OHINEMURI.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1926, 6 March 1875, Page 2

OHINEMURI.

(from our special reporter.) Mackaytown, Friday. There are now two more days to pass before the time of protection will be up, until which time little need be expected to transpire here of any moment, unless indeed it be the discovery by some of those who are out fossicking of a new prospect of surpassing briliancy. Many of the miners left for town to-day.

The Thames Advertiser correspondent proved rather unfortunate as respects his carrier pigeon, which, by the way, would be a misnomer for one of them at least, for he did not perform his duty the day before yesterday in as satisfactory a manner as could be wished. This "bird I was let go, the reporter fondly hoping, with the confidence of a buoyant young nature, that the bird was going straight to the office of the T. A.,! in . Grahamstown ; but it didn't —it went as far as Austin's instead, and there alighted to hare a feed of whatever was going, and conduct himself otherwise in that loose way peculiar to gentlemen who have no particular business on hand, insteadof like an orderlyand well-behavea pigeon express. Some one caught the bird yesterday, and he was put into a box and conveyed ' thus ignominiousl y under cover to Grahamstown. The Herald correspondent was also unfortunate in the matter of his pigeen, for he only had one, which when started betrayed a weakness for liquoring-up. He fluttered down to the creek, after having been fairly started, with*, the message neatly adjusted on hig lefr, and having drunk he hovered around some while and has not been heard of since.

Six men have been burnt out in Creagh's paddock, and lost their all. Fire broke out in their absence, and consumed everything. Believed to have been fired. A subscription is being filled. That which I «aw was headed by Mr Mackay and Captain Fraser. Mr Pickwick once made a very grand and justly wrathful speech of short duration upon the evil consequences attending the use of firearms by incompetent persons. Mr Pickwick would believe in his own opinion some more had he been hereto-night, where (as I learn) a man who had kicked a dog, threatened to shoot his owner—at the same time grasping a revolver in his coat-—if he (the owner) was not specially .careful. The man was a little screwed, but sufficiently sober to know "what's o'clock" as Mr Weller expresses it. This little scene occurred in front of Austin's Hotel.

An incident occured on the opening day which left one party in a state of suspense. The party had a show on the Waitekauri, and it was known that they had a show, so that their movements were watched—the footsteps of some of them dogged. On the night before the proclamation one of the party started by a circuitous route for the claim, having made arrangements for receiving their rights and conveying the same to the edge of the bush—a distance of eight miles, and having a good hardy bushman ready fresh for the remainder of the tramp. These arrangements were considered perfect. The rights were in hand at twenty minutes p^st ten; the horseman started off; and he very soon placed the rights in the hands of the man in waiting at the edge of the bush; who in his turn started for the claim. The latter, it had been arranged, should fire a shot on getting into the bush to denote that he had the rights; the man or men on tho claim were to answer the signal by another shot and proceed to peg. But by some means or other the man who was to take the rights got bushed, and it was seven o'clock in the evening before he got to the claim ; which had, however, been pegged. Further, the arrangements foi 1 eluding pursuit had been so good that no party had discovered them. This is an alluvial claim, and the party are well content to give it a good trial.