Tom Hungerford:

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 256, 26 December 1872, Page 9

Tom Hungerford:

lfe?fOßY OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE OTAGO GOLDFIELDS.

Hy Wjiaxam Baldwix.

' Cotater XV.— (Continued.)

" What a pretty nugget that is. Mr. Htmgerford ; isn't it?" ' « It was one. she had just presented till her,- and she handed it over to Tom for his inspection as she spoke. t # . " Well, jes ; io ia pretty. It wduld make a -very nice ornament. What a good Commissioner you would make," he added as he handed it back to her. ".'• Should I? Why? Because I should , get a lot of nuggets given me. is that it ? Well really, Mr. Hungerford, I never knew before that- that was a qualification for the appointment." - "Well ao, not for that reason. I: didn't mean to insinuate you. would be Open' to bribery and corruption. What I did mean was you would be very popular." " Whyyou need only lift your little finger and the whole gully, to a man, would rise to do your bidding." ." Would they though?" said Nelly. Well, do you know, I have always had a prejudice against miners until I saw them to-day, but, since I have seen them, my opinion has been altered ." .''.But are you an impartial witness. Miss. Fitzherbert ? ' " What ! you think the nuggets have made me change my mind, is that it? Fie, Mr. Hungerford. I really did think you had a better opinion of m.c than that," and she looked np demurely in his face as she spoke, "But it 18 not the nuggets that have made me change my mind," she continued ; " it is the bearing of the men themselves. There's a irank, manly, independent look about them that I JiM^*' All the same though, I wish they wwfld not be giving me all these nuggets. I suppose I couldn't well refuse them, could If '* No. You couldn't well offend them worse than by refusing these little preBents of theirs. By-tke-by, I hope I may be permitted to. offer yon this little one, as a memento of Waitahuna. It isn't so pretty, as some of those others, but it was the first one found here." He took the little piece of gold from his pOCkfctbook as he spoke, wLere it had been carefully placed that morning, in anticipatioii of some such opportunity as was this, and presented it to her. He took it from his pocfcetbuok and held it out in his hand towards her, ready foxacceptance ; but the accepting of it did not come readily on her part. She stood for a moment looking at the nugget — looking at it but not offering to take it. Then she answered, and ia so doiug the half bantering tones she had been using were no longer observable, '. . "• Thank you very much, Mr. Hunger- | ford," she said, keeping her eyes fixed ;. on the nugget; ; "but 1 would really rather not accept it-. I have got such a number of them as it is," she added in explanatory tohe3, striving to excuse herself, "that I scarcely know what to. do" with them. Sesides, I could not think of depriving you of it,. .seeing how very valuable it must be "from old associations. 1 * If. she wished to hUgee declined accepting it, and she really did, ltiueh better would it have been for her to have offered no excuse at ail. The excuse gave him an opening. "I have got another nugget equally historical, Miss F.itzlierbert, and hope you will accept this one. shall feel hurt if you don't. I really shall," he said, as she looked up into his face ea> quiringly ; and sha saw that%e meantwhjat he said. What was she to do, she asked herself? ' She would have much preferred to have refused this nugget that was thrust upon her in this way, if the refusal were possible. There were reasons, and thojfe cogent reason's too, why she should refu?e it^but the refusal could not well be made g^U&out some inkling as to the reason of conveyed to Tom. She herself could not possibly do thia by any words of hers — could not as much as hint at it even in the very vaguest of words ; and yet she was very lothe to offend him. What was she to do ? Under the circumstances, she thought she could do nothing else than accept it. "I shall always keep it," she said, stretching out her hand- at last to iake it, ' "ia remembrance of my pleasant visit to Waitahuna." He looked up into her face gratefully, and was ao^ut to express his gratitude in - words of warrK. acknowledgment when the Colonel and Xi* x son walked up alongside, and there rtmained until they reached home. \ -The party left the foiling morning. ' M I am sure we shall always remember - your* kindness, Mr. Hungerlord," said Nelly as Tom asaisted her into h.*r saddle ' and was arranging the folds of herSiabit. \ "" Ah!" said Tom, in a low tone, *i| f you only knew what a. pleasant visit it f , haa been to me, apd how very lonely- the| ptaco will feel when you are. gone, perhapft you would really think of us all ' sometimes." ■ • if* Indeed we shall often think of Henry ipid yourself," she answered, in the lamej Rw tones. * /'Wji you ?" he said, as he tdgk her hand add held it in his. " You don 4' knpw how often I shall repeat these words of yours. Good-bye." ~ 0 /\\ Good-bye, Hungerford, called out the' Colonel. " I have to thank you very L much for your kindness andjihe plea- • sant time we have spent -with, ypujfr I [ hope we shall soon see y oaup^iG fiountry. " v. It was a very btfey time just then with Tom and^ Henry, as ill luck would have it, "and neither of them cou^R! <*et very weJUway" from th# place, so Tirtf Dwyer vaifsent on with j^e family to render them any assistance they might require. Jtiofyno more useful assistant could they " have had than Tim. Ifa was not only • * that he was civil, and obliging, and good humored, bufc he Was always ready, in an ; emergency, and very fertile in the way of t expedients^ And these qualities of his , weijf hi constant requisition during the :, j^urnev, _ .nipr^ espejciajllv, were they re- | quirSd flfaE fi'rsrnignt? ; TPhey camped out J that^firat "night*»contrar^!to their expecr, t tattoos, *nd, wr-the whole, they enjoyed \ the -$ung ratbor *~-otherwise j -tlje J •nJ6Vroent basing greatly due to "Tim's f -«$©«& ' ■ ""

The day had been ogpressively close—a close, murky, sweltering day that made travelling anything but pleasant — and be^an' to tell upon Miss" FJtzherbert before she had been many hours in the saddle. But she stood (jut" bravely for some time, never once complaining, until further standing out'was no longer possible ; then towards evening, whilst they were as yet some seven or eight miles from their destination, she spoke a word or two to her. father about the matter. ...

"Do you know, papa," she said, " I am really afraid I cannot go on much longer. I am very -sorry, but I feel thoroughly knocked up. M " I'll just fiJftLoufc where we are, dear ; and, if this jjSSce of JJtuart's is much furthfr, we will remain where we are for the night.' 5*5 *

Then the Colonel rode up t<3jPm and consulted him on the jnatter, and the result of the consultation was that they k came to a, halt shortly afterwards, in- * tending to _ camp there for the night. ( And before very long Tim and the ttvo Fitzherbert lads bad made things snug and comfortable — as comfortable as could be expected at least under the circumstances. The little tent with which they were provided was pitched-, and a couple of nice, soft fern beds were arranged inside it for the two girls, to whom, and Rebecca Tonks, it was specially devoted. Then tea was prepared, and the evening was a very delicious one, and the ladies enjoyed t}\e thing, telling themselves, and telling themselves truly, it was preferable this to being stuck into some close, dirty hole or another i(fc the night. They were all more or k|s fatigued, and very glad to turn in early, dropping off to sleep before they had well wrapped themselves up in their blankets and 'possum rugs. Jt need scarcely be told they slept soundly — at least they would have done so had ther^jfceen nothing to disturb them in their sleeping. The Colonel lay dreaming. He was again on one of hi 3 many battle fields, sword in hand, leading on his men to

victory, pressing over whole hecatombs of the slain as he did so. The ringing cheer of those gallant hearts he led was still in his ears — the sweetest of incense that the world could have offered to him — when — what was that ? He shook himself, awoke, and jumped quickly out of his blanket. A succession of piercing shrieks burst VLjIOZI liim, coining £rom "fcjh.^ tent close by.

"Oh! oh! oh!" shrieked Rebecca Tonks, sitting up in her bed, wringing her hands.

" What's the matter with you ! " asked the Colonel, rushing into the tent.

"Oh! oh! oh! That Irishman, that wicked rampageous. Irishman ! " she shrieked. •• Cau'fc you tell me, woman, what's the matter with you?'* asked the Colorifel, 1 angrily. H "Oh! oh! It's that wicked, rampa-* geous .Irishman, as has been lurking ahout a piochins and a pulling of my

" Is it me you mane ?" said Tim, who was standing outside listening to the chljfeje. "Me pnll your toe, is it ? The dival take yoursilf and your toe, you ould hag of the w||^d;" he-'nfdded, in great wrath. _"_God knovvs J _sir^ J._hfl_aaicl_t.othe Colonel, wlfen ilie latter came out, "I nivir left my bed this blessed, night. By the v.ufcne of my oatli I didn't. And ■shuve, what w<^ld I be doing a pulling of her toe ? B&flKtck to ye, ye.she vixen," he dflled to himself, in an audible whisper. " Oil ! you wicked jfcaajjtgeuris creatnre-,"" shouted liebeecaflrom within the tent. ■ ' I'd have y-u know lam a virtuous female as comes to tlie .point tura walks uprightly, I am" t* • ."^f***. |t£ " Ne vej6nffl(LJi er»~ said \W Colonel, " she^#a?roolishTßlly creajj^re.^cd knows** f better.' J wonder, though, OTnatcoidd ye frightened her ?" he'asked. $ '- "I fancy it was onp of the horses that's - tethered close too," said George Fitzherbert. •*

" I have no doubt it was. Move him a little further off, George,*' said the Colonel. " Don'b be alarmed, my dears," he called out Jjo his daughters ; " it was only one of the horses moving about." " Horses, indeed ! " exclaimed^Rebecca. "A nice country this for a*respectable female to live in, whe#s"he can't go to sleep at 'night without haying her toes bitten off at night by horses." " Jwst go td^leep, Rebeca," put in Nelly, " and the* next time the horses come to bite you, instead of bitting your toes off Jfrhoj^l : they 11 bite your head off." Then the parry all went to their beds again. . #dasther I *Seorge," said TiuxDwyer tej^pung George Fitzherbert, who slept close? beside him, He spoke cautiously, anijjWn an under-fcone, ca|ef"l lest his words Should meet the Colonel's ears. " Whisper, Mastber George ; you won't tell of %e,^ill you .' " * m •< Tell of you, Tim ? What "it I am not to tell of you ? " " Y^heaM what that old vixen said of me 1 " * *& ■& '-'Who— Becky? She* said you. were pinching her toe. Were you, Tim ?"■ j asked tha. lad, maliciously. I *' Pinch her, is it"? May%e divil pinch ! her, God forgive me for, "saying so. No, |F didn't pinck her, JVf as^T^&jeorge .; but HPm going^o^o it, honor -bright, though you won'tjell, mind.'* ' - * , . •• No, Ij won't, .indeed, Tim. What larks," he added. "But mind* you don't let the Governor see you, or, by Jove, there will be a row, and no mistake,"

" Divil a fear of the Governor seeing me." <l Pinch her Tim, when, you're, about it,"- said George, diving down into his blanket to smother his laughter; and nothing further passed between them.

Tim watted a little longer before proceeding to "carry out his project; waited untijl a sufficient length of tirfie had elapsed tthpermit Si things settling down quietly, and then he arose from his bed and betook himself to .the tent. Be was vejy, careful in his movements — creeping alcmg st«ilsiily &t\<l with tnncn caution — knowing (full well if he were discovered the Colonel would be unsparing in his severity and anger. At length he reached the tent in safety, and then his catmousne3s redoubled itself. Ho had *ome difficulty in finding Rebecca's feet ;- but at last- he . did find them, and, - laying hold of Tier toe",* He" gave it one hard, sharp pull. Thipn^hfe made off as,siickly ag possible, getting" clear* of the tent

~ <9P '% before the woman's agonizing Bhriek had aroused the Colonel.

v Rebecca," said the Colonel, hastening up and speaking angrily, " I am afraid yon ate too much supper last night, and are having nightmare in consequence. Are you in the habit of having nightmare and calling out in this way in your sleep ?" he asked in tones of cutting irony. •

. " Nightmare, indeed !" exclaimed Rebecca indignantly. " It's my opinion as them horses is cannibals and aught to be shot. There'll be a corners inquest afore morning, and then you'll see if you calls it nightmarre. I'm a virtuous female as comes to the point and walks uprightly, nos oats and. straw. Nightmare, indeed I"

" Bertha, my dear," called out the Colonel, "if you sMiuld hear Rebecca snoring loudly wake her vp — it may prevent our being disturbed again to-night."