A STORY OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE* Otf AGO GOLDFIELDS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 243, 26 September 1872, Page 9

A STORY OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE* Otf AGO GOLDFIELDS.

By William Baldwin.

Chaptee V. — Gabeiels Gully.

A new epoch is now about to dawn on the colony. Otago, at the time its southern province, is about to ©merge from obscurity and insignificance, into the noonday glare of notoriety and importance. Founded originally on Free Church principles, and colonised a dozen years previously by a hardy band of Scotchmen, theyoung settlement had hither :o preserved undisturbed the distinctive features of its birth. In the meantime, its handful of inhabitants lived a life of peaceful industry, unless when, now and then, aroused by some petty squabble, social, political or religious ; but too few in numbers to develop the resources placed within their reach. These resources were neither few nor unimportant. Nature, indeed, had scattered them around with lavish profusion. To a country of considerable size, equal in extent to Scotland, she gave a fine invigorating climate, large plains and valleys, unequalled in richness of soil ; large lakes, great rivers, and immense tracts of finely, grassed and well watered country, admirably adapted for pastoral pursuits. Such was Otago when it was suddenly aroused from its state of Arcadian simplicity, and sluggish inactivity, into sudden animation, by the whisper of the magic word — Gold.

Then the old story. When the Mormon volunteer of the Mexican war, James Marshall, working at the race of Sutter's Mill in the Coloma Valley, California, picked up that handful of yellow flakes, and rushing to his employer told the news, the echoes of his voice awoke the world. Thousands of hardy, reckless, adventurers hastened thither from every quarter of the habitable globe. The bands which knit society were suddenly rent asunder, and in the confusion and disorganization that followed, chaos seemed to have come again. Then — but why go on, why weary the reader with details already too well known. The end justified the means. The end meant progress, civilization.

Then away across the broad Pacific, in the great Australian continent, the wondrous tale was taken up. Here, again, the accidental flashing of those shining scales, exposed to the eyes of Mr. Campbell through the thin coating of sand, and at first mistaken by him for mica, electrified mankind.

And now in Otago, Gabriel Ifoad is about to produce the third act of the drama. The results the same ; the manner of the discovery different. The first two being merely accidental ; the third resulting from sagacious deductions.

It was the Bth of June, 1861. The short wintry day was drawing to a close. There was a chill frosty feeling in the air; and everything around looked cold and cheerless, everything save the deep sunset coloring, that was bathing the rugged outlines of Mount Valpy in a copper colored glow, as Tom Hungerford and Henry Fitzherbert descended the spur, leading to the Tuapeka flat. They were descending in single file, leading their horses, and had approached close to the usual camping place at the bottom of the spur, when Tom, who led the way, stopped suddenly, and pointing to a small tent at a little distance off, exclaimed.

" We're to have company to night, it seems."

"So it seems. Some stockmen, I suppose, looking out for stray cattle." "Very likely. It can't be shepherds travelling sheep, or we'd have heard the dogs before now. But no matter who it belongs to, the shelter of the tent won't come amiss to night." "It does look as if it were going to freeze uncommonly hard," was Fitzherbert'>3 rejoinder, as they moved in the 'direction of the tent. "When they reached it there was nobody to be seen ; but, shortly after, the owner appeared in sight emerging from a gully close by. " I'm blest if it isn't Read," said Tom to his companion. " Hallo Read," he shouted out, " What, in the name of Heaven, brings you here." "Look at that Mr. Hungerford." He had come close up to them by this time;, so dose that they noticed, at once, how strangely, excited he was; close enough, too, to take in, at a glance, that the small wet mass at the bottom of the dicb. consisted of dull yellow flakes. "It's good honest gold." They had turned their eyes from the dish to his face, inquiringly, and he answered the look of inquiry in these words. Good honest gold. Yes ; so it certainly ' .seemed. And. yet — surely there must be some mistake. Gold ! The thing seemed astounding; nay, impossible ;*_ incredible. - But what was J|it. then? They examined it; weighed it ; in handfuls, in pieces. Yes ; it was. gold. ' -'Very likely it lay scattered all around, them, thick as sand on the sea shore, and if so, what was to prevent, them from gathering it up in handfuls, from enriching themselves beyond their. most sanguine of day dreams ? Had not people become uddenly rich in this way,' already ; and was it not a fact' that' monster nuggets had, been picked up before

now, .by. men inexperienced m digging life ? ' After all; what was it ?' Why, nothing; ( mpre than -luck ; a/mere lottery in fact. -But- were they less lucky T tban their neighbours; less likely to draw a prize than other men? Told in few words, these were the thoughts passing through their minds. You may smile, and call it weakness ; but smile as you may, it was a weakness you would have .succumbed to yourself.' The gold fever was upon them, remember, in its first and , most malignant stage. The blood was coursing swiftly through their veins, and their pulses were beating audibly, and there was a burning flush on the the cheek, a quick throbbing of the heart, a choking sensation about the throat. Awi sacra fames. . They ha.d all the unmistakeable symptons of the malady. Mechanically they followed Read into the tent ; mechanically they partook of the meal placed before them.

Then he began to tell them the story of the discovery, and the telling aroused their attention.

" After leaving the station," he began, " I went to Dunedin, as you know, intending to stay there a few days, and then start away up-country, on a prospecting trip. You all laughed at me, you remember, when I told you there was gold in the country, but from the very first moment I set eyes on it, and saw how very like California it was, I was quite certain in my own mind, the gold was there. I meant, as I say, to have stayed only a few days in town, but I stopped longer. The fact of the matter is, I got on the ' spree,' and spent all my money. There was nothing for it, of course, but get a job somewhere, and make a fresh ' rise ' again. I got on with a Tokomairiro farmer, stayed with him until I made enough to start me afresh, and, then, with my swag on my back, I came straight up here to Tuapeka. That gully you saw me come out of just now, struck me as a likelylooking place, and so, yesterday morning, I walked up along it until I came to a spot where a sheep track crossed the creek. The track made the bed rock quite bare just here, and stooping down to examine it, I saw several bright specks lying about. I knew at once it was gold. I was quite certain in my own mind I would find it, but now that the gold was lying before me, my heart jumped into my mouth. I ' fossicked' about with my knife for some time, and scraped out eight ounces before I left. I prospected the gully, to-day, in several places along the creek, and I found gold everywhere I tried for it. I think I got about twenty ounces altogether." " But do you think there's any quantity of it, Read? Mightn't you hare onlydropped upon a few scattered patches ? " asked Henry Fitzherbert, filling in a bhort pause.

natural ease bad returned to him after the first few words of greeting had been spoken, and, until now, he had been telling them of the discovery in a voice calm and emotionless. But now this calmness deserted him again, and he flushed up, once more, and became visibly excited as he answered.

" Scattered patches ! Wo Mr. Fitzherbert. I have been pretty well on every goldfield in the world, and, I tell you, I've never seen better prospects than I got yesterday. It will turn out a large goldfield, and a rich one, too. In a few weeks you will see yonder gully crowded with people, and every spur and gully about turned over and worked. Before we know where we are, hundreds and thousands will be amongst us here, and from here they will spread out and discover other fields. For my own share in the matter, I ask for nothing in the way of reward or compensation. It will be reward enough for me to know that hereafter my name will not be forgotten in connexion with this discovery."

Though late in retiring to rest, they were, all three, astir next morning at early dawn. Read bad slept well, he said, but bis two companions could not ray the same, having, in fact, slept anything but well. They were too excited to sleep. Their minds were too busy with the events of the daj to permit of their doing so ; and they became feverish, and restless, and tossed about from side to side, and once a man gets into this state, we know, there is but little chance of his sleeping well. A few good sousings of their heads, however, in the creek refreshed them, and the unpleasant results had well-nigh vanished altogether, as they started with Read, after breakfast, for the scene of his operations.

Entering the mouth of Gabriels Gully, as it was afterwards called, they followed the little creek, that ran through it, for half a mile or so. It was a gully two hundred yards wide, perhaps, at its entrance, and from the entrance curved away for some distance, and then became a narrow gorge, that was not thirty feet across ; and . beyond this gorge it opened out again into a large circular basin. It was here, in this gorge, just before it opened out into that basin I have been speaking of, that the sheep-track crossed the gully y that Read had picked up those bright golden speeka from the bed-rock,; and it was here that his claim lay. They soon reached the spot ; but when they got there,' there was nothing very wonderful to be seen. They saw a

square, shelving, shallow hole, and nothing more. When they looked in they saw the Dofctom had a blue slaty look about it, and it was full of fissures, and crevices, and " purses," and gutters that ran. into all sorts of shapes aud. forms. They saw, too, that in some places, this square hole was not a font in depth ; whilst, in other places, it was two and a half or three feet deep; and timt in this deeper portion of it, there was a lot of water lying. They saw all this, 'but it was in a vague dreaming kind of way. Gold lay down below them, and they begrudged every minute that kept them from getting at it. Eagerly pick and spade were seized on and used, excitement lending additional strength to young arms already strong. Boulders and earth soon disappeared, and the washdirt was reached before very long, and, there, sparkling thickly through it, was the bright yellow gold. And, then, this stuff was " washed up," and the yet richer stuff was "fossicked " out of the "pockets," and crevices, and the softer portions of the slaty bottom, with spoon and knife, and panned off; and, in this way, they worked on with unwearied energy, all day long, until darkness set in and put an end to further work. That night when they divided the gold, they had a pound weight each of them.

Before retiring to rest, Hungerford and Fitzherbert took counsel together as to their- future plans; and the result of this counsel was that Henry should start for the station, returning with Tim Dwyer, young Lindsay, and such provisions as he could lay his bands on ; whilst Tom would go on to town, bringing back tools and other necessaries. Read, meantime, promised them he would mark them off a claim, next his own, and protect it, if need be, during their absence. The morning following his arrival in Dunedin, Tom Hungerford went to call upon the Superintendent. He had been entrusted with a letter from Read for him, respecting this gold discovery, and proceeded in person to deliver it, as soon as the Government offices were open. Of course you are prepared to be told that these Government offices were unpretentious and humble in their appearance ; and so they were very humble. But humility is not inconsistent with comfort, and they werenot comfortable; in fact, there was not one iota of comfort about them. The wind blew through the walls with easy freedom, and the rain descended through the roof in refreshing showers; and altogether they were suggestive of extreme misery. They had none of the surroundings of Government offices. There was nothing to remind one of the traditionary awe of mysterious statecraft there, and outwardly, to the eye, they seemed to have dispensed with the quips, quibbles, and " how nob to do ifc " of circumlocution offices ; but it was only outwardly. The office Tom Hungerford found himself ushered into was not one whit better off as regards comfort tban any of the others, though it was the Superintendent's sanctum sanctorum. Colonel Dixon, the Superintendent, was sitting in the office when Tom entered, and received him very kindly, asking him to sit down and excuse him whilst he read Read's letter.

" This is very strange news," he remarked, as he ran his eye hurriedly over the contents. " Very strange news, indeed," he continued, reading it over a second time, more carefully, and then laying it on the table. He spoke in a crisp, cheery tone of voice, and was crisp and cheery to look at too. Then he had a chatty, offhand way about him, and was suave and pleasant in his manner, and altogether impressed Tom very favorably. He was a gentleman — a thorough gentleman — there was no mistake about that ; and he was an old soldier — that too you could tell at a glance. But you would never have guessed that be was a Company's man, for he had nothing of the bilious old Indian ofiicer about him ; but, on the contrary, was bright, and brisk, and active. Publicly and privately he stood high in the estimation of the world around him, and he knew it, and hugged the knowledge close to his breast, for he dearly loved the praise of men. '••I suppose you have just come down from this — wh*tt do you call it again ? — aye, Tuapeka ? "NW, tell me, what are the particulars of this discovery ? " Tom told him the facts fully. " And you think it will become a large eoldfield, e h ? "

" Well, sir, I'm a new chum at digging, and my opinion isn't worth much; but Read says it's going to turn out a very large goldfield, and I suppose he ought to know something about the matter."

" Let me see , whereabouts is this — this Tuapeka ? " and he walked across the room to a large map of the province hanging against the wall. "Will you just mark, the exact spot, as nearly as you can," he added, handing Tom a pencil. , When the position of the place had been found out, and marked, then they resumed their seats, and he continued his inquiries. 4

" What sort of a fellow is this Read? — middle-sized, long brown beard, pleasing, intelligent face ? " he repeated, re-echoing Tom's description. " Let me see ; I fancy I must have met him somewhere ; " and he paused, " Ah ! yes, I have it ; I remember

now," ho continued after a moment. "It waß aj; a meeting of the Tokomairiro ' electors. I was addressing them just before the election for the Supermtendency, when a man answering your description got up and asked me if I would recommend that a sum of money should be placed on the estimates for the purpose of prospecting the country. He was a very intelligent fellow, I remember, and impressed me very favorably at the time." " I have no .doubt it was Eead, for he lived at Tukomairiro just abont that time," replied Tom. " I suppose you brought some gold down with you ? " "Yes, sir; I brought down two pounds weight. i " Two pounds weight, eh ? Upon my life that looks well," and the Colonel weighed the bag in his hand as he spoke. Then he emptied a portion of the contents on a sheet of foolscap paper, held his eyes close to it, ran his fingers through the flakes, picked out the larger ones, and placed them on the palm of his hand for a more careful scrutiny. "It certainly looks as if there was something in it," he said, handing the bag back to its owner — speaking not of the bag, however, but of the discovery. '• If it should turn out anything," he continued, "of course it will have a great effect on the future of Otago. I can't say what the Government will do in that case, but I shall certainly recommend that Eead should be rewarded. I must call the Executive together at once, and lay all the particulars before them. They may wish to see you; if so, 1 will drop you a line by the messenger. Where shall he find you ?^ -■'-• - * "I'm sfcayFng^ at r Tamora-^Hotreie f but I'm going away back , again iomorrow." > * > • ' ' " Upon my life. I envy you. I only wish I were going too. IjTothing 'in the world would give me greater,;. pleasure than to have a shy at it myself. Much better fun that, I can tell you, than being stuck up here in this dingy oflice. Grood bye," he added, shaking Tom's hand warmly, as the latter rose to leave, "and thank you very much for your kindness. I shall very likely take a run up myself in the course of a few days, and will probably ask you for a shake-down. I'm an old campaigner, you know, and I want nothing more than my plaid, and a mouthful to eat. By-the-bye," he continued, as Tom reached the door, "the 'Colonist' comes out to-morrow. Would you mind seeing Hamilton and giving him the particulars." He did call at the "Colonist" office, and went over the story again, whilst the editor, pen in hand, took down the notes for to-morrow's paragraph. In fact, he had not a moment's peace or quietness until he retired to his bed late that night. At the corners, as he passed along, he came upon excited knots of people, who appealed to him anxiously for information. The storekeepers and their customers rushed out of the stores, when they saw him go by, asking him the same questions over and over again. And when he got baok to his lodgings, rather hungry, at last, it was only to find a crowd there awaiting his arrival. Then, during the evening, the Provincial Secretary, Provincial Treasurer, a few squatters, and others, dropped in to hear the news. It spread throughout the town in every direction, and Dunedin was strangely agitated that night with excitement, hope, and anticipation. _