< from sneli a hole. About twenty l>onl loads of men worn off to arrange with th>caption to take them away. Some of them had a few pounds ; some had none, and the captain of the -Albany told them if if they could gel '2oo'men and arrange to |>ay him £'2 a head he would take them away. The bell-matt—they’ve pot one even in lOerby—was stmt round, and 17H more turned up. The steamer started for Sydney, and we all thankfully saw the last of Derby. I told you I bad .£OOO when 1 landed in l>erbv. It cost me £'2so to go to tho field ami back in buying tucker and getting along; so I’ve very little left now out of inv £3OO. I have kept three little nuggets, and any one who feels curious to see them can do so by calling on me at tho Hailway Hotel. If you gave mo £SOOO down and guaranteed me a fortune in G months, I wouldn’t go back again.