SEVEN YEARS AGO: AN ADVENTURE IN THE RUSH TO GABERIELS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume I, Issue 33, 26 September 1868, Page 3

SEVEN YEARS AGO : AN ADVENTURE IN THE RUSH TO GABERIELS.

(V7WTTES SXPBES3LT FOB THE IDAPtei ttufe.) More than sercn yeara liaro eltpeed tsiuco tho opening of Gabricla, the result of the discovery of which has 00 largely contributed to Otago'e greatucss. Seven years \ and yob it aeema but yesterday whea I with two others started from Dunedin for the new ■ Eldora"do, having been attracted thithor by the reports, which hsd just reached town, of the succass of Gabriel Eeid's prospecting tour-rof rich "finds," in some instances ounces to the dish, and various other equally glowing accounts. It will boToaaemberod that Dun9din was at that timo a quiet, unassuming village, with its scant array of stores, hotels and dwelling-houaecf in the principal street?, and ft sprinkling of cottages and gartlen-patches ofr the adjoining hills. Some idea of the "virtuous innocence " which pervaded the every-day doings of the " old identity" may be gathered from the fact, that tho. prisoners confined- ia tho gaol (principally runaway sailor?) wero allowed occasionally to take a "constitutional," by strolling jibout where they cao3o, and by tho liborality of the governor they wore enabled to take their nobbier and shout for a friend. On granting tho usual application for a walk " outside," kind-hearted Governor Monson, whilo slipping a shilling into their hand, would caution them in this manner-; — " If you get drank, or are not at home by nine o'clock, I'll lock you out" which threat, it m&y bo said, he rarely had occasion to carry into effect. "When the result of Gabriel Eeid'» researches became known, tho excitement, as may bo imagined, was intense. The news spread like wildiiroj and the gold mania re god in men's minds and ravaged their senses. For my own part, I could think of nothing but gold-dust; and in my dreams I saw nuggets take tho shape of fairies, who smilingly invited mo to take them. So nothing elso would do but to go to tho diggings. Oar little party was soon mado up, and off wo started. It may bo well here to briefly describe my companions — or rather mates — with whom I had agreed to share t\o perils and dangers of a nevr rush. Their respective names wero Fred and Tom— Old Tom we usually called him. The former had been my bosom cronie for a considerable time ; but beyond his genuine love for adventure there in nothing concerning him which requires special comment. But old Tom was no ordinary individual. Ho was one of those dry, humorous old "cards" mo?c frequently read about than mot with. A good part of hi 3 life had been spent at sea; and there was scarcely a part of* the known.world that he had not seen. lie had also been digging in California and Victoria ; and ho had led so adventurous a life thtft, as he himself declared, he could spin yarns enough in a day to rig a fleet. His age might have been fifty years ; but he possessed all the energy and activity of a much youuser man ; and fortunately for ! himself he still retained taat iron frame and strenirth of limb which had often proved his bevt friends, and which wore J asain destined to render him good service. j "Wo had arranged to po by way of j Maungatiia, it boing much the shorter route, although at taat timo the travelling on J" SankV pony" was excessively irksome.' It was not until after the rush had set in from Victoria and other places ' that anything liko a beaten -track: was .to 1)e found ; and we, being among tho first to leave DuueVlin after tho r.ows came down, had frequently only the loading spurs to guide us. Nothing of any interest transpired until .we reached the West Taieri Ferry, where an incident occurred which made so deep an impression on my mind that all the years which .have since passed have not obliterated. It is still fmsh , in my memory ; ' and at times the same terrible scene is again conjured up. ! It was dark before we reacliod the Ferry ; and.as we had agreed to camp on the other side of the river, we pushed on. Arrived at the river, we could find no one to ferry us over, tho ferryman, no doubt, having retired for the night. There was little traffic on the rcwsd,m-th6se:daya, cxs^sequently there were not those facilities for crossing as were afterwards^- afforded. After a searcn/howevor, we discovered a canoe, moored to a stake, by which we resolved to cross. . Old Tom was elected ferryman on tho spot, it being known to us, from his yarns of adventures in America, that he was an adept in tho use of the naddle. It was a puny craft; and it required great care to ensure r» safe landing, as the stream was running very rapidly, being swollen by late rains. Our fears of an accident were not at all lessened when old Tom, in a most confidential manner, assured Fred and I thai " It wa3 as easy capsizing that 'ore ' dugout 'as falling off a log." However,he managed, though not-without exertion, to deposit his passengers on tho other side with a dry skin. ' After selecting a favorablo spot for camping, we pitched our tent and made all snug ] for the night. " | We wore quietly smoking our pipes, and congratulating ourselves on our safety, when old Tom suddenly started Tip in *a e*ftt»4 wwiwr. wd irHJwvfrt

speaking rushed cut of tlio tent. Tui£ strange p/oeeduro bo completely elootfified both" rVcd nnd-myseif -that forte--moment neither of us could do aayttiag but stare at each ether in blank astonishment. At length wo hurruxl- : froci tho tout gad can fa. tao dirocUua of tho river. On- netriag tho wttl-xV edge, wo were horrified to" nee old 1W struggling with tfro eacrgy of doj£>*ur in tho dark watsr of feLe riror, iisi vainly, endoaroria^ to reach tho LrrJ<. The canoe,. which vkis- floating boiler*up, was swiftly carried away with tarn current. v It was evident ho had boe«capsized. By thistime the fall moon was high in tho -heavens,, giving v* sufficient light to distinctly diacem tho "agonizing predicament' of our poor friend. Tho — tho rapidity ot' which had prevented Ida caching tr» bank — bore him, still etru^glin^, round a ben-1, and ho was lost to our view. • All this occurred in loss timo t li.an I take to write it. Until th.en lVed and I had stood rooted -to fjo spot, powerless to act?; but when tho poor follow had disappeared all our energies seemed to return;- and wo rushed madly alon# the water's side, in hope* of being able to rescue hiru. All was" in vaia-: he had disappeared, perh&p* for ever. Wo searched ail that weary' night and the following day without having discovered any trace of him;, and wo .wero compelled at iongth to arrive at tho bitter conclusion that wo had seen the last of -poaz old Tom. Its was a sad fate, after endurin ' $Mr o£ hardship, and when at last ho had thj& means almost within his grasp V? ■* which he would bo cnablod to Totirjfr' into qiiietiide,. to msct so inglorious an , end, and taat in a strange land, t&i from kiadred slid home. "With theso rrlcomy reflections Yc»X and I sorrowfully resumed our journey k . I scarcely know how wo reached Tu«peka, no fully occupied was my m-ind with tho 1 -.|-3 terribV tra^ely. "it tra* late in f.ie evening when wo arrived at Gabriels, anl immediately prepared to camp. "VVe were lotfiiging on on? bed of dry §prass a few hbu» late), moodily smoking our jHpes, vrlica again , the thoughts which were uppermost ia" our minds fouad v^nt in words. "We vrcrz commenting upon "the cruel, untimely end of one with whom we had hoped to share prosperity, e.n%'. Fred, with deep feelui ;, was lamenting that probably oar ,poor friend was ttr tiat moment lying cold and motbnlepi at tho bottom of tho river, or porhapir t'urawn up on como beach, tloacliing ia the dews of heaven, and ft prey to the vonoious appeiitf-s of pea-gull*, whoso instinct would load them to tbn spot, when a voice outside tho tenfr — a voice which made my heart leap^ exclaimed — "I'll bo darned if .ho is!" «nd through tho door of .t'io fent appeared — was it possible— old Tom himwl", whom wo hal bo recently mourned t» doai ! Our exclamations of astonish, me/it were cut short by his continuing — '• I'm blowed if ho js ; and so you .needn't sit there staring like a coupls of scared Bheep, for I tell you I arn'fc no ghost ! " Seeing that we continu.od to gaze at him in wonderment, without attempting to move or speak, he administered such a severe shaking tv Fred and myself ao was calculated to dispel all fc&rs 35 to his affinity with another world ; but it wo 3 some timo beforo we thoroughly recovered from i/ho effects of tho shock whi^h I: is sudden rcappe.iranco had o£eaeione£, and were nufßcienlly reassured to cslmlyiißten tcrhia explanations. It appears, a*s ho afterwards told u», that whilo sitting in the tent aftor Laving brassed" tlio river, ho suddenly recollected having left a pocket-book", containing something upon which ho placed great valuo (he would never tell us what the contents really were), on the opposite bank, and fesring iti would be lost, ho started up in th« abrupt manner I bavo described, find hastened to whero the canoe was lying. Owing to the incautious and hasty manner in which ho impelled the tho canoe, he lost his perpendicular, and waa consequently plunged head foremost into the stream, which carried him away with great velocity. "With great exertion ho succeeded in making up with the canoe, to which ho clung ; and after Jiaving been carried some miles down the river ho managed to get into an eddy, which brought him to along3ido tho bank. Coll and eihausted as he was lie passed a miscarable night, not even having the means to kindle a- fire. The torture he endured wailp waiting for the first streak of 'dawn was best known to himself. The next day. after wading through innumerable swamps and creeks, he arrived at a settler's hut, whero he was pro-, vided with food and other necessaries which his weakened frame required. After being thoroughly rested and refreshed, he started for Tuapeka by a track ~ pqjntod out by tho settler &fc whoso hand 3he had received such opportune assistance, cad reached Gabriels almost as poon aa Fred aai I, causing ue the great surprise icr viuea w£ wore unprepared. But tlie joy which, followed "tho surprise wss un.bounded. - ; " ThTis~«idcd our little, a dventum — 1 was compelled, through ill health, "to abandon diga;ing and retugLto to«?a-; but Tom and JFred remi&udSßntfl thov made a small " pile," whofßpe farmer left Otas;o for America, tuna the lattoy returned -to tae old country, toavin':; me here to chronicle " An t-dtsMtxifc in *** rwh to OV»Vi*U." _