CHAPTER IV.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1863, 14 June 1884, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER IV.

I declabe that neither Jack nor myself thought, or at any rate grieved, much over the material wealth we had lost. We would gladly have given all, or more, had even one of our tried comrades been saved, but it was not to be. True, it was hard to lose all our earnings at one fell swoop, and the visit to England on which we had counted with- so much pleasure, seemed now as far off as ever. But not for long, for a wonderful thing occurred to us, a thing as unexpected as it was extraordinary, and that soon.

■what we saw it was evident that the landslip had occurred in the face of that part of the range immediately behind u the terrace ©n which our camp stood, and, northwards at least, verj little further. In fact, where we had been swept away was what may be called the head or tail of the slip. We clambered over the debris up the slope to the upper terrace, arid there found that it ended exactly where the immense rock, the " Needle " that had proved our salvation had stood. This had been torn bodily out of the earth and hurled oyer the cliff, leaving a not very deep 'hole to mark the spot where it had been. Sadly enough, since the sun had already sunk behind the westernnills, wo sought shelter in this hole from the cold night winds, the only covert we could find. Completely wearied out with the day's exertions, we lay down on the hard bottom, and were soon wrapped in profound slumber. Nor did we wake until next^day the sun was high in the heavens. I was still sound asleep when I was aroused by Jack tugging at my sleevo violently, and called me by name in an excited manner. " Larry 1 Larry ! " he shouted, " wake up, wake up." " What's the matter ? " I said drowsily. " Matter enough ; wake up and look where you are," he cried. Something in the tone of his roice startled me, and I gat up and looked round. Could I believe my eyes. The sides of tho hole, the Teiy bottom on which I lay, was literally ablaze with gold. Eeal, rich, bright, yellow gold. I rubbed my eyes. Was I still dreaming ? No ; it was plain enough to see, plain enough to handle. Nuggets of all sines, from that of a potato to that of dust shot, strewed " all over the surface as thick as plums in a Christmas pudding. And all ours for the mere trouble of picking out. We sat looking at each other in blank amaze, dumbfoundered. We, so lately penniless, had found the veritable Torn Tiddler's ground. We were, so lately ruined, rich, wealthy beyond our wildest dreama. Oh 1 that our poor mates were there to share this -wealth with ue. But that was past praying for. We snared a couple of Maori hens for breakfast, made a fire — Jack had soms matches — and ate a hearty meal. Then we set to work to collect our treasure, or som« of it, for there was infinitc/y more than we could carry away. Then ye started across the ranges for the Molyneaux, the river road being, as we feared, blocked up, not forgetting to fill our treasure pit with earth and stones. But as we climbed up the hill-side toward a low saddle in the range, we came to an open plateau, which gave us an extensive view of the terrace, or, rather, what had been the terrace, and of the timbered country leading from it down the valley. To our intense and undisguised astonishment, we saw, rising straight upwards through, the still air, a thin column of smoke, evidently from a camp fire. What could it possibly mean ? We knew of nobody camped there. Nay, more, we knew that up to the time of the land-slip nobody had been camped within miles of so far up the river. Our nearest neighbors were on Spear Grass Flat, and that was at least twelve or fouiteen miles away. What if — but no, that waß impossible — yet, what if our companions, or one or two of them, had escaped, and had oamped there ? We stopped and looked anxiously into each other's face 3. But not for long. Presently, emerging from the belt of timber, we saw three figures anxiously conversing together and pointing to the faint smoke that still rose from our smouldering fire. Distant as they were wo recognised them at a glance — the two Bowmans, and Black, the cook, the comiades whom we had given up for, and mourned as, lost. Without a moment's hesitation we threw down our precious swags, and bounded madly down the hill, shouting and hurrahing as we went. We could perceive that they heard and saw us, for they waved their hats, and advanced more speedily over the rough ground. Oh ! what a joyful meeting was that amid the scattered boulders and shattered timber of the upper terrace. How we shook hands again and again, amid, I had almost said, tears ofjoy.^ Their escape had been fully as marvellous as our own. After Jack and myself had left the hut, they had sat awhile smoking and conversing. Then, before going to their bunks, they had come outside to look for us, but seeing nothing of us, were just turning in again, when, looking to the north, they saw the northern face of the mountain slipping away, and the whole side of it following, as a long roller breaks and curfs over on a sandy beach. Not a second's grace had they. Blindly, yet instinctively, they ran southward. It was a race for life, a race barely won, for even as they gained the spot where the spur curved inward, and where it rose in a bluff of bare purple rock, the storm of stone, earth, and timber rushed past them hardly a foot distant. But once behind the rocky buttress they were safe. They had sought us along the terrace, but had given us up for lost as hopelessly as we had them. The gold, which was kept in a safe cache in the hut, was of course irretrievably lost. But v/hat of that? The new find gave us abundance for all, more than enough, more than we could carry away, even the five of us. Again, and by one of those wonderful turns of fortune's wheel, we were all rich for life, far richer than we had ever dreamt of, had ever dared to hope. The Pactolian pit was soon emptied of the rubbish we had thrown into it, and, ere long, we, laden with as much treasure as we could stagger under, were on our way across the shoulder of Mount Pisa, bound for the township of Cromwell, where was the nearest bank. It had been arranged that the entire swag should be placed to the credit of Jack and myself, who were anxious to leave at once for the old country ; and that the others Bhould return to the Shotover, and work out the new " Jeweller's Shop," for indeed well did our lucky find deserve that appellation, so familiar in the early days of the diggings. (To he Continued.)